Kaplan Test vs Collins Test vs Pearson Practice Test vs Real Test

[pharmboy27]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So I think this is a question that has been discussed a lot but either the post is too old or there is really proper answer. What does everyone think between the of these tests. I haven't taken the real one but for Kaplan is relatively hard and collins and pearson are about the same level. What do you think?

 

[PositiveVibes1]

I have taken the two Kaplan Practice tests, 2 Pearson Practice Tests (Taking PT-4 tomorrow), and a few Dr.Collins practice problems. I agree, Kaplan's practice tests are much harder than the Pearson & Collins! I scored very high on Pearson & Collins but extremely low on Kaplan's practice tests. Hopefully the actual PCAT exam will be similar to Pearson's but some say the Biology section is more detailed and the Reading section contains 6-7 paragraphs instead of 4-5.

 

[MybuttsHadouken]

I just went over Dr Collins. Exact replica.

 

[PositiveVibes1]

I just went over Dr Collins. Exact replica.

Which year/version?

 

[eb5896]

I studied for the July 10th PCAT exclusively with the Kaplan book. In the week leading up to the exam, I scored a 93 and a 95 composite on the two included practice exams. On test day my section scores were a little different, but my composite score was a 97. So I found the Kaplan exams to be very accurate-- there were even some questions that I thought I'd seen before (at least similar). Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with Pearson or Dr. Collins to share.

 

[tnva92]

I used Collin and Pearson and scored 96 composite. In my opinion, if you know and understand enough basic concepts, you'll be good to go. It's a lot about strategy also, spend time doing easier questions first, don't dwell on the harder ones. I didn't even finish Math section (got 6 or so left), still got 97 for the section. Pearson helped a lots in term of time management for me.

 

[cheerleader77]

I found that the Dr. Collin's practice tests were way too easy in comparison to the actual test. Pearson's prep test was ok, but Kaplan's practice tests resembled the actual test entirely. In fact, I found Kaplan's practice tests harder than the actual exam, which is good for expectations imo.

 

[med77]

So I got a 96 on the PCAT with a 4 on the essay. 99 for bio and 97 for chemistry. I only used Kaplan and my textbooks. I took the first of the free online Kaplan exams that come with the prep book to see where I was at. I got an 84 I believe. I then reviewed the questions I got wrong (and some that I guessed and got right). I went back to my textbooks and to Khan Academy and the prep book of course to review those topics, doing extra practice problems. About two weeks before the actual PCAT I took the last of the two exams. I got something really ****ty like a 62 or something. I started to get paranoid (I think I got a 32(!!!) in chemistry on it!), so I sat down and reviewed way more than I really needed to.

I would say that Kaplan's biology and chemistry sections were MUCH more specific and difficult than the PCAT. My chem section on the PCAT didn't have nearly as much math. It was mainly concepts (electronegativity, pKa in relation to deprotonation, etc.) and orgo. The bio section for Kaplan was way too specific with bacteria, diseases, and the endocrine system. My PCAT had questions about these things, but they were pretty darn obvious (i.e. "how does penicillin work? answer: inhibits cell wall synthesis in bacteria") if you've paid attention in your classes. The math section, however, is where I saw a bigger discrepancy (reading and verbal were close I'd say, maybe reading being easier with Kaplan because the passages seemed a little shorter). Kaplan had a lot of stuff on basic arithmetic and limits. My PCAT did have limits and arithmetic, but it had more calculus. This was actually fantastic for me since I am so much better at calc than I am at math that I haven't taken in over 6 years. LEARN HOW TO MANIPULATE VECTORS. Dear God I can't say that enough. I hadn't touched vector math since physics 2 and my calculus classes. I forgot all about them, and most definitely got those questions wrong on my exam. I still did okay in quant (I forget my score...somewhere in the 70s? Check my post history), but I know I could have done better if I reviewed some of those math problems more. And speed. Speed will be your biggest issue. Most of the questions were pretty easy, but you don't have enough time to solve them in full. Lot of fraction and decimal manipulation that can easily eat up your time.

 

[MSUPrePharm2]

Kaplan takes pride in being harder than the actual (multiple instructors have told me this), and I would have to agree. Did much worse on my math and verbal on the practice test through Kaplan than I did on the actual.