Pcat: Do i need to retake

[UPS123]

Hello, I know this these kind of threads appear hear a lot but please bear with me. I just recieved my pcat results today and I would just like some advice on whether i need to retake to be competetive.

Verbal 51
Bio 84
Reading 13
Quant 93
Chem 96
Comp 80

So I realize the area that killed me was reading comp. If i were to take the test again I know that would sky rocket because Ive been practicing for mcat verbal the past few months and I feel im much better prepared now. So if i were to retake in october id expect to go up. But my question is do i really need to retake? Im only planning to apply to toronto waterloo and wayne state, maybe ferris. Would they care about reading or just care about composite and sciences. Thanks in advance

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[crazybob]

i think it would help if you retook and tried to score at least 25~30 on the reading (above 50 would be great) and keep up everything else so that you'll have a good PCAT score. your composite is competitive already, but the reading comprehension score alone could make it seem like you're struggling a bit.

 

[diastole]

This might be a better question for your schools to answer directly. It will open the lines of communication and will take out the guesswork.

 

[mug3n]

Hello, I know this these kind of threads appear hear a lot but please bear with me. I just recieved my pcat results today and I would just like some advice on whether i need to retake to be competetive.

Verbal 51
Bio 84
Reading 13
Quant 93
Chem 96
Comp 80

So I realize the area that killed me was reading comp. If i were to take the test again I know that would sky rocket because Ive been practicing for mcat verbal the past few months and I feel im much better prepared now. So if i were to retake in october id expect to go up. But my question is do i really need to retake? Im only planning to apply to toronto waterloo and wayne state, maybe ferris. Would they care about reading or just care about composite and sciences. Thanks in advance

For UofT pharmacy, you will not be considered because of the 13% reading score. Here are the PCAT cutoffs for the 2009 application cycle just to give you an idea:
- writing (conventions 3, problem solving 2.5)
- composite 50
- chemistry 50
- bio/quant/reading/verbal 20

Obviously I don't think an applicant with 55 composite and 30% in 4 sections is very likely to have a competitive PCAT score, but the point is that these cutoffs prevent applicants from submitting scores that are way too low in one or two sections.

This is the first year UofT used the PCAT so you can expect all the cutoffs to go up from here. If you still want to keep UofT in your plans you definitely need to retake and boost that reading score. Also note that UofT takes your best OVERALL test and doesn't cherrypick your best sections from multiple attempts.

BTW, waterloo doesn't use the PCAT, so your scores are irrelevant - they administer their own test. Read: http://www.pharmacy.uwaterloo.ca/prospective/faqs.html#II2

I think you should do a little more research into the admissions process for the universities you're interested in.

 

[WhiteSnows]

80 is good enough. You should not retake it if you only apply to average schools.

 

[UPS123]

this really stinks, that one section is kinda screwing me over. I have a feeling that I bubbled the answers in wrong because im scoring 10's on my mcat verbal and I found pcat reading comp to be more straightforward. So I guess if I want to go to Toronto or other pcat necessary schools i gotta retake. I hope the rest of my scores dont go down. Thanks for all your help to those who replied, i appreciate your input.