PCAT: how to succeed with minimal studying

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

pharmabro

New Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
2
Reaction score
3
This is a short list of some things that I have done to prepare for my PCAT and I didn't feel were too time consuming or stressful, as some of the other methods can be. First off my scores:
Bio-418-69%
Chem-426-82%
CR-415-82%
QR-420-82%
Composite-420-81%

To prepare for bio I read and took notes over the bio section in a 3 year old Kaplan book. This was quite extensive and much more than was necessary, but bio being my weakest point I felt I needed it. A quick tip to get a solid foundation for bio is to watch the crash course human anatomy series on youtube. This provides a great basis to begin studying the bio portion of the pcat and can be an easy 10 min study break during a long study session.

For chemistry I had taken organic already so this was not a major area of emphasis for me. I did, however, read over the kaplan chemistry portion and it again seemed a bit too much, but was also really helpful to pick up some key points that I had forgotten.

To prepare for reading I recommend simply reading more and reading often. I wouldn't try to read scientific articles or anything specific just read for enjoyment to increase your speed and comprehension.

To study for quantitative reasoning I used the pearson practice tests. This was by far the best decision I made when preparing for the pcat. Although they are pricy I 100% recommend purchasing all 3 and taking them about once per week leading up to the test, then reviewing what you missed in each section.

That was everything that I did to prepare for the test. I spent maybe 4 hour per week for about 8-10 weeks leading up to the exam. I only purchased 2 pearson tests as I was short on time after making the decision to purchase them but if I could go back I would buy all 3 for sure.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
This is a short list of some things that I have done to prepare for my PCAT and I didn't feel were too time consuming or stressful, as some of the other methods can be. First off my scores:
Bio-418-69%
Chem-426-82%
CR-415-82%
QR-420-82%
Composite-420-81%

That was everything that I did to prepare for the test. I spent maybe 4 hour per week for about 8-10 weeks leading up to the exam. I only purchased 2 pearson tests as I was short on time after making the decision to purchase them but if I could go back I would buy all 3 for sure.
It seems to me that you could of do better because you said your spend 8-10 weeks of studying. I don't see the success here if none of subject you got 90 or above. No offense, I am just wondering:)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
It seems to me that you could of do better because you said your spend 8-10 weeks of studying. I don't see the success here if none of subject you got 90 or above. No offense, I am just wondering:)

Except they only did 4 hours a week for 8-10 weeks, not 4 hours a day for 8-10 weeks. Pretty good for not studying too long!
 
Top