PCAT Preliminary Score July 2016

[EyeC92]

Hello, I took my PCAT this morning. Very satisfied w/ the results.
Bio: 97
Chem: 92
Reading: 52
Quantitative: 59
Composite: 84

Here to answer any questions...ask away!

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[futurepharmD103]

Hello, I took my PCAT this morning. Very satisfied w/ the results.
Bio: 97
Chem: 92
Reading: 52
Quantitative: 59
Composite: 84

Here to answer any questions...ask away!

Congratulations! I have seen many people commenting how difficult bio was. I have always liked Bio better but this is starting to worry me. Was it hard for you too? I'm impressed by your excellent score on Bio!

 

[EyeC92]

Congratulations! I have seen many people commenting how difficult bio was. I have always liked Bio better but this is starting to worry me. Was it hard for you too? I'm impressed by your excellent score on Bio!

Thank you! I think the BIO section was fair. Answer the stand alone ones first to save time. As far as the passages, in my opinion are actually there to help you. Read them briefly, paying attention to figures and tables. Understand general concepts as well as details about each subsection of biology and how to go about answering them. For example, know what happens during muscle contraction but also the specific events that help ensure contraction occurs.

 

[futurepharmD103]

Thank you! I think the BIO section was fair. Answer the stand alone ones first to save time. As far as the passages, in my opinion are actually there to help you. Read them briefly, paying attention to figures and tables. Understand general concepts as well as details about each subsection of biology and how to go about answering them. For example, know what happens during muscle contraction but also the specific events that help ensure contraction occurs.

Thank you! Last question: how did you think the bio was compared to 3 pearson practice tests if you took them?

 

[EyeC92]

My advice:

Writing: practice different prompts under timed conditions. Also, follow Kaplan's method with time management. Pretty solid.
Bio & Chem: I studied Kaplan for the most part and supplemented with 15-16 Collins. Was well prepared for the questions. Kaplan's practice test is more difficult than the actual test but it definitely helps you see what topics you should work on.
Reading: Kaplan's practice test was way easier than the actual PCAT. The passages on the PCAT were longer which took more time than I expected so I ended up not finishing on time. Expect the passages to be about 5-7 paragraphs.
Quant: Collins is best for this section, supplemented by Kaplan for the probability & statistics section. The Kaplan practice exam is similar to this section as well.

 

[EyeC92]

Thank you! Last question: how did you think the bio was compared to 3 pearson practice tests if you took them?

I didn't get a chance to take Pearson tests. I took 2 Kaplan practice exams though. The Bio was harder on Kaplan, Chem was just about right, Reading was about 2-3 passages longer on the actual PCAT (so prepare for that), and Quant was very similar to the Kaplan + Collins. Also, I had about 3 conversion questions for Quant so be familiar w/ g to mg and such.