PCAT Question

[pharmapp23]

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Hi all,
I am taking the PCAT in July for the second time and I was hoping I could get a little bit of insight on what those whom scored above the 50% studied. I studied Dr. Collins thoroughly and aced all of the practice exams including the practice exams that Pearson offers. I scored slightly below a 50% composite and it was really surprising to me since I felt really good about the test. I have made A's in all of my pre-pharmacy classes and just received my B.A. in Chemistry and a Biochemistry minor. I feel that I have an extremely good background and knowledge of all of my science courses, but somehow my performance didn't seem to reflect it. Any recommendations on what study guide has worked best for most people or what combination of study guides work best? Dr. Collins did help in certain aspects, but it seems to have become very outdated. I heard from two pharmacist whom have graduated within the last 3 years, and they said that they used Kaplan and scored very well. Anyways, any advice would be nice!

 

[y0ssarian87]

Hi all,
I am taking the PCAT in July for the second time and I was hoping I could get a little bit of insight on what those whom scored above the 50% studied. I studied Dr. Collins thoroughly and aced all of the practice exams including the practice exams that Pearson offers. I scored slightly below a 50% composite and it was really surprising to me since I felt really good about the test. I have made A's in all of my pre-pharmacy classes and just received my B.A. in Chemistry and a Biochemistry minor. I feel that I have an extremely good background and knowledge of all of my science courses, but somehow my performance didn't seem to reflect it. Any recommendations on what study guide has worked best for most people or what combination of study guides work best? Dr. Collins did help in certain aspects, but it seems to have become very outdated. I heard from two pharmacist whom have graduated within the last 3 years, and they said that they used Kaplan and scored very well. Anyways, any advice would be nice!

I used Kaplan and got 96th %ile. I think study habits matter too. I didn't put all that much time into studying for the PCAT, but I made sure to do more than just passively read the study guide. I tried to link concepts in the guide to examples from class and from publications. By getting more engaged, I remembered more. Also, I skipped stuff I knew well.

But, to answer your question: I only used Kaplan.

 

[Skrumpy]

Hi all,
I am taking the PCAT in July for the second time and I was hoping I could get a little bit of insight on what those whom scored above the 50% studied. I studied Dr. Collins thoroughly and aced all of the practice exams including the practice exams that Pearson offers. I scored slightly below a 50% composite and it was really surprising to me since I felt really good about the test. I have made A's in all of my pre-pharmacy classes and just received my B.A. in Chemistry and a Biochemistry minor. I feel that I have an extremely good background and knowledge of all of my science courses, but somehow my performance didn't seem to reflect it. Any recommendations on what study guide has worked best for most people or what combination of study guides work best? Dr. Collins did help in certain aspects, but it seems to have become very outdated. I heard from two pharmacist whom have graduated within the last 3 years, and they said that they used Kaplan and scored very well. Anyways, any advice would be nice!

I think it depends on when you took the classes and how comfortable you feel in the different areas. I bought both the Kaplan book and the Princeton Review book. I only used the Kaplan book and got a 93%. After I took the exam I went through the Princeton book and saw a lot of stuff that wasn't really covered (or was covered poorly) in the Kaplan book (like Calc stuff that I hadn't seen in quite some time). I also thought the layout was better. Made me wish I had looked at the Princeton book prior to taking the exam. Also, the Princeton book is bigger and costs less. I think with the Kaplan book you are paying for the name.

If you are feeling really confident in your ability are you sure you just aren't experiencing a lot of pre-exam anxiety that is translating into poor performance? Do you mind sharing what your scores were on your first exam? Also when you are taking the practice exams are you being strict on yourself with the allotted time and breaks?

 

[Guitarmacy]

Hi all,
I am taking the PCAT in July for the second time and I was hoping I could get a little bit of insight on what those whom scored above the 50% studied. I studied Dr. Collins thoroughly and aced all of the practice exams including the practice exams that Pearson offers. I scored slightly below a 50% composite and it was really surprising to me since I felt really good about the test. I have made A's in all of my pre-pharmacy classes and just received my B.A. in Chemistry and a Biochemistry minor. I feel that I have an extremely good background and knowledge of all of my science courses, but somehow my performance didn't seem to reflect it. Any recommendations on what study guide has worked best for most people or what combination of study guides work best? Dr. Collins did help in certain aspects, but it seems to have become very outdated. I heard from two pharmacist whom have graduated within the last 3 years, and they said that they used Kaplan and scored very well. Anyways, any advice would be nice!

If you're good at self-study, Dr. Collins > Kaplan, but I'd recommend using both. If you need to be motivated, go to a Kaplan or Collins course... If you can afford it.

 

[PharmD hopeful]

Hello everyonr,
I have a question regarding pharmcas. I just registered for the july pcat and am confused as when to apply with pharmcas. Does the 2013 2014 registration start now or later? Also, do i have to mail all my transcripts to pharmcas and they will take care of getting them to the schools i applied to or would i still have to send them to the schools as well. Please someone breakdown the necessary steps for me to take. Thank you all in advance and i look forward to getting the necessary information to move forward.

 

[Skrumpy]

Hello everyonr,
I have a question regarding pharmcas. I just registered for the july pcat and am confused as when to apply with pharmcas. Does the 2013 2014 registration start now or later? Also, do i have to mail all my transcripts to pharmcas and they will take care of getting them to the schools i applied to or would i still have to send them to the schools as well. Please someone breakdown the necessary steps for me to take. Thank you all in advance and i look forward to getting the necessary information to move forward.

The 2013-2014 registration can start now if you are a new applicant. It is a bit different if you are a reapplying applicant (i.e. you didn't get in for the 2012-2013 year). Your school has to mail certified copies of all of your transcripts directly to PharmCAS. PharmCAS will take care of getting them to your schools (some schools may also require you to have your schools send the transcripts again directly to them, if this is the case the school will let you know after you've been accepted). Make sure that once you start your PharmCAS application that you add your PCAT CID (given to you buy Pearson after you register for the PCAT) to the appropriate spot in PharmCAS. You only need to have your PCAT sent directly to PharmCAS (PharmCAS Code 0104) so select that instead of selecting a school on Pearson's website when you register for the PCAT. This is unless the schools you plan on applying to do not use the PCAT. I know it's confusing and there is some conflicting information out there.. but hang tight you'll be a pro before the end!

 

[Blackboxrx]

I got 99th percentile (99 math, 99 chem, 99 bio, 96 verbal, 90 reading comp...guess I can't read) and used MCAT prep material. I highly recommend ExamKrackers books for chem and bio. If you can do those questions, PCAT will be a breeze. I didn't study for math because that was my double major. Didn't study for verbal/reading because I hate those but I do read a lot and started looking up every single word I didn't know in the dictionary for 2 months before the test. I think if you do that and figure out a way to prep for math, you'll do really well.

Hope that helps