PCAT Tips & Tricks

[88jalk88]

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Hey guys! So I'm taking the PCAT for the first time in September, and I was wondering if anyone has any little tips and tricks for when taking the exam? Like things to either help eliminate wrong answers or shortcuts for certain questions to help save on time? Or like when to use/not use the calculator for QR? Anything would be helpful! Thanks in advanced!! 🙂

 

[NextStepTutor_4]

Hi @88jalk88! Here are some tips that helped me through the various sections:

• Always be mindful of the clock. You should allocate around 35-45 seconds per question before guessing or moving on.
• Flag the question or write the question on your whiteboard if you feel you can answer the question but is taking >45 seconds to answer. You can come back to the question if you have more time at the end of the section.
• Utilize prefixes and suffixes in the sections especially on words that you do not know. For example, the word "hepatocyte" comes from hepat (liver) and cyte (cell).
• Be wary of extreme answer choices or answer choices that are very detailed in the critical reading section since those answers are more likely to be incorrect.
• Utilize the answer choices or pick numbers if possible in the quantitative reasoning section in order to solve those problems quickly. That will save you quite a bit of time in contrast to setting up an equation.

Hope this helps!

 

[88jalk88]

Hi @88jalk88! Here are some tips that helped me through the various sections:

• Always be mindful of the clock. You should allocate around 35-45 seconds per question before guessing or moving on.
• Flag the question or write the question on your whiteboard if you feel you can answer the question but is taking >45 seconds to answer. You can come back to the question if you have more time at the end of the section.
• Utilize prefixes and suffixes in the sections especially on words that you do not know. For example, the word "hepatocyte" comes from hepat (liver) and cyte (cell).
• Be wary of extreme answer choices or answer choices that are very detailed in the critical reading section since those answers are more likely to be incorrect.
• Utilize the answer choices or pick numbers if possible in the quantitative reasoning section in order to solve those problems quickly. That will save you quite a bit of time in contrast to setting up an equation.

Hope this helps!

I'll definitely keep these in mind! Thank you!!