Pearson vs. Kaplan practice test

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futurepharmD103

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7+ Year Member
Hi,

I score relatively low on the Kaplan practice tests compared to the Pearson ones. Does anybody else have the same experience as I do?
 
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futurepharmD103 said:
Hi,

I score relatively low on the Kaplan practice tests compared to the Pearson ones. Does anybody else have the same experience as I do?
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I have the same experience in the Bio section particularly. I think Kaplan goes a little more in depth on their questions compared to Pearson. What I did notice from Kaplan is that you actually have to read more into the answer choices
 
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Yes...I feel like Kaplan's Bio & Chem sections are so much more in depth than Pearsons. I even took Pearson Test #7 (which some users on this network said they thought was a lot harder than the others) and made a better score on it than one of the Kaplan full length tests. I really hope that the actual PCAT will be more like the Pearson tests! Can anyone testify to this??
 
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I took a free practice test offered by Kaplan today and scored in high 70's but I always got the highest range on the Pearsons. I was getting really worried since the test is only a few days away! Let us hope that the real one is not as difficult as Kaplan. 😉
 
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I've noticed a similar situation between Kaplan and Pearson. I score better on Pearson than I do on Kaplan. I agree with another user's statement of Kaplan being much more in depth. I had to REALLY read the answer choices and analyze them to some degree before making a choice. I'm really hoping Kaplan made it harder to make sure we are prepared, and that the Pearson exam is not actually as difficult, haha.
 
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MUkitten said:
I've noticed a similar situation between Kaplan and Pearson. I score better on Pearson than I do on Kaplan. I agree with another user's statement of Kaplan being much more in depth. I had to REALLY read the answer choices and analyze them to some degree before making a choice. I'm really hoping Kaplan made it harder to make sure we are prepared, and that the Pearson exam is not actually as difficult, haha.
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I agree with it, too! I felt discouraged after the Kaplan test, but I think this is a general trend for everyone.
 
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hopebuilders1305 said:
So can anyone give their experience of how the difficulty of Kaplan measures up to the actual PCAT that they have taken


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I got a 54 on the Kaplan practice test and was devastated. Took the PCAT today and got an 83. The chemistry and bio sections were much easier than Kaplan, although the reading on the Kaplan test is easier than the one on the actual PCAT.
 
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hopebuilders1305 said:
So can anyone give their experience of how the difficulty of Kaplan measures up to the actual PCAT that they have taken


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
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Total study time 2-3 weeks with no pre calculus or calculus class or orgo ; have taken only gen chem
I got a 25 and then an 18 on Kaplan test 2-3 days before exam . Then I took Pearson 5 ; night before the exam to decide whether I should take the exam or not. I scored 45-65 (75 bio, 66 chem, 48 quant, 46 critical reading) range in Pearson. So I decided to take it
In real Pcat the next day I scored 64 composite ( with 91 bio, 66 chem, 48 quant & CR 38( bombed as I panicked)
 
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MI4966 said:
Total study time 2-3 weeks with no pre calculus or calculus class or orgo ; have taken only gen chem
I got a 25 and then an 18 on Kaplan test 2-3 days before exam . Then I took Pearson 5 ; night before the exam to decide whether I should take the exam or not. I scored 45-65 (75 bio, 66 chem, 48 quant, 46 critical reading) range in Pearson. So I decided to take it
In real Pcat the next day I scored 64 composite ( with 91 bio, 66 chem, 48 quant & CR 38( bombed as I panicked)
Click to expand...
How many hours a day did you study? Did you study all sections of the test?
 
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Dr_eyelien said:
How many hours a day did you study? Did you study all sections of the test?
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I studied for bio from Kaplan as it was my strength. Chem from dr Collins because Kaplan was extensive. Luckily Pcat exam Chem was closer to Dr Collins ; if I had done it from Kaplan I would have failed it. No prep for CRt, just practiced 4-5 passages.
Quant --tried to study but had no base regarding calc or pre calc, so in the end I decided to just pick up atleast 15 easy questions and make sired they are right. The rest was guess pick and choose.
First 2 weeks 6-7hours a day with weekends off. Last week I studied like 14 hours plus .
 
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I did terrible on the Kaplan practice tests, but I did good on the Pearson tests. The score/percentile range that those Pearson practice tests gave me is pretty close to how I did on the actual PCAT. I found all sections similar except the critical reading which is a bit harder on the real PCAT.
 
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BluePill_ said:
I got a 54 on the Kaplan practice test and was devastated. Took the PCAT today and got an 83. The chemistry and bio sections were much easier than Kaplan, although the reading on the Kaplan test is easier than the one on the actual PCAT.
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BluePill_ said:
I got a 54 on the Kaplan practice test and was devastated. Took the PCAT today and got an 83. The chemistry and bio sections were much easier than Kaplan, although the reading on the Kaplan test is easier than the one on the actual PCAT.
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True, my worst section was CR. The actual exam CR was tough for me that day, but maybe because I felt tunnel-visioned during that section
 
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I took the PCAT on Jan 4 and I found the Kaplan was much more indicative of the material. I did 3 pearson tests and got perfect or near perfect on all sections, but struggled more with kaplan (70-90%), and I found in terms of difficulty and question style Kaplan prepared me much better and was reflective of the test.
 
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