Practice tests too easy?

[jessicaholland1]

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Hey everyone,
I have the cliff's book of 5 practice tests and I was going through them and starting to think they were a lot easier than the actual PCAT. I took the PCAT last june and I'm re-taking it this june. Maybe I'm just smarter this year (haha yeah right), but I remember a lot of calc and nearly running out of time on the math section. In the practice tests there's hardly any calc and I could do all of it quickly. Same goes for chem. Anyone take the PCAT more recently? What do you think? Too easy or about right? Anyone know any better study aids? I have Kaplan too..which is ok for some sections, not great for others.

 

[Jitaka]

Hey everyone,
I have the cliff's book of 5 practice tests and I was going through them and starting to think they were a lot easier than the actual PCAT. I took the PCAT last june and I'm re-taking it this june. Maybe I'm just smarter this year (haha yeah right), but I remember a lot of calc and nearly running out of time on the math section. In the practice tests there's hardly any calc and I could do all of it quickly. Same goes for chem. Anyone take the PCAT more recently? What do you think? Too easy or about right? Anyone know any better study aids? I have Kaplan too..which is ok for some sections, not great for others.

Hey there!,

I will be taking the PCAT on June 23. I began to study (independently) for the test back in January and I am currently enrolled in Kaplan's PCAT prep class. Needless to say, I have been studying my a@@ off.

The Kaplan course is coming to a close and I've almost completed the entirety of their course material; because of this, I decided to buy the cliff notes five prep tests booklet (I believe its the same one you have). The tests in that book are insanely simplistic. I didn't even finish the first practice test I took because I felt like the test was lowering my IQ (lol).

In contrast, the material that the Kaplan course provides is difficult than expected. I would argue that the level of Kaplan's material is too difficult; however, I would rather be over prepared than under prepared 🙂

 

[manutdmax]

Hey there!,

I will be taking the PCAT on June 23. I began to study (independently) for the test back in January and I am currently enrolled in Kaplan's PCAT prep class. Needless to say, I have been studying my a@@ off.

The Kaplan course is coming to a close and I've almost completed the entirety of their course material; because of this, I decided to buy the cliff notes five prep tests booklet (I believe its the same one you have). The tests in that book are insanely simplistic. I didn't even finish the first practice test I took because I felt like the test was lowering my IQ (lol).

In contrast, the material that the Kaplan course provides is difficult than expected. I would argue that the level of Kaplan's material is too difficult; however, I would rather be over prepared than under prepared 🙂

So is the PCAT really difficult and only SMART people get 80s...am studying for the October exam using Kaplan book..am still in biology section though..do you think we should study each section by itself ? HOW I CAN GET 80 ON THE EXAM...THANKS

 

[Bonbon2007]

So is the PCAT really difficult and only SMART people get 80s...am studying for the October exam using Kaplan book..am still in biology section though..do you think we should study each section by itself ? HOW I CAN GET 80 ON THE EXAM...THANKS

I think you have to stop questioning how you're going to reach your desired score. Second, dedicate yourself to studying a given number of questions a day, opening up every resource available to you, and then applying yourself consistently toward your goal of hitting 80+.

I believe studying a different section everyday helps me best. Good luck. 22 more days until June PCAT!!!

 

[manutdmax]

I think you have to stop questioning how you're going to reach your desired score. Second, dedicate yourself to studying a given number of questions a day, opening up every resource available to you, and then applying yourself consistently toward your goal of hitting 80+.

I believe studying a different section everyday helps me best. Good luck. 22 more days until June PCAT!!!

YEAH i guess you are right...i was planing to take the june exam but my friends advised me that i should be well prepared for the exam so i decided to take it in october..also to AVOID having bad history from previous score exams that could affect my admission decision..you think this is true??

 

[omnione]

So is the PCAT really difficult and only SMART people get 80s...am studying for the October exam using Kaplan book..am still in biology section though..do you think we should study each section by itself ? HOW I CAN GET 80 ON THE EXAM...THANKS

I got a 94 on the only PCAT I took.....but my 3.4 GPA implies that I'm not too smart🙂.

Conversely, my 1280 SAT (out of 1600 back then) didn't say I was smart either.

Standardized exams are weird sometimes.......

Anyway, you don't have to be a Mensa member to get an 80+ on the PCAT. You need to review your weaknesses, PRACTICE because the most common issue with low scores is running out of time on sections.

 

[manutdmax]

I got a 94 on the only PCAT I took.....but my 3.4 GPA implies that I'm not too smart🙂.

Conversely, my 1280 SAT (out of 1600 back then) didn't say I was smart either.

Standardized exams are weird sometimes.......

Anyway, you don't have to be a Mensa member to get an 80+ on the PCAT. You need to review your weaknesses, PRACTICE because the most common issue with low scores is running out of time on sections.

what school your attending now...i am studying for the october exam, am still in the biology section,, what books you used to study for the exam..and how many days before the exam you did study ?

 

[omnione]

what school your attending now...i am studying for the october exam, am still in the biology section,, what books you used to study for the exam..and how many days before the exam you did study ?

Creighton.......as indicated by my sig.😉

I took the MCAT, so I used the Examkrackers MCAT study package and it worked great! However, I had to be careful not to go overboard since the MCAT covered topics the PCAT didn't and vice versa.

As for studying, I spent the entire summer studying. However, it's not like I spent eight hours a day. I probably spent 3 hours a day for a bunch of weeks and practiced during the school year.

 

[manutdmax]

Creighton.......as indicated by my sig.😉

I took the MCAT, so I used the Examkrackers MCAT study package and it worked great! However, I had to be careful not to go overboard since the MCAT covered topics the PCAT didn't and vice versa.

As for studying, I spent the entire summer studying. However, it's not like I spent eight hours a day. I probably spent 3 hours a day for a bunch of weeks and practiced during the school year.

when you took the PCAT..which section you thought was the toughest,,was biology questions straight memorizing ...what about the verbal and chemistry,,,was there alot of calculation in chem ?