Quant timing on the actual PCAT

[Bows]

Hey, this question is for those who have already took the PCAT and thought the time constraint was a huge barrier in the Quant section.

I was wondering, did you think there wasn't enough time while you were doing practice exams as well. Or did you guys think you were doing ok with the quant practice exams, then had trouble with time on the actual PCAT?

I'm asking because I'm feeling confident for time and material for Quant--however, with so many people saying they hardly made it to question 30/48 on the actual exam, it makes me wonder is it just because practice exams are not as tough? I'm hoping Quant is the one section I can ace and boost my score

Thanks!

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[pharmD20I5]

In my opinion I thought the Quant on the actual PCAT was a lot harder. I had 10 mins left and I only got a little more than half way through. When I did the practice test I felt like I had just about enough time. I didn't have enough time to go back and check any answers or anything. Hope that helps and good luck!

Hey, this question is for those who have already took the PCAT and thought the time constraint was a huge barrier in the Quant section.

I was wondering, did you think there wasn't enough time while you were doing practice exams as well. Or did you guys think you were doing ok with the quant practice exams, then had trouble with time on the actual PCAT?

I'm asking because I'm feeling confident for time and material for Quant--however, with so many people saying they hardly made it to question 30/48 on the actual exam, it makes me wonder is it just because practice exams are not as tough? I'm hoping Quant is the one section I can ace and boost my score

Thanks!

 

[JonPrePharmD]

The real PCAT its harder than any of the practice tests, in my opinion.

For quantitative, I recommend marking the questions that look hard or that will take too much time to do, and save them for the end for either solving or a decent educated guess with a little more thought.

Even if it's a problem you know how to do but is just time consuming, mark it for later because an easier, quicker problem to solve most likely is next. Time management is key.

 

[Wickett]

I agree completely. Most of all, don't panic. The math section was the most stressful for me, not because of all the problems being difficult, but because it had the biggest time crunch, imo. Just know that everyone else taking the exam is under the same time constraints and 95% of people arent going to be able to legitimately work out all the problems with the time given. Personally, I had 10-12 problems where I only had time to make educated guesses on since I only had a few minutes left, and I still got an 80% score. You will be ok, just keep working on your speed in practice exam settings, and keep cool in the exam. It is supposed to be hard, and will be difficult for 99% of people. I think my ability to be calm taking standardized exams helped me immensely in scoring composite 90s.

 

[iBeast]

And to add to what everyone else said, the math portion is at the very end when you are basically worn-out. The PCAT as a whole is not only a battle of preparation, understanding, and pressure moments, but also a test of attrition.

The math portion is also the largest. It's even harder of you aren't use to writing with a marker on metallic paper. I'm not trying to scare anyone. But be prepared. Get a good nights sleep and eat a protein/carb bar before the test. Don't eat breakfast the day of the test if you usually don't.

 

[cheepcheep]

Is there any way to save time on math? Like do you guys use the work it out on paper or do a lot of the calculations in your head? I'm going WAY over even on the practice tests...so now I really really fear for the real deal.

 

[pharmerbird]

The quant section is worrying me the most. Math isn't my strongest subject to begin with, and I keep running out of time/doing extremely poorly.

I stopped studying for it because I figure at this point I can't learn anymore and would rather work on the other subjects.. is that a good idea or a bad idea?!