Question for those got low pcat & got interview

[pharm2006]

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for all those with low pcat score and got interview. do they ever ask you why you got a low pcat during an interview?

if they do ask what would be good excuse?

thanks

 

[kPPharm]

yes...i had an extremely low pcat score...much lower than anyone who was at the interviews with me...but i got in! and yes they did ask me about it..don't give an excuse, just be honest. i do horrible at standarized tests so that is what i told them...and they seemed to understand.🙂

 

[cdhoward]

Mine was low as well. I have interviewed 6 times and it never came up.

 

[itsblue2]

mine was low, the issue never came up and i got accepted!

 

[pcproduct]

Did you guys have a ton of EC or pharmaceutical experience hours to make up for the scores?

 

[fhx06]

I would think GPA would be a greater factor; if your test scores are low and so are your grades, it's not a good sign.

 

[PharmDKid89]

I would think GPA would be a greater factor; if your test scores are low and so are your grades, it's not a good sign.

I hope you can get in even w/ a low GPA. If only the composite counts, then I did so bad🙁 ( I hope not), but I feel I did pretty descent..

 

[Tatodotcom]

what do you guys mean when you say bad??? like less than 60? I got a 55 composite my first time taking but my gpa is a 3.9...im appyling next year and im taking the pcat again in the summer and im just shooting for a 70 or higher...my gpa is not inflated, i got to a university where our chem dept is ranked 12th in the nation according to the ACS...i think im very smart, but i always have done poorly on standardized tests...i plan on studying for like 4 hours a day everyday like 2 months before the test...will this help? i have no idea on how to improve, i thought i nailed the pcat the first time, but i obviously misread questions or misbubbled..

 

[tprice108]

I scored in the 50s and still got 4 interviews. While I did decent in every section, I just do horrible in the reading/verbal sections. It came up maybe twice, I just told them that I have always found it difficult to read while being timed. I have since improved mine to the 60s with every section in the upper 70s and still did bad in the verbal/reading sections. I feel like a lot of schools almost disregard those scores if one has relatively high scores in the 'sciences'. So: make sure to do well where it counts is my advice. And if you have average gpa and pcat, you need to desperately find ways to make yourself stand out in regards to past jobs, leadership examples, and many many extracurricular activities to show a well rounded person.

 

[Tatodotcom]

I scored in the 50s and still got 4 interviews. While I did decent in every section, I just do horrible in the reading/verbal sections. It came up maybe twice, I just told them that I have always found it difficult to read while being timed. I have since improved mine to the 60s with every section in the upper 70s and still did bad in the verbal/reading sections. I feel like a lot of schools almost disregard those scores if one has relatively high scores in the 'sciences'. So: make sure to do well where it counts is my advice. And if you have average gpa and pcat, you need to desperately find ways to make yourself stand out in regards to past jobs, leadership examples, and many many extracurricular activities to show a well rounded person.

yea ive got 2 years pharmacy experience, great gpa, and some upper level chem courses, and good lors....i got an 80 on the bio 75 chem and 70 math, but the verbal and reading killed me, i hope i can get into south next year like you did.....

 

[emmiepharmd]

yea ive got 2 years pharmacy experience, great gpa, and some upper level chem courses, and good lors....i got an 80 on the bio 75 chem and 70 math, but the verbal and reading killed me, i hope i can get into south next year like you did.....

you guys i am the same way- standardized tests have always been my greatest weakness...i think it is because i am a "perfectionist" and just have trouble naturally going fast during those tests. i also like figuring things out so it makes me crazy not being sure of an answer and i spend too much time thinking through it. so for the pcat i studied for like 5 months (reviewing material i hadn't taken in a while like calculus, biology, chemistry) and then a few weeks before the test i practiced going as fast as i could over and over and OVER again and it really helped me. i was able to finish all the sections and not waste precious time on problems i wasn't as sure about, and spend time on ones i knew i could get the right answer. reading was my lowest score too, but i think it was in the high 70s because i had so much practice and knew how to find the answers quickly. i got like a 94% and i NEVER do well on those tests, so i was shocked, but let me tell you going fast through those practice tests is the KEY if you don't have a problem knowing the material...!

 

[Matrix187]

I have a 3.64 pre-req and a slightly lower overall GPA, and a 58 pcat. I'm going to an interview next week.

 

[SeattleCoug]

My writing scores in particular were just about as low as they could be...1.5 and 2. I received 3 interviews. The PCAT scores never came up, but all three of my interviews were closed file. Midwestern had access to my supplemental application, but not to my PharmCAS.

Hope that helps!

 

[Sparda29]

There is no need to study for the PCAT. MCAT, yeah you should bust your ass off studying for that but not the PCAT.

If you did good in Math/Bio/Chem classes, then just concentrate on Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Reading Comprehension is by far the hardest part of the PCAT.

 

[naseuy]

There is no need to study for the PCAT. MCAT, yeah you should bust your ass off studying for that but not the PCAT.

If you did good in Math/Bio/Chem classes, then just concentrate on Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Reading Comprehension is by far the hardest part of the PCAT.

That's horrible advice to give.

 

[StringTheorist]

]There is no need to study for the PCAT. MCAT, yeah you should bust your ass off studying for that but not the PCAT.

If you did good in Math/Bio/Chem classes, then just concentrate on Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Reading Comprehension is by far the hardest part of the PCAT.

actually, i agree to some extent. i have a lot of prepharmacy friends come to me asking "how did you score well on the PCAT? how did you study?" and i say "i didn't really study...the entire span of your pre-reqs was your studying time."

the PCAT basically reviews all the pre-req classes(or most of them). if you did well in the classes, you will probably do well on the test. I had the Barron's review and looked that over the day before because i was so nervous id bomb it and by studying i would realize "haha, i dont know anything! wonderful!" and be all nervous during the actual test.

but i did well(composite of 92), better than i expected, especially in the sciences, and my lowest score was a 70-something in reading comprehension (damn you, reading!!!!).

but if you had good professors and you understand, truly understand, the concepts that were reviewed, you should be ok and can reason your way through a lot of the test.