Questions about PCAT registeration?!

[pshah92]

I am about to register for the July PCAT. I am not really sure what schools I want to apply to but I have a good idea of where. The thing is i do not want to send my scores right after I take the pcat because it is my first time taking it and have no idea how i will do. So is it possible to not send to schools right now and just send it later through pearson? Also, do you have to sign up for PharmCAS before you take the PCAT? or can you take the test see the score and then send it to PharmCAS? Thanks.

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[xtsukiyox]

In any scenario where you do not send the score immediately, you have to pay Pearson later & wait for them to send it. But yes, you can leave the schools blank & contact Pearson later to have the scores sent. Check with your schools of choice as to how they handle multiple PCAT scores. Many don't penalize you for a bad performance, as long as you retake. You will walk out of the PCAT with a preliminary score report, which is virtually always the same as your finalized score.

EDIT: I am not sure if PharmCAS can match up scores that were sent prior to the creation of a matching account. There is no reason not to make one as soon as it opens, though - it's free until you pay for stuff to be sent to a school.

 

[PharmD hopeful]

Hello Sdn community,

I am confused about the nescessary steps to be taken from applying for the pcat to applying to pharmcas to schools. I am getting ready to apply for the July 2013 test and need some guidance to what I do next. I am hopeful I will get some great info from this thread to help me move forward in this painful process.
Thank you all in advance.

 

[Member 559246]

You just register and then sign up for a test center with pearson vue. Then you say that you want
your scores sent to pharmcas if you have a pharmcas account set up or you can wait and send your
scores later.

 

[PharmD hopeful]

What about pharmcas, do they have a seperate website other than pearson that i have to go to and register or does picking pharmcas on the pearson site when asked to select schools fulfill it.

 

[AlPacino]

Done! I registered for the PCAT, selected the testing center and date(July18th) at Pearson VUE, and set the pharmacy schools that I would want my scores to be sent. With a $199 registration fee, they will send the score to up to 14 schools.

 

[xtsukiyox]

What about pharmcas, do they have a seperate website other than pearson that i have to go to and register or does picking pharmcas on the pearson site when asked to select schools fulfill it.

Yes, it is http://pharmcas.org/ - you will need to sign up once the 2013-2014 cycle opens, usually about mid-June. Registering for PharmCAS is free. It is the application system the majority of schools use.

Check the schools you want to apply to - if the school takes PharmCAS, sending your scores there will take care of all of them. If a school does not participate in PharmCAS, you will need to list that school individually to receive your score.

 

[jaggers2020]

I had a question....sorry if its been asked before...I don't expect to try to get into pharmd until Fall 2015. But would it be okay to start pharmcas so I have plenty of time to get my ducks in a row? Or is advisable to wait...if so, when should I start? Thanks!

 

[cuddlefish78]

I had a question....sorry if its been asked before...I don't expect to try to get into pharmd until Fall 2015. But would it be okay to start pharmcas so I have plenty of time to get my ducks in a row? Or is advisable to wait...if so, when should I start? Thanks!

You do not want to start your pharmcas until the year it opens for the year you want to apply. The one that opens in June this summer is for admittance for 2014. If you want to apply for 2015 wait until next summer to start pharmcas. If you start it now or even in June of this year it will all be earased when it opens for you next year. If you are thinking about taking your pcat this year just check with the schools you want to apply to. Mine say they want the pcat within the last 2 years so taking it this year would probably be fine.

 

[Angoose]

Hm, so if I am planning to write the test during the summer, should I just sign up for Pharmcas right before I apply for my schools?

 

[pbmason]

In any scenario where you do not send the score immediately, you have to pay Pearson later & wait for them to send it. But yes, you can leave the schools blank & contact Pearson later to have the scores sent. Check with your schools of choice as to how they handle multiple PCAT scores. Many don't penalize you for a bad performance, as long as you retake. You will walk out of the PCAT with a preliminary score report, which is virtually always the same as your finalized score.

EDIT: I am not sure if PharmCAS can match up scores that were sent prior to the creation of a matching account. There is no reason not to make one as soon as it opens, though - it's free until you pay for stuff to be sent to a school.

I'm a little confused. Can I add schools that I want my scores sent to before I take the test or do I have to pay more? I believe they allow me to pick 14 schools, but I only have 4 chosen right now. I probably want to add a few more schools but would like to sign up now. Can I add more schools later after I sign up?