Timeline: App & PCAT

[pharmgal2006]

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Here's my predicament.
I plan to go into pharmacy school in the Fall of 2009. To apply for early decision, all of my "stuff" need to be in by August 31st of 2008 (1st choice school).

Should I take the PCAT in January of 2008 instead of waiting until the first test date in June of that year?

Thanks!

 

[omnione]

The ideal time for you to take the PCAT is when:

1. When its not too long after you've taken all your prereqs
2. Not too long before you actually apply
3. Early enough where your application won't be shuffled to the bottom (i.e. rolling admissions)
4. You have enough time to study and review all the PCAT content.

Given that the longest I've ever seen a PCAT score reach the applicant is about seven to eight weeks, a rare worse case scenario, I think that taking it in June won't kill your application assuming that the test occurs in mid-to-late June. So, I think your true question becomes "How much do I want to study before the exam?". If you want that spring semester to be a long study session, it won't hurt in the end. If you feel like you'll forget some stuff during the spring semester because you are working on classwork, then use the month after your fall semester to study when everything is relatively fresh.

 

[pharmgal2006]

The ideal time for you to take the PCAT is when:

1. When its not too long after you've taken all your prereqs
2. Not too long before you actually apply
3. Early enough where your application won't be shuffled to the bottom (i.e. rolling admissions)
4. You have enough time to study and review all the PCAT content.

Given that the longest I've ever seen a PCAT score reach the applicant is about seven to eight weeks, a rare worse case scenario, I think that taking it in June won't kill your application assuming that the test occurs in mid-to-late June. So, I think your true question becomes "How much do I want to study before the exam?". If you want that spring semester to be a long study session, it won't hurt in the end. If you feel like you'll forget some stuff during the spring semester because you are working on classwork, then use the month after your fall semester to study when everything is relatively fresh.

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind even though my plans have slightly changed it will still come in helpful.
I've decided to stay in college for another year and complete my bachelor's degree in biology to strengthen my application.