To all June PCAT takers: Please read

[omnione]

Since it is 1:22 a.m CDT now, I'll assume that nobody will read this before the exam later on today!

With the new changes on the PCAT, I bet future takers would like to know the differences and the extent of these new changes. So, if you can answer a few questions for me, then that would be great!

Do note that some of you have taken this before, whereas some of you are taking the PCAT for the first time. So, I tried to make the questions geared toward people who have taken both PCAT versions but anyone can answer.

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?
3. Any other comments?

Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?
2. Any other comments?

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).
2. Any other new things?

Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?
2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)
3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?
5. Any other changes that are new?

Partial answers are okay, complete answers are even better!

I hope you all did well!

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[Omegadramon]

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
Yes, there were a few more Cal based problems than I expected. (Know how to differentiate or integrade e^x functions)

2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?

If by "basic math" you mean "Pre-Calculus" type question, then yes. You're gong to have to know trig functions and how to find the X-intercept

3. Any other comments?

THERE WERE PHYSICS BASED QUESTIONS! Know how to find velocity, how vectors work...Know how to deal with fractions because you'll have to do alot of mental math. There wasn't as many Stats problems (Which I'm good at)...only like....2?

The Math Section seemed like such a big leap in terms of difficulty, than any other section. The time given was on it was 40 minutes.

Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?

There was more Organic than I thought. Mostly naming....know the reactions of what happens to an alcohol when it's in strong acid....basic nucleophillic reactions...cholorination.

2. Any other comments?

I didn't have a problem in chemistry, since it was my strong point (I hope so on my scores). Just know how deal with stochiometry and brush up on your gas laws.

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).

Same concept.

2. Any other new things?

The first writing section was the first thing we did! WTF, that threw me waaay off course (Since I didn't really study for it). My first essay was poorly written (let's hope that's the experimental one) because I spent too much time trying to write an introduction to my topic. The second essay, which was the 5th part of the test (Out of seven sections), is the one I did really well on...I hope.

Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?

30 minutes for the Chemistry, Biology and Verbal sections. 50 for the reading (Way too much time) and 40 for the math section.

2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)

I finished the Verbal, Biology and Chemistry parts with plenty of time to spare. I had about 8 questions left on the math section when there was 5 minutes left, so then I started guessing so that I could complete it (guessing is better than nothing). I don't feel that we have enough time for the writing sections, although I did finish my essays, I could've thought about it more and added more concrete examples (Instead of rushing to write down the basics while checking for grammatical mistakes in that short amount of time).

3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam

First Timer.
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?

Writing Essay 1
Verbal
Biology
Chemistry
Writing Essay 2

[Break]

Reading
Math

There were no short breaks in between sections. The proctor was like "Put your pencils down *Wait 10 seconds then read the directions for the next section* Now start*

But you could take a bathroom break at any time during the test but you don't get to make up lost time.

5. Any other changes that are new?

Can't think of anything I didn't already mention.

 

[omnione]

Random thoughts from your reply and the others on the other thread.

1. It sounds like the chemistry section basically stayed the same in terms of content from when I took the PCAT.

2. The order is the same but I didn't have the writing first.

3. The math section's content sound the same too. The amount of physics needed to understand a velocity and vector problems isn't enough to take physics.

4. The organic sounds the same from last time.

5. With 30 minutes per some of the sections, the pressure was still on you guys..

 

[jasonargos]

First time taker-

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
There was more than I expected. I also didn't think they'd give questions related to area under curves and such, which was a calc area I didn't study too much.
2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?
A surprising number of problems had to do with mean, median, standard deviation; easy, but the quantity of the was unexpected.
3. Any other comments?
All in all, I had about 8 left when they called five minutes, guessed 5 of those. It certainly was harder than I was led to believe.

Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?
I thought there was more general chem, but organic is my strongest point, so I may not have noticed.
2. Any other comments?
Nah.

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).
Yes.
2. Any other new things?
Nope.

Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?
Didn't keep track, or care, I just cared once I heard "five minutes left."
2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)
Chem I bubbled in two I left blank write as the timer went off. Math I had several I guessed and ran out of time just as I finished guessing. Too Close.
3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam
N/A
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?
Same as above. And yes, the reading comp section had WAY too much time, nearly everyone, from what I could tell, was done with 15-20 minutes to spare.
5. Any other changes that are new?
It surprised me we couldn't have water at our seats. I'm a thirsty person when I'm thinking.

 

[skyblue87]

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
Yes. I studied Calculus, but was not prepared for the amount of questions on the test. Also, I wasn't prepared for the type of calculus questions present.

2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?

There were a few problems I recognized from old tests, but a lot of it was new material.


3. Any other comments?

Study your life away on math. It was extremely hard for the amount of time given.

Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?

There was a lot of organic material, which was great for me because I knew a lot of it.

2. Any other comments?

The Chemistry section was harder than the previous time I took it. The general chemistry seemed to be harder and more in depth. For the time limit, I cut it close.


New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).

The essays were the same.

2. Any other new things?

I think that having the writing be your first thing was difficult. My brain didn't want to think about a 5 paragraph essay to start off with. I feel as if the time limit was a little bit stressful.

Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?

Same as above

2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)

I finished each part, with the exception of a couple I ended up having to guess on in the math section. The Chemistry section also was a little rough. The reading comprehension should be shortened and more time should be given to other areas.

3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam

Definitely rushed. Even though it was shorter, it seemed like longer and more in depth questions. Questions that took longer to think about.

4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?

Same as above. The break was shorter, only 5 minutes, than the last time I took it in October.

5. Any other changes that are new?

Nope

 

[Lindsey129]

First time PCAT-taker

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
Lots of Log questions... which I didnt review
2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?
fractions were a big part
3. Any other comments?
not enough time, and it was pretty hard I thought

Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general? there were some pretty tough organic questions that I needed more time to think about, also some pretty hard inorganic that was very time-consuming
2. Any other comments? dont take the PCAT without having organic first. I considered taking the PCAT in January without having Organic yet, and that would have been a bad idea

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).yeah, I dont think they really care what you say as long as its a logical, well written essay
2. Any other new things?



Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?
same as above
2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)
I was pretty rushed on Chemistry and Math, but Reading was way to long which is good because you can go back and think about questions. Although if I would have had that much spare time in the other sections I probably would have just been second guessing myself.
3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam
1st time
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?
Writing, Verbal, Biology, Chemistry, Writing, Reading, Math (I think... its been a long day)

 

[xshooshix]

Wow... i'm really worried about the August exam now. How long have some of you been studying? Honestly, just reading some of your comments is REALLY getting me motivated to study extra harder on the math portion of the exam.

Was there any questions like ln e ^ x? I forgot how trig sets it up...

 

[FaBpHaRm2Be]

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
A whole lot more I was expecting!
2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?
Nope. The basic math questions, as an above post already stated included also taking averages,knowing how to calculate functions, a little bit of algebra too.
3. Any other comments?
I ran out of time in the Bio, Chem, and Math sections - I wanted to get as much right answers as I can, but the last 10 from each section I guessed!!! Not a good look!!!
Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?
I felt there was about 10 organic chem specific questions which dealt with nomenclature, recognizing what's an alcohol, stuff like that. Pretty basic questions in my opinion. There were way more general chem questions than orgo chem, that's for sure.
2. Any other comments?
Who ever is planning to take the next upcoming tests, just STUDY HARD!!!!!

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).
Yeah.
2. Any other new things?
First time taker so I wouldn't really know.
Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?
30 min for both writing sections, verbal, bio, chem. 50 min for reading comp. (passages were very interesting, but way too much time!) and 40 min for math.
2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)
No!!! I had to rush to finish the Bio, Chem, and Math sections!!! I guessed like the last 10 questions. I am soo mad about that!!!
3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam
First time test taker.
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?
Writing I, Verbal, Biology, Chem, Writing II, 10min. BREAK, Reading comp, and Math.
5. Any other changes that are new?
Sorry, I wouldn't know, 1st time taker.

 

[AntiPCAT]

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
Cal was lesser than b4, but stunning tricky. Basic Math, and Precaculus even Trig take alot of time to get out of it... Over All, The Math is Very Tricky, the problem design to confuse you, instead of straight forward... Looking at the Problem and disecting it alone will take at least a min. For those is not exposed to this kind of question, I recommend U are do alot of practice and seek some serious help.
2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?
Yeah I see alot of problem I didn't see b4... Out of this World Question... LOLZ and stupid me studying Hardcore CAL and none trig... and none of the thing I study is there... BAMMMM I got HIT LOL
3. Any other comments?
I wan't Beat The Hell out of whoever Create that Math... They Over Did with the Math... and So little time? 40 Mins?
Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?
Let me tell u guyz something... Don't make the mistake like I Did, studying ORGO II HardCore and Not even one question on that Test Pop up... Study your Organic I and will be fine... It is that what they intend to do with the next test in AUG... But then again study ORG II just incase... Don't drill on it thought...Drill on ORGANIC I
2. Any other comments?
Emphasize on Basic Mechanism, and Functional Group... Most Organic Questions test you on the knowlegde of bond forming and breaking bond to form product etc...

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).
Essays same OLD... just Blah Blah your self throught it.. and save your brain cell for CHEMISTRY AND MATH Infact writing score is not that even important... 2 written essays? WTF One is Enough!!!
2. Any other new things?
2 Essays is new... Other than that, everything is the same.. well At least I know My Azz is the same LOLZ, well as test takers and even same People who Given Out the Test... LOL
Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?
30 min for both writing sections, verbal, bio, chem. 50 min for reading comp. Passage is 50 min ( which is Perfect time) give the foreign a break... when u speaking and writing in 4 or 5 languages... Your English reading will be slow... I just hate the fact some people are complainning about 50 mins is too much time... Get the F@#% out of here!...You Glad the give u that much time... LOLZ and 40 min for math, which is still not enough... So u Better be a Genius or Math Major or... u will have difficulty for the math...
2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)
As Fast as I take the Test... I didn't even breath.. still didn't get to finish it... always 3-6 question behind... Except on reading. and Verbal.
3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam
OK.. U wana know how I Felt? this PCAT thing is all B.S your do not need to know CALCULUS and Complicated MATH to count PILL I work PartTime in Pharmacy And I know how it is LOLZ...Ok Back the the Question... By Shorten the Question, the trade off is difficulty, I personally think, due to the fact the shorten the question then tend to make them a little bit harder... and yes, when something is hard, it take more time to figure it out... and by comsuming more time... Hellllll YEAHHH I felt Rushed...
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?
Writing I, Verbal, Biology, Chem, Writing II, 10min. BREAK, Reading comp, and Math.
5. Any other changes that are new?
Math is out of this world compare to my previous test I took.. Previous Math question was little more straight forward. Organic is lesser little bit with lot of Elementary reaction and structure etc... Biology is the same... But for those first time test taker, best to know a little about MircoBiolgy...i saw 7 questions about mircoBio, and maybe just 1-2 question A&P, Don't Be like me studying the whole MircoBiolgy and Anatomy&Physiology and they ask like Basic stuff... HATE it! LOLZ Best to Study Just BIOLOGY Alone. Alright, Hope my Input help you guys, as for me, I Hope My Score is High... If not then I take it again... and again and again... LOLZ or Maybe not.. I Guess BODYBUILDER and PCAT don't Mix... LOLZ but will See... Good Luck for those who register for August, and Good Luck for my Score in August Too... Peace

 

[stewiefan2006]

Since it is 1:22 a.m CDT now, I'll assume that nobody will read this before the exam later on today!

With the new changes on the PCAT, I bet future takers would like to know the differences and the extent of these new changes. So, if you can answer a few questions for me, then that would be great!

Do note that some of you have taken this before, whereas some of you are taking the PCAT for the first time. So, I tried to make the questions geared toward people who have taken both PCAT versions but anyone can answer.

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?
3. Any other comments?

Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?
2. Any other comments?

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).
2. Any other new things?

Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?
2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)
3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?
5. Any other changes that are new?

Partial answers are okay, complete answers are even better!

I hope you all did well!

This was my third time taking it, and i felt like it was the worst one of all. i probably did worse than the last 2 times. There were vector math questions, more organic and hardly any anatomy questions. the test just didn't seem fair at all. and there was still a couple of geometry questions.

I think I am going to apply to a school that doesn;t require the pcat. it made me feel like an idiot. i finished all the sections but felt very rushed. i had to guess on about 5 of the math.

 

[flillia]

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
Yes
2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?
I have never seen vector problems before and there were a few of them.
3. Any other comments?
I completely and utterly blanked on all of the log questions. I've never in my life had to do them without a calculator and it really showed. I seriously had to guess on around 10 questions

Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?
I think there was more general than organic and the organic was pretty simple.
2. Any other comments?
I doubled up on chemistry one semester and took intro to organic chem along with general chem 2. All of the organic problems were covered in my intro class.

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).
Yeah
2. Any other new things?
I was totally not expecting the first essay, it didn't have anything to do with the health field at all and really threw me off

Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?
50 mins for reading comp, 40 mins for math, 30 mins for everything else I think
2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)
Everything except math I finished with 10-20 mins to spare
3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam
first time taker
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?
Writing
Verbal ability
Biology
Chemistry
5 min break
Reading
Writing
Math

10-30 second interval between sections
5. Any other changes that are new?
n/a

 

[eleanor_rigby]

I've taken the exam 2 times and you're definitely more short on time for the new format. Why? There are a lot of graph/chart analysis questions in bio, chem, and math. For each of these types of questions, there would be a paragraph taking up 1/4th of the page explaining the graph, then you'd have to examine the graph and analyze it. It's pretty easy to derive the answer once you do all of this, but it cuts down on your time to answer the rest of the problems.

The verbal and reading was the same old = easy.

I think they're experimenting with adding physics to the exam in the near future. I remember a question regarding circuits and there were a lot of vector problems. THey claimed that more stat questions would be on there, but there was only one. As for calc, they weren't direct questions like find the f'(x) if f(x) = x^4 + 2x either.

I think they strategically placed the quantitative last. If I had to do quant early on, I would have lost focus from being frustrated.

The Barron's, Kaplan, Cliffs books will only help you work on your speed. Other than that, you won't see any of the questions seen in the practice books on the actual exam. Nothing remotely similar besides orgo. Hell, even Kaplan was a cinch compared to the math section this past weekend.

If you want to prepare for august, you can work on your speed with these books, but if I had known, I would have went out and bought a calc workbook.

 

[Knickerbocker]

Everyone keeps calling them physics questions, but they really weren't. If you could do algebra through calculus, you could do them, without ever having taking physics.

 

[Magikarp]

New Math Section
1. Was there more/a lot of calculus than before/than you expected?
No, but there was a lot more off the wall questions than before that caught me off guard.
2. With the addition of "basic math problems", did you see math questions that you didn't see before?
Yea, vectors and stuff.
3. Any other comments?
After using 3 different review books and taking it for the 2nd time, I was still unprepared. I knew I should have brushed up on statistics.

Chemistry Section
1. Was there more organic chemistry as rumored? Was there more organic than general?
Some ol' stuff.
2. Any other comments?
Nope

New writing section
1. Were the essays basically the same concept (present an argument and defend + explore other possibilities).
Yes
2. Any other new things?
Just wish writing wasn't first. Caught me off guard.

Overall
Since every section was shortened to accommodate the extra writing section:
1. How much time (exact time please) did you get for each section?
Don't remember, I think 30 for each writing, 25 for bio/verbal, 50 for reading and 40 for math?
2. Were you able to finish each part? (a past problem by many PCAT takers, including myself, was completing each section)
The math was crazy, so in order to finish it, I just had to guess on the tougher questions. All the other sections were fine. Infact, I wish I didn't finish with time to spare, because I went over like 6 questions and changed the right answers to wrong ones (always go with the gut instinct!). I will make sure not to make this mistake next time.
3. For previous takers, do you think the shortened science + math + verbal parts helped you not feel rushed and/or finish the exam
Felt about the same, shorter time with less amount of quesitons.
4. What was the order of the sections? When and how long were the intervals between sections?
writing
verbal
biol
10 min break
reading
chem
math
Bout 30 seconds between each section
5. Any other changes that are new?
Not really.

And thanks omnione for responding to my questions in other threads.

 

[think]

this is a very good post...but very few ppl replied are these the only ppl who took it from this forum...

 

[omnione]

With the PCAT coming up again, I've bumped this thread to give new takers a better idea of the "new" PCAT. Overall, the changes weren't as drastic as anticipated though difficulty in the math section was a common post.

 

[chiko]

Thank you so much.