Tomorrow's (March 04) PCAT

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sweetcalie08

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Anyone taking the PCAT tomorrow? I sure am, but I'm super nervous. I haven't practiced or reviewed much at all, and now I feel that my 100 bucks will just go to waste :( (I had to pay the late fee because I JUST realized that my school is now requiring the PCAT for early admissions). Anyone know if the UofMN accepts retakes on the PCAT? I sure hope so!

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Also, if anyone has any suggestions for taking the PCAT, please suggest away! :D Even if I need to retake the PCAT, your suggestions and comments will be helpful then. Thanks!

In addition, if you do very poorly on your first try and already have that score sent to a few schools...if you (hopefully) get a much better score the second time, will they hold that first low score against you?
 
Don't worry too much about the PCAT. It tests your basic knowledge in subjects like chemistry and biology. Pharmacy schools already know you're more than capable of solving basic chemistry and biology problems mixed with remedial math n' logic. Personally, I would stress doing well on the english section, as this section most people find challenging.

Since pharmacy relies heavily on communication and interpersonal skills, most schools consider more weight on this section.

The PCAT is easy compared to other standarized tests. Fortunately, it is not a full day exam like the MCAT that is more rigorous and specific.
 
I have no experience in taking the PCAT, however, I did take the MCAT. I heavily used Examkracker?s Audio Osmosis. Although these sets of CDs are made to help students preparing for the MCATs, however it should also be suitable for students who are taking the PCATs too. They are somewhat expensive but worth the investment!!! :) :) :)
 
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Hopefully you've gone to bed by now, but good luck on the PCAT. Don't sweat it too much-but don't take it hungover like I did. :rolleyes:

And if you're running out of time on a section and have too many questions left, start throwing down "C"s. If I rememeber right, no penalty for guessing. Am I remembering right?
 
That's correct. You aren't penalized for wrong answers. You are only given credit for right answers. So, if you run out of time (most likely on the chemistry and math sections) put SOMEthing down.

And when answering, your first instinct is usually correct. If you begin to second-guess yourself, you could be in danger of changing a correct answer to incorrect.
 
I felt like some of the answers to questions in the reading section were subjective. It reminded me of a literature class where you try to interpret text like the professor would.

Unless the answer is explicit, how can your answer be wrong? It's how you interpret the text, and as long as you can support your answer, how can your answer be wrong? Of course you don't get to support your answer on a standardized test; instead you must play the literature class game. I trust NAPLEX doesn't have a section where the answers are a matter of opinion.
 
For once, I actually think I rocked the reading section on a test! Let's hope I'm right!! The biology and verbal were so-so, but like most people on this board have said... the chemistry and math sections were the worst, especially the math. I ended up filling in QUITE a few bubbles at the end (let's say about 10 - oh no!). Of course, the experimental section they gave us was also math, and I felt those questions were much much easier. Go figure. I just really hope that a low score in math wouldn't hurt me too much. :( I filled in a few random answers for the chemistry part, too, but not too many. Like some people have already said, I felt the chemistry section was much more conceptual than the Barron's practice book section of that...there were only a few minor calculations which weren't really bad at all. I'm really nervous to get my score, because I really didn't prep much at all (like I said before I registered on the day of the late deadline!) because I didn't have much time and I had an interview on my mind before then, but I'm still glad I took it. The only thing I'm worried about is the schools seeing a possibly low score on my first try, even if I do bump it up considerably the second time (because I will have prepped much more by then). One of the schools I plan to apply to requires that you submit ALL scores. :( Thanks again to you guys for your last minute suggestions about the PCAT! I think it helped a bit. :D
 
I wouldn't worry too much about having to christmas tree only 10 on the math. I wound up filling in about 15 on math and another 10 on the chemistry section and still wound up with a 99.
 
Originally posted by moobymaster
I wouldn't worry too much about having to christmas tree only 10 on the math. I would up filling in about 15 on math and another 10 on the chemistry section and still wound up with a 99.


Wow, mooby, that's amazing! That helps me to hear that, for sure. I hope that's the story with my PCAT too. ;) I guess I'll just have to see what my scores actually are before I start worrying too much... :)
 
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