What's Harder: MCAT or PCAT?

[meddy15]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if you guys can help me out. I have taken the MCAT three times and I have been considering PCAT and wondering what you guys think and how it compares to the MCAT. MCAT sciences are just ridiculous and you have to analyze and find the answer. I have heard the PCAT sciences are basic stuff learned in class. I know all the basic stuff pretty good but that does not help you at ALL on the MCAT!!! Anyone had experience with both, let me know and tell me what you think. I think I can do much better on the PCAT!!!

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[Rxaspire]

Although I haven't taken the MCAT, I can assure you that the PCAT is much easier. Why not take it and see how you do.

 

[Farcus]

its easier, but personally I think you're going in with a wrong attitude. "let me go do pcat because its easier than mcat"

 

[phuang06]

its easier, but personally I think you're going in with a wrong attitude. "let me go do pcat because its easier than mcat"

I agree you shouldn't do pharmacy just because you can't do medicine.

 

[meddy15]

I'm sorry my attitude came out that way but ever since before I started my undergraduate degree, I had kept Pharmacy as a backup to med school in this case. I truly tried my best for med school and have been taking the MCAT for three years and I believe I have to let go because I know I gave it my all and it's time for something new. Any other ideas how the PCAT is compared to MCAT, can someone give me an example of some science questions or any other thoughts!!!

 

[omnione]

MCAT

Well, I suppose the PCAT could be more difficult if one isn't good with the rapid-fire pace of the questions, math especially. Though I think both exams are tough to finish without practice, the MCAT problems benefit those who like longer problems as opposed to the shorter ones where you have to recall more, albeit easier, information quicker. There's also the PCAT verbal section that may derail certain students too. There have been SDN members who reported that they did relatively worse on the PCAT than the MCAT. Still, I and most people I've talked to who have taken both find the MCAT to be more intensive and stressuful. That's considering the new and shorter computer-based MCAT. I had to take the marathon paper-and-pencil version.

 

[two scoops]

I have taken both. I prepared a lot more for the MCAT than I did the PCAT. I scored a 25 on the MCAT which was equivalent to the 50th percentile. I spent about 20 hours total studying for the PCAT and scored in the 83rd percentile.

That doesn't necessarily mean one test is harder than the other though. It means of the two relative groups taking the test the MCAT group was much tougher.

I do think the MCAT was a harder test but not by leaps and bounds. The main problem is doing better than everyone else on the test and the MCAT pool happens to have a lot more smarter people.

 

[samfromVA]

As a person having been through both now, I can tell you with a good experieince that MCAT is harder than PCAT. But...

But PCAT, like someone here said, is a rapidfire situation, while MCAT gives u a little more flexibility in matters of time.

 

[nerv12345]

there's absolutely no comparison
the MCAT is a million times harder than the PCAT
(i'm not being sarcastic either)

 

[ffpickle]

The MCAT is MUCH harder. Just writing the MCAT doesn't ensure a strong score on the PCAT. My point is that your MCAT scores are poor so please don't think you will kill the PCAT just because you are "moving down a level." Judging from your MCAT scores, you will need to work EXTREMELY hard just to get a decent score on the PCAT, not even a good one. I'm not trying to be mean, just being realistic to help you out- you have to approach this with great humility so that you end up with a strong score unlike the MCAT scores.

 

[omnione]

On another note, do note that the content between the areas that both exams test are different too. The PCAT will test stuff mostly in the first two years of science classes if that much at all. The MCAT won't ask as many of the easy 101 class questions and will ask more questions that integrate knowledge of multiple concepts. One pretty much needs physiology and a few more key science courses to do really well on the MCAT while the fourth year student with tons of science courses isn't at a much larger advantage than the second year student.

In general, I suppose the comment above is another reason why the MCAT is harder. I suppose a person who does well on the MCAT but has gotten slow on the basics can suffer on the PCAT. But, I don't think there are many people who get a 36 MCAT with 10+ scores in everything while tanking the PCAT unless that person is too meticulous with the short questions, has bad verbal skills, and/or is really rusty with math.