Whats wrong with me? (My pcat struggles)

[lidawg007]

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I wrote my pcat on oct 2007 and i just received my scores in the mail. I got a comp score of 53, which is just terrible. I studied the whole kaplan 07/08 study guide and also the barrons study guide containing practice pcats. I dont know how i scored so low? Could it be that i am a bad test writer. I am a fairly smart student having a gpa of 3.75 to 3.8. I felt really good after i wrote it. I dont know what else to do, i could review my study guides again but im afraid it wont help me much cause i have already studied them hard before that last pcat. Does anyone have some advice for me? Im starting to get frustrated and i might have to resort to schools without having to take pcats :S

 

[omnione]

Can you list your section scores here? That way, we can address problems specific to each section.

 

[lidawg007]

Alright i grabbed it, thanks for the help there omnione, i read your post on about "how good are my pcat scores" it was excellent.
Here it is:
Verbal: 31
Biology: 65
reading compre: 62
Quantitative ability: 47
Chem:65
Composite: 53
I know it looks terrible, i didnt spend much time on vocab and it obviously showed. I felt unmotivated to study this section as there are so many hard words to know. I studied hard for like a month and a half for the pcat and wasnt happy at all with my pcat mark.

 

[omnione]

It seems as though that you don't really have a strong section anywhere. You are a good student if you can get a 3.7 so you don't have a learning issue. Perhaps your issue is a matter of low retention and/or difficulty in applying class concepts to a different exams. Many times, it may be easy for students to be able to follow a "recipe" to solve chemistry and math problems but not be able to use said recipe in a different context and situation.

How were your grades for the courses that correspond to each PCAT section? If they were stellar and those courses weren't jokes (a.k.a. too easy and superficial), then perhaps you just need practice don't PCAT-like problems. Test-prep books can provide problems that can diagnose your gaps in knowledge.

Verbal is the toughest section to address simply because of its acquired knowledge nature. If one hasn't built up a vocabulary set by now and/or an ability to reason through internal associations with that vocabulary set, then there's no "quick fix". However, it can be done. Back when the SAT had analogies and sentence completions, those components tanked my SAT score and precluded me from getting into the top colleges. Five years later when encountering slightly more difficult words on the PCAT, I managed to get a 94 on that section with relative ease.

Did you recognize the words on the PCAT verbal? If not, then the issue is a low vocabulary base that can only come with lots of reading and picking up new words here and there. If you did, then perhaps the issue is an inability to relate words together in an analogy or in a paragraph. A good College Board SAT prep book (the ones that came before the recent SAT modifications) can help you develop those skills with an easier vocabulary set.

 

[lidawg007]

Yeah your right, i dont have a strong verbal background as i didnt read much books when i was younger. Now it seems liek i really dont have much time for optional reading as i usually only have time to study textbooks for my courses. My school marks for all course are pretty good. they range from an A- to an A. However, the courses are probably easier compared to courses in the states. I am a student in canada, so it could be that your prereqs there are a bit harder. But yeah you could be right that i cant apply my knowledge to the PCAT text, but i feel that im generally OKAY doing that. I guess the only thing really to do is buy more study guides online and to study even more. But you wouldnt believe hwo much i studied to get that low of a mark it is embarrassing. I am reading those posts where people hardly study and get like 80s to 90s. Currently i have the 08/09 kaplan and barrons practice tests. I am thinking about also getting cliffs study guide for more practice test help.. The school im applying to needs at least 65, and ill be writing it in january again, hoping to at least get that mark. I really dont know what im doign wrong, and im sure that i didnt choke on the test due to test pressure. Hmm...any suggestions still lol?

 

[UrRxPuSha]

I haven't taken the test yet, but I've been told that the best method of taking the test is ample time to study and repetition on the material..the tools used to study (I.e. Books, tutors,etc.) should be looked at as investments toward your future..and I understand that things are tight for some (me being one of them! Lol) but it won't be like that forever!! Stay optimistic and remember perfect practice makes perfect...

 

[confettiflyer]

Did you finish each section with time to spare, or were you guessing at the last minute? It sounds like you're a good student with a 3.7-3.8 (even if there is grade inflation involved there). If you found yourself short on time, you'll probably do better the 2nd time just from experience with the timing. What you might do before the next test is have a friend proctor the exam and be strict with timing.

Another technique is when you take untimed practice tests, rank your answers 1-4 (1 = very confident, 4 = wild guess). If you are getting a high proportion of 1's as incorrect, then I would think there is a problem understanding the material or the question, and maybe a professional review course may be in order.

 

[lidawg007]

Yes, i did finish most of the parts with some time to spare to double check if my grids were complete. The only section i did not finish totally was the quantitative part which i left around 5 :S. While i was doing it, i thought i was doing really good and most of the questions i thought were quite basic. I wonder if the easiness of the test made my score being scaled very low since other candidates probably did good on that test as well. Ill try studying more and im goingto be receiving cliffs study guide with 5 more practice tests. I think my problem might be not reading the question thoroughly or that i cant apply concepts. i dont really know how to work on that though, any advice??? its been my problem since high school i think cause i always had my provincial test scores ranked low as well.

 

[Cacoethes]

Your like me, redoubtable average but terrible test taker. That's still a nice score; just devote your time to studying vocab and your golden.

 

[Pharmcdc]

Your like me, redoubtable average but terrible test taker. That's still a nice score; just devote your time to studying vocab and your golden.

I would not call it a "nice" score, but like mentioned earlier you will most likely improve on the next try. However, even if you only improve slightly, you have a great GPA, with volunteering etc, get people who really know you to write good LOR and you can easily offset your PCAT score and have a good chance of getting in. Although there are a lot of applicants that have stellar GPA and PCAT scores, I would say that the majority of applicants dont have both. Good luck, dont give up!

 

[NateAZSD]

The first time I took the PCAT I yielded a miserable 53 as well. However, the next time I took it I pulled an 86. After reviewing my score report from my first crack at the PCAT I decided to focus my efforts on my strengths, which were a 90 on chem and a 75 on math. On my last attempt I studied hard for 2 days on my chem and math by timing myself on practice tests. I was able to increase my chem to a 98 and math to a 89, which greatly brought up my composite, and in addition, my 1st experience with the PCAT gave me a good idea of what to expect on the other sections as far as difficulty and time. The 2nd time around I was more relaxed and I was able to increase my scores in all sections of the exam.

I think you will do much better the next time around having taking the PCAT once already. Good luck👍

 

[lidawg007]

Yeah, thanks for the advice. Even though i got only 53, i think i studied quite hard, around at least 10 hours a week for a month and a half, with kaplan 08/09 edition(reading bi/chem review). I will study more and do more practice exams from cliffs study guide and hopefully that would work out....if not then its okay, maybe im just not as smart as other people writing the pcat and i have to accept that:S., which is okay. I will try to get into a school where a pcat does nto ahve to be taken,even though the large majority needs it.

 

[Pharmcdc]

Yeah, thanks for the advice. Even though i got only 53, i think i studied quite hard, around at least 10 hours a week for a month and a half, with kaplan 08/09 edition(reading bi/chem review). I will study more and do more practice exams from cliffs study guide and hopefully that would work out....if not then its okay, maybe im just not as smart as other people writing the pcat and i have to accept that:S., which is okay. I will try to get into a school where a pcat does nto ahve to be taken,even though the large majority needs it.

You are selling yourself waaayy too short. Dont think that you are only limited to schools that dont require the PCAT. Yes it is an objective way to measure students, but it is not the ONLY thing schools look at. You have a great GPA, make yourself a "well rounded" poster child and most of all, believe in yourself.

 

[MarisaPharmD]

There are a lot of Non pcat schools out there...you should realy consider those🙂

 

[lidawg007]

Okay, yeah i still will be trying to apply to schools that require the pcat. I will try timing myself while doing osme practice exams from study guides to help me get better..Hope things go well, ill keep an update on this if anyone has further advice.considering im not good at taking standardized tests