Which PCAT Prep-Course should I invest in?

[Houndstooth713]

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Hello,

I was searching amazon.com and an ad for rapidlearningcenter.com has this method for breaking down the subjects very thoroughly and I guess it is through the use of visual learning. They also claim, you are supposedly able to learn each subject in 24 hours. The package for 5 main subjects cost $599. This is $600 cheaper than the Online Kaplan course I am strongly considering taking. I have already taken the PCAT twice (one no-score) and didn't do very well. I have a 3.7GPA though, but believe this exam is what is holding me back from being accepted this year. I already purchased the Kaplan book but didn't think that helped me much although it could have been my study habits as well. I also purchased PCAT secrets and I DO NOT recommend that to anyone. I am merely afraid of investing in something that isn't going to help, but I need structure to help me study. It has been a 3 years since I graduated college.I know through the threads written here, people suggest all sorts of things and I'm looking into the cliff notes and my old text books for supplemental guides. Does anyone have any suggestions, I am a poor test taker and need to master this material, so if anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks! 😕

 

[computerbrain]

Order Dr Collins study guide, which will well prepare you for the exam. The practice tests will get your timing down for the test.

 

[Kaxa2000]

How can you be a "poor test taker" and have a 3.7 GPA? From what I see you're looking for PCAT material in all the wrong places. I've heard many good things about Dr. Collins or, if you want, try to buy the Kaplan course PCAT material second hand from someone.

 

[Houndstooth713]

Thank you,

I will look into the Dr. Collins study materials. I have someone willing to send me their Kaplan Online course materials for $600 but I am unsure if this is a trustworthy deal or not. If you have any other advice for quality study materials I would love to hear your suggestions! Thank you.

PS: I am apparently horrible at standardized tests and multiple choice. Throughout my 4 years of studying I was exposed to a test format in which it was all fill in and you either knew it or didn't; this somehow worked better for me because I second guess myself when I see other answers. I also think I haven't studied how to pace myself which really put a damper on my score.

 

[avuong]

harcourt pearson practice tests are very helpful too. They are exactly like the pcat.

 

[Kaxa2000]

Thank you,

I will look into the Dr. Collins study materials. I have someone willing to send me their Kaplan Online course materials for $600 but I am unsure if this is a trustworthy deal or not. If you have any other advice for quality study materials I would love to hear your suggestions! Thank you.

PS: I am apparently horrible at standardized tests and multiple choice. Throughout my 4 years of studying I was exposed to a test format in which it was all fill in and you either knew it or didn't; this somehow worked better for me because I second guess myself when I see other answers. I also think I haven't studied how to pace myself which really put a damper on my score.

People usually sell their Kaplan course prep materials for around 150-200$. Look for these deals.

 

[diastole]

You definitely need to learn to pace yourself on math and chemistry. For math, I looked at the question and decided if I could answer it quickly. If I had doubts about my knowledge of the question or I thought it was a long calculation, I skipped it and moved on. Do that for the whole test and go back later. I outright guessed on somewhere between five and ten questions and still got a 92 in that section so it is possible to miss a lot of questions and get a good score.

For chemistry, I skipped the calculation questions and answered them at the end. Most of the questions were conceptual anyway so this worked for me. Just make sure you really know your concepts and trends.

It sounds like you need to do lots and lots of multiple choice questions to get comfortable with the format. You can find lots of those in the test prep books. They might not approximate the actual PCAT as well as they could but you get practice answering the questions without a lot of second guessing. You don't need to pay for a course to do that.