writing section

[sphuan2]

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Does anyone have any tips for the writing portion? I'm decent at writing essays but with a 30 min time limit?

Also what factor does the writing portion have on your PCAT for admissions? Say I received a 80-90% composite score, and did terrible on writing, would that affect my chances?

 

[Jessica1992]

Does anyone have any tips for the writing portion? I'm decent at writing essays but with a 30 min time limit?

Also what factor does the writing portion have on your PCAT for admissions? Say I received a 80-90% composite score, and did terrible on writing, would that affect my chances?

If you are really nervous and have money to spare (or at least don't feel as bad spending money on PCAT preparation like me), you can buy a practice writing test from Pearson. Though it is a lot of money just to be given a writing prompt example, it forced me to actually sit down and practice writing an essay in 30 minutes (there is a timer on the site). Also, you can submit your essay and Pearson will give you an estimated score. It is just a computer that scans your essay and gives you an estimated score, but it at least may provide you some comfort.

As long as you write a basic 5-paragraph essay (intro, 3 body paragraphs, and conclusion), I think you will be fine, assuming your grammar isn't similar to that of a 4th grader. Just spend the first couple minutes thinking of what you want your topic of your 3 body paragraphs to be, and then just write. I only had 1-2 minutes to proofread my essay when I practiced, so I'd recommend going a little slower and making sure each sentence is perfect in case you run out of time.

I'm taking the test in a couple weeks, so I hope what I'm saying is true for you and me!

 

[hushpuppies]

Hey Jessica, how useful did you find the Pearson writing tests? What kind of scores and feedback do they provide you with? Thanks!

 

[Jessica1992]

Hey Jessica, how useful did you find the Pearson writing tests? What kind of scores and feedback do they provide you with? Thanks!

I would be happier if the writing tests were $15, because that is about how much they are worth. It didn't provide too much feedback, it just told me what my score was and what that score meant, which you could find on the pearson website for what each score means. Personally, it just helped me to sit down and finally practice writing one and making sure I did it within the 30 minutes (it has a little timer on the page, but I guess my computer has that, too). I did not realize before that during the PCAT the writing program has NO SPELL OR GRAMMAR CHECK, which I am scared of. It did give me a score of 5, which if you've read my past papers, I am not that good of a writer. It did help boost my self confidence though, which I guess is worth $30. 😛

 

[hushpuppies]

I would be happier if the writing tests were $15, because that is about how much they are worth. It didn't provide too much feedback, it just told me what my score was and what that score meant, which you could find on the pearson website for what each score means. Personally, it just helped me to sit down and finally practice writing one and making sure I did it within the 30 minutes (it has a little timer on the page, but I guess my computer has that, too). I did not realize before that during the PCAT the writing program has NO SPELL OR GRAMMAR CHECK, which I am scared of. It did give me a score of 5, which if you've read my past papers, I am not that good of a writer. It did help boost my self confidence though, which I guess is worth $30. 😛

That's an excellent essay score. I wonder how the computer marks an essay :O haha to be honest, I'd be more than thrilled to receive a 4.

 

[Jessica1992]

That's an excellent essay score. I wonder how the computer marks an essay :O haha to be honest, I'd be more than thrilled to receive a 4.

I was going to be happy with a 3! Haha. That's why I don't know how accurate the computer was at scoring it. If you don't want to spend the money, Pearson does have some example prompts on their site where they list the outline of the PCAT. I'm sure it would help just to pick one of those and set a timer for yourself. I would recommend picking a topic that you aren't familiar with so it's harder to think of ideas and will truly test the 30 minute time limit.

 

[vasoolraja]

In the writing section some of the questions confuse me. Please read this question.
Discuss a solution to the problem of developing affordable alternatives to gasoline as a
means of powering personal automobiles. Can I rephrase this question as "discuss the different alternatives to gasoline" ? What would be some of the important points you would discuss in this topic?

Likewise, please read this question: Discuss a solution to the problem of promoting healthy dietary habits among a population. Can I rephrase the question as "discuss different steps to promote healthy dietary habits among a population"? What would be some of the important points you would discuss in this topic?

I would like to make sure I am understanding the questions properly. I would really appreciate if you would enlighten me. Thanks for your responses in advance!

 

[Jessica1992]

In the writing section some of the questions confuse me. Please read this question.
Discuss a solution to the problem of developing affordable alternatives to gasoline as a
means of powering personal automobiles. Can I rephrase this question as "discuss the different alternatives to gasoline" ? What would be some of the important points you would discuss in this topic?

Likewise, please read this question: Discuss a solution to the problem of promoting healthy dietary habits among a population. Can I rephrase the question as "discuss different steps to promote healthy dietary habits among a population"? What would be some of the important points you would discuss in this topic?

I would like to make sure I am understanding the questions properly. I would really appreciate if you would enlighten me. Thanks for your responses in advance!

From what I've heard, the basic structure for the essays should be the 5-paragraph style - intro, 3 body paragraphs, and conclusion. Your body paragraphs should each be one solution to the question, and you want to include in at least one of the paragraphs why this solution could also be a problem. For example in the healthy dietary habits one, a solution could be educating the lower class on nutrition, which usually suffers from malnutrition the most often, but a problem is that healthy food like fruits and vegetables are usually more expensive, so they aren't even able to afford them in the first place.

 

[MiST3R Derek]

From what I've heard, the basic structure for the essays should be the 5-paragraph style - intro, 3 body paragraphs, and conclusion. Your body paragraphs should each be one solution to the question, and you want to include in at least one of the paragraphs why this solution could also be a problem. For example in the healthy dietary habits one, a solution could be educating the lower class on nutrition, which usually suffers from malnutrition the most often, but a problem is that healthy food like fruits and vegetables are usually more expensive, so they aren't even able to afford them in the first place.

Wouldn't this negate the purpose of arguing for a solution? Per Kaplan and Pearson, the "best" way to propose an efficient solution would be to write a 4-5 paragraph essay. Specifically, the 1st paragraph should explain the prompt and why the issue needs to be addressed. The second paragraph should propose your MAIN solution and why its effective. The third should provide an alternative solution and why, it too, would be effective. And of course, the last paragraph should be a strong conclusion. Each paragraph should be at least 3-4 sentences, and a 5th may be included if you want to add a third option if you have time-- which is doubtful...