Writing Test- during the Interview

[PharmLuck168]

I can't seem to find a thread about the writing part of the admission interview.

Can someone share their experience on this?
(What should I do to prepare for this part?) Thanks in advance!

 

[ADN1226]

Don't worry about the writing part so much. I'm not sure how you can prepare since the essays written in the past and at my current pharmacy school... topics range from describe your hometown to what makes a good leader... generic stuff. They really want to see if you can form complete thoughts... can write an essay... have good grammar etc. don't worry too much about this.

 

[DrMoo]

As long as you can put together correct sentences, you will be fine. For all 3 interviews that I've been to, not one essay was about pharmacy. It ranged from the most memorable vacation to who would I bring to a deserted island ... just chill, you'll be alright.

 

[PharmLuck168]

Hey guys- thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I guess the interview part is weighed heavier than the essay. Again thanks for the feedback.

 

[charfdorn]

Hey guys- thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I guess the interview part is weighed heavier than the essay. Again thanks for the feedback.

I can't say for sure that this is true, but I would guess that the writing portion is weighed as a pass/fail type of deal. Whatever the case, you can't really prepare for it any more than you can for the written portion of the PCAT. The topics aren't the important part; it's your ability to write clearly and form complete, coherent thoughts under timed, restrictive conditions.

 

[thephoenician88]

what school is this for?

 

[PharmLuck168]

For USC, UOP , Touro and CNU

 

[Montclair]

For USC, UOP , Touro and CNU

My friend interviewed at USC, and she told me that they give you a scientific journal article, a pen, and piece of paper. You read it, take notes, and after 5 minutes they take the article away. You then have about 20-30 minutes (not sure about time limit), to write a summary of the article.

 

[rycetrix]

For USC, UOP , Touro and CNU

My friend interviewed at USC, and she told me that they give you a scientific journal article, a pen, and piece of paper. You read it, take notes, and after 5 minutes they take the article away. You then have about 20-30 minutes (not sure about time limit), to write a summary of the article.

For USC:
That would be 15 minutes to write a summary of the article. Everything else is correct as mentioned by Montclair. Additionally for the notes, you can only write 10 lines of notes, where each line can only contain a maximum of 5 words (I personally think it's a test to see if you can follow directions).

For Touro:
They give you 45 minutes to write a maximum 4 paragraph essay on a choice of 3 topics (sometimes the topics are related to healthcare, and sometimes not).

As for the other schools, I did not apply/interview at them so I cannot tell you how their format is conducted.

 

[tootoo30]

Actually the writing portion at the interview can make or break you. They actually get read by about two or three admission committee members and then their scores are averaged, so don't take that part too lightly. I agree, if you can form complete sentences then you should be fine.

 

[ret09]

Sounds too much like freshman English to me. See this is why I think all pharmacy applicants need a bachelors degree. You figure they started doing this AFTER realizing they were admitting a bunch of 20 year olds that have never summarized, let alone read a peer-reviewed journal article in their lives. If they need to screen their applicants to make sure they can write coherent sentences after reading a newspaper clipping… I think we have a lot more to worry about than “a saturated market”. I crapped out a 90 page thesis over a weekend for my undergrad as a chem major. Can I just send them that?