Best way to study with Dr. Collins material?

[Ploqt54]

Hi guys! I am taking the PCAT in september, about 2 months from now. I have all the Dr. Collins material.

For those of who who used Dr. Collins and did well on the PCAT, how did you study with it? Would you do a certain number of questions a day? Or would you read all the study guides first and do the questions later?

Also, did you give yourself two weeks before to memorize/review it all over again? ANything would help! Thank you

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[BRIGGSQUAD]

Start with Math. I promise you math is the hardest part of the PCAT due to time and lack of a scientific calculator (calculator is on computer which sucks). Reference the PCAT blueprint and updates from this year (PCAT - Pharmacy College Admission Test). The questions this year will be more situational. Depending on which Collins you have, your questions may either be a lot of situational or a lot of straightforward recall/calculations. So attack it like this. Don't jump into the quizzes/tests first. Review all the material. Then go to YouTube and do practice problems related to what you studied in Collins and what the PCAT blueprint says will be on the test (ex: 30% calculus, 25% algebra, etc). Save the Collins quizzes and tests for after you've done this. If you do the Collins quizzes/tests and have to guess a lot, your brain will subliminally remember the answers if you try to repeat them and it won't be a good way to actually commit the concepts to memory.

The sooner you start, the faster you'll be able to learn what you are deficient in (SO IMPORTANT). Make sure you time yourself to simulate the real testing scenario. You'll want to finish up Collins with about 2-3 weeks left to go before your actual test date. From there go buy the PCAT practice exams (yeah it costs money, but trust me you don't want to sit for this test twice, kill it your first time). Fortunately I was able to take it once. Studied using only Dr. Collins and YouTube and got an 86 composite (anything above 80 will make you competitive). Most important of all, be honest with yourself. Stay critical of what you actually know and build your confidence. If you run into a question you know you don't know on the PCAT, pick an answer, don't second guess yourself and keep it moving (you can always go back after you've attempted all answers). I'm sure you'll do great.

 

[Ploqt54]

This is awesome advice, thank you.

how did you study for the reading and writing sections?

 

[pharmily0204]

I was just wondering on some tips for the PCAT essay. I know the best way is to practice, but how do you come up with solutions on the spot for a different topic each time? Is it better to come up with 2-3 general solutions that you can apply to all questions?

 

[Ploqt54]

also, do you do the same thing with the biology section? I've been studying/memorizing collins biology portion but when I look at his exam questions they seem much harder then the material I am reading, specifically the biology passages.

 

[BRIGGSQUAD]

This is awesome advice, thank you.

how did you study for the reading and writing sections?

When you're sitting for the PCAT they'll give you scratch laminate paper and a dry erase style marker. On the reading sections, skim quickly and jot down pertinent notes. That's basically how I studied for Collins. Thing about the reading sections is just like I mentioned above, after you've seen it once, that's basically your practice because you'll remember the answers. Doing well on the reading is a combination of pace and frankly being good at remembering details of what you read (which I think is so damn stupid considering in real life you'll most likely have the time to go look something up... unless you're a surgeon but irrelevant to us).

Anyways, that's the trick. Your questions will be about small details in the passage. I suggest just hopping into one of the Collins reading quizzes and you'll see the format and generally what they expect of you. The Collins stuff was really similar to what style questions you'll get on the PCAT reading section.

 

[BRIGGSQUAD]

also, do you do the same thing with the biology section? I've been studying/memorizing collins biology portion but when I look at his exam questions they seem much harder then the material I am reading, specifically the biology passages.

Basically just recognize the types of problems you are missing and go educate yourself on those topics. I found YouTube to be helpful, but the important thing is recognizing you are missing knowledge of a concept and not just a particular question.

 

[BRIGGSQUAD]

I was just wondering on some tips for the PCAT essay. I know the best way is to practice, but how do you come up with solutions on the spot for a different topic each time? Is it better to come up with 2-3 general solutions that you can apply to all questions?

Truthfully it's more of how your structure your response and how well you stay on topic. Of course review how different types of essays are structured (argumentative, etc.) and from there its really just general knowledge. You can sort of BS it but you can't flat out lie lol. Just remember to breath. The essay is the first thing you do. It should be your time to relax yourself. The first 5 minutes I just sat in my chair and didn't do anything. Read the question a couple times, jotted down some ideas, relaxed and then got to work. Again if you're 80 or better on your composite (which the essay doesn't factor into), you've made a competitive PCAT score.