July PCAT study group

[Wallace12]

Who all is taking the PCAT in July and would maybe want to join together in this thread and ask for help and keep each other motivated for the test??
I'll be studying starting ~may 13th it's the Monday after my spring finals. I'll be using Dr Collins and MAYBE cracking pcat by PR. But it doesn't matter what materials we use we can still help each other out. Lets kill this test and get accepted into pharmacy school!
LETS GOOOOO!!!

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[pharmacyrx90]

Debating if I should keep studying. I've been at it since 9 this morning. Anyone else still doing last minute studying? I haven't reviewed math today so maybe I'll do that. I just don't want to over study and drain myself.

I have stopped studying. i am worried that I will get to the test and then my mind will go blank. All I am doing now is just praying and having faith that everything will work out. All of my hours and dedication of studying will pay off and that I will get a good score. I am trying my best to relax.

 

[tuanthetiger]

Debating if I should keep studying. I've been at it since 9 this morning. Anyone else still doing last minute studying? I haven't reviewed math today so maybe I'll do that. I just don't want to over study and drain myself.

You said it yourself, don't drain yourself out. I've been relaxing all day and I suggest you do the same. For me, I've been studying for a couple months now, one day off won't kill me. Especially the day before the actually exam

 

[AlPacino]

I totally thought I bombed the QA. Skipped so many questions

But just remember the tips for QA mentioned before and you'll get a high score

Do the easy ones first then go back and work on the tough ones right? Thats what Ive been doing in the collin tests but I still have to end up guessing on like 5-8. Time restraints on it.

 

[bboyroxas101]

What tips does anyone have for QA

 

[Mirapecs]

What tips does anyone have for QA

manage your time and be honest with yourself with what you know and what you dont know. Time management is super important. make sure to mark an answer even if you don't know it and are planning on coming back because you might not make it back.

 

[bboyroxas101]

Thank you when is the writing portion???

 

[Member529]

Thank you when is the writing portion???

You take one very first thing, then you take another before the RC

 

[Member529]

Do the easy ones first then go back and work on the tough ones right? Thats what Ive been doing in the collin tests but I still have to end up guessing on like 5-8. Time restraints on it.

I ended up guessing on more than 8 and got a 82

 

[Jibby321]

Thank you when is the writing portion???

First thing you do and the first thing after the break.

 

[bboyroxas101]

Geez there is 2 essays what are the lengths how are they scored in your overall score?

 

[Jibby321]

Geez there is 2 essays what are the lengths how are they scored in your overall score?

30 mins. You can find the rubric on their website.

 

[niftydoc]

Panic attack anyone?! I thought taking the exam on the 18th was a good idea now I am kinda wishing it was over and done with! hope I have good news to share tomorrow!

 

[futurepharm425]

Hey everyone! first off congrats to everyone who scored so well today!!! I loved seeing all the 90's scores! So happy for you guys! I'm taking it tomorrow at noon and I am officially starting to panick. can someone please re assure me that I won't get a 0! haha no but really though, I'm literally praying at this point. I don't wanna have to retake it!! Gahhhhhhhh *deep breath*

 

[0411]

I just finished taking test 4. I don't know if I should be happy with my results or not. I did not take tests 2 or 3 so I don't have any comparison for how difficult they were but I thought it was pretty hard.

VA 62-82%
BIO 61-81%
CHE 80-99%
RC 50-70%
QA 78-98%
Composite 76-96%
but I dont understand how that composite is possible when my reading comp was so low and bio wasn't excatly the best either.
I guess I should stop studying and stressing and just pray tomorrow's test is easier than this one was.

 

[Wallace12]

Congrats to you guys that killed it today, I did horrible. 50 comp. I am going to need to retake it

 

[Ayase]

What tips does anyone have for QA

I thought QA was the hardest section. You REALLY have to manage your time effectively. If I didn't know how to do a question within 5 seconds of reading it, I would simply skip it. Then I got a question that was 4 lines long and had like 5 variables. As soon as I saw it, I was like NOPE. I skipped around 6 questions like that and finished with ~5 minutes to spare. Then I went back and basically guessed the 6 questions I missed, lol. I ended up getting 96 on QA, so I guess this strategy worked out.

 

[68quebec]

getting nervous just like everyone else here. this reminds me of promotion board i had last february.

 

[68quebec]

Congrats to you guys that killed it today, I did horrible. 50 comp. I am going to need to retake it

it's ok. ive been reading your posts and you actuqlly had a lot of other things worked on (such as working, full time student). i wish if we could have spent whole 2-3 months stuying for PCAT. the experience u had will be fertilizer of ur next test score. believe or not, only high score people actually post up here... there are a lot of people retaking it too.

 

[68quebec]

I just finished taking test 4. I don't know if I should be happy with my results or not. I did not take tests 2 or 3 so I don't have any comparison for how difficult they were but I thought it was pretty hard.

VA 62-82%
BIO 61-81%
CHE 80-99%
RC 50-70%
QA 78-98%
Composite 76-96%
but I dont understand how that composite is possible when my reading comp was so low and bio wasn't excatly the best either.
I guess I should stop studying and stressing and just pray tomorrow's test is easier than this one was.

believe me, u will do fine tmr. test 4 was horrible to me too

 

[Wallace12]

it's ok. ive been reading your posts and you actuqlly had a lot of other things worked on (such as working, full time student). i wish if we could have spent whole 2-3 months stuying for PCAT. the experience u had will be fertilizer of ur next test score. believe or not, only high score people actually post up here... there are a lot of people retaking it too.

Thanks a lot, I know I can score 80+. I started getting burnt out and stressed the closer it got... and I have a biochem test Friday now. I definitely know I need to focus A LOT on QA though. I got 21 and 38 RC. And the other 3 I had 68...

 

[Binchen222]

Congrats to you guys that killed it today, I did horrible. 50 comp. I am going to need to retake it

hey sorry to hear that... how was your practice test score compare to this? was it better?

 

[no1kvn87]

How was RC and VA?? English is my second language and I'm super worried that I'm gonna bomb these sections I'm mainly studying Collin's VA and 1000 GRE Vocabs. Was Collin's VA helpful at all? Did anyone get the same questions from either Collin's or Pearson?? My test is tomorrow and I'm panicking now loll

 

[Ericjsyi]

Some are repeated.. I can say may be 5-6 questions.. but other than that, I was like wtf.

I got 371/7 today with collins prep. But since you have studied GRE 1000 words.. you could do better than me I guess.

Don't panic but just do your best!

 

[Ayase]

How was RC and VA?? English is my second language and I'm super worried that I'm gonna bomb these sections I'm mainly studying Collin's VA and 1000 GRE Vocabs. Was Collin's VA helpful at all? Did anyone get the same questions from either Collin's or Pearson?? My test is tomorrow and I'm panicking now loll

You should be fine for VA with what you've studied. How did you prepare for RC?

 

[Jessica1992]

T-15 hours for me...I've just spent the day re-doing the QA on the practice tests, I can do them all pretty fast except for 2-3 that I don't even understand. I'm hoping that is good enough! I think I'm going to re-read one RC section to familiarize myself with the question types again and call it a night..I hope I can sleep!

 

[Jibby321]

I thought QA was the hardest section. You REALLY have to manage your time effectively. If I didn't know how to do a question within 5 seconds of reading it, I would simply skip it. Then I got a question that was 4 lines long and had like 5 variables. As soon as I saw it, I was like NOPE. I skipped around 6 questions like that and finished with ~5 minutes to spare. Then I went back and basically guessed the 6 questions I missed, lol. I ended up getting 96 on QA, so I guess this strategy worked out.

That's what I did too. Skipped it if it was a lot to read or looked hard. Haha.

 

[Wallace12]

hey sorry to hear that... how was your practice test score compare to this? was it better?

I did test 3 and 4 and scored I think 65-85 and 60-80.
My bio and chem on both were high (~90) on the practice tests but I got 68 on both today. I suck at QA and that definitely hurt me. I've been really busy this summer don't let my scores scare you

 

[Wallace12]

For those that did really good in QA today, how did you prepare for it? I'm not good at derivatives and anything with calculus really

 

[HeyThereLaila]

OKAY. NOW I'M FREAKING OUT. My test is at 8 am and I'm starting to feel the pressure and unprepared even though I've been studying the past couple of weeks. My goal is at least an 80 composite. 90 and above would be a miracle.

Anyone else have a set goal? Advice on how to calm my nerves?

 

[pharmacyrx90]

OKAY. NOW I'M FREAKING OUT. My test is at 8 am and I'm starting to feel the pressure and unprepared even though I've been studying the past couple of weeks. My goal is at least an 80 composite. 90 and above would be a miracle.

Anyone else have a set goal? Advice on how to calm my nerves?

I want to score at least above a 70. I am taking the test at 8 am also. My philosophy at this point is that all the studying that has been to this point will pay off. It's all about having faith in yourself and believing in yourself. No point to panic at this point. Everything happens for a reason. You just need to tell yourself that all the time that I have put in to study for this test will all pay off. Everything will work. Good Luck. I wish you nothing but the best on your PCAT. I know you will do great!

 

[isanders]

Isanders, If I were to buy a practice test from Pearson, either 2-4, which one would you recommend according to the test you took? I hope I'm not asking to much, just wanna know because I plan on either taking one of those tests or go over the 1000's of flashcards I have. haha

Sorry, I've been out having a life tonight since studying is done lol. Personally, I'd buy pearson practice test #4 simply because it is the most challenging, and I'd rather not get surprised on test day if it happens to be really difficult.

 

[hegge089]

Took the test today!

Verbal ability - 78
Biology - 79
Reading comprehension - 91
Quantitative ability - 72
Chemistry - 81

Composite - 85

I'm very happy with my results

 

[hegge089]

For those that did really good in QA today, how did you prepare for it? I'm not good at derivatives and anything with calculus really

I had plenty of calculus on the exam today but I honestly didn't have the time to complete all of them. QA was one of my strongest sections on the practice tests but was my lowest score on the actual exam. If you are able to complete the majority of the non-calculus problems you should be fine.

 

[68quebec]

I had plenty of calculus on the exam today but I honestly didn't have the time to complete all of them. QA was one of my strongest sections on the practice tests but was my lowest score on the actual exam. If you are able to complete the majority of the non-calculus problems you should be fine.

i agree on this part. im not a calc genius and last time i took calc was 2005. i always place my bet on non-calc part because of my extreme strong sense of numbering

 

[vasoolraja]

OKAY. NOW I'M FREAKING OUT. My test is at 8 am and I'm starting to feel the pressure and unprepared even though I've been studying the past couple of weeks. My goal is at least an 80 composite. 90 and above would be a miracle.

Anyone else have a set goal? Advice on how to calm my nerves?

Focus on the question given. Fear is a distraction. Concentrate on the given question and solve it. Concentration is the key. I too was tensed, but I took effort to focus on the question in front of me. Another thing I told myself was it is absolutely okay to bomb the exam. If the worst happens, let it happen it is not the end of the world. Fear comes when you focus on the end result, so forget about the result and concentrate on the question in front of you.

 

[jkim2421]

For those that did really good in QA today, how did you prepare for it? I'm not good at derivatives and anything with calculus really

Key to math i believe is practice problems.

Not sure if this will help but maybe you could try some problems out of a Barron's SAT MATH 2C subject test booklet, focusing on the areas you are weak in and those you will be tested on (follow the blueprint). I used this in highschool for the subject test and it helped me immensely.

 

[xlamle]

heyy guys just got back from pcat..

ehh kinda sad but ehh at same time lol

my college final ended June 15 and then i had graduation so i had like 30 days ish....

Bio 57% -_-
QN 85%
Chem 88%
Verbal and RC DONT even want talk about it too low. ]=

okay first off i thought bio would be easy iono what happened.... so many name and bacteria and microbio for me...

i thought math and chem were so hard since i ran out of time especially math.

5 mins left i still had 10+ problems...

Composite 52....

there goes my chances for pcat school ...

my friend got 5 more composite points than me and got like 65% dang each composite point count so much...

ahhhh pcat = no good lol

 

[bboyroxas101]

heyy guys just got back from pcat..

ehh kinda sad but ehh at same time lol

my college final ended June 15 and then i had graduation so i had like 30 days ish....

Bio 57% -_-
QN 85%
Chem 88%
Verbal and RC DONT even want talk about it too low. ]=

okay first off i thought bio would be easy iono what happened.... so many name and bacteria and microbio for me...

i thought math and chem were so hard since i ran out of time especially math.

5 mins left i still had 10+ problems...

Composite 52....

there goes my chances for pcat school ...

my friend got 5 more composite points than me and got like 65% dang each composite point count so much...

ahhhh pcat = no good lol

What did u use to study are u good in English?

 

[pharmdx92]

Good luck to everyone taking the PCAT tomorrow! I am ready to get this over with already.

 

[chaaitea]

hey guys, just wondering for those of you who took the exam already, i have a few questions about how the difficulty level of the actual exam was compared to the practice ones.

1) Were there any sections in particular on the actual exam that were harder than the practice ones?
2) Easier?
3) Did you get a higher composite on the practice or the actual?

thanks in advance and good luck to those taking it today!!

 

[xlamle]

What did u use to study are u good in English?

no horrible with those english test lol i barely had 3weeks so didnt really look at it.

drcollin but no time for it sighh

 

[africanpharmd14]

SOOOOOO......for Thursday test takers....today is the day.....Good luck....

And for those that already took the test, what EXACTLY should we bring to the test cener??

 

[africanpharmd14]

.

 

[hegge089]

hey guys, just wondering for those of you who took the exam already, i have a few questions about how the difficulty level of the actual exam was compared to the practice ones.

1) Were there any sections in particular on the actual exam that were harder than the practice ones?
2) Easier?
3) Did you get a higher composite on the practice or the actual?

thanks in advance and good luck to those taking it today!!

I thought all of the sections on the actual exam were right in line with the practice exams. The chemistry section on my exam had more biochem than I was expecting and definitely more than was on the practice tests. I got very mixed results from the practice exams. I got between 65-85 composite on test 2, 80-99 on test 3, and 40-60 on test 4. I ended up getting 85 composite on the actual PCAT.

 

[hegge089]

SOOOOOO......for Thursday test takers....today is the day.....Good luck....

And for those that already took the test, what EXACTLY should we bring to the test cener??

The only things you actually need at the test center are two forms of ID - one government issued photo ID like a drivers license, and one other photo ID like a student ID. They have lockers you can keep your other things in. Once you're in the test room you can't have anything in your pockets other than the ID.

 

[Annie14892]

GOODLUCK on the exam to all!

I am about to take it in 2 hours!! Will update with scores later.

 

[miko]

I'm taking it at 12:30 today. I don't remember being so nervous the first time I took it 4yrs ago. Gonna try and relax..

Good luck!!

 

[rhirani1]

So I am taking the PCAT at 5 o clock and i have everything of Dr. Collins stuff except chemistry, I am literally going in blind. I studied my gen chem notes from college and and my Ochem notes. Can someone please tell me what equations/reactions are the most important so i can focus on reviewing them. I know it's last minute but just knowing that I didn't have any of the Chem Dr. Collins section frightens me for the Chemistry part.

 

[Member529]

So I am taking the PCAT at 5 o clock and i have everything of Dr. Collins stuff except chemistry, I am literally going in blind. I studied my gen chem notes from college and and my Ochem notes. Can someone please tell me what equations/reactions are the most important so i can focus on reviewing them. I know it's last minute but just knowing that I didn't have any of the Chem Dr. Collins section frightens me for the Chemistry part.

You will without a doubt have 1 or 2 questions on limiting reactants

 

[Jessica1992]

So I am taking the PCAT at 5 o clock and i have everything of Dr. Collins stuff except chemistry, I am literally going in blind. I studied my gen chem notes from college and and my Ochem notes. Can someone please tell me what equations/reactions are the most important so i can focus on reviewing them. I know it's last minute but just knowing that I didn't have any of the Chem Dr. Collins section frightens me for the Chemistry part.

If you want lecture reviews for O-chem, this guy is great! He has a playlist of 12 lecture I believe, just pick a couple that seem like they would help you the most and listen to them while you have lunch and get ready and things like that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMKK3UZqtF4&list=PL0A17991C89EFBCF3