Thanks for reply....yea! Im always running out of time on math practice. My weakness is probability and word problems. I shd be good in calc n algebra. Were there lots of questions on probability? So ill do wat u said, do lots of problems on my weakness. Ballpark how much questions did u guess on Math section? Lol..thanks for tips!Hey Brightstar17, when I took the PCAT, I found timing on the math section to be pretty hard! What has helped is first figuring out what areas are weaker spots (maybe algebra is no problem but probability problems not so much), and then doing a TON of practice questions. To build stamina, start by solving 5 questions at time. Then do 10 questions at a time, and then 15 until you can build up to a fill section. Trust me, the math section will go by faster once your math skills are in their best shape.
Then keep evaluating how you're doing and work on those weaker areas. Also, you might want to troubleshoot guessing on really difficult or time-intensive problems to leave more time for east ones, since they are worth the same. Just make sure not to hues on too many - troubleshoot this method until you figure out what questions and how many you should guess on to get your best score.
Well, maybe probability and word problems are your weak spots now, which isn't to say that can't change! What I like about word problems is that they simulate the reality of the types of problems pharmacists have to deal with in real life. You're much more likely to have to figure out "If the half-life of this drug is X, how long until the patient should take their next dose?" than "What's the inverse of f(x) = 4x - 9?" But word problems can be hard! Have you tried breaking them down to try to translate them into math expressions? For example, Jack is 5 inches taller than twice Laura's height really just means J = 2L + 5 once you translate it into math-speak. It gets better with practice, so don't shy away from them.
Word problems are about 50% of questions on the math section.Thanks for all your tipsWell, maybe probability and word problems are your weak spots now, which isn't to say that can't change! What I like about word problems is that they simulate the reality of the types of problems pharmacists have to deal with in real life. You're much more likely to have to figure out "If the half-life of this drug is X, how long until the patient should take their next dose?" than "What's the inverse of f(x) = 4x - 9?" But word problems can be hard! Have you tried breaking them down to try to translate them into math expressions? For example, Jack is 5 inches taller than twice Laura's height really just means J = 2L + 5 once you translate it into math-speak. It gets better with practice, so don't shy away from them.
For probability, sometimes you'll just need to write down the appropriate probability equation, but other times it'll be easier to count it out. For example, if you were asked What is the probability of rolling a sum of 7 when two 6-sided dice are rolled simultaneously? I would simply jot down a table with the possible rolls for die 1 and die 2 to count all the possibilities that add to 7, and then divide by the total number of possible outcomes (6 x 6 = 36). Probability problems are about 18% or 8-9 questions on the math section.
I'm glad you feel good about calculus because some people will skip over those questions when honestly they don't have to be that hard or take that long to solve. I'd say definitely try to guess on fewer than 10 questions, and if you start becoming quicker and start having time left over when you practice, get that number down as much as you can, maybe even to 5 or so. Just remember to mark the questions you guess on so you can come back to them later if you have time.
Thanks for all your tips! How was ur experience? Were u nervous? Was it noisy? Were u scanned palm reader alot. I heard they scan you before n after breaks? I will work on practicing more on my word problems....thanksWell, maybe probability and word problems are your weak spots now, which isn't to say that can't change! What I like about word problems is that they simulate the reality of the types of problems pharmacists have to deal with in real life. You're much more likely to have to figure out "If the half-life of this drug is X, how long until the patient should take their next dose?" than "What's the inverse of f(x) = 4x - 9?" But word problems can be hard! Have you tried breaking them down to try to translate them into math expressions? For example, Jack is 5 inches taller than twice Laura's height really just means J = 2L + 5 once you translate it into math-speak. It gets better with practice, so don't shy away from them.
For probability, sometimes you'll just need to write down the appropriate probability equation, but other times it'll be easier to count it out. For example, if you were asked What is the probability of rolling a sum of 7 when two 6-sided dice are rolled simultaneously? I would simply jot down a table with the possible rolls for die 1 and die 2 to count all the possibilities that add to 7, and then divide by the total number of possible outcomes (6 x 6 = 36). Probability problems are about 18% or 8-9 questions on the math section.
I'm glad you feel good about calculus because some people will skip over those questions when honestly they don't have to be that hard or take that long to solve. I'd say definitely try to guess on fewer than 10 questions, and if you start becoming quicker and start having time left over when you practice, get that number down as much as you can, maybe even to 5 or so. Just remember to mark the questions you guess on so you can come back to them later if you have time.
