PCAT cutoffs for Admissions

[ionou]

I got a composite in the mid 80's, but I'm wondering if adcoms actually care about the individual subject scores. I got two scores in the upper 30's for bio and reading. I'm looking to apply to schools close to California. I really don't want to go through the torture of taking it again, but I just want to make sure if it's okay or not.

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[gator09]

I got a composite in the mid 80's, but I'm wondering if adcoms actually care about the individual subject scores. I got two scores in the upper 30's for bio and reading. I'm looking to apply to schools close to California. I really don't want to go through the torture of taking it again, but I just want to make sure if it's okay or not.

List all your scores.

 

[ionou]

Bio: 36
Reading: 38
Verbal: 58
Math: 99
Chem: 92
Composite: 84

 

[wgt5]

Bio: 36
Reading: 38
Verbal: 58
Math: 99
Chem: 92
Composite: 84

Mine:

Bio: 96
Reading: 40s
Verbal: 50s
Math: 70
Chem: 88
Composite: 82]

I had two low scores too, I wouldn't worry about taking it again and I only took them once. I prepared all summer for the first one and I knew it would be tuff to beat considering during the school year I was very busy. I also have a very high GPA and very well rounded resume.

You need to see what average PCATs are for the schools you are applying? See how you stack up to the competition (probably pretty well).

I would maybe consider taking another crack at it if your GPA is low (low compared to the schools averages you are applying to). It couldn't hurt.

There is room for improvement in Bio, but only you can make the call if you should take them again.

 

[ionou]

My GPA is a bit lower, but my undergrad school doesn't have grade inflation and there is actually a letter that explains this in the transcript from my school. I've also taken a lot of upper division science courses like electricity and magnetism, linear algebra, differential equations and so forth. I've taken up to 9 courses per semester with at least 3-4 science courses at the same time. I'm a chemistry major and I have research experience. I also am going to start volunteering at a pharmacy at a clinic in an urban area. I don't really believe that the reading score is valid and I just feel annoyed by this. I want to go to Glendale, USN, UOP, Hawaii... I want to stay around Cali if possible, but I'm not sure about the specific cut offs at each school.

I'm pretty sure I can get 99 on the math again, but for chemistry, I didn't study, but I got lucky and got some of what I guessed right.

 

[ionou]

Wait... I don't understand how you got an 82 composite, but where you list what schools you interviewed with, it says you got a 90 composite.

Mine:

Bio: 96
Reading: 40s
Verbal: 50s
Math: 70
Chem: 88
Composite: 82]

I had two low scores too, I wouldn't worry about taking it again and I only took them once. I prepared all summer for the first one and I knew it would be tuff to beat considering during the school year I was very busy. I also have a very high GPA and very well rounded resume.

You need to see what average PCATs are for the schools you are applying? See how you stack up to the competition (probably pretty well).

I would maybe consider taking another crack at it if your GPA is low (low compared to the schools averages you are applying to). It couldn't hurt.

There is room for improvement in Bio, but only you can make the call if you should take them again.

 

[gator09]

It's crazy how the composite score works out since some people will get below 20%tile in a section and still get above an 80%tile composite.

 

[wgt5]

My GPA is a bit lower, but my undergrad school doesn't have grade inflation and there is actually a letter that explains this in the transcript from my school.

What do you mean buy grade inflation? Is an A a 4.0 and a B a 3.0?

That 90% is a typo and I will change it. My signature never comes up on my computer and I didn't notice it. I think my PCAT was either an 82, 84 or 86, I really haven't looked at it for 6 months and I don't know where the sheet is with my score on it.

I've taken up to 9 courses per semester with at least 3-4 science courses at the same time.

9 courses a semester! Isn't that like 30 credits?

It's crazy how the composite score works out since some people will get below 20%tile in a section and still get above an 80%tile composite.

Some people get a 20%, but are in the 80s and up in the rest of the sections. Its the way percentile works out.

 

[ionou]

In general, many schools curve the grades in the class. But at our school, if you get a 75 on an exam, it's a C. Usually, the average exam grade is anywhere from 50 to 75. So, it doesn't depend on how well other students do and if none of the students get 90 or above on the exam, then, nobody will earn an A. In the history of the entire institution, there have only been like 5 people who earned a 4.0 for their undergrad GPA.

 

[wgt5]

What university do you go to?

 

[ionou]

I don't really want to say, but I've definitely had a very intense curriculum. It's a research based school and many of its graduates pursue PhD degrees.

 

[chemguy79]

ionou,

If you go to a "research based school and many of its graduates pursue PhD degrees," then an Admissions committee would likely take that into account. Of course, having a 2.0 at a school like that wouldn't put you in good stead, but if you have a solid GPA coupled with your PCAT score, you would be in good shape theoretically speaking.

 

[ionou]

Even with these scores? I'm wondering if I could get into U Mich or UNC with a 3.5 overall GPA. I'm not sure at this point if I could get a 3.5 or a 3.4 for my undergrad GPA. I have an upward trend. I started with a 3.1 and worked my way up to 3.4 right now.

 

[gator09]

I talked to a pharmacy committee member at UF and was told UF has a cut off around 50%tile for each individual section. They want "well-rounded" students.

I was also told it's not possible to get a high composite score if you have a really low score on a section. I though this was strange because I've seen people post their scores on this website that contradicted that. I remember one person saying they had a 16%tile in a particular section and still got over 80% composite. I left even more confused because I though composite was the deciding factor...

 

[MrsAppleseed]

I was also told it's not possible to get a high composite score if you have a really low score on a section. I though this was strange because I've seen people post their scores on this website that contradicted that. I remember one person saying they had a 16%tile in a particular section and still got over 80% composite. I left even more confused because I though composite was the deciding factor...

Absolutely no offense meant, but this is kind of the original poster's situation. The poster had relatively low scores in the majority of areas, but the remaining two areas are very high, pretty much carrying the weight of the composite.

If I was the OP, I would retake it, but that's personal preference.

 

[holymolys]

theres no real "cutoff", even schools with a minimum can accept people with lower pcat/gpa in rare cases, but imo when compared to a more balanced applicant with similar composite but everything section is 50+, your 30s will just look bad... its a percentile, so technically 70% of the people from years old did better than you on those sections... bio is pretty important