PCAT KAPLAN review book

[Sillytammie]

Hi everyone,

I’m taking my PCAT in January and I’m only using the KAPLAN (2016-2017) review book. I’ve been reading around the threats and most used dr.collins. Can someone please tell me if I should switch to dr.collins or the kaplan book would be good enough to refresh my knowledge and practice the test?

Also, beside the review products, what else would you recommend me to do in order to prepare myself?

Thank you in advance!

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[deleted951073]

I would definitely buy the pearson practice tests I heard they are the closest thing to the actual pcat. I will take the test in January too, at first I started with kaplan 2018-2019 but it seemed like too much info and the practice tests were so hard and I felt very discouraged. Even a lot people said that about kaplan and how hard it is, but this could also be a good thing because it over prepares you. After reading the posts here, I bought the 2016 dr collins and to be honest I felt it was better than kaplan, especially the chem and biochem portion. The biology is good as long as you have a good foundation in it. Math is ok but then again I'm not really good at math so maybe that's why I think it's not that good. But I highly recommend getting the pearson tests, all three of them.

 

[BC_89]

Hi everyone,

I’m taking my PCAT in January and I’m only using the KAPLAN (2016-2017) review book. I’ve been reading around the threats and most used dr.collins. Can someone please tell me if I should switch to dr.collins or the kaplan book would be good enough to refresh my knowledge and practice the test?

Also, beside the review products, what else would you recommend me to do in order to prepare myself?

Thank you in advance!

Not sure how effective your studies have been up to this point being close to PCAT Test time, but in the past I used Kaplan for review, Pearson tests (all three: beginning, middle, and end of my reviews) to gage my score range, and dr. collins in between my Pearson tests and study reviews to test my knowledge.

Worked wonders

 

[limeymatey]

Use the Dr Collins for daily practice, Kaplan for general review, and the Pearson tests to measure your progress. If you have time, try to take the Pearson test at least one week before your official test date. This way, you can review the areas you're still weak on.

If you're strong on your fundamentals (retain much of the coursework material), then use Dr. Collins for practice. This will get you into the habit of doing the questions at a faster pace. On the other hand, if it's been a while since you've studied the material, use Kaplan for Bio and Chem. I felt the Kaplan Quantitative was horribly condensed and rushed, and used a PreCalculus prep book and Calculus textbook instead. I'd also suggest used college level textbooks (Physio, Gen Chem, Orgo several editions from the current edition). Personally, I found old editions of the Examkrackers MCAT prep books to be quite helpful.

Like the other posters, I do not suggest you practice only with Kaplan. Their test is geared toward their study material and is memorization heavy, which is different the PCAT you'll actually take (application heavy).

 

[Sillytammie]

I would definitely buy the pearson practice tests I heard they are the closest thing to the actual pcat. I will take the test in January too, at first I started with kaplan 2018-2019 but it seemed like too much info and the practice tests were so hard and I felt very discouraged. Even a lot people said that about kaplan and how hard it is, but this could also be a good thing because it over prepares you. After reading the posts here, I bought the 2016 dr collins and to be honest I felt it was better than kaplan, especially the chem and biochem portion. The biology is good as long as you have a good foundation in it. Math is ok but then again I'm not really good at math so maybe that's why I think it's not that good. But I highly recommend getting the pearson tests, all three of them.

Thank you Jessica, I will buy the pearson practice tests and try them out. I wish you the best in your exam!

 

[Sillytammie]

Use the Dr Collins for daily practice, Kaplan for general review, and the Pearson tests to measure your progress. If you have time, try to take the Pearson test at least one week before your official test date. This way, you can review the areas you're still weak on.

If you're strong on your fundamentals (retain much of the coursework material), then use Dr. Collins for practice. This will get you into the habit of doing the questions at a faster pace. On the other hand, if it's been a while since you've studied the material, use Kaplan for Bio and Chem. I felt the Kaplan Quantitative was horribly condensed and rushed, and used a PreCalculus prep book and Calculus textbook instead. I'd also suggest used college level textbooks (Physio, Gen Chem, Orgo several editions from the current edition). Personally, I found old editions of the Examkrackers MCAT prep books to be quite helpful.

Like the other posters, I do not suggest you practice only with Kaplan. Their test is geared toward their study material and is memorization heavy, which is different the PCAT you'll actually take (application heavy).

Thank you so much for your reply. It’s actually been a while since I’ve studied the material so I’ve been doing review using the KAPLAN book only. I will look into other sources.