People who got 85%+ on the PCAT, like to share your experiences?

[fengye920]

Hi everyone!
Congrats to everyone who did well on the PCAT, and good luck to those who are retaking it in August.

I have went through the Kaplan PCAT Book and the PCAT is in 28 days! Well, I was just wondering for those who did well what your plan to do well on the PCAT was.

What did you guys do to prepare for it? How long did you study for the PCAT?

Any input would be nice

Thanks and have a great day!

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[jpquach87]

I studied by myself with the Kaplan books and online stuff. I couldn't attend the actual class because I still had school then. After school was out, there weren't any PCAT classes! So, I did the online practice quizzes and tests and read the book for about a month (in actuality, probably 3 weeks) and took the test in June 08. I aced it except for reading comp. which was surprisingly low. Overall composite was 95.

The June test was supposed to be my practice time since it was my first time and I didn't think I would do well on it but... I won't be taking it in August anymore!

 

[Brandie28]

I studied by myself with the Kaplan books and online stuff. I couldn't attend the actual class because I still had school then. After school was out, there weren't any PCAT classes! So, I did the online practice quizzes and tests and read the book for about a month (in actuality, probably 3 weeks) and took the test in June 08. I aced it except for reading comp. which was surprisingly low. Overall composite was 95.

The June test was supposed to be my practice time since it was my first time and I didn't think I would do well on it but... I won't be taking it in August anymore!

Would you say the Kaplan book covered alot of the material that was on the PCAT or did you just know the material?

 

[Texas PharmDoc]

Would you say the Kaplan book covered alot of the material that was on the PCAT or did you just know the material?

Yes, the Kaplan book is a good review for the Biology and the General Chem sections. You will need to use other books for the Organic and Math sections though because the Kaplan book doesn't cover these well at all.

For the Organic section I used the MCAT Examkrackers book. This was an excellent source for organic review.

 

[JLC]

my brother got a 99 composite score and used the kaplan review book. However, I don't think he reviewed very long, maybe a few days before the PCAT(true thing, not being a dick or anything). It was mostly his classes that got him his scores as he took it after ochem and calc.

 

[labgal]

I would like to second the plug for Examkrackers Organic Chemistry. I haven't had orgo in ten years and I made a 97 on chem. I used a Kaplan book for everything else. Despite my 92 composite, I have possibly the lowest Math score imaginable...so while I cannot offer a good math resource, Kaplan and MCAT math reviews were horrible. Re-reading my calculus book did not help, but again, it's been a decade since Precal/Cal for me. I also think the Harcourt Practice tests were worth the money...they were pretty indicative of how I did on the actual exam, and are really the only way to get a real representation of the quantitative analysis section, unless there is a newer PCAT resource I am clueless about. Oh, I just finished up Anatomy and Physiology in May, so I spent about a month studying, mostly on weekends. Given my time shortage, I focused on Chem and Math because those were my weaknesses. Good luck August PCATers!

 

[inquirer89]

This is a good thread, I'm glad for those of you who responded with over an 85 score.

I am studying with the Kaplan, but I won't take Calculus or Organic Chem until this fall, and I am taking the PCAT in August. I just ordered used "Dummies series" for each subject from ebay. Do you think these resources will be good enough for me to review? I've heard that the PCAT only tests basic material anyway.

 

[xxxhotstuffxxx]

What would be a good study guide for the math section then? I heard that some of the math problems were easy, but time consuming...was this the case? What type of problems were there?

 

[apteryx]

Logarithms, and lots of pre-calc. I was surprised. I fully expected to be doing a ton of derivatives, but not so much. If you know what to expect, it's easy. And now I do.

 

[YiYaoYue]

seems like the math is always the problem. i wonder if anyone who did well on the math section can give us some advise on the best resource to studying for that section.

 

[fengye920]

Logarithms, and lots of pre-calc. I was surprised. I fully expected to be doing a ton of derivatives, but not so much. If you know what to expect, it's easy. And now I do.

logarithms in regard to calculus or like logarithms you learn in pre-calc and algebra?

 

[apteryx]

Pre-calc and algebra...as long as you know log rules, that's all you need as far as they go. And it's not like there's much to logs in calc either...

 

[manutdmax]

can anyone tell us what topics on pre calculus we need to study for the pcat?

 

[Farcus]

all of it i'm not joking

 

[Transformer]

If you've taken Calculus, don't make the mistake of thinking you'll do well on the PCAT's quantitative section. You need to solve 48 questions in 30 minutes. That's on average 37.5 seconds per question to finish all 48 questions. Most test takers don't finish because we are not trained to recall math knowledge this quickly.

My suggestions is to practice practice practice the math sections of the two practice exams from Pearson. Do them over and over until you can picture them with your eyes closed. And with all structured knowledge, you will start to see a pattern of math problems tested.

This sounds crazy but rewrite these math questions and test yourself on how fast you can recall basic math knowledge under a pressured test environment.

With sufficient knowledge of tested material and proper training, one can be trained to perform well on most standardized exams.

 

[jpquach87]

Would you say the Kaplan book covered alot of the material that was on the PCAT or did you just know the material?

Honestly, what helped me most was the Human Physiology class I took last semester. It covered SO MUCH bio material and the Kaplan book was a great but incomplete review of all of that. As for the gen chem section, I just flat out re-learned from the Kaplan book. I still remembered a little bit of orgo and the Kap book helped. As for math, I remember thinking how the Kaplan book sucked for the math section because there weren't that many review problems, and the ones that they had were easier than the PCAT so I was kind of pissed. BUT, I did score a 97 on the quant section.

 

[cdhoward]

If you've taken Calculus, don't make the mistake of thinking you'll do well on the PCAT's quantitative section. You need to solve 48 questions in 30 minutes. That's on average 37.5 seconds per question to finish all 48 questions. Most test takers don't finish because we are not trained to recall math knowledge this quickly.

Actually, you have 40 minutes, which is 50 seconds per.

 

[parabolic]

General advice:

- Take a practice PCAT (or at least, the PCAT sections you find difficult) a couple of times or more under simulated test conditions to get a handle on the pace you'll need to work at. I probably did five practice runs each for math, biology, and chemistry. (Not all at once!) It helped a lot; I didn't run out of time for any of those sections on test day.

- Bring a watch on test day. You can't rely on there being a clock in the room. The proctors are supposed to tell you when you have five minutes to go, but that's not really a good way to pace yourself.

- Don't leave even one question blank! You don't lose points for guessing.

Best of luck to everyone taking the upcoming PCAT.

 

[infinitesimal87]

Would you be retaking the PCAT because of the low math score? I mean, my composite was a 82 only because of my really low math score. otherwise, my scores we all over the required 60%. Should I retake it or stick with my 82?

 

[lsexie]

do u mean the 1001 examkrackers for organic chemistry ? wat year 2007?

 

[JURGIS]

First time taking PCAT. Studied Kaplan PCAT for 3 weeks. Results:

Writing: Conventions of Language 3.0
Problem Solving 3.0

Verbal 450 97%
Bio 90%
Reading Comp 426 83%
Quant 412 62%
Chem 450 95%

Composite 434 94%

About me: GPA 3.2, nontrad student, taken 2 years of prereqs

I also listened to ExamKrackers Audio Osmosis (this is a 12 CD set of MCAT prep material). I listen to it in the car to and from wherever I go. (You can skip the first 4 CDs, they cover Physics). I've got an hour commute time (minimum) every day so I'm able to listen to the entire set about once every 10 days. It definitely helped me with "concepts". But you've got to do practice problems (esp. for Quant section).

That's where Kaplan was helpful. I plan on taking the test again in October and will buy the ExamKrackers 1001 Questions books for each relevant section.

I completely ran out of time for the Quant section and guessed on the last 10-12 problems. So, I'm looking for a good math resource as well.

I work full time as a business writer so was shocked when I saw my writing sample results. I'm pretty sure they chose the essay on the really controversial topic to grade. It beats me how I'm supposed to come up with a solution to this problem that society as a whole is still exceptionally divided on!

Hope this helps.

 

[Texas PharmDoc]

do u mean the 1001 examkrackers for organic chemistry ? wat year 2007?

That 1001 book is good for practice problems, but I meant the regular MCAT Examkrackers review book. This is the book that reviews all the material you would learn in class, but cuts out what you don't need and gets to the point. It might actually be a little more than you would need for the PCAT since it goes into reactions found in Organic II as well, but it is a pretty slim book that is broken into just 4 sections. This makes it very easy to study one section a day, so just 4 days to review the entire book. Very useful.

And to answer the second part of your question; not sure if it was '07, but I just got the latest edition off of Amazon.

 

[medicalCPA]

General advice:

- Take a practice PCAT (or at least, the PCAT sections you find difficult) a couple of times or more under simulated test conditions to get a handle on the pace you'll need to work at. I probably did five practice runs each for math, biology, and chemistry. (Not all at once!) It helped a lot; I didn't run out of time for any of those sections on test day.

- Bring a watch on test day. You can't rely on there being a clock in the room. The proctors are supposed to tell you when you have five minutes to go, but that's not really a good way to pace yourself.

- Don't leave even one question blank! You don't lose points for guessing.

Best of luck to everyone taking the upcoming PCAT.

What he said, especially the "bring a watch" part. I didn't, and my chemistry section suffered.

 

[inquirer89]

First time taking PCAT. Studied Kaplan PCAT for 3 weeks. Results:

Writing: Conventions of Language 3.0
Problem Solving 3.0

Verbal 450 97%
Bio 90%
Reading Comp 426 83%
Quant 412 62%
Chem 450 95%

Composite 434 94%

About me: GPA 3.2, nontrad student, taken 2 years of prereqs

I also listened to ExamKrackers Audio Osmosis (this is a 12 CD set of MCAT prep material). I listen to it in the car to and from wherever I go. (You can skip the first 4 CDs, they cover Physics). I've got an hour commute time (minimum) every day so I'm able to listen to the entire set about once every 10 days. It definitely helped me with "concepts". But you've got to do practice problems (esp. for Quant section).

That's where Kaplan was helpful. I plan on taking the test again in October and will buy the ExamKrackers 1001 Questions books for each relevant section.

I completely ran out of time for the Quant section and guessed on the last 10-12 problems. So, I'm looking for a good math resource as well.

I work full time as a business writer so was shocked when I saw my writing sample results. I'm pretty sure they chose the essay on the really controversial topic to grade. It beats me how I'm supposed to come up with a solution to this problem that society as a whole is still exceptionally divided on!

Hope this helps.

Why are you taking the PCAT again? Except for the quantitative, you did really well and got a 94% composite!

 

[labgal]

I used the 6th edition Examkrackers MCAT Organic Chemistry (2005).

 

[JURGIS]

Inquirer,

You're right. I'm REALLY happy with a 94. Most people, including myself, generally do better on a test the second or third time around as they become more comfortable with the test format, etc.

I took calc I this past semester but basically haven't had any math classes for the last 15 years. So I know brushing up on the math can bring up my score slightly.

Also, I made a fair share of mistakes in my educational career the first time around and I feel that I've still got to prove myself to admission committees more so than the average applicant.

Finally, my primary school of interest is UMKC. They will take the best score from each individual section over multiple PCAT sittings for your application. So a score improvement in even one section (even if composite score doesn't change significantly one way or another) can have a significant impact on my chances of getting in.

Again, I'm not one of those who thinks that I've gotta keep taking it til I get a 99. At the same time, I think I can do better. With as much work as we all have put in to take the PCAT at least once, it's only a small incremental increase in the study time/effort to take it again for a chance at a better score.

 

[Farcus]

That 1001 book is good for practice problems, but I meant the regular MCAT Examkrackers review book. This is the book that reviews all the material you would learn in class, but cuts out what you don't need and gets to the point. It might actually be a little more than you would need for the PCAT since it goes into reactions found in Organic II as well, but it is a pretty slim book that is broken into just 4 sections. This makes it very easy to study one section a day, so just 4 days to review the entire book. Very useful.

And to answer the second part of your question; not sure if it was '07, but I just got the latest edition off of Amazon.

umm which pcat are u taking? there are plenty of Ochem 2 reactions actually when i took it in janu i only saw ochem 2 reactions with all those diff functional groups. When I say functional groups I don't mean easy alkene, alkyne ones.

 

[inquirer89]

Inquirer,

You're right. I'm REALLY happy with a 94. Most people, including myself, generally do better on a test the second or third time around as they become more comfortable with the test format, etc.

I took calc I this past semester but basically haven't had any math classes for the last 15 years. So I know brushing up on the math can bring up my score slightly.

Also, I made a fair share of mistakes in my educational career the first time around and I feel that I've still got to prove myself to admission committees more so than the average applicant.

Finally, my primary school of interest is UMKC. They will take the best score from each individual section over multiple PCAT sittings for your application. So a score improvement in even one section (even if composite score doesn't change significantly one way or another) can have a significant impact on my chances of getting in.

Again, I'm not one of those who thinks that I've gotta keep taking it til I get a 99. At the same time, I think I can do better. With as much work as we all have put in to take the PCAT at least once, it's only a small incremental increase in the study time/effort to take it again for a chance at a better score.

Sounds like a plan. I am happy for you for starting off your PCAT scores on a good start. I hope that I'll be in your situation this August too.

 

[jccrew]

what about the organic section from the kaplan mcat review book? is that any good?

 

[Loquacious]

I'm petrified of the math and chemistry calculation problems. I think I've become too dependent on the use of a calculator. When I look at question with fractions or square roots in it I totally freak out.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can do math in my head quickly?

It's been about 4 yrs since I took my math prereqs, does anyone have a good "exam crackers" type of book to suggest?

 

[Farcus]

there was at most 3 calculation problems on the math section so don't worry too bad and they were easy as hell like reaction mass given a balance equation sort of problems.

 

[Markovnikov]

aw shucks, I only scored 83% does that mean I can't comment?


I took pcat in june and thought I did so terrible that I signed up for the $1,400 kaplan course for the summer. Just when the course was about to end I find out my June results of 83% and felt like a huge waste of money taking Kaplan. I doubt I'll retake it, except if I end up getting rejects from all of my schools this year.

I requested the entire week off from work (ended up getting scheduled for one day though) and just studied like crazy. 8-11 hours each day. Also did stress relieving activities like going out for drinks.

 

[DeterminedGal09]

LoL @ Markovnikov's stress relieving activities

 

[YiYaoYue]

going out for drinks is fine, but just don't do it the day before otherwise a hangover can hurt you just as badly as being overly stressed. A good way to deal with stress is exercise, so run to your testing center even if your early.

 

[constantchange]

I took the June PCAT and my composite was a 88%.. Overall I did pretty well.. but some sections weren't good at all...

Verbal Ability 36
QA 73
Reading 50
Biology 93
Chem 99

writing 4 and 3.5

I think the Kaplan helped with the bio... but I probablhy did well on bio and chem because of the classes I've taken... Kaplan is not good enough to get 99 on chemistry so I would try something else... I'm not sure if I should take the pcat again.. I think I'll apply with these scores to some schools and if I don't get in anywhere.. I'll take it again next summer?.. or should I be taking the October one..hmm

 

[SexyPlexi]

going out for drinks is fine, but just don't do it the day before otherwise a hangover can hurt you just as badly as being overly stressed. A good way to deal with stress is exercise, so run to your testing center even if your early.

*Imagining myself running 30 miles to the PCAT*

But yeah it probably is a good idea to do some sort of exercise that morning.