September PCAT 2013

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vic89

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A thread for people who are taking the PCAT in September :)

How's everyone's studying going? I realized it's only a month away... and I haven't even started studying :scared:. I just bought all three Pearson's practice tests today. I'm taking Test 2 at the moment so I know what I need to focus on the most.
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You can clearly see them in the practice exam. Honestly after doing the PCAT, I feel like I wasted my money on any study material. If you paid attention somewhat in first year, a quick youtube refresher is usually sufficient for the problems on the PCAT. Buy the 3 practice tests, Use one as a diagnostic for what you need to study, and then save the 2 for the couple of days before (The night before in my case, and I never did it Full Length. Ignored the RC/Verbal as well). Its very obvious whats on the test. Due to disclosure issues, I don't think I should blantantly state it. Think about it this way though. You dont have a calculator, do you really think they'll make you calculate the pH of a solution containing X amount of conjugate base, Y amount of conjugate acid given a pKa of Z? Probably not, unless the numbers divide PERFECTLY or the multiple choice answers are the equation itself. This is just an example from Kaplan (Horrible for example questions, too time consuming because the practice isn't exactly representative for 70% of the questions (too hard)) But POP QUIZ! what equation was that?
 
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Took my first Pearson T2 and the nerves just worse lol. I got a 61-81 composite. I did great in verbal, ok in RC, surprisingly good in Chem, did worse than where I thought I was in Bio 40-60, and COMPLETELY bombed the QA portion (22-42). :eek: I tried to simulate testing conditions as much as possible and by the time I got to QA I was actually falling asleep. I need to work on stamina too.

I know I've gotta focus on QA just to get it to at least an average level. I know I'm never going to kill it but just passable at this point is all I can ask for.

But damn this is supposed to be the easier one right? I've got a lot work to do. Ok where is my bucket. :barf:
 
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I feel like I am not ready to take it yet. I want to reschedule to Sept 18. Do I have to pay it again and receive a partial refund? Or it doesn't affect anything? Thanks!
 
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You can reschedule as much as you want for free as long as the time is within your scheduled time slot of September.
 
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nyc76 said:
Took my first Pearson T2 and the nerves just worse lol. I got a 61-81 composite. I did great in verbal, ok in RC, surprisingly good in Chem, did worse than where I thought I was in Bio 40-60, and COMPLETELY bombed the QA portion (22-42). :eek: I tried to simulate testing conditions as much as possible and by the time I got to QA I was actually falling asleep. I need to work on stamina too.

I know I've gotta focus on QA just to get it to at least an average level. I know I'm never going to kill it but just passable at this point is all I can ask for.

But damn this is supposed to be the easier one right? I've got a lot work to do. Ok where is my bucket. :barf:
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Not everyone can pull off a 99 on the first Pearson Practice Test. I would not worry about your performance since your composite does indicate you will fall in the range of 70s which is competitive for most, if not, all schools. Certain schools have cut-offs for subsections (30 or higher sometimes) and definitely work on stamina because you will have to factor in writing two essays and that definitely got me pooped. Good luck!
 
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I got a 40-60 composite on Test 4..... I got destroyed! It was my first pearson test and time goes by really fast on the quantitative and reading section. I really hope this isn't an indicative of how I will do on the real PCAT.:scared::cry:
 
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Please I need suggestions on how to improve by at least 30 percentile! If the suggestions have been mentioned before I am sorry for re-asking but I really need to know what and how I can improve within a month!
 
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npharm21 said:
I got a 40-60 composite on Test 4..... I got destroyed! It was my first pearson test and time goes by really fast on the quantitative and reading section. I really hope this isn't an indicative of how I will do on the real PCAT.:scared::cry:
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You took PPT 4 as your first one? It is by far the most difficult of all them and I struggled through it as well. Go back and re-take PPT 2/3 and go over PPT 4 to see if you understand the material better. Practice your time management on the quantitative by skipping the harder problems that take more than a minute to comprehend, but that is just my two cents. It is important to note that many of the July test-takers consider PPT 4 was to be accurate to the actual PCAT.
 
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vuuha05 said:
You took PPT 4 as your first one? It is by far the most difficult of all them and I struggled through it as well. Go back and re-take PPT 2/3 and go over PPT 4 to see if you understand the material better. Practice your time management on the quantitative by skipping the harder problems that take more than a minute to comprehend, but that is just my two cents. It is important to note that many of the July test-takers consider PPT 4 was to be accurate to the actual PCAT.
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So is the PPT4 harder than the actual PCAT? I've read on here that it doesn't get harder than the PPT4 but maybe the July test takers had a different view of it?
 
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I guess it really depends on the test-taker, but I felt like the level of difficulty from PPT 4 was similar to the actual PCAT. A few others that took the July PCAT also felt the same way. If you can somewhat manage a solid score on PPT 4, then you are pretty set to do well on the actual one.
 
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Yeah I only bought 2 PPT (due to financial reasons), number 4 and 3. The fourth one was definitely hard and time goes by really fast. I am taking the test Sept. 18 and am hoping that this last month I can really improve. So I guess I need to go back and review what I missed and see why I missed it review the concepts and as to the ones I didn't miss just make sure I understood them and know why I got them right in order to differentiate whether I guessed on it or not. Then will take more collins tests and go over those and at the end take PPT 3 a week before the actual test. Does that sound like a plan that will deliver good results? HOPEFULLY
 
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I agreed, PT4 seems to be harder. The first Pearson PT2 test is similar to dr. Collins practice test. I did good on the bio section, but then I bombed PT4 lol
 
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The difficulty of all the practice exams were the same to me. However, I did notice that some do cater to certain disciplines better. For example, if you're a chemistry major, you may bomb the bio section somewhat because of the extensive physiology/anatomy that is covered. Its hard to cover the physiology section without actually studying pretty hard, I was lucky cause I took an anatomy course that covered everything the month prior. OChem doesn't really get that hard, you could probably guess the answers if a complex reaction were to show up if you know the terminology/ how reactions work.

Find what caters to you, and IGNORE IT. Study the stuff that you're constantly second guessing yourself or getting completely wrong.
 
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@superfans...Did you see the pretty much the same topics that the PPT 4 covered, on the actual PCAT?
 
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Umm... Not to be condescending or anything.. but I figure you should have learned by now that all math tests are the same, just with different numbers. For example, if you see 1+2 on the practice test, you're bound to see x+y on the real deal. If you see it on the practice test, expect to have to know it for the real deal. Chemistry, there's always something thats the same and its extremely obvious. Biology was slightly different, some overlap some not. Honestly, I knew the biology from my undergrad and NOT from my studying (except for nitpicky things that the PCAT tends to have like the one liners in Kaplan.. Its a long shot and you have to get lucky sometimes and hopefully see something you've encountered with some significance in your schooling career.
 
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Yeaaah....I haven't taken math since high school I really don't think it's as easy as you put it, IMO of course. As for chemistry did you think that they covered the same topics along with questions types as the real PCAT?....The biology portion was honestly much more difficult than I expected it to be. I've been out of school and I don't remember some of the things that were tested on the PPT4. But do you have any suggestions of where I can study microbiology from?
 
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Superfans said:
Umm... Not to be condescending or anything.. but I figure you should have learned by now that all math tests are the same, just with different numbers. For example, if you see 1+2 on the practice test, you're bound to see x+y on the real deal. If you see it on the practice test, expect to have to know it for the real deal. Chemistry, there's always something thats the same and its extremely obvious. Biology was slightly different, some overlap some not. Honestly, I knew the biology from my undergrad and NOT from my studying (except for nitpicky things that the PCAT tends to have like the one liners in Kaplan.. Its a long shot and you have to get lucky sometimes and hopefully see something you've encountered with some significance in your schooling career.
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Whenever you start a post with, "Umm... Not to be condescending or anything" ... You ARE being very condescending. You seem to have this mindset that things are incredibly easy and you fail to understand or process that it isn't that way for everyone. I would love to see where you went to undergrad where you were able to memorize everything in the world in order to achieve academic success. That isn't the case everywhere and it's a colossal recipe for failure. Comprehension trumps memorization, period.
 
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My test is scheduled for Sept 3, and I so far I've read over the Kaplan's study material, recently completed all the Collin's packets (doing some of them twice), and also went over some quantitative on REA. My gpa isn't competitive (around a 3.0), and I'm applying to a good amount of three-year schools. I'm doing pretty well on all the exams, getting at most 5-10 wrong on the Collins tests, but I'm definitely aiming to get a very high composite. I just bought the Pearsons tests and I will be going them over one-by-one very soon. I'm thinking about rescheduling my PCAT exam to mid-september, especially because I think it's free for me to do that? (Since they're in the same September window). Does anyone know if I can reschedule it to mid-sept, hassle-free? I checked pearson already and they had openings for mid-sept. The only thing I'm concerned about is submitting my PCAT scores 2 weeks later than if I were to take the Sept 3 test. Do you guys think having my PCAT test date for mid Sept is more than enough time for out-of-california state schools to look over my whole app?

Another thing that would be delayed would be the submission of some of my supplemental apps for out-of-state schools, should I be considering this?

Thanks for reading! :D
 
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demonicduck said:
My test is scheduled for Sept 3, and I so far I've read over the Kaplan's study material, recently completed all the Collin's packets (doing some of them twice), and also went over some quantitative on REA. My gpa isn't competitive (around a 3.0), and I'm applying to a good amount of three-year schools. I'm doing pretty well on all the exams, getting at most 5-10 wrong on the Collins tests, but I'm definitely aiming to get a very high composite. I just bought the Pearsons tests and I will be going them over one-by-one very soon. I'm thinking about rescheduling my PCAT exam to mid-september, especially because I think it's free for me to do that? (Since they're in the same September window). Does anyone know if I can reschedule it to mid-sept, hassle-free? I checked pearson already and they had openings for mid-sept. The only thing I'm concerned about is submitting my PCAT scores 2 weeks later than if I were to take the Sept 3 test. Do you guys think having my PCAT test date for mid Sept is more than enough time for out-of-california state schools to look over my whole app?

Another thing that would be delayed would be the submission of some of my supplemental apps for out-of-state schools, should I be considering this?

Thanks for reading! :D
Click to expand...

My test is on Sept 4th, but I just rescheduled (no extra charged) it to Sept 18th. So yes u can! In addition, regarding on ur delaying process, some school would have to wait til they get ur PCAT score. But u can always email the school that u're applying for to ask if they accept ur preliminary score. If yes, then send in ur preliminary score ASAP after ure done taking it. ~Good Luck~ :)
 
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Question
for the RC section, there are 6 passages right. Does each passage always has 8 questions, or not necessary? each could have anywhere between 7-9 questions?
 
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demonicduck said:
My test is scheduled for Sept 3, and I so far I've read over the Kaplan's study material, recently completed all the Collin's packets (doing some of them twice), and also went over some quantitative on REA. My gpa isn't competitive (around a 3.0), and I'm applying to a good amount of three-year schools. I'm doing pretty well on all the exams, getting at most 5-10 wrong on the Collins tests, but I'm definitely aiming to get a very high composite. I just bought the Pearsons tests and I will be going them over one-by-one very soon. I'm thinking about rescheduling my PCAT exam to mid-september, especially because I think it's free for me to do that? (Since they're in the same September window). Does anyone know if I can reschedule it to mid-sept, hassle-free? I checked pearson already and they had openings for mid-sept. The only thing I'm concerned about is submitting my PCAT scores 2 weeks later than if I were to take the Sept 3 test. Do you guys think having my PCAT test date for mid Sept is more than enough time for out-of-california state schools to look over my whole app?

Another thing that would be delayed would be the submission of some of my supplemental apps for out-of-state schools, should I be considering this?

Thanks for reading! :D
Click to expand...
It doesn't matter if you take it at the beginning of September, or mid-September. The scores get sent out at the end of each testing window. Meaning the scores will be sent out all at the same time whether you take it Sept 3 or Sept 18. Hope this helps your decision easier =) good luck! I'm also taking my exam in september!!
 
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As for nutritional/disease questions, are those going to be coming from like deficiency in vitamins, pathogens, and such?
 
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There are just so many different types of diseases coming from pathogens, or from internal disfunctions etc....I want to prepare as much as possible but any suggestions on what area to mainly focus on?
 
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How's everyone doing on preparation for the Sept pcat? I'm retaking from July. I've been doing a lot of quant review, it was my lowest score, and reading thru gen chem and bio (Princeton review) and going to do all of the Collins practice tests before test day.
On my last attempt I did very good on the practice pcat tests from Pearson, and started to slack off on studying before the test and my scores dropped. I was scoring 70-90%tile range on them. So I'm just trying to stay focused this time and just reminding everyone to do the same! We got this!!
Good luck studying :beer:
 
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four more days for me.....

dang i should've taken the july exam. the beginning of school has been so hectic with moving in and meetings. i'm at the point where i have to make myself study since i feel no urgency. i'm looking over my old collins test and making sure i understand everything and taking PT#3 tomorrow.


hope everyone's studying is going well!
 
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sphuan2 said:
four more days for me.....

dang i should've taken the july exam. the beginning of school has been so hectic with moving in and meetings. i'm at the point where i have to make myself study since i feel no urgency. i'm looking over my old collins test and making sure i understand everything and taking PT#3 tomorrow.


hope everyone's studying is going well!
Click to expand...

I'm also taking the test on Sep3... I took the PT#4 and I'm freaking out.. the difficulty is like hell. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the PT#4.. I'm loosing my confidence haha. Is the real PCAT this difficult? I mean I think the PT #4 is asking to many specific questions. There is no way I can memorize all of them, unless they ask the same exact question.:scared:

good luck to you anyway!
 
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needsomehelpnow said:
I'm also taking the test on Sep3... I took the PT#4 and I'm freaking out.. the difficulty is like hell. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the PT#4.. I'm loosing my confidence haha. Is the real PCAT this difficult? I mean I think the PT #4 is asking to many specific questions. There is no way I can memorize all of them, unless they ask the same exact question.:scared:

good luck to you anyway!
Click to expand...


yeah that's why i took PT#4 before the third one lol. but from what i've heard, its pretty similar to the july pcat, but the reading comp was easier on the actual exam.

and thanks! you too!
 
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anyone has the july 2013 updates of dr collin's pcat they would like to share? i would paypal someone for it....Picture or PDF?
 
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have any of you guys played around with the pcat testing tutorial linked in the the pearson email? unfortunately since i have a mac, i can't download it but i was just wondering if it was just how the pearson practice tests are set up.
 
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The quant. practice test on Dr. Collins are impossible to complete in 40 mins. I have tried 4 so far and I cant finish them in time. Some questions took like 5 mins to figure out. I guess Im just slow. Hopefully I don't bomb the quant. tomorrow :/
 
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Just checking .. what we mainly need to bring are our 2 forms of ID and maybe a confirmation of the testing date? Is there anything else I have to bring?
 
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newtofu said:
Just checking .. what we mainly need to bring are our 2 forms of ID and maybe a confirmation of the testing date? Is there anything else I have to bring?
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I think that you just need your two forms of ID. But I'm bringing a sticky note with my candidate ID# and registration ID# on it, just in case there are any problems.
 
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sphuan2 said:
I think that you just need your two forms of ID. But I'm bringing a sticky note with my candidate ID# and registration ID# on it, just in case there are any problems.
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yes all you need is your 2 forms of ID. I took the test in California in July (but retaking this month) they allow your primary ID as anything with your picture on it (EX: Driver's license or passport) and your secondary ID something with your name on it, like a credit card bill. I used both my license and passport just to be on the safe side. They don't even need your pearson vue receipt, or social security number.
 
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Ps. Good luck to all september pcat test takers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's kill it=)))))
 
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sphuan2 said:
yeah that's why i took PT#4 before the third one lol. but from what i've heard, its pretty similar to the july pcat, but the reading comp was easier on the actual exam.

and thanks! you too!
Click to expand...

believe or not, pcat will be very similar to test #4. I still remember some questions that were on practice test 4
 
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Hi All,

It looks like this week is the big one for the September PCAT. I am interested in hiring a few bright PCAT students like yourself to help me create test prep material for the PCAT. The work would be freelance and is great because you can do it in your own time and at your own pace. I realize that a lot of pre-pharmacy students are busy and trying to get their applications prepared, finish school, etc.

If you ended up doing well on your PCAT recently and are looking for part time work please pm me.

I am willing to pay you $18/hr.

Thanks!
 
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YelloLola said:
Hi All,

It looks like this week is the big one for the September PCAT. I am interested in hiring a few bright PCAT students like yourself to help me create test prep material for the PCAT. The work would be freelance and is great because you can do it in your own time and at your own pace. I realize that a lot of pre-pharmacy students are busy and trying to get their applications prepared, finish school, etc.

If you ended up doing well on your PCAT recently and are looking for part time work please pm me.

I am willing to pay you $18/hr.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

dr collins is your best friend...
 
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Wallace12 said:
How's everyone doing on preparation for the Sept pcat? I'm retaking from July. I've been doing a lot of quant review, it was my lowest score, and reading thru gen chem and bio (Princeton review) and going to do all of the Collins practice tests before test day.
On my last attempt I did very good on the practice pcat tests from Pearson, and started to slack off on studying before the test and my scores dropped. I was scoring 70-90%tile range on them. So I'm just trying to stay focused this time and just reminding everyone to do the same! We got this!!
Good luck studying :beer:
Click to expand...

Let us know how it goes Wallace! You are more then ready this time around.
 
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To those who will be taking the test tomorrow, yall better watch that clock on the Chem and especially QA section!!! do not attempt to solve every problem. guess on those that you cant solve within 30 seconds and move on
 
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