September PCAT 2013

[vic89]

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 . 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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[Verduchi]

Im taking it tomorrow at 12:30!! Good Luck Bitch

 

[arri]

Less than 24 hours for the PCAT! Who else chose Monday 8 am? Haha
This is my first retake, took it in July and did horrible in quant, and looking to improve my 69s in bio and chem to at least 80. I think test anxiety got the best of me last time.
For those of you who are taking it in the morning, are you going to get up really early and review before going? I'm unsure on if I'm going to try to do a lot of review in the morning, over just line exceptions to rules in chem mainly.

Anyway good luck to all the test takers this week! Let's dominate it and get ready for interviews!



EDIT:
Also this is a joke- but will watching breaking bad tonight count as chem review? Haha (I do like the show but will probably just watch it Monday)

LOL!!! Save the show for after your exam good luck!!!! In my opinion I say don't review in the morning, you need your head clear and ready for war (especially since it's at 8, not in the afternoon)!! Do all the reviewing tonight, trust yourself, and GOOD LUCK!!! #handle #beastmode

 

[Wallace12]

Im taking it tomorrow at 12:30!! Good Luck Bitch

Okay pinkman! Haha thanks

LOL!!! Save the show for after your exam good luck!!!! In my opinion I say don't review in the morning, you need your head clear and ready for war (especially since it's at 8, not in the afternoon)!! Do all the reviewing tonight, trust yourself, and GOOD LUCK!!! #handle #beastmode

Yeah that'd probably be better idea, reviewing before would probably make me mentally drained a lil sooner during the exam. Thanks!

 

[pharmacyiscool]

PT2 59-79 PT3 65-85, PT4 50-70. Lolwut? I guess 4 is harder. I can't wait to be done with this on Wednesday.

 

[pharmdx92]

PT2 59-79 PT3 65-85, PT4 50-70. Lolwut? I guess 4 is harder. I can't wait to be done with this on Wednesday.

PPT4 was definitely tougher than the others because I maxed out on the first two exams. My score was actually within the range of PPT4 if it matters.

 

[JuT]

I feel like my brain is going to explode any min lol. I kept falling asleep while studying. :/
I got offer an interview at my top choice school already but they need my pcat score before confirmed it. Im worries that I will do bad on weds and then no interview for me

Good luck to y'all for tomorrow's exam... kill 'em

 

[Sydneyfe]

Im taking it tomorrow at 12:30!! Good Luck Bitch

Same here, so nervous

 

[Xeal0007]

Taking my first retake tomorrow at 12:30. Good luck to all test takers

 

[Ericjsyi]

Good luck with anyone whom are taking test tomorrow. I'm sure all the hard works you guys have been done will pay off. I got my 3rd retaking this coming wednesday. Finger clossed for every sept test takers!!

 

[JuT]

I wish they'd offer the exam date on Saturday!

 

[CaptainNick]

Good luck to everyone taking the test tomorrow I'm sure all of our hard work will be rewarded, look forward to hearing some good scores at the end of the day!

 

[68quebec]

haha i remember this moment

 

[arri]

YES, GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE taking their exams this week!! (Including myself) haha

PS. I'm using Dr. Collins 2013 edition, and they should DEFINITELY upgrade their biology information. I know it's been said before, but wow, PT#4 is pretty intense. LOL

Happy PCAT studying everyone!!!! Let's kill it, my fellow September test takers!!!!

 

[kishire]

Does anyone have any essay examples? I want to see full essays and how people answered them.

Thanks and good luck on your PCAT's everyone!

 

[arri]

n/a

 

[JuT]

Happy PCAT studying everyone!!!! Let's kill it, my fellow September test takers!!!!

I'm about to die with my study materials over here haha

GOOD LUCK everyone!

 

[Wallace12]

Holy crappp I killed it!!!!
va- 58
Bio-74
rc- 75
Quant- 85
Chem - 99!!!!!!!!!
COMP- 91!!!

SO PUMPED! stay positive everyone yet to take it!

 

[arri]

Holy crappp I killed it!!!!
va- 58
Bio-74
rc- 75
Quant- 85
Chem - 99!!!!!!!!!
COMP- 91!!!

SO PUMPED! stay positive everyone yet to take it!

WOW!!!!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Study material???......Collins for chem? lol

 

[Malay]

Holy crappp I killed it!!!!
va- 58
Bio-74
rc- 75
Quant- 85
Chem - 99!!!!!!!!!
COMP- 91!!!

SO PUMPED! stay positive everyone yet to take it!

AHHHHH so awesome! congrats! i have mine tmr at 12 FREAKING OUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

did you think they were similar to Pearson Practice Tests at all??

 

[Wallace12]

Yeah Collins and Princeton for review. My quant came up 64pts idk how I ran out of time and guessed on a lot. But I focused on derivatives and other calc stuff I didn't know how to do without a calculator haha Aahhh I was so pumped haha

 

[Wallace12]

AHHHHH so awesome! congrats! i have mine tmr at 12 FREAKING OUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

did you think they were similar to Pearson Practice Tests at all??

Kinda, I took them in July. I don't remember exactly, but I think they were pretty similar

 

[Ericjsyi]

Holy crappp I killed it!!!!
va- 58
Bio-74
rc- 75
Quant- 85
Chem - 99!!!!!!!!!
COMP- 91!!!

SO PUMPED! stay positive everyone yet to take it!

WOW!! You did great! Congrats!
Any tips that you want to share? I'm taking my 3rd this coming wendesday. I hope this is the last one. lol

 

[arri]

Does anyone have any tips on finishing the quant section efficiently??

I'm having trouble with my timing, and idk if it's better to skip around or do it in consecutive order? I feel like jumping around will waste more time and cause me to be more flustered?

My exam is Wednesday and the nerves are definitely starting to kick in!!!

 

[JuT]

Holy crappp I killed it!!!!
va- 58
Bio-74
rc- 75
Quant- 85
Chem - 99!!!!!!!!!
COMP- 91!!!

SO PUMPED! stay positive everyone yet to take it!

lol The first thing I came home from work/school is to go on SDN to check y'all scores... WOW good job!!! congrats

 

[Wallace12]

WOW!! You did great! Congrats!
Any tips that you want to share? I'm taking my 3rd this coming wendesday. I hope this is the last one. lol

I pretty much solely focused on chem and quant... By doing Collins and reviewing concepts in my Princeton review book.
Reading just read the whole passage and try to solve quickly. Verbal is a guessing game for me, I have a small vocabulary haha

Does anyone have any tips on finishing the quant section efficiently??

I'm having trouble with my timing, and idk if it's better to skip around or do it in consecutive order? I feel like jumping around will waste more time and cause me to be more flustered?

My exam is Wednesday and the nerves are definitely starting to kick in!!!

For quant, a lot of questions you usually don't have to work out the whole thing 'the right way'. I was on question like 15 20 mins in, with like 5 mins left I had like 10 questions left and went backed and made educated guesses on some. Definitely try not to spend a long time on one hard question, they're worth the same as the easy ones.

lol The first thing I came home from work/school is to go on SDN to check y'all scores... WOW good job!!! congrats

Haha yeah thanks!

 

[arri]

How would you know if your scores get cancelled by pearson? Do you still get a preliminary score report?

I'm asking because I did very poorly on my first PCAT which I took in July, but I have been studying extremely hard in hopes of killing the September PCAT (which I take on Wednesday). I wasn't very happy with my performance in July, but I really wanted to score the exam anyways (which was a mistake, I KNOW).

What happens if you get the 50+ increase in your score? Has this happened to anyone?

 

[doctortp]

Congrats on your score Wallace!!! I've been waiting for your post too! Great Job!!! How'd you study for the QA?? Do you think it was very very similar to the pearson practice tests and dr.collins?? I take mine tomorrow and I'm freaking out about the QA section!

 

[Wallace12]

How would you know if your scores get cancelled by pearson? Do you still get a preliminary score report?

I'm asking because I did very poorly on my first PCAT which I took in July, but I have been studying extremely hard in hopes of killing the September PCAT (which I take on Wednesday). I wasn't very happy with my performance in July, but I really wanted to score the exam anyways (which was a mistake, I KNOW).

What happens if you get the 50+ increase in your score? Has this happened to anyone?

I scored 50 on my last one in july and 91 today, I am hoping its not a red flag- it shouldn't be. I took 11 hours of upper division courses and had a part time job while studying for that one.

Congrats on your score Wallace!!! I've been waiting for your post too! Great Job!!! How'd you study for the QA?? Do you think it was very very similar to the pearson practice tests and dr.collins?? I take mine tomorrow and I'm freaking out about the QA section!

Well when i took it in july i noticed there were a lot of calc problems- like derivatives mainly and stuff like that- so i studied that stuff a lot. I mainly used collins and just did all of the QA tests, and reviewed the questions i had no clue with in princeton review book. In collins i missed on average 25 questions- i was not confident about that at all (i finished those like last friday). But i reviewed the questions i got wrong and on test day i went in with the mindset that i was prepared and i know all the material. Never started thinking negatively like i was doing bad or anything, until after the test i thought i might have barely edged 70 comp walking out... haha just stay confident while taking it. If there are any QA questions you're really troubled with right now, focus on those even if its not working them out, seeing the questions and the types of answers that are correct i think helped me with guessing on several questions at the end.

when you get to that 15 minute break- TAKE AT LEAST 10 MINS OF IT. I sat in the waiting room area staring at the wall and relaxing and not thinking about the test at all. haha sounds weird but it was really relaxing and i believe it helped me finish without being brain dead on quant..

GOOD LUCK! You all got this!!!

 

[Verduchi]

I won't even post my composite I got 85 on bio did miserable on the rest... Used collins chemistry went through about 7 of the practice test packets. did all collins Bio, 3 math tests. Guess I really need to do them all. Geez I thought I was good at math. Winged reading comp and verbal...

 

[doctortp]

The dr.collins chemistry didn't help you??

 

[Ryukouki]

Q_Q

Verbal Ability 423 (82)
Biology 405 (51)
Reading Comprehension 392 (36)
Quantitative Ability 434 (92)
Chemistry 405 (56)

Composite 412 (72)

Wha... what. I don't know if I should be sobbing hysterically or patting myself on the back. Are those score considered "competitive?" Biology was never my strongest subject lol. As far as GPA goes, I have a 3.45, in third year undergrad, I also can get good letters of recommendation, and have decentish interview skills. Do I stand a good chance in getting in places here?

 

[arri]

I won't even post my composite I got 85 on bio did miserable on the rest... Used collins chemistry went through about 7 of the practice test packets. did all collins Bio, 3 math tests. Guess I really need to do them all. Geez I thought I was good at math. Winged reading comp and verbal...

I feel like for one to be strong in QA, they really need to just practice practice practice (from what I've read on SDN). I winged math bc I relied on the two A+'s I received in college calc (4 YEARS AGO), and math has always been one of my stronger subjects, I ended up scoring like a 45 back in July for QA - dumb mistake on my end.

Ppl have also said the Collin's quant section is easier than the actual PCAT so it doesn't really prepare you the best (I'm saying this bc it probably wouldn't have helped if you went through all of the exams for Collins quant section anyways).

Congrats on the bio though!! Nice to know collins helped you there.

Don't beat yourself up!!! Take a breather, and get ready to kick PCAT's butt the next time you decide to take it!!

 

[arri]

I scored 50 on my last one in july and 91 today, I am hoping its not a red flag- it shouldn't be. I took 11 hours of upper division courses and had a part time job while studying for that one.


Well when i took it in july i noticed there were a lot of calc problems- like derivatives mainly and stuff like that- so i studied that stuff a lot. I mainly used collins and just did all of the QA tests, and reviewed the questions i had no clue with in princeton review book. In collins i missed on average 25 questions- i was not confident about that at all (i finished those like last friday). But i reviewed the questions i got wrong and on test day i went in with the mindset that i was prepared and i know all the material. Never started thinking negatively like i was doing bad or anything, until after the test i thought i might have barely edged 70 comp walking out... haha just stay confident while taking it. If there are any QA questions you're really troubled with right now, focus on those even if its not working them out, seeing the questions and the types of answers that are correct i think helped me with guessing on several questions at the end.

when you get to that 15 minute break- TAKE AT LEAST 10 MINS OF IT. I sat in the waiting room area staring at the wall and relaxing and not thinking about the test at all. haha sounds weird but it was really relaxing and i believe it helped me finish without being brain dead on quant..

GOOD LUCK! You all got this!!!

True!!! I just called the ppl over at PCAT and they told me that you STILL receive a score report even with the "questionable" score gain. But before the official score report is released they will cancel if it's greater than 50+ points in the composite.

You can appeal by sending them proof of study material, any other problems/issues going on...etc basically, give them a legitimate explanation for the bad score (along with proof- ex: a receipt for a study prep course).

I don't think you'll have an issue bc your score gain is less than 50 points. But I'd call just to double check!! You don't want to risk dealing with the hassle 3-5 weeks from now when official scores are released. It's better to deal with the situation asap.

Congrats again!! That's awesome!! I hope to have the same improvement as you did

* Back to studying * (sigh) haha

 

[Verduchi]

The dr.collins chemistry didn't help you??

Not for me, but then again I did not practice it diligently just one and done type deal. I aslo used kaplan 2008 pcat for Bio.

I feel like for one to be strong in QA, they really need to just practice practice practice (from what I've read on SDN). I winged math bc I relied on the two A+'s I received in college calc (4 YEARS AGO), and math has always been one of my stronger subjects, I ended up scoring like a 45 back in July for QA - dumb mistake on my end.

Ppl have also said the Collin's quant section is easier than the actual PCAT so it doesn't really prepare you the best (I'm saying this bc it probably wouldn't have helped if you went through all of the exams for Collins quant section anyways).

Congrats on the bio though!! Nice to know collins helped you there.

Don't beat yourself up!!! Take a breather, and get ready to kick PCAT's butt the next time you decide to take it!!

Thanks for the kind words Arri. I am going to go nuts on chemistry and Quant. I remember seeing a physics force vector problems. Did not know they would be on there...

 

[arri]

Not for me, but then again I did not practice it diligently just one and done type deal. I aslo used kaplan 2008 pcat for Bio.



Thanks for the kind words Arri. I am going to go nuts on chemistry and Quant. I remember seeing a physics force vector problems. Did not know they would be on there...

Vectors, yes....Collins includes a vectors section in the prep material for QA...I feel it's just all about familiarizing yourself with the problems you will come to face with. If you've seen the problem before, chances are, you'll recognize it and be able to attack the problem. However, if you don't remember practicing the problem, of course you're not gonna know/remember how to solve it.

Maybe this time around, go through practice problems a lot more and make sure you understand what you're going through (even if you get the problem right)

Again, I'm no one to give any advice, given that I'm taking my PCAT for the 2nd time on Wednesday. But I feel your pain, bc I did extremely horrible in July. So I've done a lot of research (AND I MEAN A LOT) and picked up tips here and there. These forums are great!!!


Are you applying this cycle?

 

[Verduchi]

Yes I am. The local school I want into wants mid 70's composite.

I have until January to retake with both schools. Dont know if most schools work this way, but gonna retake in november and start studying as early as tomorrow.

Did you use any of the pearson practice tests?

Also took half of a ppt2 60-70 verbal vs. actual 30
70-80 Bio vs actual 85

 

[Wallace12]

True!!! I just called the ppl over at PCAT and they told me that you STILL receive a score report even with the "questionable" score gain. But before the official score report is released they will cancel if it's greater than 50+ points in the composite.

You can appeal by sending them proof of study material, any other problems/issues going on...etc basically, give them a legitimate explanation for the bad score (along with proof- ex: a receipt for a study prep course).

I don't think you'll have an issue bc your score gain is less than 50 points. But I'd call just to double check!! You don't want to risk dealing with the hassle 3-5 weeks from now when official scores are released. It's better to deal with the situation asap.

Congrats again!! That's awesome!! I hope to have the same improvement as you did

* Back to studying * (sigh) haha

Wow, i didnt even think about that, who do i call? Thanks for bringing that up...

 

[arri]

Yes I am. The local school I want into wants mid 70's composite.

I have until January to retake with both schools. Dont know if most schools work this way, but gonna retake in november and start studying as early as tomorrow.

Did you use any of the pearson practice tests?

Also took half of a ppt2 60-70 verbal vs. actual 30
70-80 Bio vs actual 85

Well that's good news for you!!!! I really think, if you study everyday and focus on your weaknesses, that you should come back stronger than ever when you take the exam again.

I think you should start writing down the types of questions you came across today (just so you don't forget) and you can focus on those, as well as mastering those Pearson Exams.

I'm currently in the process of going through each Pearson Exam. With my focus mainly on PT4

 

[arri]

Wow, i didnt even think about that, who do i call? Thanks for bringing that up...

LOL no problem!!! It's bc I did REALLY REALLY poorly, if I do well...I'll post my scores on Wednesday to show the improvement.

PCAT's phone number is: 1-800-622-3231

But again, I don't think you should come across any issues bc your score gain wasn't more than 50 points. It's all in their handbook that they have on their website.

Go ahead and give them a call, let me know what they tell you!! LOL. (they're really nice btw)

 

[isanders]

Holy crappp I killed it!!!!
va- 58
Bio-74
rc- 75
Quant- 85
Chem - 99!!!!!!!!!
COMP- 91!!!

SO PUMPED! stay positive everyone yet to take it!

Happy for you man! you totallly deserved this! i had the exact same score of 58 in verbal ( i hated va just get lucky if you know the word or not haha) and 99 in chemistry as well! Congrats and enjoy it all

 

[YoAyDri]

Hey everyone. I finally took my PCAT this morning and here are the scores according to the preliminary report:

Verbal Ability - 82
Biology - 97
Reading Comprehension - 86
Quantitative Ability - 45
Chemistry - 98
Composite - 94

Needless to say, i'm very happy with my scores. I **** the bed a bit during the math section because I am not very good at math under pressure. The time just wasn't enough for me. I recently graduated with a Masters degree in Chemistry, but my undergraduate GPA isn't great at all. I have pharmacy experience and lab experience. Hopefully I can get into the schools I want with this score. Good luck to all of you and any questions I will happily answer!

 

[kirino]

First time taking the PCAT... and aced it! Sure makes up for my poor GPA (3.3).

 

[arri]

First time taking the PCAT... and aced it! Sure makes up for my poor GPA (3.3).

OMG!!!!! TALK ABOUT AMAZING?! You did great!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! You went in there, and literally massacred it!!

Tips? LOL

 

[arri]

Hey everyone. I finally took my PCAT this morning and here are the scores according to the preliminary report:

Verbal Ability - 82
Biology - 97
Reading Comprehension - 86
Quantitative Ability - 45
Chemistry - 98
Composite - 94

Needless to say, i'm very happy with my scores. I **** the bed a bit during the math section because I am not very good at math under pressure. The time just wasn't enough for me. I recently graduated with a Masters degree in Chemistry, but my undergraduate GPA isn't great at all. I have pharmacy experience and lab experience. Hopefully I can get into the schools I want with this score. Good luck to all of you and any questions I will happily answer!

CONGRATS!! What did you use for study material and how long did you take to prepare for the exam? Was it similar to the pearson exams?

 

[pharmdx92]

First time taking the PCAT... and aced it! Sure makes up for my poor GPA (3.3).

3.3 is not a poor GPA, but that is a great PCAT score to have.

 

[kirino]

OMG!!!!! TALK ABOUT AMAZING?! You did great!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! You went in there, and literally massacred it!!

Tips? LOL

Tbh I may have been a special case. Although my GPA was never the best, I believe it was more due to a lack of effort. I recently was able to put more focus into classes. I have a strong background in physiology (my major), and a decent understanding of chemical concepts.

For preparation, I reviewed the Kaplan PCAT book over three days and did their online practice test. I found that constantly gauging how much time I had left and getting a feel for how much time each question should take was important, as I did not leave a single question unanswered. If a question takes too much time, mark it for review and return to it later.

 

[kirino]

3.3 is not a poor GPA, but that is a great PCAT score to have.

Forgive me for sounding pessimistic about my GPA, however in my social circle, it may be considered as "poor" (due to most of my friends having 4.0s). I apologize if I come off as offensive or demeaning.

 

[Sydneyfe]

This is my 2nd time retake. Thank god I'm finally done with it!

VA 52
Bio 89
RC 14
QA 99
Chem 88
Composite 85

P.S. English is my second language.

Make sure to review Dr.Collins July update. I saw many exactly the same questions on today's test (Bio, chem, VA and QA), and the PPT4 is helpful as well. Good luck guys!

 

[pharmdx92]

This is my 2nd time retake. Thank god I'm finally done with it!

VA 52
Bio 89
RC 14
QA 99
Chem 88

Composite 85

Make sure to review Dr.Collins July update. I saw many exactly the same questions on today's test (Bio, chem, VA and QA), and the PPT4 is helpful as well.

That is a very strong score! How much did you improve by with Dr. Collins?

 

[pharmdx92]

Forgive me for sounding pessimistic about my GPA, however in my social circle, it may be considered as "poor" (due to most of my friends having 4.0s). I apologize if I come off as offensive or demeaning.

No need to apologize Just saying my poor 3.3 GPA got me 5 interview invites so far. I am sure you will be more than fine when you apply.