We asked all of our P1 student ambassadors to write down some study tips and helpful hints for students who are about to take the PCAT for pharmacy school and recieve so much advise that we have split the info into 2 blog posts, so make sure you chack the blog again in 2 weeks for more tips! We hope that you find their advise helpful as you prepare for the PCAT! “To prepare to take the PCAT, I purchased the Princeton Review book called “Cracking the PCAT” – which had not only study guides and practice tests, but also strategies specific for each section. I bought the book about three months before my exam date and assigned myself a chapter per week to focus on. In the last few weeks, I went back and reviewed the chapters I felt needed more attention based on my practice test scores.

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This schedule worked great for me, but remember to find a method that you feel comfortable with! On the day of the exam, take a deep breath and trust yourself.

If you put the work in – you’ll be just fine. Good luck!” – Caitrin Werneke “I would begin to prepare for the PCAT approximately 3-6 months in advance. I studied at night (while taking pre-req courses and raising a childso I promise, it’s do-able) about 3 nights a week. The most helpful thing for me was that I ordered the online/mailed packet of Dr. Collins PCAT prep (you can google it).

It helped me immensely. This was a great tool for me, and I followed the study guide exactly. I did very well on the PCAT so it must have worked. It was a good amount of money, but worth it, in my opinion because I only had to take the PCAT once. However, if you have time, I have heard taking it more than once is a good idea. I think it is good to note that you cannot take a calculator to the exam. I was not aware of this and it threw me off a bit.

Lastly, take a bottle of water and some snacks to keep in the locker that the testing center gives you because it is a very long test and you will be glad to have a snack and drink during your break. I would suggest taking ear plugs if they are allowed. The testing center provided noise cancelling headphones, but I am distracted easily, so extra ear plugs under those would have been nice. I hope this information is helpful!” – Tera Jones “I think the most important piece of advice to consider when it comes to preparing for the PCAT is starting to study early, take plenty of practice exams, and to stay consistent – especially if you’re a student planning on applying for pharmacy school after only taking the minimum pre-requisites. I would recommend starting to study 2-3 months before your scheduled test date. First, a student should take a practice exam or two to find out how much he or she already knows before even beginning a study plan.

A student may find out that he or she tends to score higher on the biology parts of the test, for example, and lower on the chemistry parts, so adjustments can be made to focus more on chemistry throughout the study plan. Practice tests should also be completed every other week to continue to gauge scoring trends. Another advantage of this is that it teaches the student about the structure and pattern of the test. Consistency in a study plan is also important.

I recommend to set aside an hour or two around the time of day each day when the student is scheduled to take the exam. This is to begin building the stamina and routine of dealing with a mentally rigorous activity at the certain time point of day. It would not be helpful to the student to study for hours on one day and not practice on the next day.” – Diana Charles “To study for the PCAT, I used the Kaplan PCAT Test Prep Book. You do not have to buy the newer version of the book since are more expensive and not very different from year to year. I went with Kaplan because they are reputable and it really helped me study for each section and it has practice test questions so you can be familiar with the way the questions are asked. Also, if you cannot afford a PCAT test prep book, then taking advanced science courses before you take the PCAT may be beneficial.

I would specifically wait to take the PCAT after you have taken all general and organic chemistry courses as well as cell/molecular biology and microbiology. When taking these courses, it is important to learn as much as you can because it will not only be important for the PCAT, but for pharmacy school in general. Lastly, give yourself enough time to study for the PCAT and pace yourself accordingly. Set aside time as needed to prepare for each section of the PCAT and remember to relax on exam day.

If you have studied appropriately then you will do great!” – Chris Walston “I mainly studied by looking through old study guides from previous classes that pertained to the sections. The most helpful thing I looked over was formulas we had learned. In the PCAT book there is a section about the writing that explains the grading criteria. There is a format they are looking for in the written response and the book lays it out nicely.

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I used earplugs during the exam because even though it was quiet I would have been distracted by people clicking and typing. “ – Grace Boyce “My advice for any students preparing to take the PCAT would be to look over Organic Chemistry and Microbiology the most. Every subject is on the test; however, those subjects were a good majority. Also, if the student is planning on taking 3 years of undergrad or even getting a degree before coming to pharmacy school, they should take the PCAT as soon as they can once they have finished the science classes that are on the exam.

It will be fresh in their minds and the PCAT does not need to be taken the summer before you apply. Lastly, I would recommend not too worry if you’re not strong in a topic.

It is amazing how one really good section will bring up other average sections. I took the PCAT before taking Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology.

Without half my classes, I was still able to get a good score with studying the Kaplan book and so can they.” – Samantha Pelc “When I took the PCAT, I considered my options: should I pay for a prep course or study on my own? I considered this and decided that the latter option would be better financially, as long as I was proactive and stayed focused with using a plan of my own. If you’re trying to avoid a prep course (which I have heard really help), my advice would be to find a friend who has taken the PCAT and borrow their prep books if they have any, or find them through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Take a practice test before you start studying to see your scores and evaluate what subjects you will need to spend the most time.

Assess the time-frame in which you need to prepare yourself for the PCAT, and mark a calendar with planned dates and time-spans to study a given subject. This may entail alternating subjects every other day like I did. Make sure you stay on track and set bi-monthly or monthly dates that you plan to reassess your progress with another practice test. When taking these, make sure you are sticking to the time element constraint because this will help make the practice as realistic as the real test situation will be. Lastly, stay positive and follow through with this challenge you have decided to accept, knowing that the time you put in will pay off!” – Nicole Dahringer “One of my biggest struggles taking the PCAT were the time constrains.

I ran out of time on every single section. It wasn’t that I didn’t know the material but it was that I just didn’t have time to get to it. If you take a practice test take it seriously and time yourself. You are not allowed to have a calculator for the math and chemistry sections so make sure you practice and are comfortable doing work without it. That was a big waste of time for me was working problems out by hand. If you can do math in your head or reason to narrow down the choices, do it! It will help save a lot of time.

If you do start running out of time go through and make sure you answer every question because it will not hurt you. Also plan ahead when you start studying. Study a little throughout the months leading up to test and that way you are not as exhausted when it comes time to take the test. Finally, don’t stress about it! The more you stress the more anxious you will become during the test which will take time away from answering the questions.

Worst case scenario you may have to take it again but you would not be the first person to take it twice.” – Sarah Lipps.