PCAT Breakdown: Introduction Guide to the Pharmacy College Admission Test!

***Note: that since the start of this breakdown series the dates and registration fees are now outdated so in addition to this post check out PCAT Updates: Dates and Fees!***

 

This is Part 1 of a series of breakdown posts that will outline the Pharmacy College Admission Test. First off we’ll focus on the specifics of the PCAT itself and then in upcoming posts we will discuss each of the sections in detail individually. The PCAT is designed by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) to assess your readiness for pharmacy school and is the preferred admission exam for U.S. (& Canada) pharmacy programs in the application process as a factor in their decision. The PCAT is a monstrous marathon of an exam with a wide scope of testing topics and clocking in at around 4 hours. It’s been around since 1974 and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Basically: Unavoidable & not to be underestimated. So let’s take a closer look shall we?

 

Registering for the PCAT

Unlike other standardized tests such as the GRE, DAT, etc. that you can take year-round, the PCAT is only offered during very specific testing windows in July, September, October, November, and January. Keep in mind when registering you need to know the schools you want your scores to be sent to, so figure it out beforehand. Step one: go to the PCAT website and create an account here; that’s your PCAT CID. With that log in you’re in the system and can do stuff like send official score transcripts, etc. Only after you a receive registration confirmation email saying that your payment was received can you then schedule to take the test…

 

Scheduling a test date

Got that registration confirmation email? Now schedule ASAP! The PCAT is a computer-based test conducted at Pearson VUE Test Centers and dates and test centers can fill up fast. If this is your first time taking the PCAT you’ll need to create a log in with Pearson VUE and keep your PCAT CID (your PCAT registration log in) handy, you’ll need it. If you have a log in with Pearson VUE already, sign in and schedule away!

Be sure that the testing window you choose will get your scores to the schools you are applying to before the school’s application deadline.

If you need to register to take the PCAT in the October or November testing dates, registration opened up on September 4th! Here are the important deadlines for those windows:

Screen Shot 2014-09-07 at 12.28.20 PM

 

$ Cost of Taking the PCAT $

When you register to take the PCAT the fee is $199 and this includes sending official scores to up to three schools. If you want to send scores to any more schools it’s $20 each. If you haven’t realized it yet, deadlines are a big deal and the late registration fee is an additional $49.

 

What is on the PCAT?

Below is the official Blueprint guide to the PCAT and we’ll examine each section individually in upcoming blog posts! Notice there’s only 1 scheduled rest break. If you really need an additional break the timer on your test will not stop so don’t! With proper practice practice practice and a goodnight’s sleep you can handle no extra breaks no problem!

PCAT Blueprint

 

Can I use scratch paper?

While you cannot bring your own paper, pencils etc., the test center will provide you with an erasable noteboard and marker to use. You can only use these items provided so maybe even practice with them while studying!

 

PCAT Scores

You will get an unofficial score as soon as you finish the test and official scores are available within 5 weeks of your testing window (then sent to the schools you selected). PCAT scores on made on a scale so there’s no passing or failing. Official score reports contain a scaled score plus your percentile ranking for the 5 multiple-choice sections and then your writing score shows the score you earned plus also the average score of everyone else from your testing window. You can check out a sample score report here. Do your research on the specific programs you’re interested in because some schools require a specific score so be sure to check with them and aim high!

 

This breakdown to the PCAT is really an outlined introduction the official PCAT Candidate Information Booklet that you should most definitely check out in full here. Since there’s only a few testing windows, testing centers, and this is all first-come, first-serve, get on it! Remember the best way to prepare for this long and dense exam is with practice. With PCAT Cracker you will get practice with the look and feel of the real thing plus you’ll get plenty of exercise with the timing of the sections.

Onward, practice, and conquer!

PCAT Study Motivation!

Hey! How’s studying for the PCAT going? Great? Just all right? Let’s take a minute to talk about motivation. The Pharmacy College Admissions Test is no easy feat and the many (necessary) hours preparing for it can be grueling. The feeling of burning out is a common occurrence for many Pre-Pharmers and can really throw you off track of your path to PCAT domination. When test day arrives, it basically comes down to which Stark you want to be: Tony Stark aka Iron Man aka the badass that walks away from the explosion without looking OR Jon Snow aka the Stark bastard from Game of Thrones aka the guy that knows nothing.

Stark Option One: Tony Stark

Stark Option One: Tony Stark

Stark Option Two: Jon Snow

Stark Option Two: Jon Snow

Let’s get down to business…to defeat the Huns? No. The PCAT! So when motivation wanes, what can you do? (Besides listen to awesome motivation songs like that one!)

 

Here are a few strategies for motivation and keeping yourself on track:

– Stop & Take a Practice Test: If you’re in the middle of a studying block and suddenly hit a brick wall: Take full timed practice test. Your score just might give you the kick in the rear to knock you back into focus. With PCAT Cracker you’ll even pin point exact weak spots in your preparation thus far.

– Change it up: A swift change in the subject you’re studying or change in normal study location can revive your spirits and give you boost in motivation! But don’t change too often be sure you’re sticking to the 50/10 rule…

– Be strict with yourself: The 50/10 rule of studying really does work! That’s 50minutes of straight focus studying then a 10minute break to refresh your brain! Do it. Discipline. “There are no short cuts to any place worth going.”

– Turn off everything: Echoing the last tip, be hard on yourself and put all things you don’t need to study away, really. It may seem harmless to leave open Facebook open in a tab or have your phone lying there beside you but come test time these things won’t be there. You want to your studying environment to emulate that of the test day. So put away all distractions and save them for your breaks!

So study study study and practice practice practice (3x for emphasis) because when test day comes, you’re definitely going to need the confidence of Tony Stark not Jon Snow.

Lesson Learned: Be Iron Man.

Lesson Learned: Be Iron Man.

Applying to Pharmacy School: PharmCAS Personal Statement Writing

In case you missed the memo, the PharmCAS aka the big dental school application for next fall is officially opened! The Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) is a centralized application service to apply to multiple degree programs offered by schools and colleges of pharmacy and there is a PERSONAL STATEMENT required **cue the music** Although the essay is about YOU, you still have an agenda: it still needs to be written in a professional manner and highlight your professional skills, experiences, and interests. That doesn’t have to be so scary! Think of it kind of like answering that classic job interview inquiry: “Tell me about yourself.” Oh no. Did I just make it worse? **cue the music again**

tell me about yourself

Your PharmCAS Personal Statement is a place for you to “address why you selected pharmacy as a career and how the Doctor of Pharmacy degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals” in under 4,500 characters (including letters, spaces, punctuation (like on twitter)), which is about a page long. More so you got to “describe how your personal, educational, and professional background will help you achieve your goals”, you need to articulate that you motivated, academically prepared, plus knowledgeable and passionate about the profession. This can be a little tricky; the key is balance. You want to sell yourself professional while remaining personable. By no means is this a creative writing piece; you want to be clear, concise, and professional. Keep in mind: pharmacy schools are making first judgments on you based on this PharmCAS application, and the PharmCAS Personal Statement is the ONLY place to make a case for yourself IN YOUR OWN WORDS! You can read the whole PharmCAS Personal Statement offical guidelines here.

 

Remember that you’re selling yourself as a great addition to the field of pharmacy. This is where you talk about your strengths, passion for the field, and all your extra-curricular hard work you’ve done in preparing for pharmacy school (and let’s face it also for this particular essay here).

Three key points to hit:

o   Why Pharmacy? – The lifelong childhood dream is all good and fine really but if that’s not the case be candid and honest and talk about your road to discovery, that’s interesting! Your journey to writing this PharmCAS Personal Statement may be long and winding. How did you land on pharmacy?

o   Shadowing or Assisting Experience – Talk up your observation hours in a pharmacy setting or a hospital and how these times increased your knowledge and understanding of the field. These experiences show you really know what’s like in the real world application of the pharmacy school.

o   Volunteerism – show your interest in working with/for the community and commitment to helping other. It’s important to include both volunteer activities that are relevant to the field and even some that isn’t. For example, working at an animal shelters shows your well rounded not just in a pre-pharm mode all the time. Also include the volunteer work related to the profession that you may have done with a Pre-Pharm society (that’s how you work that you were active in the club in the essay too)!

 

The ole phrase “writing is rewriting” rings true here this case. Have a trusty professor or pharmacy professional read and give you feedback. They know what admissions committees are looking for and have insight on how to relate your experiences to the field. Final piece of advice: you can upgrade your PCAT Cracker account and unlock the all the practice tests for $39 instead of the regular $99 sooooo go do that and you’ll have gleaming PCAT scores to match this beautiful essay!

Applying for Pharmacy School: PharmCAS 2015 Is Now Open!

First thing is first, if you are planning to take the PCAT during the September testing window (Sept. 3-5) late registration is open until August 26th, and yes, there is late fee! Go now. The next PCAT testing windows are in October and November; registration opens on September 4th for both. The test is computer-based and testing centers/dates are first-come first-serve so register early, here! Keep in mind that before registering you need to have narrowed down the schools you want your scores sent to. Also be sure to choose a testing window that ensures that your scores will be received before the pharmacy programs’ registration deadlines. Whew! With the time-sensitive info covered, maybe you’re feeling a bit stressed. Perhaps a puppy could help…

prescribing a puppy

For anyone applying to enter pharmacy school next fall, the PharmCAS 2015 is officially open! The Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) is a centralized application service to apply to multiple degree programs offered by schools and colleges of pharmacy. Basically it’s THE pharm school application for programs in the U.S. They’ve actually just launched a whole new website for this application cycle and it’s beautiful, check it: www.pharmcas.org/! If you’re thinking you want to get in on Early Decision (ED), get a jump on the application now; the early decision deadline is September 2nd! Not all programs offer ED and keep in mind it’s for applicants that have an absolute first/only choice school and you’re only able to apply to the one program with this option. It is a ‘binding option’ meaning if you get accepted through ED you are obligated to accept.

The entire PharmCAS application process itself can be a challenge. Thankfully that new revamped website lays it out pretty clear. There’s even an official checklist for BEFORE you even get started with your application journey, here. Step one is to get through the PharmCAS Instructions in full and it’s a lot. No, really it’s a lot. Check out the thoroughly done 70-page Instruction Guide, here. It’s all good and important so read it, understand it, and make this whole process easier for yourself. Doing your research on specific programs you want to apply is crucial before this journey and this nifty new PharmCAS site (obviously I love it) has a wonderful directory for not only Pharm.D but also research graduate programs, here.

Feeling a little stressed? Here’s that puppy prescribed:

doc puppy

When completely the PharmCAS it is $150 for first school you apply to and then just goes up from there for each school after that, whoa. In fact, the whole application process can quickly become expensive with taking the PCAT, submitting the PharmCAS, then individual schools secondary application fees, possibly traveling to interviews, etc. so you really want to do your research and narrow down the programs you really want to apply to. Here’s what you’re looking at with just the PharmCAS fee:

PharmCAS fees

With all this expense, here’s a little something to ease the load: you can still upgrade your PCAT Cracker account and unlock the all the practice tests for $39 instead of the regular $99! This is all pretty stressful, google ‘puppies’ to cope. Plus one less thing to worry over can be that PCAT score! Get it right with PCAT Cracker y’all!

Prepping for the PCAT!

Summertime is here and, not to ruin the party but, it’s actually the perfect time to study for the Pharmacy College Admission Test. No bummer summer here, you can still have a relaxing break and get the edge over the PCAT with lots of practice! We suggest at least three months of preparation before tackling the PCAT in all its glory and summer really is a perfect time to start! This test won’t be like any other you’ve ever taken. The PCAT is designed to test not only your academic knowledge of the sciences but it also assesses how well you might fit into the ever-changing role of a pharmacist. No need to panic, you can do this!
test stress

Not to add to your stress but just like the changing world and advancing scope of pharmacy, the PCAT has developed into a pretty encompassing exam of all you studied in college. Well, don’t want to scare you with it all but it’s a lot. Check out the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy aka AACP’s PCAT Blueprint that breaks down the test by subject and time allotted below and here’s their full guide to all things PCAT here. FYI if you’re applying to enroll in Pharm School next fall now is the time to register for the September testing window, do it here.
PCAT Blueprint

Panicking yet? Preparing for this monstrous undertaking is no east feat. So what do you really need, one of those big books or some expensive software? No, what you need is practice and the smart way to prepare is with PCAT Cracker. The practice tests on PCAT Cracker are designed to look and feel like the real PCAT and are made to match the difficulty level. So you are really practicing for test day both in content and in design! Log on to PCAT Cracker and take free diagnostic tests of each section to see where you stand and pin point your weaknesses. Upgrade your membership to unlock all the practice tests, each complete with helpful tutorials and clear explanations of answers to really give you the edge in studying for the PCAT. Plus, little piece of advice: right now you can upgrade and unlock the tests for $39 instead of the regular $99! There’s even support 24/7/365 to help you all along the way.

The Pharmacy College Admission Test is a monstrous undertaking but with PCAT Cracker you can test-drive the exam and get real feedback! Preparation is key and although you can read through and through and study tons of test prep material, the real preparation comes from practice. Taking timed PCAT practice tests will not only greatly help you in studying concepts and content but you’re also practicing for the actual test day seeing how the test is structured and getting accustomed to the test section times. With the right kind of preparation, *cough PCAT Cracker cough*, you can spend more time poolside and still be ready for test day!