Meeting: PCAT Workshop
Date: April 7, 2014
Time: 7:10 – 8:02 PM
Location: LSA 1022
Speakers: Hilary Teaford, David Vermeulen, Andrea Lynch
Announcements
 Relay for Life Fundraiser at Bambu
o April 9th
o Print out a flyer
 Mock Interviews
o April 15th
o RSVP as soon as you can and bring a copy of your resume
 Nuclear Pharmacist (HSA)
o 114 South Hall, April 16, 6PM
 12th Annual UC Davis Pre-Health Conference
o Sign-ups to volunteer are open
 Mentorship program deadlines on club website
PCAT Workshop
 Why take the PCAT?
o 75% of school require PCAT
o Take pressure off of needing a great GPA
o Test dates don’t conflict with school
 What’s on the PCAT?
o Writing, Verbal, Biology, Chemistry, Reading Comprehension, Math
o NO PHYSICS of SOCIAL SCIENCES
 Writing
o 30 minute essay on general topic
 Establish point of view and defend argument
o Score is 50% “Conventions of language” and 50% “Problem Solving”
o TIP: Practice timed writing, but don’t stress
 Verbal
o 62% analogies
o 38% sentence completion
o TIPS: Download a PCAT vocabulary app; use process of elimination
 Biology
o 50% general biology (cell, basic metabolism, evolution)
o 20% microbiology
o 30% anatomy and physiology
o TIP: Take BIS2 series, MIC 101, and NPB 101 before taking the test OR study
from the Kaplan PCAT Book
 Chemistry
o 50% general chemistry
o 30% organic
o 20% basic biochemistry
o TIPS: Review problem solving techniques, elementary organic chemistry (CHE
118A)
 NOTE: No calculators
 Reading Comprehension
o Format: 50 minutes, 6 passages
o TIP: Use Kaplan book as practice
 Math
o 15% basic math, 20% algebra, 20% statistics, 22% precalculus, 22% calculus
TIPS: Practice mental math (NO CALCULATORS) and “ballparking” answers;
remember basic derivatives/integrals from calculus and basic sin/cos/tan
functions
PCAT Preparation Essentials
o Pearson Practice Tests
 $80 for 3 tests; VERY worth it and similar to the actual test; gives
accurate score
 A very valuable resource: Pearson makes the PCAT!
 Go on PCAT website and register for PCAT practice tests under Pearson
o Buy Kaplan book
o On the test day, get a good nice rest and well-balanced breakfast (bring a snack)
When to take the PCAT?
o 2014-15 test dates
 July 17-18, 2014
 September 3-5, 2014
 January 6-7, 2015
o Registration is open for these test dates
o July date is ideal if you plan to apply this cycle
o Locations are at different Pearson centers
Q&A
o Penalized for wrong answers?
 NO
o What’s a good/bad score?
 Depends on school
 Range can be from 60-85; a score in the 70s is good
David’s Testimonial
o 80th percentile range
o Didn’t study intensely for the PCAT
Hilary’s Testimonial
o High 80s
o Studied harder for the PCAT
Why Apply Out-of-State?
o Generally cheaper
o Less competition for internships and rotation sites – areas are less saturated
o Diversity of experience
o Opportunities to travel
o Easier to get accepted to higher ranked schools
University of Minnesota
o Average GPA: 3.46
o Average PCAT: 77%
o Percent of completed applicants offered admission: 46%
o Post-Grad Placement: 99%
o Students that go on to residency: 50%
 Strong clinical focus
 State is very advanced in pharmacy
 Where MTM started
o #3 Pharmacy program in the country
o 2 campuses, one program – you choose!
 Duluth: 60 students
 Twin Cities: 107 studnts
o Dean Marilyn Speedie received the Remington Medal
 Highest honor in the field of pharmacy
Integrated Curriculum
o Learn mostly by organs/organ systems
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Biochemistry, organic chemistry, physics is all integrated when learning
an organ system
 Minneapolis
o Great public transportation
 Light rail stops directly in front of pharmacy school
o Sports
 Big10 collegiate sports, 4 professional teams
o All of America
 Stores, amusement park, aquarium
 Cost
o Out-of-state tuition: $35,184 per year
o Living costs:
 Minimal housing costs for metropolitan area
 Plenty of new, high-quality housing options at reasonable prices
o Air transportation
 About $400 round trip from SMF or SFO
 Contact
o Hilary: hrteaford@ucdavis.edu
o David: dverm@ucdavis.edu
Kaplan – Path of Pharmacy School
 Speaker
o Andrea Lynch
 Pre-Requisite Courses
o Any major allowed
o Vary depending on school
o Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry – labs required
 Path to PharmD
o Pharmacy School
 PY1 & 2 – science classes
 PY 3 – law
 PY 4 – rotations
o Pre-NAPLEX
o PGY 1 – Residency (optional)
o Graduate Study (optional)
o NAPLEX & MPJE
 Funding Your Degree
o About $44,000 for tuition
o Income is a big return to pay for debt
o Sources for funding:
 Scholarships
 Awards
 Create Your Path
o When will you start pharmacy school?
o When will you apply?
o When should you take the PCAT?
 Timeline
o Ideally, take PCAT in September/January/June
 Up to 4 weeks to receive scores
 Watch out for rolling admissions
 What to Expect from the PCAT
o Test Cost: $199
o Lifetime limit of 5 retakes
o Average preparatory time: 200+ hours
o Where to register: www.pcatweb.info
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2014 Exam:
 More word problems
 More biology and chemistry questions
 Increased the time limit by 5 minutes per section
 Second writing portion will be REMOVED
o Scores/Percentiles
 65-79th percentiles are sufficient for most schools
 High PCAT score can offset a lower GPA
Why Prep for the PCAT?
o Predictor of success in pharmacy school
o Strong correlation between success on the NAPLEX (licensing exam) and PCAT
score
How Can Kaplan Help You Succeed?
o 14 classroom sessions
o Taught by the world’s best PCAT takers
o Variety of study material
o Many workshops to help succeed
o SmartReports: helps identify weakest areas and tell you how to improve
o On Demand (online); Classroom Anywhere; Classroom on Site; Online Tutoring
o Works closely with AACP
Upcoming Classes
o June 2nd to September 17th in Davis
o Practice tests: www.kaptest.com/practice
Contact
o Andrea Lynch: andrea.lynch@kaplan.com