In the United States, aspiring pharmacy college students take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT®). The test is divided into five sections and is designed to assess applicants for pharmacy school in a variety of skills related to pharmacology, including chemistry, biology, and reading comprehension. PCAT® study guides are used by those who are preparing for the test and want to improve their scores. To select the best PCAT® study guides, consider which areas you require the most assistance, which study guide features are most effective for your test preparation, and study guide prices.
PCAT® study guides that provide an overview of the exam may be preferred by some students. You can expect at least one chapter dedicated to each of the test sections in this type of guide. These types of guides may also include explanations of which skills each part is testing and how to go about determining the answers.
Others who only need to focus on one or two sections may find that PCAT® study guides that focus on specific sections are more useful. You could, for example, find a guide that prepares you solely for PCAT® chemistry if you need to refresh your memory on important chemistry principles and formulas. The best PCAT® study guides may be texts that aren’t specifically designed for test takers, but are instead intended for people who want to learn more about a subject. It is critical, however, to understand the types of questions that will be asked on the test.
PCAT® study guides can have a wide range of features. The practice test is one of the most common and useful features for many students. This is a test that is frequently made up of questions taken from previous exams and questions that are very similar to the ones you will encounter on the PCAT®. Taking a few practice exams can help you improve your score and give you direction on which areas or skills you need to work on.
Price may play a role in selecting the best PCAT® study guides. The price of a study guide is determined by a number of factors. The price of a guide may be affected by the retailer, the publisher, the size of the book, and the amount of content inside. Some guides with CD-ROMs that include computer software may be more expensive than other guides without software.