Petersons - Master the PCAT

Master the
PCAT

About Petersons Publishing

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Petersons makes every reasonable effort to obtain from reliable sources accurate, complete, and timely information about the tests covered in this book. Nevertheless, changes can be made in the tests or the administration of the tests at any time and Petersons makes no representation or warranty, either expressed or implied as to the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of the information contained in this book.

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PCAT is a registered trademark of The Psychological Corporation, which neither sponsors nor endorses this product.

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ISBN-13: 978-0-7689-3675-9

ISBN-10: 0-7689-3675-6

First Edition

Publishing Updates

Check out our Web site at www.petersonspublishing.com/publishingupdates to see if there is any new information regarding the test and any revisions or corrections to the content of this book. Weve made sure the information in this book is accurate and up-to-date; however, the test format or content may have changed since the time of publication.

Contents

PART I: Basics

PART II: Diagnosing Your Strengths
and Weaknesses

PART III:

PART IV:

PART V:

PART VI:

PART VII:

PART VIII:

A Quick Review of Common Errors in
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

PART IX: TWO

Before You Begin

The big news for the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) is that it will now be computer-based. Beginning in July 2011, the PCAT will be administered by computer at Pearson VUE Test Centers in the United States and other countries. The test is not computer-adaptive, so it will not assign subsequent questions based on your answers to previous questions. The American Association of College Pharmacies (AACP) assures test-takers that the new test format presents the same content, subtests, scoring, and reporting as the paper-and-pencil version. Even the order of the subtests remains the same. The only thing that is different is how you take the test. You can read about this process in Chapter 1: All About the PCAT.

How This Book is Organized

Petersons Master the PCAT is divided into nine parts to facilitate your study and review for the PCAT. An Appendix provides helpful career information.

Part I explains the basics about the PCAT. It covers the PCAT structure and format, registering for the test, and PCAT scoring and score reporting and provides an overview of subtests and question types.

Part II offers a diagnostic test to help you identity your strengths as well as those areas where you will need to spend more time preparing. For your ease in identifying those areas, a questions particular content is noted at the end of each answer explanation.

Part III describes the two types of test items that youll find on the Verbal Ability section of the PCATanalogies and sentence completionsand offers strategies for understanding what to look for among the answer choices.

Part IV goes into detail about the Reading Comprehension passages and the types of questions youll be answering. Youll also find strategies for selecting the correct answer.

Part V tackles the Biology subtest and offers a review of important principles and concepts in General Biology, Microbiology, and Anatomy and Physiology, as well as tips and strategies for answering these test items.

Part VI explores concepts and principles for the Chemistry subtest, including topics in General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. Tips and strategies are also presented to help you in answering Chemistry test items.

Part VII reviews the topics assessed in the Quantitative Ability subtest of the PCAT. Part VII includes chapters on Arithmetic, Algebra, Probability and Statistics, Precalculus, and Calculus. Worked-out solutions are provided to help you identify critical steps in the problem-solving process.

Part VIII explains the Writing subtest, which is given in two parts during the test administration. You will learn strategies for developing well-supported and coherent responses to the prompts as you review model responses.

Part IX contains two additional Practice Tests that provide you with simulated practice in taking the PCAT under timed conditions.

The Appendix provides helpful information on a variety of careers in pharmacy. In addition to listing job duties and responsibilities, each of the ten career profiles includes an explanation of the nature of the work, a projection of future job openings, and salary information compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Each chapter in Parts III through VII contains Practice Questions to help you review what you have just learned.

Special Study Features

Petersons Master the PCAT has several features that will help you get the most from your study time.

Overview

Each chapter begins with a listing of the major topics in that chapter, followed by an introduction that explains what you will be reviewing in the chapter.

Summing It Up

Each chapter ends with a point-by-point summary of the main points of the chapter. It can be a handy last-minute guide to review before the test.

Bonus Information

You will find three types of notes in the margins of Petersons Master the PCAT to alert you to important information about the test.

Note

Margin notes marked Note highlight information about the test structure itself.

Tip

A note marked Tip points out valuable advice for taking the PCAT.

Alert

An Alert identifies pitfalls in the testing format or question types that can cause mistakes in selecting answers.

Review Features

Petersons Master the PCAT has two special features that will help you review basic concepts and prepare for the Writing subtest and for answering the Verbal Ability questions:

A Quick Review of Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes

A Quick Review of Common Errors in Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

Using This Book To Prepare for the Computer-Based PCAT