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I was looking into the standardized testing for the career I want to have and was wondering if there were any references for me to study the MCAT and the PCAT during undergraduate?
#medicine #healthcare #hospital-and-health-care #doctor
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Yasemin’s Answer
Hi William! So just to be sure the MCAT is for medical school and the PCAT is for pharmacy school; after deciding if you would like to be a physician or pharmacist then you can plan out your studying and references better! That being said, there are many sites that help with studying for these exams- for the MCAT (which I am most familiar with) I would check out AAMC.org, as they have three full length practice tests, a diagnostic exam, notecards, QBANKS, etc., to give you a feel of what will be on the exam. Just be careful with purchasing because there are expiration dates on the materials. Kaplan and Princeton Review are also helpful in terms of purchasing materials such as books for general knowledge and detailed review. I also used Khan Academy which partnered with AAMC- their videos were wonderful in really reviewing and going in depth into information about topics.
Since you are an undergraduate I would analyze where you are currently-both if you want to take the PCAT or the MCAT. I say this because both of these exams require knowledge as well- for example on the MCAT for biochemistry you need to know amino acids and their pkas and pH well so therefore a course (while not always required for entry into medical school) would help you prepare. If you are still early in your education such as a freshman, then I would focus on your prerequisite classes and do well. Usually many students take the MCAT as a junior in the spring or a rising senior in the summer because it takes a full year to matriculate into medical school.
However, one piece of advice I would offer which I had read about is that I would purchase Kaplan or Princeton Review books (I used Kaplan although either works) early on in college and as you study in your classes you can also use the books as well to piece together the information and study from them too therefore further familiarizing yourself with the exams. I believe you can do this for MCAT or PCAT as the foundational concept is the same. In addition be sure to stay in touch with your adviser frequently for either medical school or pharmacy school, build a strong resume in terms of extracurriculars, and see if you can find any groups or clubs who are on the same path as well. It's good to know other students in this process and you can learn much from others that can also help you be on track as well!
I truly hope this helps!
Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!
Best of luck!
Check out AAMC.org
Check out Kaplan/Princeton Review
Check out Khan Academy
Do well in classes and stay in touch with your adviser
Since you are an undergraduate I would analyze where you are currently-both if you want to take the PCAT or the MCAT. I say this because both of these exams require knowledge as well- for example on the MCAT for biochemistry you need to know amino acids and their pkas and pH well so therefore a course (while not always required for entry into medical school) would help you prepare. If you are still early in your education such as a freshman, then I would focus on your prerequisite classes and do well. Usually many students take the MCAT as a junior in the spring or a rising senior in the summer because it takes a full year to matriculate into medical school.
However, one piece of advice I would offer which I had read about is that I would purchase Kaplan or Princeton Review books (I used Kaplan although either works) early on in college and as you study in your classes you can also use the books as well to piece together the information and study from them too therefore further familiarizing yourself with the exams. I believe you can do this for MCAT or PCAT as the foundational concept is the same. In addition be sure to stay in touch with your adviser frequently for either medical school or pharmacy school, build a strong resume in terms of extracurriculars, and see if you can find any groups or clubs who are on the same path as well. It's good to know other students in this process and you can learn much from others that can also help you be on track as well!
I truly hope this helps!
Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!
Best of luck!
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Cameron’s Answer
Hi William! I took the MCAT and would highly recommend purchasing the Kaplan MCAT study prep books. They were extremely well written and highly detailed, and they provide practice questions and full length exams. I also would supplement your studying with Khan Academy MCAT videos. While Khan Academy can often go more in depth than necessary, watching videos for the topics you are struggling with can be really helpful.