Thorough...a little TOO thorough!
While this book covers all the topics that will be on the PCAT, it does so in a very dry, textbook style. Don't expect it to be an engaging book on biology/chemistry, etc...it's not. I've fallen asleep three times already, and I'm not even through with studying! However, I am planning on keeping this book as a quick review for my chemistry classes- it tells you everything that you need to know, in the shortest way possible.
The practice test was completely on point, and I feel very confident in my ability to master the upcoming test. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to truly be prepared- but start early! This will take almost a month to get the full "Kaplan experience". Enjoy.
Not bad, not great
I haven't had biology or really any other science other than chemistry in several years, and I found that this edition gives a decent general review of most subjects. However, the math sections do not (in my opinion) provide enough review material, and the organic chemistry section is EXTREMELY inadequate. The section is 16 pages (out of a 700 page book!), and it seemed like at least 50%, if not close to 75% of the chemistry section on the PCAT was organic. Overall, it's a good book, but I would strongly suggest finding a better organic chemistry study aid before taking the test.
Thought it was good... then took the test.
Seemed like this book was going to be a great review. Had decent explanations. Several typos in the book--which are ok if you have already taken college level courses of the subjects covered, because the mistakes are pretty obvious. However, if you are new to the subject matter or if you can't remember any of what you were once taught, you'd have a LOT of trouble figuring out what happened to get them to certain answers.
Anyway, I went to take the test, and the questions in the Bio and Chem sections were nothing at all like what this book prepares you for. I'd stick with searching the internet for free questions or paying for Pearson's official practice test.
good, but not good enough
I bought this book to study for the October 2008 and January 2009 PCAT. This was the only book I used, and while I do believe it is a good book, I don't think this book alone will prepare you thoroughly for the PCAT. Here is how well I think the book prepared me for each section of the test:
Writing: 2/5- This book gave some good tips when it came to the writing section; however, there was hardly any practice, and the writing chapter of this book was only 2 pages in length.
Verbal Ability: 3/5- Once again, the book does not focus too much on Verbal Ability. It gives a few hints, but not enough practice.
Biology: 4/5- Everything you would need for the biology section of the PCAT is in this book. However, everything you don't need for the biology section is in this book too. I think it was a little overkill, but it's better to be over prepared than under.
Chemisty: 2/5- The general chemistry in this book is fine, but the organic chemistry information is seriously lacking.
Reading Comprehension: 4/5- Doesn't go too deep into reading, though I don't think there's much to the reading section of the PCAT.
Quantitative Ability: 1/5- This book is terrible in getting you ready for the math that's on the PCAT. Most of the things I saw on the actual PCAT was not in this book. The stuff that this book explained didn't even explain it that well.
End the end, I think this book could be a lot better. If you get this book, I would recommend something else. I was still able to score well and get into pharmacy school, but if you want to do your best, getting extra help is a must.
Great review for the PCAT
I used this book as my primary PCAT study guide and scored above a 90th percentile on my first try. I did, however, use 3 or 4 other books to cover materials that weren't covered well in this book but overall, this book did the best in preparing me for the actual test. The Kaplan book doesn't do a very good job in covering the organic chemistry portion of the test. That may be attributed to the fact that the chemistry section requires a more advanced knowledge of general chemistry than organic chemistry. In addition to organic chemistry, the book also does a fairly poor job covering the verbal portion of the test. The book does, however, cover too much of the biology section but if you look at the Kaplan materials for the DAT, OAT, and MCAT, they tend to be very similar.
Lastly, and I can't stress this enough: DO NOT sign up for the expensive Kaplan class!! This book does more than enough to provide a comprehensive overview of the PCAT itself and from what I hear, the Kaplan classroom material is very similar to what you'll find in this book.
(20 reviews)
