About the PCAT

PCAT also known as the pharmacy college admission test is conducted by the AACP or the American association of colleges of pharmacy. Basically, to tell about pcat, it is an exam tests your aptitude for the pharmacy course. The marks obtained in this test will determine your possibilities to enter the prestigious American college of pharmacy. Previously the PCAT exam was conducted in pencil and paper based format. But the new PCAT will use computer aided testing methods for its exam. But the scoring methods, syllabus and content of the question paper and everything else followed in the paper based test would remain the same. The only change would be the test taking method, which would be computer aided from this year onwards. PCAT was conducted in the month of july. Another session of the PCAT would be held this September, the dates of which have been announced on PCAT site.

The test would consist of 240 multiple choice questions in addition to two essay topics. The test taker would be given a time of about four hours to solve it. Also additional time would be given to read the instructions and you would also have a break time mid way through the exam. So basically, you need to allot around 5 to 6 hours to take this test which might require you to keep off other activities for the day. Most importantly, computer functions like calculator, spell check, word count, internet access and other options would be unavailable to the test-taker. So be prepared to calculate mentally or attend exam without taking the help of external functions. Also, the essays have to be typed on the computer due to CBT (computer based format). Hence, take care that you do it within the time limits. All the other rules and regulatios for pencil paper PCAT will apply to computer based PCAT also.

The candidates can register for PCAT online. The fee will be around 200$. But as per the PCAT official website, this amount is subject to change. So make sure you have the money arranged for if you don’t have it already. The exam collects addition fees as late fee if the candidate doesn’t submit the online application form on time. There are also other fees like score report fee, verification fee, rescore fee and practice paper fee. So basically, it’s a very costly test. The practice paper fee should be paid if the test taker wants access to the practice papers uploaded on the new PCAT official website. This fee is around 40$.

People with disabilities taking the PCAT are being provided with accommodation by the PCAT Pearson group. So regarding information on how to request for special accommodations, refer to the PCAT official website. Or the test taker can also call or email the PCAT customer relations. But note that it would take around two moths or 60 days for them to process your accommodation request. So take care to apply for it well in advance.