Pharmacy College Admission Test
ABOUT THE PCAT
Why take the PCAT? The PCAT is required by most pharmacy schools and identifies qualified applicants. It measures general academic ability and scientific knowledge necessary for the commencement of pharmaceutical education.
Cost: The registration fee is $210 which includes the exam and scores sent PharmCAS schools. Sending scores to additional schools costs $20 each.
Test Dates: July-January
Computerized: Yes
Length: 4 hours
Scores: 200-600 composite (50th percentile = avg PCAT score of accepted students)
Important Notes:
The PCAT is a computerized exam offered between July and January.
During the test, you can request that your test not be scored which means no scores will be reported to you or any of the schools. This request is irrevocable.
If there is any evidence of irregular guessing on the exam, the exam score may be invalidated. Examinees are encouraged to NOT randomly fill in bubbles on unanswered questions.
Unofficial preliminary score report given at the end of the test. Official score reports released within 5 weeks.
Examinees may only register for one test date per testing window. If examinees would like to test more than once during the testing cycle, they must register for different testing windows.
Examinees who have tested 5 or more times must apply for permission to take the test again.
TEST SECTIONS
WRITING
- Questions: 1 prompt
- Number of Minutes: 30
- Score: 1-6
- Topics Covered: See www.PCATweb.info for topics information
BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES
- Questions: 48
- Number of Minutes: 45
- Score: 200-600
- Topics Covered: Gen Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, Health (Nutrition and Infectious Diseases), Anatomy & Physiology
CHEMICAL PROCESSES
- Questions: 48
- Number of Minutes: 45
- Score: 200-600
- Topics Covered: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry & Biochemistry
CRITICAL READING
- Questions: 48
- Number of Minutes: 50
- Score: 200-600
- Topics Covered: Reading comprehension covers comprehension, analysis and evaluation. See www.PCATweb.info for reading comprehension information
QUANTITATIVE REASONING
- Questions: 48
- Number of Minutes: 50
- Score: 200-600
- Topics Covered: Basic math, algebra, probability & statistics, precalculus, calculus
test preparation
MSU Pre-Health advisors do not endorse any specific test prep resource, but we encourage you to explore each of the different options to determine which will best fit your needs.
additional information
Please see the Pearson Assessments website for more information and details regarding the PCAT.