[.ca] How to Prepare for the PCAT: Pharmacy College Admission Test (ISBN 0764117130)

helpful, but not what I had hoped for:
The practice tests helped me get used to the format for the test, but I was disappointed there wasn't much of a review of test material. For the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension tests, I recommend digging out an old SAT prep book. Overall, I think the best thing you can do is take as many practice tests as possible.

The best prep book for pcat out there!(at least for now):
I've just finished taking the Jan 24th, 2004 pcat. This book is the closest you'll ever find, at least at the moment, to the actual pcat. The biology practice questions in this book are quite similar to the ones you'll encounter on the real exam. I found the verbal and bio sections on the exam quite easy, probably owing to the fact that I did all the practice tests in this book. The reading section on the real exam was alright(too many "what is not true", "what does the author infer/mean" questions). One piece of advice: KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TIME, especially in the math and chemistry sections! The math section is definetely a killer. You have 45min to finish 65 questions(which means you have less than a min for each question). I ran out of time on the chem section. There were a lot of conversion questions..not much organic, though. There is also an experimental section on the test. Anyway, getting to the point, this book will help you master the basic concepts tested in the bio, chem, math, and verbal sections. For the reading part though, I suggest you get the Kaplan book. A fourth or fifth grader can do the questions on the reading part in this book(seriously!) I have a good feeling about this and I'm eagerly awaiting my score(they said it'll take 4-6 weeks...bummer!) I hope this review helped a bit and I wish all you wannabe pharmacists the best of luck!

Seems like the best book right now.:
The book might have some flaws, but it seems that it is the best book out there. This seems to be the consensus after reading several reviews on several different web sites. However, this book is not very helpful on what to review. It gives you basic outlines - "learn everything in biology, chemistry, etc." Don't buy the book so that someone can tell you to study everything. Pay me the $10 instead. The book comes with several test which are fairly helpful. I had no idea what to expect on the PCAT. I have been out of school for several years and don't have any resources that a typical college student might. I did read many reviews, and to sum it all up - Buy this book, take the practice tests. Supplement your learning with Cliff's biology, chemistry, etc. Don't bother practicing reading comprehension. Don't know the best way to study for math either, but for me, a couple practice tests to get into the swing of things helps. Like I said, I haven't been in school for quite a while. I never even took a BIO class in college. I, however, did do very well, thanks to this book and Cliff's reviews. Good Luck.

Pretty Decent:
i just took the pcats yesterday and im happy to say that this was a very good book familiarizing you with what to expect. each section of the test is thoroughly outlined with what to study. i took the outline for the chemistry and biology sections in the book and bought the cliffs notes for biology, a & p, and chemistry and matched up the outline in this book with the table of contents in the cliffs notes word for word. the two combined are a powerful tool in preparing for this test. the verbal section on the test was also spot on with the preparations in this book. also, the two practice tests are very helpful in letting you know, for the most part, how the test works and what to expect. now the cons. the quantitative section was, as said before in other reviews, over-simplified as was the reading comprehension, nowhere near as difficult on the real test. times given for each section in this book are outdated as well. i recommend also checking out the pcat tips given at www.pcat-test.com, invaluable in my opinion. all in all, if you wish to succeed on this test, this is an priceless source and combined with the other two sources will undoubtedly help you succeed in becoming part of the most overpaid profession out there. enjoy!

Excellent book to review for the PCAT:
I took the PCAT in Jan, 2004 and used only this book to prepare for it. I have to say that the material in this book covers all the topics tested on the PCAT. The practice questions for the Quantitative, Biological, and Chemistry sections were comparable. The Reading comp was bit harder on the actual test, but not too bad. I primarily used this review book and only used other texts to further elaborate on specific terms/concepts I was unfamiliar with. Some advise: watch your time on the Reading Comprehension section and the chemistry section. I found myself rushing towards the end even though I knew all the concepts! Also, the time given for the Quantitative section may not be enough, so pace yourself. In the end, I got a 99% composite score (which got me into the two pharmacy schools I applied to), so the book was definitely worth the money. Goodluck!!