The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) consists of five multiple-choice sections and an essay portion, with scores ranging from 100 to 300. Scaled and composite scores, percentile composite scores, and percentage rankings are also used to evaluate performance. Contacting schools to learn cutoff scores can help with admission decisions.
To interpret Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores, you can start by considering the five multiple-choice sections of the test, as well as the essay portion; the multiple choice parts consist of biology, chemistry, reading comprehension, verbal and quantitative sections. PCAT scores range from 100 to 300, and higher scores are better. Beyond that range, you can consider your scaled and composite PCAT scores, as well as your percentage rankings in assessing how well you tested. You may also find it beneficial to contact the pharmacy schools you are applying to to learn the scoring points.
PCAT scores range from 100 to 300 for the overall test, but individual sections are scored differently. For example, writing topics are scored on a scale ranging from zero to five. If you get a zero, it means your writing was considered incomplete. Five is the best score you can get for this part of the PCAT.
There is also a scaled score for each of the multiple-choice sections on the test. These scores depend on the number of correct answers selected and range from 200 to 600. You do not lose points for incorrect answers when it comes to scaled PCAT scores.
Your composite PCAT score is the average score you received on all multiple-choice portions of the test. The score you see when you consider your composite score is not weighted. There is also a percentile composite score, which is slightly different from your composite score. It provides your composite score, based on the multiple-choice questions, when compared to other test takers. If your rating is 70%, 30% of the participants scored higher than you.
The PCAT score also includes percentage rankings. These ratings are reported for the different sections of the test. They are calculated using scaled scores and are measured against a normalized group. These PCAT scores let you know how many in the normative group scored lower than the ones you earned.
In addition to reviewing your PCAT scores to gauge performance and comparing yourself to other test takers, you may want to contact the schools you plan to apply to. By doing this, you can learn the cutoff scores set by each school on your list. You can then evaluate your scores based on how likely they are to help you gain admission to the college of your choice.
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