Award-Winning PCAT Courses & Classes in Alexandria, VA

If you're thinking about becoming a pharmacist one day and want help preparing for your entrance exam, you may benefit from contacting Varsity Tutors for a PCAT prep course. The Pharmacy College Admission Test, or PCAT, is an exam that assists in identifying qualified applicants to pharmacy colleges. It assesses your scientific knowledge and overall academic ability needed to pursue a career in pharmacy. Contact us for more information about PCAT prep classes.

Students who take the PCAT hope to gain admission to their desired pharmacy school. It's held during the months of January, February, July, September, October, and November. Testing takes place at several location throughout the country and some other parts of the world. You can take the PCAT up to five times. (You would need to submit certain documentation if you want to take the test more than five times.) The computer-based exam consists of five subtests. Here they are below, along with their time limits and number of questions:

A PCAT prep class tutor can assist you with one or more of the above subtests. PCAT prep courses take place in one-on-one environments, which makes many students more comfortable, since asking questions in school is intimidating for some. In a PCAT class, you can request a tutor to conduct a session in a way that helps you best. Do you prefer that someone lectures you or shows you a PowerPoint presentation? A tutor can provide sound recordings or slides to try to help you comprehend certain topics better. PCAT classes also can help you learn time management. Maybe you find yourself procrastinating a lot. A tutor can help you focus and organize your priorities. These PCAT courses can help you study for the exam as well as keep you on track.

The PCAT exam covers several topics related to science, mathematics, and reading comprehension. Below are some topics you can expect on the test:

• Microbiology
• Immunity
• Biology
• Genetics
• Human anatomy
• Circulatory/respiratory systems
• Chemical bonding
• Kinetic theory
• DNA & RNA
• Author's purpose of a reading passage
• Evaluating bias in a reading passage
• Algebra
• Probability & statistics
• Calculus
• Public health issues

No matter where you need to concentrate your studies, or if you don't know where to begin, Varsity Tutors can set you up with a PCAT tutor who is ready to help. In the following sections, we'll break down each subtest on the exam and show you how a PCAT tutor can be a valuable asset in your test prep plan.

PCAT Writing Courses

Varsity Tutors can help you prepare for the Writing portion of the PCAT by connecting you to an excellent PCAT Writing course. The Pharmacy College Admission Test is offered to prospective pharmacy school students. The exam contains a subtest, or section, that assesses your writing skills through a prompt which you have half an hour to respond to. It is scored between 1 and 6 by two people, which is then averaged out for a final 1-6 score. A PCAT Writing class can help you build confidence in your writing abilities by allowing you to prepare under the expert instruction of a private tutor.

A PCAT Writing prep course can help you prepare for the areas your prompts may focus on, such as the ones listed below:

PCAT Writing Subtest Concentrations

• Health Issues
• Science Issues
• Social, Cultural, or Political Issues

PCAT Writing classes are led by a private instructor who can meet with you around your schedule to ensure that you have time to prepare. They can start by creating a custom study plan centered around your areas of opportunity. Each PCAT Writing course focuses on the concepts that you need to study, rather than reviewing information that you feel confident about. For instance, if you have a solid understanding of health issues, your instructor may focus your attention on political or cultural ones.

There are a variety of potential topics that the exam will have you write about. Your PCAT Writing prep classes can give you the opportunity to practice articulating responses to topics like the ones listed below:

• Public health issues
• Nutrition
• Fitness
• Prevention
• Scientific research
• Scientific controversies
• Policies
• Behaviors
• Attitudes
• Beliefs

PCAT Writing prep courses are designed to be flexible. Your instructor can readily make adjustments to their teaching methods and materials based on your learning style. They can slow down or speed up the pace to give you more time as you work on your writing skills. You can arrange each PCAT Writing class around your schedule to ensure that you can continue to live your life while preparing for this exam. If you don't have time to meet with a private instructor in-person, you can arrange to participate in private tutoring sessions over our Live Learning Platform. This virtual learning space allows you and your tutor to chat, webcam, and study together over a reliable platform.

One-on-one learning can allow you to learn more efficiently as it caters to your individual needs, unlike traditional learning. Your private tutor can answer your questions as they arise without missing a beat. Your instructor can readily breakdown information in a variety of ways until you feel confident about your skills, whether you're working on explaining scientific research methods or exploring different attitudes and believes between cultures. You can spend PCAT Writing courses responding to practice prompts created just for you or researching background information that you can use for your responses.

You don't have to prepare for the PCAT subtest in Writing alone. Varsity Tutors' Educational Consultants are ready to answer any questions you have about the benefits a PCAT Writing prep class can offer to you. They can even help you connect with an experienced instructor who can work with your schedule.

PCAT Chemistry Classes

If you are looking for a PCAT Chemistry course to help you prepare for the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test), look no further than Varsity Tutors. PCAT Chemistry courses can provide you with services focused on honing your abilities and knowledge of each subject area and applying that expertise towards your efforts to perform at your best on the exam.

A PCAT Chemistry class can provide an in-depth focus on the topics and specifics that create the makeup of each subtest. With PCAT Chemistry prep classes, one-on-one attention, with the ability to assess your strengths and weaknesses, help you find a deeper understanding of exam content. That is just a part of the support provided. These classes can also help you create time management strategies to alleviate the feeling of a time crunch on the test, and they can also help you develop study plans that work for your learning style.

A PCAT Chemistry prep course can break the exam down into the three Chemical Processes Subtest Concentrations. Each section will consist of different course material and be graded differently than the others. Here are the subtest concentrations that will be found on the exam and can be covered with PCAT Chemistry prep courses:

• General Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Basic Biochemistry Processes

During the exam, all three concentrations will have a combined total time limit of 45 minutes. PCAT Chemistry classes can help you to prepare to answer all of the questions within those timing parameters. These classes can provide a thorough and step-by-step approach to the learning of exam content, and your tutor can also walk you through practice tests under the kinds of conditions you may see on the day of the final. A concentration, such as General Chemistry, will consist of a variety of topics such as atomic theory, kinetic theory, and chemical bonding. A PCAT Chemistry class can review these kinds of subjects and help assess if there are any areas with a need for more understanding.

As a whole, the exam will consist of many topics listed within the three subtest concentrations mentioned previously. Here is a list of some chemistry topics a PCAT Chemistry prep class can cover so that you feel prepared for the exam:

• Kinetic theory
• Atomic theory
• Periodicity
• Reactions of organic compounds
• Proteins
• Structure and properties
• Structural formulas and bonding
• Addition/substitution/elimination

With a PCAT Chemistry class, you will have the ability to study or review materials and receive support at a time that best works with your schedule. There is no set time frame for you to study topics, such as the properties of proteins you'll be expected to know or about reactions of organic compounds. PCAT Chemistry prep classes can provide you with the support and services best suited to helping you feel more confident on the day of the exam.

Signing up for a PCAT Chemistry course can be quick and simple. Educational Directors are standing by online and by phone to help you sign up as well as provide you with answers concerning the services offered through a PCAT Chemistry prep course. Prepare yourself in the best way by joining into a PCAT Chemistry course with the help of Varsity Tutors today.

PCAT Critical Reading Course

If you're interested in taking a comprehensive PCAT Critical Reading course, Varsity Tutors can set you up with a private PCAT Critical Reading class and help you work toward your academic goals. Critical Reading isn't a skill most people associate with a STEM career, so interested students may not be as confident on this subtest as the rest of the exam. Thankfully, taking a PCAT Critical Reading prep course can help you build the study skills needed to pursue academic success.

One of the most important benefits of taking a PCAT Critical Reading class is familiarizing yourself with the structure and material on the exam. This subtest utilizes a multiple-choice format, and you have 50 minutes to answer 48 questions. The entire PCAT is administered via computer-based testing (CBT), so you may wish to take several practice tests to get a sense for its electronic interface.

Once you understand the test's formatting, you can move on to its core concepts in your PCAT Critical Reading prep class. The bulleted list below highlights the exam's core contents:

PCAT Critical Reading Subtest Concentrations

• Comprehension
• Analysis (inference interpretation)
• Evaluation (reasoned judgment)

Basically, it's a reading comprehension test like you took in high school English courses, but more advanced and technical. The list below highlights some of the specific topics you may wish to review in your PCAT Critical Reading course:

• Identifying the main idea of a reading passage
• Analyzing a passage
• Differentiating facts from opinions in a passage
• Rhetorical strategies
• Evaluating an argument
• Identifying supporting details
• Author's purpose
• Identifying bias

As you can see, a close reading of the text is essential for virtually the entire exam. If you could retain more of the information you read, you might study active reading techniques during your PCAT Critical Reading courses. For example, taking notes as you go along forces you to pay attention to the material, making it easier to remember the most important bits of information. You may also refer to your notes instead of the passage if you are unsure about the answer to a question.

Likewise, you might learn test-taking strategies you can fall back on if you get stuck during PCAT Critical Reading prep courses. For instance, reading the questions before you tackle the reading passage can help you know what you are looking for. You might also use the information provided in one multiple-choice question to answer another, potentially deducing the answer to a question you otherwise could have missed.

We also try to make PCAT Critical Reading classes as convenient as possible. All instruction takes place on our proprietary Live Learning Platform, a digital classroom that facilitates live instruction as though you were in a more traditional setting. Of course, it doesn't come with the commute of attending a review course! We also try to refer every student to an instructor who meets their scheduling needs. After all, why should you need to juggle your entire itinerary around just to study for a test?

If you would like to learn more about the PCAT Critical Reading prep classes Varsity Tutors offers, please reach out to us today for more information. Educational Directors are standing by to help answer any questions you may have!

PCAT Quantitative Reasoning Class

If you have been thinking about attending a PCAT Quantitative Reasoning course, Varsity Tutors can place you in a private PCAT Quantitative Reasoning class to help you work toward your academic goals. The PCAT (or Pharmacy College Admission Test) is a standardized exam designed specifically to help pharmaceutical colleges identify qualified applicants for admission. It consists of several "subtests" (or sections) testing a candidate's knowledge of several academic subjects, including a math-based Quantitative Reasoning section. If your math skills could use a boost, taking a PCAT Quantitative Reasoning class may help you build confidence in advance of the exam.

One of the most important benefits of PCAT Quantitative Reasoning prep courses is the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the structure and content you can expect on exam day. The Quantitative Reasoning subtest of the PCAT consists of 48 multiple-choice items administered over a testing session lasting 50 minutes. The entire exam utilizes CBT (Computer-Based Testing) technology, meaning that you work on a computer as opposed to a paper test booklet. If you don't have a lot of experience with electronic testing, you may want to take practice tests in your PCAT Quantitative Reasoning prep class to get accustomed to the electronic interface.

Likewise, many students would like to know which skills are assessed in advance of the exam. The following bulleted lists includes some of the content areas you can review in a PCAT Quantitative Reasoning course:

• Basic Math
• Algebra
• Probability & Statistics
• Precalculus
• Calculus

Attending a private PCAT Quantitative Reasoning prep course allows you to spend as much time on a given topic as you need to. If you have a hard time with algebra, your instructor might provide practice problems until you are more comfortable with it. Alternatively, a student who could understand probability and statistics better might play games with their instructor to illustrate these concepts. Larger PCAT Quantitative Reasoning prep classes often use a set curriculum regardless of an individual student's needs, making them a less efficient method of standardized test prep.

Here are some of the specific concepts you can study in a PCAT Quantitative Reasoning course:

• Using the Chain Rule to find derivatives of composite functions
• Adding vectors graphically and algebraically
• Finding limits of functions
• Determining the derivatives of composite functions involving the circular and
  transcendental functions
• Finding antiderivatives
• Performing algebraic operations on functions
• Solving quadratic equations and inequalities
• Evaluating algebraic expressions for given values
• Determining inverses of functions

Private PCAT Quantitative Reasoning classes allow you to study in a one-on-one learning environment. Any questions you have may be answered on the spot, allowing you to address misunderstandings as they arise. Many students also find it easier to ask for help from an instructor that they have established a solid personal rapport with than somebody in a larger classroom setting. Your instructor may also tailor sessions to your unique needs. For instance, a visual learner might need a chart or graph to help illustrate a concept, while an auditory learner might get more out of repeated oral repetitions.

We also try to make PCAT Quantitative Reasoning courses as convenient as we can. Instruction takes place on our Live Learning Platform, providing the benefits of face-to-face attention without the hassle of meeting in person. We work to refer every student to an instructor who suits their scheduling needs for maximal efficiency. After all, you have a life to live outside of studying!

We provide test prep solutions for students of all levels, so contact Varsity Tutors today for more information. We look forward to helping you work toward your educational goals!

Getting Started With a PCAT Prep Course

When you contact Varsity Tutors, we can set you up with a PCAT tutor for any of the subtests or someone who is ready to help you go over everything. A PCAT course tutor can give you as much time as you need to go over any subtest or topic on the exam. For example, if you want to review algebraic equations, a tutor can give you worksheets so that you can practice math problems. Suppose you want to see if you can interpret an author's message in a passage. A tutor can give you an excerpt from a book or essay, and you can see if you can determine what the writer's trying to say. You can make studying for the PCAT a bit more engaging by using learning games.

If you're studying to be a pharmacist while juggling other obligations, we're proud to say that a PCAT class gives you a flexible schedule. We offer a Live Learning Platform, which enables you to communicate with an instructor online through your favorite mobile device. To get started with signing up for a PCAT course, please reach out to a Varsity Tutors representative today.