The Dos & Don’ts of Pharmacy School Admissions Todd Worsham Campus Manager Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions KAP-TEST

And that’s including… Pharmacy School Admissions Trends Tip #1:Know the competition KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat According to the data compiled by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy:  95,000 applicants for 2007  11,557 new students for 2007 Pharmacy Colleges adding over 3,000 seats to accommodate the growing need

Pharm School Admissions Timeline June Early Decision Period Rolling Admissions Period Get it Ready! JulyAugSeptOctNovDecJanFeb PCAT Tip #2:Submit your application early. Jan May KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat PCAT is administered 9 times: July, Fall (in 2011 all fall dates were in September and January

Absolutely Deny Presumably Deny Presumably Admit Pharmacy School Admissions Factors        PCAT Score Undergraduate GPA Prerequisite Coursework Personal Profile & Statements Extracurricular & Experiences Interviews Letters of Recommendation Tip #3:Control the process. Application Strength KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

Tip #4:Get all the information. The Dos & Don’ts of Pharm School Admissions    Do your research Consult your Advisor Call admissions Assume that one-size fits all Try to get all the answers yourself Go by only what you have heard from other pre-health students Prerequisite Coursework KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

Tip #5:Distinguish yourself by showing your passion. The Dos & Don’ts of Pharm School Admissions    Consider every interview mandatory Schedule interviews strategically Become acquainted with admissions staff Discount them Judge schools based on ranking alone Inundate admissions staff with requests    Use past/present stories and a theme. Showcase lessons learned from experience Write effectively and follow directions Write “why I want to go to pharm school”. Speak negatively of anyone or anything. Go at it alone. Personal Statement Interviews KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

Tip #6:Help your recommenders help you. The Dos & Don’ts of Pharm School Admissions    Select professors who know you well Give recommenders content to work from Ask specifically for strong, detailed letter Worry about clout Allow your recommenders to fly blind Write the letter yourself Letters of Recommendation KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

Tip #7:Your academic potential is measurable. The Dos & Don’ts of Pharm School Admissions    Choose major that interests/challenges you Squeeze out every point you can. “Trend-up” and do well in major. Choose Chem major "just because" pre- health Game your GPA with easy classes or P/F Over-estimate importance of GPA. GPA KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

The Dos & Don’ts of Pharm School Admissions The PCAT  What are most schools requiring?  What are most matriculates getting?  The sections of PCAT are:  verbal ability  quantitative ability  reading comprehension  knowledge of basic principles and concepts of biology  general and elementary organic chemistry KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

The Dos & Don’ts of Pharm School Admissions    Give the test the attention/time it deserves Learn critical thinking skills (and science) Learn/practice to gain efficiency for each skill Consider it just an obstacle to admission Tackle the exam as a whole, all at once Take test after test w/o changing behavior   Focus on your opportunities for improvement Understand you can do it. Prepare with college text books Consider it just an obstacle to admission The PCAT KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

Tip #8:You can raise your PCAT score. The Dos & Don’ts of Pharm School Admissions The PCAT What is on it?  2 Writing Sections 30 minutes each  Verbal Ability 30 minutes/48 items (60% analogies)  Biology 30 minutes/48 items (60% Gen Bio)  Chemistry 30 minutes/48 items (60% Gen, 40% O Chem)  Reading Comp 50 minutes/48 items  Quantitative 40 minutes/48 questions (40% Precalc and Calc) KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat  The PCAT is the common measuring stick.  Average Applicant: 50 th Percentile (399.44)  Average Acceptant: 69 th Percentile (412)

Tip #9:The PCAT matters. Why prep for the PCAT?  The PCAT is the most important factor in your application.  Pharmacy schools are very competitive.  Small gains on the PCAT can translate into massive “leapfrogging” of other test-takers.  The PCAT is an important predictor of Pharmacy school success KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

Tip #10:Kaplan can help. A Sample PCAT Question… KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

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The Most Personalized Prep: Smart Reports Analyze performance by Section to determine your areas of greatest opportunity KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

The Most Personalized Prep: Smart Reports Dig deeper to uncover content strengths and weaknesses KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat

The Most Personalized Prep The Kaplan Advantage Unmatched Expertise Greatest number of course options because one size does not fit all. Only program with online on-demand instruction (250+ hours) Individual online score analysis and prescriptive feedback through our exclusive Smart Reports™ Only national MCAT program with instructors who have scored at or above the 90th percentile on each section of the MCAT that they teach Most realistic practice through 19 Computer-Based tests, including all AAMC practice tests The largest MCAT question library, with 11,000+ questions, including the most Verbal Reasoning practice Guaranteed Results Higher Score Guarantee Readiness  Satisfaction  Money Back More people get into med school with a Kaplan course than with any other major course KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat