PCAT Exam Information and Guideline
Pharmacy College Admission Test
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT®) is a specialized test that helps identify qualified applicants to pharmacy colleges. It measures general academic ability and scientific knowledge necessary for the commencement of pharmaceutical education. The PCAT is constructed specifically for colleges of pharmacy.
B1. General Biology B2. Microbiology
A. Cellular and Molecular Biology
1. Structure and functions of cells
2. Gene expression
3. Cell division and growth
4. Energy transformations
5. Metabolism
A. Microorganisms
B. Infectious Diseases & Prevention
C. Microbial Ecology
D. Medical Microbiology
E. Immunity
B3. Human Anatomy and Physiology
B. Diversity of Life Forms
1. Genetics
A. Structure
1. Cells
2. Tissues
3. Organs
C. Health
1. Nutrition
2. Diseases
3. Drugs
B. Systems
1. Skeletal/muscular/nervous
2. Circulatory/respiratory
3. Excretory/digestive
4. Endocrine/reproductive
5. Integumentary/immune
Biological Processes items may be presented either standing alone (Biological Processes Examples 1–4) or associated with a short passage (Biological Processes Examples 5–8).
Stand-alone items can be answered independent of any passage or other item, while items
associated with a passage will require understanding part or all of the passage in order to
answer them correctly.
• Each Biological Processes item stem will be either in the form of a question (followed
by a question mark) or in the form of an incomplete sentence that requires completion
(with no end punctuation).
• Answer options may contain more than one concept or piece of information but each
one will plausibly relate to the stem.
A. leukocyte.
[A leukocyte is a white blood cell and not the target of an infection from a foreign molecule.]
B. eosinophil.
[Eosinophil is a type of white blood cell that is involved in the immune response to parasitic
infections or allergic reactions and not the target of infection from a foreign molecule.]
C. immunoglobulin.
[Immunoglobulins are antibodies formed by B cells and not the targets of an infection from a
foreign molecule.]
D. antigen. *
[CA: Antigen is the correct term for anything that is the target of the immune response,
causing production of antibodies by the living organism. Antigens can include foreign pollen,
bacteria, viruses, proteins, and some other materials.]
A. Respiratory alkalosis
[Respiratory alkalosis is due to alveolar hyperventilation leading to decreased plasma carbon
dioxide concentration. It develops when the lungs remove more carbon dioxide than is
produced in the tissues. It is a common finding in patients receiving medical ventilation, but it
is not associated with emphysema, which results in a decreased expulsion of carbon dioxide.]
B. Metabolic alkalosis
[This condition results from an altered metabolism. A decreased hydrogen ion concentration
results in increased bicarbonate and carbon dioxide concentrations. It occurs most commonly
when a person has been vomiting profusely. It is not associated with emphysema, which results
in a decreased expulsion of carbon dioxide.]
C. Respiratory acidosis *
[CA: Respiratory acidosis is a clinical disturbance that is due to alveolar hypoventilation.
It results in low blood pH due to decreased clearance of carbon dioxide by the lungs.
This condition occurs in emphysema as exhalation becomes insufficient.]
D. Metabolic acidosis
[Metabolic acidosis is a condition in which the blood pH is low due to increased production of
hydrogen ions by the body or the inability of the body to form bicarbonate in the kidney. It is
not associated with emphysema, which results in a decreased expulsion of carbon dioxide.]
A. Maternal meiotic division I *
[CA: Nondisjunction is an error that can occur during meiosis or mitosis, causing the daughter
cells to have too many or too few chromosomes. Because the child has two maternal alleles
that are not identical and one paternal allele, nondisjunction occurred at this stage of division.]
B. Paternal meiotic division I
[If nondisjunction occurred here, the child would have two paternal alleles and one maternal
allele.]
C. Maternal meiotic division II
[If nondisjunction had occurred here, the maternal contribution would have been either no
allele or two of the same kind.]
D. Paternal meiotic division II
[If nondisjunction had occurred here, the paternal contribution would have been either no
allele or two of the same kind. Because there is only one of paternal origin, disjunction did
not occur at this stage of division.]