{"id":20039,"date":"2020-01-14T15:35:26","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T20:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=20039"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:40:11","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:40:11","slug":"pcat-critical-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/pcat\/pcat-critical-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#039;s Tested on PCAT Critical Reading?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/pcat\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">PCAT<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Critical Reading section is 50 minutes long and consists of 48 multiple-choice questions divided into 6 passages with 8 questions each. You have approximately 8 minutes per passage and 30 seconds per question. Because of the short time allotted for each question, getting as familiar with the structure of the Critical Reading section on the PCAT\u2014and the types of questions asked\u2014will put you in the best position to reach your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/pcat\/whats-a-good-pcat-score\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">score goal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Test Day.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To do well on PCAT Critical Reading, you will need to read critically and understand why the author presents certain information. Keep reading to learn\u00a0how the section is structured and for tips to boost your performance.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[ <\/span><b>RELATED:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/pcat\/all-about-the-pcat\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">All About the PCAT<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> ]<\/span><br \/>\n&nbsp;\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >PCAT Critical Reading: Overview<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Critical Reading portion of the exam contains six short passages consisting of four to seven paragraphs and 500-600 words. Each passage pertains to an ethical, social, cultural, or political issue that affects one of the following topics:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Natural Science<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social Science<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Humanities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Health<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nutrition<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Medicine<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Technology\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The intent of the author may be to inform, persuade, or speculate, but usually the author\u2019s tone remains roughly neutral due to the nature of the content. Subtle clues may indicate an author is for or against certain ideas, but these opinions will rarely be extreme.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Outside knowledge of each field is not required to answer questions correctly, and the passages are meant to cover material you do not already know. However, familiarity with the general vocabulary and writing style used in each field can build your confidence and speed you up on the day of your official PCAT. Reading through recent editions of journals, such as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.japha.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Journal of the American Pharmacists Association<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/humanities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Humanities<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and magazines, such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discovermagazine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Discover<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scientific American<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, will increase your familiarity with this type of material.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >PCAT CRITICAL READING: TIMING<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Each of the six passages will be accompanied by eight questions for a total of 48 questions per section. Because you will have 50 minutes total to complete the section, allot approximately eight minutes per passage: three minutes for reading the passage and five minutes for answering the eight questions. This will give you approximately 35 seconds per question.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Note: Neither every passage nor every question should take the same amount of time due to varying difficulty and length, so use these numbers as guidelines rather than hard rules.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_iconlist  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >PCAT CRITICAL READING: TOP TIPS<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The PCAT Critical Reading section tests your ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret reading passages. Questions are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">always<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about the corresponding passage\u2014you do not need any outside knowledge. You are not necessarily looking for the answer choices that are the most factual but rather those that correspond best with the author and the passage. If you do have prior knowledge in a field, you must be careful not to apply that to the questions and instead only answer based on the information in the passage.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are Kaplan\u2019s top four tips for PCAT Reading:<\/span><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-icon-list-container   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_heading  avia-builder-el-last '><ul class='avia-icon-list avia-icon-list-left av-iconlist-big avia_animate_when_almost_visible avia-iconlist-animate'>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue864' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >PCAT Critical reading Tip #1<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><strong><b>1. You\u2019re not learning to read anything<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is not information you need to carry with you for years, months, weeks, or even hours. You just need to use it in the next few minutes, and you will even be able to refer to the passage when you need to.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue864' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >PCAT Critical reading Tip #2<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><strong><b>2. You\u2019re not reading to remember anything<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you try to remember what you read, you\u2019ll rely on memory\u2014which is notoriously faulty\u2014and your mind will be taken up with what you\u2019re trying to remember. That\u2019s not helpful. Your mind needs to be open and focused on the really important parts of the PCAT: the questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue864' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >PCAT Critical reading Tip #3<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><strong><b>3. You don\u2019t need any outside knowledge or your own leaps of logic to read the passage well<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">All the correct answers are supported in the passage. As stated previously, if you use what you already know, you\u2019ll be tempted to answer questions based on your own knowledge and not the passage. That\u2019s a classic way to choose wrong answers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue864' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >PCAT Critical reading Tip #4<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><strong><b>4. You\u2019re not reading to understand everything.<\/b><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> After all, if there\u2019s no question on the part you didn\u2019t understand, it doesn\u2019t matter anyway. So you\u2019re not going to read and reread; you\u2019re just going to keep moving ahead and let the questions determine what you need to reread. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><br \/>\n<b>[ Learn more about what to expect on the PCAT: ]<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/pcat\/whats-tested-on-pcat-biological-processes\/\">What\u2019s Tested on PCAT Biological Processes?<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/pcat\/pcat-chemical-processes\/\">What\u2019s Tested on PCAT Chemical Processes?<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The PCAT Critical Reading section is 50 minutes long and consists of 48 multiple-choice questions divided into 6 passages with 8 questions each. You have approximately 8 minutes per passage and 30 seconds per question. Because of the short time allotted for each question, getting as familiar with the structure of the Critical Reading section [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[12],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20039"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20039"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33890,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20039\/revisions\/33890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}