The PCAT at a Glance

Writing

You will be asked to complete two separate Writing sections on the PCAT—one at the beginning of the exam, and the other immediately after your break halfway through the exam. Both Writing sections are 30 minutes long and consist of a single prompt that will test your knowledge of language conventions and your problem-solving skills. Responses to the essay prompts will be typed. While you will be able to use standard word processing functions such as cut, copy, and paste, you will not have access to additional features such as spelling or grammar check. One of the two Writing sections will be an experimental item that does not count toward your score.