Chapter Sixty

Calculus

Calculus and precalculus together constitute approximately one-third of the Quantitative Reasoning section, so be sure to spend sufficient time studying and practicing the material to feel confident on Test Day. Although you may remember completing lengthy calculations using obscure rules as part of your undergraduate coursework, the test makers do not require extensive knowledge of how to integrate the most difficult functions but rather only expect you to know the basics. Remember also that the PCAT is a multiple-choice test, so use the Quantitative Strategies discussed in Chapter 55 whenever they would be advantageous—for example, finding a derivative tends to be much easier than finding an integral, so using Backsolving can be a great approach for avoiding some lengthy calculations!