Aftermath of DAT 4/30

Well first off i wanted to let you guys know that

This was the first time for me to take the DAT

I wasnt really sure where to start to studying it

So after looking at the DAT Study program guide-lined by fellow SDN member DentalWorks

I got the gist of what to use and what not to use

Textbooks i used were

1. KBB (good overall summary of bio)
2. CRACK THE DAT (ALL SECTIONS)
3. DAT destroyer (great practice problems)
4. MATH destroyer (exposes you to a number of situations you could face in the QR)
5. Organic Chemistry Odyssey (a must have if you feel you are weak on the OC)
6. MCAT ExamKrackers (BIO/ORGO - to sorta compare as to what materials both exams take emphasis on)
7. Chad's Video (best teaching videos i especially love his little acronyms CARDIO, AT/NF)
8. Reese and Campbell 9th edition Biology Book (BEST BIOLOGY BOOK THAT SUMS up all you need to know for biology)
I got a hold of a PDF version and used my tablet to read ^^

The period i actually spent studying with immense concentration was about 10 weeks

Prior to the the 10 weeks

I started reading MCAT examkrackers (bio/orgo) to refresh my memory from undergrad

I jotted notes down the details as i read and took note on the small tips to help me understand the concept better (I downloaded these online and are still available if you are a torrent user)

Instead of the schedule as provided for two different methods (KBB and CHAD's videos) i doubled up and followed both schedules simultaneously

For math:

I minored in math so i didnt listen to the math lectures (for chad) but did skimmed through KBB to make sure i recalled all the materials (geometry and trigonometry problems especially)

I solved 1 ~ 2 exams a day from the MATH destroyer right up to the exam day (the 2011 version had 12 tests total)

(I didnt not take any practice tests i only missed a couple questions each test due to calculation error - some of the solutions on the 2011 edition has errors so watch out for those)

For THE SCIENCES

After the first 4 weeks of the 8 week program i began solving the problems Organic Chemistry Odyssey and DAT Destroyer

What I did differently compared to others was that i had 3 notebooks (each for one science sections) just for the problems i got wrong on the first run-through of the two books.

Once i have reviewed these problems (along with re writing the questions and explanations) i went through the DAT destroyer and Organic Chemistry for the second time to make sure i knew the materials by heart

** In any case there were problems that were still a little difficult to understand, i went back to Chad's videos for a quick review and get the gist of it again.

In the last week of studying i skimmed through the Reece Campbell biology book one unit a day (the 9th edition has a total of 8 units so it should be ok to skim through)

** In my university I was under the major of human science where we take human anatomy and physiology instead of general biology in my freshmen year. So this book was really helpful in helping me remember the information that i didnt learn back in my undergrad (Ecology, Plants, Animal Behavior, Species, Evolution ETC)

Also i practiced my exams using the Crack the DAT sciences section.

and I was very WRONG to use this software. The questions asked on the Crack the DAT are way harder than the questions asked on the DAT destroyers and very specific detail oriented like what does the radula do and what is the only common feature of mollusks and etc

I freaked out after looking at the exams wondering if the questions were going to be as hard in the actual test

(I had consistently scored 17's on the TS using this software)

For THE PAT

I took the CRACK THE PAT practice tests as guide-lined in the 8 weeks program

But what i did was each time i take my practice tests i had a legal sized whiteboard with a erasable marker to help me get adjusted to repeated erasing and drawing with the whiteboard marker to help me increase the efficiency in using my allotted time during the exam.

(**the markers from the actual exam does not erase well so you might find yourself rubbing against the boards a little hard to get the marker off)

This material is probably the closest you will get to an equal representation of the PAT during the actual exam so highly recommended (there are some errors in the answers but they are very few so it shouldn't affect you from getting the hang of each problems)

But the angle problems on the CDP are especially hard!!

My lowest section was always the angles but seemed to do fine in the actual test!

(my highest score using CDP was a 23)

For the RC

I first started with the KBB's first practice test and then moved my way to Crack DAT RC test sets

To be honest Crack the DAT problems are way harder than the actual DAT but i had already spent in buying the royal flush version so i couldn't afford to by another set of practice exams to look at

But practicing with those helped me get used to the computerized version of the test as well as get my reading pace where it needed to be

(I averaged 18 here I knew that the cut off line was at 17 so I was a little anxious)

Conclusion:

This pretty much sums up my DAT experience and I hope that I am the proof of EVERY ONE can succeed in their DAT when given enough effort and time!!

Thanks for reading

P.S. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

BEST

crax said:

if not a troll, percentages are the percentile of people who take that specific exam, not sure if its strictly from that day however.

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Ah I C

I really didnt understand what the explanation meant in the unofficial score report

Thanks for the answer!

My Reading comprehension was composed of the following

Contraception, Aging and Genetic Therapy

I dont know if it was luck

but fortunately the reading was biology based information so i think i had easier time reading this

Unfortunately there arent much as to what i did specifically to do well

I read through the whole passage once

and as i am doing these i try to keep in mind which paragraph specify which specific information

Also i look at which key words the question is asking

Then i look through the passage to the paragraph that has that key word and try to answer that according to that passage.

I hope this helps (Im sorry its not much)

Best

Member 8586 said:

wow great scores! 2 questions:

math destroyer - did it feel like too much? were you able to finish the destroyer tests in 45 minutes and did you finish in time on the actual test?

and Crack PAT - what sections seemed harder and easier on the actual DAT?

thanks!

Click to expand...

Usually I finished each of the sections with a good time left (except reading because i actually read though the each passages) So I had enough time to look back at all of my marked questions and start from the beginning after that

Math destroyer Definitely not too much

But it does emphasize on the calculations rather than the concepts

I think you should go over some concepts like i mention in another post.

For the PAT the crack the pat has really hard hole punching but on the actual it is not as hard

On the contrary the key hole is much harder than the Crack the PAT because they fail to shade the stuff really well (it could have been just my test)

Also they give you two time warnings (15 min left and 5 minute left)

But you have to click twice to get rid of the warning sign so just make sure you dont panic when it doesnt go away after the first click

Let me know what you also want to know the test i think is still fresh in my memory

I felt that it really concentrated on the calculations

Simple fractions arithmetic, rate problems, statistics (standard deviation problems)

Dimension comparison, geometry problems

All of them are there its just hard to pinpoint which problems will be there and not be there

Its the same idea for the rest of the test you know what materials will be there but just dont know which ones will pop up.

The only consistency is the PAT but thats up to your sight to do well

Again i want to emphasize that math sections they target you to waste time (i.e. use a lot of fractions and radicals to keep you from you getting the answer)

they even change the answers in different forms you might have gotten your answer in fractions or decimals but the answer may be in radical

so the math sections is specifically making you waste time just try to watch out for that and not fall for it

All of the problems are doable and are mentioned in the Math destroyer its a matter of what you can do to increase the efficiency

Best,

Member 8586 said:

thanks ill keep cracking at math destroyer for exposure to more types of problems and to help with speed

also, while its still fresh, any recommendation on what to focus on for GC, OC and Bio in my last 19 days? was everything mostly covered in Destroyer so should I mostly focus on there?

Click to expand...

Ill Be honest,

I was studying before entering the exam room as it was my first time

The GC wasnt that bad

Orgo seemed kind as it gave you one specific answer (like i didnt see any ranking problems like 1 > 2 > 4 > 3)

Bio i was a little afraid but it asked stuff about artificial insemination which I hadn't bothered to look at

But Bio seemed most diverse one you simply cannot cover all of it all

Just try to be solid on your foundations then youll be set

Best,

Not a problem happy that i could be of a help

Sent from my Fascinating ICS