- Joined
- Apr 13, 2011
- Messages
- 46
- Reaction score
- 18
Hello all! First off I would like to thank God for blessing me with the ability to complete this journey - it was the hardest thing I have done and I believed it payed off well. Next, I would like to thank my friends and family for their unending support. Lastly, I would like to say thank you for all those people who posted DAT Breakdowns as they helped me learn what to expect and what to study on the DAT. I have been a long time lurker so this is my first time actually posting a thread. Hope it helps! Here are my scores:
PAT - 22
QR - 19
RC - 18
BIO - 20
GC - 23
OC - 20
TS - 21
AA - 20
*This is sort of a stream of consciousness so don't be too hard on me!
So I took the DAT this morning. Everything went well - check in was easy, test center was calming, and I felt like it was a good environment to do well. Make sure on test day bring two photo ID's. I took my Social Security card thinking that would work along with my license. Turns out SS card won't work so thankfully I had my debit card with me which they accepted.
I began studying at the end of my winter break (Dec 22) and studied through now. This gave me 5 solid weeks of studying because my semester started 2 weeks ago so tests will begin in a couple weeks. I chose the plan of studying in chunks, week-by-week. Here is how it went down...
Week #1: Biology
*Materials: DAT Destroyer, Ferali's Notes
For this section I pretty much only used DAT Destroyer. I did problems in sets of 40 in under 30 mins. In the first few sets I did I did not worry about time and eventually timed myself to understand how I would be paced on the real thing. After I did each set of problem I would go back, grade it, and summarize the explanations for every problem regardless of whether I got it wrong or not. After I had done that for all the problems I went back and did the problems again which helped a great deal. Doing the problems at least twice is critical to realize what you need to focus on. DAT Destroyer was somewhat reflective of the real thing. It is just hard to predict the randomness of the BIO section but it would be of benefit to be comfortable with basic hormones and physiology. I have not taken a physiology/anatomy class so this made me somewhat nervous. I used Ferali's Notes to review things I was not comfortable with and it was a HUGE help to me. If I had to do it again I would definitely look over Ferali's Notes more as I discovered them after I completed my week of biology.
Week #2: General Chemistry
*Materials: Chad's Videos/Quizzes, DAT Destroyer
CHAD IS THE MAN!!!!!! Sorry, I know everyone says it but I believe it now! I was pretty worried about studying for gen chem going into this because it had been 3 semesters since I had to think about gen chem. Chad did an excellent job breaking things down and only teaching things you need to know. I took very detailed notes while watching his videos and if there was something I didn't understand completely I watched the video again. I took the quizzes for each section right after each video but looking back on it I think it would have been more helpful to take them all at once after each "chapter" of videos. Taking them right away just tested memorization, taking them all after helps test understanding more. Chad's quizzes were a good reflection of the type of question I saw but maybe just a little easier. The next tool I used was DAT Destroyer. I used the same strategy I did for BIO problem sets but 30 problems in 30 mins. THESE QUESTIONS ARE HARD!!! I became very worried and discouraged because of the difficulty but going through them more than once helps a ton. I would say Destroyer questions were over-kill but I would rather have it that way than easier than the real thing. I thought my GC score was going to kill me going in but it turned out to be simpler than I had imagined - go figure.
Week #3: Organic Chemistry
*Materials: Chad's Videos/Quizzes, DAT Destroyer
I LOVE YOU CHAD!!!! Seriously, he was great in this section. OC was a fairly strong subject for me in classes but I sort of brain dumped after I had taken it last year. Just like GC, Chad did a great job of churning up all the info I had put in the back of my mind. I did the same thing as GC with the notes and quizzes and again I would recommend to take the quizzes after each chapter of videos. Chad's quizzes were also a good reflection of what I had on my test. I didn't have any questions about recognizing structures on IR Spec or NMR but don't let that be an excuse to slack on it! For Destroyer I used the same method as BIO and GC for the problem sets. I would say Destroyer problems prepared me pretty well for the real test. I didn't look at the Roadmaps too much - I prefer the approach of just putting the pieces of reactions together on my own.
Week #4: PAT
*Materials: Crack DAT PAT (CDP)
So for the PAT I only used CDP. I have always been good with puzzles and rotating things in my mind so this section wasn't that difficult for me naturally. I bought the 10 test pack for the CDP and went through all of them once. For each answer I quickly looked over each of the text answers. I started out at 17 and ended with a 21 on the last one. As compared to the real thing the keyholes were similar, angles were harder on CDP, folding was about the same, TFE was about the same, cube counting was harder on CDP, and pattern folding was about the same. It took me a while to realize that for pattern folding the shapes can only be pushed into the papers (woops). After I realized that my scores improved. Overall, the real DAT was pretty similar to CDP.
Week #5: QR/RC
*Materials: Math Destroyer
For QR I only used Math Destroyer. I used the same method as BIO, GC, and OC problem sets except for 40 problems in 45 mins. Math Destroyer was really helpful for covering the breadth of questions that will be asked on the real thing. It made me pretty confident going into it although I thought I did a little better, oh well! It would be helpful to know the unit circle and be comfortable with word problems. Pretty much, if you can do well on Math Destroyer you will be fine for the real thing.
*Materials: Barron's DAT Review, Crack the DAT Demo, DatQvault, DAT Bootcamp
I only studied for one day on this section. I did a practice section from Barron's, it was a lot more simple than the real thing and wasn't accurate of the types of questions. I did a practice section from Crack the DAT and free practice tests from DatQvault and DAT Bootcamp. I would say these were all reflective of what was on the real thing. On my test I ran out of time and knew it would be my lowest section. I used a combo of the Key Method and Search and Destroy. I would read through each paragraph very quickly just to get a sense of the words in it, right down one word that summarizes the paragraph, then go through the questions. By the end of getting through the questions I had read the passage probably two times. Oh well...
Last 3 Days:
For the last three days before the test I did BIO, OC, then GC. For BIO I pretty much just read through Ferali's Notes and took the free practice tests from DatQvault and DAT Bootcamp. For GC and OC I went through Chad's quizzes and also did the free practice tests from DatQvault and DAT Bootcamp.
In conclusion, as I said earlier, this was the hardest thing I have ever done. I became discouraged more times than I can count. I wanted to give up and just quit but was constantly reminded by my family and friends about the ultimate prize. The DAT Destroyer will destroy your confidence, but in the long run it will make you successful! If you have any questions just let me know or PM me!
Question: For people who are in Dental School or have taken the DAT: do you think my RC is acceptable? Any advice would be appreciated.
God bless!
PAT - 22
QR - 19
RC - 18
BIO - 20
GC - 23
OC - 20
TS - 21
AA - 20
*This is sort of a stream of consciousness so don't be too hard on me!
So I took the DAT this morning. Everything went well - check in was easy, test center was calming, and I felt like it was a good environment to do well. Make sure on test day bring two photo ID's. I took my Social Security card thinking that would work along with my license. Turns out SS card won't work so thankfully I had my debit card with me which they accepted.
I began studying at the end of my winter break (Dec 22) and studied through now. This gave me 5 solid weeks of studying because my semester started 2 weeks ago so tests will begin in a couple weeks. I chose the plan of studying in chunks, week-by-week. Here is how it went down...
Week #1: Biology
*Materials: DAT Destroyer, Ferali's Notes
For this section I pretty much only used DAT Destroyer. I did problems in sets of 40 in under 30 mins. In the first few sets I did I did not worry about time and eventually timed myself to understand how I would be paced on the real thing. After I did each set of problem I would go back, grade it, and summarize the explanations for every problem regardless of whether I got it wrong or not. After I had done that for all the problems I went back and did the problems again which helped a great deal. Doing the problems at least twice is critical to realize what you need to focus on. DAT Destroyer was somewhat reflective of the real thing. It is just hard to predict the randomness of the BIO section but it would be of benefit to be comfortable with basic hormones and physiology. I have not taken a physiology/anatomy class so this made me somewhat nervous. I used Ferali's Notes to review things I was not comfortable with and it was a HUGE help to me. If I had to do it again I would definitely look over Ferali's Notes more as I discovered them after I completed my week of biology.
Week #2: General Chemistry
*Materials: Chad's Videos/Quizzes, DAT Destroyer
CHAD IS THE MAN!!!!!! Sorry, I know everyone says it but I believe it now! I was pretty worried about studying for gen chem going into this because it had been 3 semesters since I had to think about gen chem. Chad did an excellent job breaking things down and only teaching things you need to know. I took very detailed notes while watching his videos and if there was something I didn't understand completely I watched the video again. I took the quizzes for each section right after each video but looking back on it I think it would have been more helpful to take them all at once after each "chapter" of videos. Taking them right away just tested memorization, taking them all after helps test understanding more. Chad's quizzes were a good reflection of the type of question I saw but maybe just a little easier. The next tool I used was DAT Destroyer. I used the same strategy I did for BIO problem sets but 30 problems in 30 mins. THESE QUESTIONS ARE HARD!!! I became very worried and discouraged because of the difficulty but going through them more than once helps a ton. I would say Destroyer questions were over-kill but I would rather have it that way than easier than the real thing. I thought my GC score was going to kill me going in but it turned out to be simpler than I had imagined - go figure.
Week #3: Organic Chemistry
*Materials: Chad's Videos/Quizzes, DAT Destroyer
I LOVE YOU CHAD!!!! Seriously, he was great in this section. OC was a fairly strong subject for me in classes but I sort of brain dumped after I had taken it last year. Just like GC, Chad did a great job of churning up all the info I had put in the back of my mind. I did the same thing as GC with the notes and quizzes and again I would recommend to take the quizzes after each chapter of videos. Chad's quizzes were also a good reflection of what I had on my test. I didn't have any questions about recognizing structures on IR Spec or NMR but don't let that be an excuse to slack on it! For Destroyer I used the same method as BIO and GC for the problem sets. I would say Destroyer problems prepared me pretty well for the real test. I didn't look at the Roadmaps too much - I prefer the approach of just putting the pieces of reactions together on my own.
Week #4: PAT
*Materials: Crack DAT PAT (CDP)
So for the PAT I only used CDP. I have always been good with puzzles and rotating things in my mind so this section wasn't that difficult for me naturally. I bought the 10 test pack for the CDP and went through all of them once. For each answer I quickly looked over each of the text answers. I started out at 17 and ended with a 21 on the last one. As compared to the real thing the keyholes were similar, angles were harder on CDP, folding was about the same, TFE was about the same, cube counting was harder on CDP, and pattern folding was about the same. It took me a while to realize that for pattern folding the shapes can only be pushed into the papers (woops). After I realized that my scores improved. Overall, the real DAT was pretty similar to CDP.
Week #5: QR/RC
*Materials: Math Destroyer
For QR I only used Math Destroyer. I used the same method as BIO, GC, and OC problem sets except for 40 problems in 45 mins. Math Destroyer was really helpful for covering the breadth of questions that will be asked on the real thing. It made me pretty confident going into it although I thought I did a little better, oh well! It would be helpful to know the unit circle and be comfortable with word problems. Pretty much, if you can do well on Math Destroyer you will be fine for the real thing.
*Materials: Barron's DAT Review, Crack the DAT Demo, DatQvault, DAT Bootcamp
I only studied for one day on this section. I did a practice section from Barron's, it was a lot more simple than the real thing and wasn't accurate of the types of questions. I did a practice section from Crack the DAT and free practice tests from DatQvault and DAT Bootcamp. I would say these were all reflective of what was on the real thing. On my test I ran out of time and knew it would be my lowest section. I used a combo of the Key Method and Search and Destroy. I would read through each paragraph very quickly just to get a sense of the words in it, right down one word that summarizes the paragraph, then go through the questions. By the end of getting through the questions I had read the passage probably two times. Oh well...
Last 3 Days:
For the last three days before the test I did BIO, OC, then GC. For BIO I pretty much just read through Ferali's Notes and took the free practice tests from DatQvault and DAT Bootcamp. For GC and OC I went through Chad's quizzes and also did the free practice tests from DatQvault and DAT Bootcamp.
In conclusion, as I said earlier, this was the hardest thing I have ever done. I became discouraged more times than I can count. I wanted to give up and just quit but was constantly reminded by my family and friends about the ultimate prize. The DAT Destroyer will destroy your confidence, but in the long run it will make you successful! If you have any questions just let me know or PM me!
Question: For people who are in Dental School or have taken the DAT: do you think my RC is acceptable? Any advice would be appreciated.
God bless!
