Tyson_Brown
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- Apr 21, 2021
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After a few days of post-exam mind-rotting and an extended celebration of the national holiday on April, 20th, I thought I might detail how I prepared myself for each section of the DAT and relay any words of strategy and advice for those who might need it.
Scores
PAT: 23
QR: 24
RC: 25
Bio: 28
GC: 30
OC:26
TS: 28; AA: 27
Resources
DAT Booster - Fantastic. Gives you a plethora of resources for you to use and prepare yourself. Would recommend. Will write more about specifics below.
DAT Destroyer - As everyone says, consists of difficult questions, but I think that it is an essential resource. It allows for continuous repetition and solid/full explanations to
answers that prove extremely valuable.
Math Destroyer - QR is all about repetition and recognizing what kind of problem you are looking at, so this was a great resource for continuous practice problems.
Pre-studying
Before I began studying, I needed structure. Preparing for the DAT seems like a daunting task for everyone, so to minimize the stress, I tried to break it down by creating a plan of action. I was very fortunate in that I had the time to spare in order to fully prepare myself with no distractions. Since I had the time, I gave myself 3.5 months to study (looking back, this was more than enough time). I was planning on following the old DAT Booster 10-week Study Schedule, and modify it to the almost 15 weeks that I wanted to give myself. I was being extra careful in giving myself more time than I needed because 1. I REFUSED to have to go back through this process again and undergo a retake and 2. I had not taken an Orgo or GC course in over three-ish years, so I was a bit worried about how long it would take me to relearn/refresh everything. So I began by creating a rough plan for myself on how I was going to extend the DAT Booster schedule to my liking. I added on two more weeks to the initial "Content Learning" phase compared to that of the actual Booster study schedule (in total, about 6 weeks), so I could really take my time with the material. I also gave myself review days and REST DAYS. On the old DAT Booster schedule, there were maybe two rest days in total over 10 weeks. That's a little preposterous, but they've since then created a new study schedule that includes more rest days.
Also found a pdf file of a full DAT exam from ADA somewhere and took it the day before I started studying. I wanted to gauge what I was dealing with and what kinds of questions/topics I was going to be needing to learn.
Schedule:
6 days a week, Saturday off (again a luxury of time, but a rest day is necessary in my book. It resets the mind for another week of studying/dedication.)
Alternating 7 and 8 hrs of studying per day (7 hr study session on days that I substitute an hour to go to the gym. Go break a sweat and release some endorphins. Keep your
head straight.)
45 minutes of studying followed by a 5 minute break. After every three 45 minute study blocks, I'd give myself a 10 minute break. Be disciplined, but don't kill yourself. At the end of some days, when I was pretty gassed out, I'd go to the 25 minutes study block with a 5-10 minute break. Whatever felt best for my efficiency during my study block.
For the initial phase of studying, "Content Learning," I modified the DAT Booster schedule. The system that worked for me and felt like a good pace was after every two days of following the DAT Booster schedule, I'd have the following day be a catch-up day because there are a lot of tasks for you to complete by the end of any given day on the schedule and also I could review the material that I had been continually studying. Then I'd repeat, another two days on the DAT Booster schedule and then on the third day, I'd catch-up. If I didn't have anything to catch up on then great. Review.
A lot of people might not need the catch up/review day so frequently, but I found that it gave me a peace of mind that I wasn't just shoveling information into my brain and then moving on to the next topic just to forget about what I had learned in the past week or so.
After the "Content Learning" was complete, then I began using DAT Destroyer (already had started MATH Destroyer during Content Learning phase). My real DAT exam was scheduled for a Monday. So every Monday for the nine weeks after the "Content Learning" phase, I also took a practice exam from DAT Booster (two practice tests on the final week before my actual exam).
Post-Content Learning Phase Schedule
S: DAT Destroyer and Review
M: Practice Test from Booster
T: Go over entire practice test, took note of where I was falling short.
W: DAT Destroyer and Review
Th: DAT Destroyer and Review
F: DAT Destroyer and Review
S: Rest
Strategy
The "Content Learning" phase is rather straightforward via the Booster schedule. Should give you the adequate information/notes to initially prepare yourself.
However, after the content learning phase, this is where you begin to sharpen your sword. This is where DAT/MATH Destroyer and the Booster practice tests come in.
In terms of DAT Destroyer and Math Destroyer, I read almost every single answer to each problem after I got through the chunk of problems that I wanted to get through (even if I got the question right). This was essential for me, especially for the Biology section. The explanations of each answer in the Destroyer books are amazing and valuable. For example with Bio, reading the explanations for each question forces you to review the topic of the question and any other extra valuable details that they state with the answer. There are a lot of times when we answer a question right, but actually don't fully understand the question/narrowed it down to two answers and selected one. This review of the answers allows you to make sure you polish your knowledge on that particular topic. It allows for continuous repetition and exposure to a topic. If you've got the time, don't leave any stones unturned.
Went through DAT/MATH Destroyer almost two times before my actual DAT.
Booster practice tests. I did mostly the same thing, especially for Biology. I read every explanation, even to the questions I got right because the explanations were usually packed with lots of good information about the topic in general, not just the specific question asked. Provides a mini review for yourself. For PAT and RC, you don't really need to read every question's answers but if you think it might help you, then go for it.
This is why I would give myself an entire day to go over a practice test.
Finally, halfway through studying, I started a google docs (mainly for Bio but also for the other science sections and QR). Anytime I came across a topic in Destroyer or during my review of a practice test that I didn't completely feel comfortable with, then I'd jot it down in the google docs. I would come back at the end of the each day, say after going through Destroyer problems, and look up the topic that I needed help/review on. I wouldn't get through everything on my list in one day, but it would be something I would check off and work at every week. Sharpen your sword.
How I Prepared For Each Section:
Bio
Given that I used Booster, I used their version of the updated Feralis Bio Notes. When I first saw the old Feralis Notes, it looked like a nightmare to study from. Just never ending sentences on a pdf file on my computer screen. But by the graces of the Gods, Booster had just released their new Feralis Bio Notes. The difference is night and day in terms of presentation/display. The content of the notes are essentially the same, but it is separated into sections and sub sections with headings and colors and pictures and all the things that allow you to get over the mental hurdle of the depth of the bio section on the DAT.
It's all about breath of knowledge. Try your best to soak in the information during your first once through over the notes. Take your time but also don't just sit and try to memorize everything the first time. Bio is something that you will most likely be reviewing and polishing up on during the entire duration of your studying up until the last week before your exam.
As stated in the strategy section, I read every explanation to questions in Destroyer problems and Booster practice tests for Bio. This holds you accountable and makes sure that you have seen all the information about a specific topic about four-five times by the end of your studying.
Booster Bio practice tests have great questions banks, especially the last three or so practice tests. Very high yield.
GC:
Watched the Chad's videos that Booster linked in their study schedule (wrote down notes/whatever was on Chad's board during the video) and also read the Booster GC notes. DAT Destroyer GC practice problems.
To tackle this section (all the sections really), you need to be able to recognize the questions that are going to come up. This comes with the continual weekly practice tests. Booster presents a lot of High Yield questions from the DAT on their practice tests, so our job as MF-ers who are going to murder this exam is to figure out what to do each time you see a variation of those High Yield/re-occuring questions (i.e. calculating the amount of product in a rxn, percent compositions, balancing forumlas, radioactive decays, etc). Expose yourself to as many problems as possible from DAT Destroyer and the Booster practice tests so you can recognize roughly what do it for each question. AND THIS IS ESSENTIAL, you come to something that you can't quickly wrap your head around, select an answer and mark the question and move on. Come back if you have time.
OC:
Watched DAT Booster's OC videos. Took notes of almost everything in the videos. They provide a great reaction sheet and lab tests pdf document.
Used DAT Destroyer practice problems.
Same as the GC section. Ability to recognize questions (whether they be colligative property questions, acid/base ranking, melting/boiling pt ranking, lab techniques, etc). You have to memorize the reactions, so you are ready when they come up on this section. You could use the anki cards that Booster provides to help you with the reactions.
PAT:
After watching the Booster strategy videos for each section on the PAT, I did five questions from each generator everyday until test day (except practice test days and rest days). After three months of this, I became comfortable with each section and knew what I was getting into.
I used the strategy of starting with angle ranking first during my practice tests. Once the test started, I'd skip to the angle ranking questions and then continue with the sections from there. After getting to the end of the test (pattern folding), I'd go to the TFE section, then I'd go to keyhole last.
You have to be aware of time during the PAT and how much you are spending on each sub section. Where I felt comfortable was if I could get through angle ranking-pattern folding within 30-33 minutes, then that would give me 15 minutes for TFE and 15 minutes for keyhole (which is a perfect scenario, doesn't really split like this. but the rough time split is what I was looking for. Usually ended up spending 14 minutes on TFE and 11 minutes on keyhole during practice tests).
RC:
This was the section I was most worried about. I'm a slow ass reader. Sometimes it feels like my reading comprehension is that of a 5th grader lol.
To make sure I was as ready as I could be, I took the advice of Dr. Romano. I read somewhere he said to try to read 30 minutes to an hour a day of articles to built on your reading speed and comprehension. I decided 30 minutes was enough for me, so everyday I read scientific articles for 30 minutes. You can follow the DAT Destroyer Facebook page where Dr. Romano posts a scientific article for students to read daily, even twice a day sometimes. Very helpful. From there you can go to different websites like knowable magazine, scientific american, etc. and read articles from there.
For the practice tests, the strategy I used was a bit modified from S_Diamond_DDS from Helpful Strategy for RC Section for Slow Readers
My strategy consisted of reading a little more than half of each passage. For example, if the passage had 10 paragraphs I'd read one more than half, so 6 paragraphs. If the passage had an odd number of paragraphs, say 13, then I'd read 7 paragraphs (rounded up from half of 13). My goal was to read quickly but still comprehend 60-70% of the information in the passages. After each paragraph, I'd take a few seconds to summarize what the paragraph consisted of so that I could create a mental roadmap for when I went to answer the questions. My goal was to get done with this portion of reading in a maximum of 5 minutes. Then I'd go to the questions. If I came to a question that I didn't recognize, then I knew it must be from the paragraphs after I stopped reading. I would then either read the first sentence/keywords/last sentence of subsequent paragraphs or just search and destroy until I found the answer. I would shoot for completing an individual passage by 19.5 minutes. Sometimes I would go a little over and that gave me a reminder that I have to speed up a bit for the rest of the passages. I shot for 19.5 minutes for each passage because I wanted to make sure I answered every questions. This is essential. You DO NOT want to get hung up on a single question, even if it seems like an easy recall questions but you just can't find the answer. You need to keep moving because you do not want to guess on two-three questions at the end because you ran out of time. They could have been really easy to answer but you just didn't have time. So pace yourself and be conscious of time.
QR:
Watched the Booster QR videos, used DAT/MATH Destroyer, and Booster practice tests.
QR is also about recognizing questions and knowing how to tackle questions immediately. After taking a few of the Booster QR practice tests, you'll begin to recognize the questions that are going to show up. For example, you have to hone in on variations of d=vt questions (i.e. two cars going into opposite directions and meeting up at a point), probability questions involving die, cards, marbles from a bag, etc., or problems involving rates or combined rates. Repetition is key. Exposing yourself to a range of problems that will allow you to tackle a questions that is essentially getting at an idea/answer that you've already tackled before or seen something similar. If you find yourself lacking on distance problems or probability then focus on those questions and figure out how to understand them (via the explanations given during practice tests/DAT Destroyer or Khan Acad).
I'll say it again, all about pacing. Anytime I came across a questions that I didn't quickly understand or that I couldn't come up with a way to really answer it, then I would guess an answer and mark and move on. Don't waste time. You want to be able to answer all the questions that YOU CAN, and then go back to the one's where you guessed/skipped. This will give you the best score vs. if you spend two+ minutes on a single question and still end up not being able to get the right answer and also end up not being able to answer a simple question that is placed at the end of the exam because you couldn't get to it.
Final Thoughts
Breathe.
As a disciple of the great David Goggin's ideology, mindset is everything. You have to believe in yourself and you have to be self-disciplined. Don't cheat yourself and don't cut corners during this process. If you want to murder this test, you have to put the time in. This doesn't mean put 3.5 months in, like I did. This means time where you're effectively studying, which will range for everyone. None of us wants to sit on our ass and be here studying day in and day out but it's all about the bigger picture. Enjoy the process. Put your head down and GO. These types of standardized exams test your ability to put in the work and soak in a **** ton of information in a certain amount of time and have enough stamina to let everything you have in your brain out during test day. It's a game, and we can all win it.
Scores
PAT: 23
QR: 24
RC: 25
Bio: 28
GC: 30
OC:26
TS: 28; AA: 27
Resources
DAT Booster - Fantastic. Gives you a plethora of resources for you to use and prepare yourself. Would recommend. Will write more about specifics below.
DAT Destroyer - As everyone says, consists of difficult questions, but I think that it is an essential resource. It allows for continuous repetition and solid/full explanations to
answers that prove extremely valuable.
Math Destroyer - QR is all about repetition and recognizing what kind of problem you are looking at, so this was a great resource for continuous practice problems.
Pre-studying
Before I began studying, I needed structure. Preparing for the DAT seems like a daunting task for everyone, so to minimize the stress, I tried to break it down by creating a plan of action. I was very fortunate in that I had the time to spare in order to fully prepare myself with no distractions. Since I had the time, I gave myself 3.5 months to study (looking back, this was more than enough time). I was planning on following the old DAT Booster 10-week Study Schedule, and modify it to the almost 15 weeks that I wanted to give myself. I was being extra careful in giving myself more time than I needed because 1. I REFUSED to have to go back through this process again and undergo a retake and 2. I had not taken an Orgo or GC course in over three-ish years, so I was a bit worried about how long it would take me to relearn/refresh everything. So I began by creating a rough plan for myself on how I was going to extend the DAT Booster schedule to my liking. I added on two more weeks to the initial "Content Learning" phase compared to that of the actual Booster study schedule (in total, about 6 weeks), so I could really take my time with the material. I also gave myself review days and REST DAYS. On the old DAT Booster schedule, there were maybe two rest days in total over 10 weeks. That's a little preposterous, but they've since then created a new study schedule that includes more rest days.
Also found a pdf file of a full DAT exam from ADA somewhere and took it the day before I started studying. I wanted to gauge what I was dealing with and what kinds of questions/topics I was going to be needing to learn.
Schedule:
6 days a week, Saturday off (again a luxury of time, but a rest day is necessary in my book. It resets the mind for another week of studying/dedication.)
Alternating 7 and 8 hrs of studying per day (7 hr study session on days that I substitute an hour to go to the gym. Go break a sweat and release some endorphins. Keep your
head straight.)
45 minutes of studying followed by a 5 minute break. After every three 45 minute study blocks, I'd give myself a 10 minute break. Be disciplined, but don't kill yourself. At the end of some days, when I was pretty gassed out, I'd go to the 25 minutes study block with a 5-10 minute break. Whatever felt best for my efficiency during my study block.
For the initial phase of studying, "Content Learning," I modified the DAT Booster schedule. The system that worked for me and felt like a good pace was after every two days of following the DAT Booster schedule, I'd have the following day be a catch-up day because there are a lot of tasks for you to complete by the end of any given day on the schedule and also I could review the material that I had been continually studying. Then I'd repeat, another two days on the DAT Booster schedule and then on the third day, I'd catch-up. If I didn't have anything to catch up on then great. Review.
A lot of people might not need the catch up/review day so frequently, but I found that it gave me a peace of mind that I wasn't just shoveling information into my brain and then moving on to the next topic just to forget about what I had learned in the past week or so.
After the "Content Learning" was complete, then I began using DAT Destroyer (already had started MATH Destroyer during Content Learning phase). My real DAT exam was scheduled for a Monday. So every Monday for the nine weeks after the "Content Learning" phase, I also took a practice exam from DAT Booster (two practice tests on the final week before my actual exam).
Post-Content Learning Phase Schedule
S: DAT Destroyer and Review
M: Practice Test from Booster
T: Go over entire practice test, took note of where I was falling short.
W: DAT Destroyer and Review
Th: DAT Destroyer and Review
F: DAT Destroyer and Review
S: Rest
Strategy
The "Content Learning" phase is rather straightforward via the Booster schedule. Should give you the adequate information/notes to initially prepare yourself.
However, after the content learning phase, this is where you begin to sharpen your sword. This is where DAT/MATH Destroyer and the Booster practice tests come in.
In terms of DAT Destroyer and Math Destroyer, I read almost every single answer to each problem after I got through the chunk of problems that I wanted to get through (even if I got the question right). This was essential for me, especially for the Biology section. The explanations of each answer in the Destroyer books are amazing and valuable. For example with Bio, reading the explanations for each question forces you to review the topic of the question and any other extra valuable details that they state with the answer. There are a lot of times when we answer a question right, but actually don't fully understand the question/narrowed it down to two answers and selected one. This review of the answers allows you to make sure you polish your knowledge on that particular topic. It allows for continuous repetition and exposure to a topic. If you've got the time, don't leave any stones unturned.
Went through DAT/MATH Destroyer almost two times before my actual DAT.
Booster practice tests. I did mostly the same thing, especially for Biology. I read every explanation, even to the questions I got right because the explanations were usually packed with lots of good information about the topic in general, not just the specific question asked. Provides a mini review for yourself. For PAT and RC, you don't really need to read every question's answers but if you think it might help you, then go for it.
This is why I would give myself an entire day to go over a practice test.
Finally, halfway through studying, I started a google docs (mainly for Bio but also for the other science sections and QR). Anytime I came across a topic in Destroyer or during my review of a practice test that I didn't completely feel comfortable with, then I'd jot it down in the google docs. I would come back at the end of the each day, say after going through Destroyer problems, and look up the topic that I needed help/review on. I wouldn't get through everything on my list in one day, but it would be something I would check off and work at every week. Sharpen your sword.
How I Prepared For Each Section:
Bio
Given that I used Booster, I used their version of the updated Feralis Bio Notes. When I first saw the old Feralis Notes, it looked like a nightmare to study from. Just never ending sentences on a pdf file on my computer screen. But by the graces of the Gods, Booster had just released their new Feralis Bio Notes. The difference is night and day in terms of presentation/display. The content of the notes are essentially the same, but it is separated into sections and sub sections with headings and colors and pictures and all the things that allow you to get over the mental hurdle of the depth of the bio section on the DAT.
It's all about breath of knowledge. Try your best to soak in the information during your first once through over the notes. Take your time but also don't just sit and try to memorize everything the first time. Bio is something that you will most likely be reviewing and polishing up on during the entire duration of your studying up until the last week before your exam.
As stated in the strategy section, I read every explanation to questions in Destroyer problems and Booster practice tests for Bio. This holds you accountable and makes sure that you have seen all the information about a specific topic about four-five times by the end of your studying.
Booster Bio practice tests have great questions banks, especially the last three or so practice tests. Very high yield.
GC:
Watched the Chad's videos that Booster linked in their study schedule (wrote down notes/whatever was on Chad's board during the video) and also read the Booster GC notes. DAT Destroyer GC practice problems.
To tackle this section (all the sections really), you need to be able to recognize the questions that are going to come up. This comes with the continual weekly practice tests. Booster presents a lot of High Yield questions from the DAT on their practice tests, so our job as MF-ers who are going to murder this exam is to figure out what to do each time you see a variation of those High Yield/re-occuring questions (i.e. calculating the amount of product in a rxn, percent compositions, balancing forumlas, radioactive decays, etc). Expose yourself to as many problems as possible from DAT Destroyer and the Booster practice tests so you can recognize roughly what do it for each question. AND THIS IS ESSENTIAL, you come to something that you can't quickly wrap your head around, select an answer and mark the question and move on. Come back if you have time.
OC:
Watched DAT Booster's OC videos. Took notes of almost everything in the videos. They provide a great reaction sheet and lab tests pdf document.
Used DAT Destroyer practice problems.
Same as the GC section. Ability to recognize questions (whether they be colligative property questions, acid/base ranking, melting/boiling pt ranking, lab techniques, etc). You have to memorize the reactions, so you are ready when they come up on this section. You could use the anki cards that Booster provides to help you with the reactions.
PAT:
After watching the Booster strategy videos for each section on the PAT, I did five questions from each generator everyday until test day (except practice test days and rest days). After three months of this, I became comfortable with each section and knew what I was getting into.
I used the strategy of starting with angle ranking first during my practice tests. Once the test started, I'd skip to the angle ranking questions and then continue with the sections from there. After getting to the end of the test (pattern folding), I'd go to the TFE section, then I'd go to keyhole last.
You have to be aware of time during the PAT and how much you are spending on each sub section. Where I felt comfortable was if I could get through angle ranking-pattern folding within 30-33 minutes, then that would give me 15 minutes for TFE and 15 minutes for keyhole (which is a perfect scenario, doesn't really split like this. but the rough time split is what I was looking for. Usually ended up spending 14 minutes on TFE and 11 minutes on keyhole during practice tests).
RC:
This was the section I was most worried about. I'm a slow ass reader. Sometimes it feels like my reading comprehension is that of a 5th grader lol.
To make sure I was as ready as I could be, I took the advice of Dr. Romano. I read somewhere he said to try to read 30 minutes to an hour a day of articles to built on your reading speed and comprehension. I decided 30 minutes was enough for me, so everyday I read scientific articles for 30 minutes. You can follow the DAT Destroyer Facebook page where Dr. Romano posts a scientific article for students to read daily, even twice a day sometimes. Very helpful. From there you can go to different websites like knowable magazine, scientific american, etc. and read articles from there.
For the practice tests, the strategy I used was a bit modified from S_Diamond_DDS from Helpful Strategy for RC Section for Slow Readers
My strategy consisted of reading a little more than half of each passage. For example, if the passage had 10 paragraphs I'd read one more than half, so 6 paragraphs. If the passage had an odd number of paragraphs, say 13, then I'd read 7 paragraphs (rounded up from half of 13). My goal was to read quickly but still comprehend 60-70% of the information in the passages. After each paragraph, I'd take a few seconds to summarize what the paragraph consisted of so that I could create a mental roadmap for when I went to answer the questions. My goal was to get done with this portion of reading in a maximum of 5 minutes. Then I'd go to the questions. If I came to a question that I didn't recognize, then I knew it must be from the paragraphs after I stopped reading. I would then either read the first sentence/keywords/last sentence of subsequent paragraphs or just search and destroy until I found the answer. I would shoot for completing an individual passage by 19.5 minutes. Sometimes I would go a little over and that gave me a reminder that I have to speed up a bit for the rest of the passages. I shot for 19.5 minutes for each passage because I wanted to make sure I answered every questions. This is essential. You DO NOT want to get hung up on a single question, even if it seems like an easy recall questions but you just can't find the answer. You need to keep moving because you do not want to guess on two-three questions at the end because you ran out of time. They could have been really easy to answer but you just didn't have time. So pace yourself and be conscious of time.
QR:
Watched the Booster QR videos, used DAT/MATH Destroyer, and Booster practice tests.
QR is also about recognizing questions and knowing how to tackle questions immediately. After taking a few of the Booster QR practice tests, you'll begin to recognize the questions that are going to show up. For example, you have to hone in on variations of d=vt questions (i.e. two cars going into opposite directions and meeting up at a point), probability questions involving die, cards, marbles from a bag, etc., or problems involving rates or combined rates. Repetition is key. Exposing yourself to a range of problems that will allow you to tackle a questions that is essentially getting at an idea/answer that you've already tackled before or seen something similar. If you find yourself lacking on distance problems or probability then focus on those questions and figure out how to understand them (via the explanations given during practice tests/DAT Destroyer or Khan Acad).
I'll say it again, all about pacing. Anytime I came across a questions that I didn't quickly understand or that I couldn't come up with a way to really answer it, then I would guess an answer and mark and move on. Don't waste time. You want to be able to answer all the questions that YOU CAN, and then go back to the one's where you guessed/skipped. This will give you the best score vs. if you spend two+ minutes on a single question and still end up not being able to get the right answer and also end up not being able to answer a simple question that is placed at the end of the exam because you couldn't get to it.
Final Thoughts
Breathe.
As a disciple of the great David Goggin's ideology, mindset is everything. You have to believe in yourself and you have to be self-disciplined. Don't cheat yourself and don't cut corners during this process. If you want to murder this test, you have to put the time in. This doesn't mean put 3.5 months in, like I did. This means time where you're effectively studying, which will range for everyone. None of us wants to sit on our ass and be here studying day in and day out but it's all about the bigger picture. Enjoy the process. Put your head down and GO. These types of standardized exams test your ability to put in the work and soak in a **** ton of information in a certain amount of time and have enough stamina to let everything you have in your brain out during test day. It's a game, and we can all win it.
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