DAT Breakdown 7/5/12:
BIO 18
GC 20
OC 22
PAT 20
RC 20
QR 18
TS 20
AA 20
I used this site countless times in preparation for the DAT and thought I'd give my two cents. I also haven't seen too many post of scores that are less than mid-20's range, so hopefully this will give some hope to the more "normal" people like me who aren't in the 95th percentile in everything.
I did the Kaplan, Course Saver, Crack the DAT PAT and datqvault.
First 4 months: Went through the 8 week Kaplan course twice and studied the Review Notes/flash cards for a few hours a day 4 times a week. Took all the quizzes, section tests and additional assignments
Last 4 weeks: Did Course Saver - watched all the GC, most of OC and some QR. Did most of the quizzes in all the sections. datqvault - took practice tests in science sections a few times a week. Studied 8-10 hours a day 4 times a week. Took Kaplan full length tests weekly.
Last 2 weeks: CDP - took one practice exam every day. Took remaining Kaplan full length tests.
I'll give a breakdown of my scores and what I did to prepare.
BIO
Kaplan scores: 17, 17, 21, 16, 17, 22
datqvault scores: 19, 19, 17, 18, 18, 17
Preparation:
I read most of the Kaplan Review Notes, did most of the review questions and went through the course. I'm a non-science major and only took intro-biology, evolution, cell biology, and physiology. I was confident in all of these areas except evolution. I didn't really study much ecology, taxonomy or genetics. I did just the basics from the Kaplan course in these areas. I also memorized all of the Kaplan flash cards and made my own cards of all the practice test questions I missed. In addition, I went over basic concepts of things I didn't understand from datqvault tests and made flash cards. This is the hardest section in my opinion because there is so much information covered. I did well on a few practice exams but very poorly on others. For this section you either know it or you don't.
Actual DAT: 18
I thought that it was very random stuff they asked. I honestly thought that I was going to get a 16 on this section. There were questions about things I have never heard of. There were a few questions about lab work and ecology I just guessed. There was only one physiology question and one more of anatomy. I felt like this section is the least consistent and you can either get lucky or unlucky depending on what areas of biology you are strong at. I was very pleased with an 18 because I thought I got completely destroyed. I thought the Kaplan tests either had a lot of one topic or none at all, not too balanced of material. datqvault was similar to the real thing, but again this section is tough just due to the volume of info you need to know.
GC
Kaplan scores: 16, 16, 17, 14, 19, 16
datqvault scores: 20, 19, 20, 19, 20, 19
Preparation:
I initially went through the Kaplan course, read through all the review notes and questions, and memorized all the flash cards. After all of this I was still getting 16's on my practice tests. I finally got Course Saver and did that for 4 weeks before my test. I watched all the videos and did all the quizzes. I feel that I learned way more through Chad's lectures than all of my Kaplan preparation for this section. I took great notes and would try and duplicate all the things he went over without referring to anything.
Actual DAT: 20
I felt very confident going into this section. There were probably only 5-6 calculations and most of them you didn't have to solve but just select the set-up. There were a few lab questions and some random questions that I had no clue about. Overall it was straight forward, very similar to datqvault. I think datqvault is an almost perfect representation of the actual test. Kaplan has too many calculation problems that do not appear on the real test and is more difficult than the real thing. There are more general concept questions than solving calculations. Chad's videos helped a ton with this section.
OC
Kaplan scores: 20, 19, 18, 18, 17, 14
datqvault scores: 19, 21, 26, 19, 20, 20
Preparation:
I prepared the least for this section. I was a TA for Ochem II the semester before I took the DAT, and am pretty comfortable with this chemistry. I didn't do much of anything from Kaplan except review some reactions and spectroscopy. I did watch most of the Course Saver lectures and did a lot of the quizzes. I highly recommend Chad's lectures for this section, it is the best use of your time. He teaches what you need to know, and tells you what you don't need to worry about. I am glad I watched his lectures as a means of review. I also did the datqvault for practice.
Actual DAT: 22
There was nothing too foreign to me on this section. A lot of general reaction stuff. A few detailed questions that I wasn't positive about. There were a few naming, spectroscopy, lab and mechanism questions but mostly reactions. datqvault had some inconsistencies and a few errors, but was good practice. With Kaplan I always would spend like 40+ minutes on GC and would be rushed to finish OC in 15-20 minutes so I had lower scores on the practice tests. I would recommend spending most of your time memorizing and using the basic reactions in the Kaplan book but more so Course Saver.
PAT
Kaplan scores: 20, 21, 20, 21, 22
Crack the Dat scores: 20, 20, 19, 18, 23, 20, 21, 19, 21
Preparation:
Keyholes - just visualized and eliminated choices. FTE - event counting and visualize. Hole punching - used 4x4 grid method and marked holes while visualizing unfolding. Angles - look at answers, find smallest or largest, compare middle angles and eliminate choices. Cubes - used chart and tally method. Pattern folding - look for unique shapes and fold pattern over answer choices.
Actual DAT: 20
I thought that I had done a lot better than 20 on the PAT. I had about 7 minutes left over and I went through about 10 that I marked. I was expecting to get at least a 22 and was pretty disappointed in my score. I had been told that Kaplan was way too easy in the PAT so I got the 10 CDP tests. I felt that Kaplan was pretty accurate to the actual DAT except the angles and cubes were too easy and maybe keyholes.
CDP was a better preparation than Kaplan. The figures for the keyholes and TFE were right on, but the CDP options were too dissimilar. I would average 14/15 TFE on CDP because I would just count events and eliminate, but that doesn't work with most options on the actual test. They are so similar it is hard to distinguish the right one. I struggled a bit on that part. Angles were a little easier on the actual DAT than CDP. Cubes were easier on actual DAT because there were not so many, maybe 15 for each figure as opposed to 20 or 25 for CDP. Pattern folding was similar.
RC
Kaplan scores: 21, 18, 17, 19, 18, 17
datqvault scores: 22, 21
Preparation:
I am the worst at reading comprehension. I have a terrible time concentrating on a passage and am always getting distracted thinking about something else and have to reread things several times. This section was tough for me and I knew that it wasn't my strongpoint. I tried all the methods: search and destroy, detailed reading with no notes, detailed reading with notes, skimming and noting topic sentences, skimming and noting keywords and topic sentences, detailed reading and noting summary of paragraphs and a combination of everything. I finally found that detailed reading with detailed notes worked best for me. This is completely up to the person. I have a friend that did this method and got a 26 and another friend that did only S&D and also got a 26, so it is individual based. I would spend 10-12 minutes reading the passage, and 8-10 minutes answering questions per passage.
Actual DAT: 20
I could feel the fatigue setting in at this point. I had a little trouble focusing but was fine after a few minutes when adrenaline kicked in. The first passage I did my practiced method of detailed reading with detailed notes, but took too much time. I started the second passage with 35 minutes left and got pretty nervous. I read faster and took less notes and had to do a little S&D on the last two passages. I did better than I expected in this section. I was pleased with my 20 because I knew I was weak in this area. I think the Kaplan tests were just like the actual DAT. The 2 datqvault tests I took were a little too easy but still good practice.
QR
Kaplan: 13, 13, 17, 18, 19, 16
datqvault: 21, 17, 18, 19, 20
Preparation:
I did the Kaplan course and read most of the Review Notes with questions. I spent a full week just doing math and feel like I wasted a lot of time reading and figuring out tips from Kaplan. I then watched most of Course Saver videos and did the quizzes. This helped a lot and gave some good tips for fractions, probability, ratios and more.
Actual DAT: 18
I knew that I could not get through the entire section and do every problem. I didn't know trigonometry or geometry very well, but got very quick with algebra, fractions and rate problems. So I would just guess and mark the trig/geometry problems unless I knew I could do it really fast. I marked 7-8 problems, but had about 5 minutes left over. I went back and figured a few out that I had marked. Kaplan was very similar to actual DAT. datqvault was a little easier but still good practice. It must be really hard to score in the 20's in QR because I was in the 85th percentile with my 18. Just take as many timed practiced tests in this areas a possible and figure out how to do them fast as you review the answers.
If I could go back in time I would do a lot differently to prepare for the DAT. Here is what I'd recommend:
1. Don't do Kaplan. The Review Notes/flash cards/quicksheets are extremely useful but you can find them online for like $50. Paying over $1000 is not worth it. If you are going to spend that much you can use that money elsewhere and in my opinion get better resources. I think the Kaplan resources are the best for BIO. Buy that stuff online, but don't waste your money on the entire course.
2. Get Course Saver. Chad's videos for GC and OC are the best preparation out of anything for these sections. He is also very helpful for QR. I would get a two month membership and go through his lectures once, take some practice tests and go through his lectures again on areas that you are weak in. It's only $40 a month, totally worth it.
3. Get Crack the DAT PAT. I think this is the best preparation for the PAT. This is all you need for this section. I would get the 10 tests, it costs $120. I would recommend taking a bunch of these a few weeks leading up to the exam. The PAT is all about practice and doing it a lot like 2 weeks before your test will help the most.
4. Get datqvault. The BIO, GC and OC are really similar to the real DAT. The RC and QR are easier but it is still great practice. To get 10 exams in each section (6 in RC) it is only $100 and will last 3 months. I think it is totally worth your money for how many tests they offer. I would do these as you are going or re-going through Chad's videos to gauge where you are at with GC and OC. Gauge where you are at with BIO. You can also get some exposure to RC and QR. You can also set these up to take them all in a row and simulate a TS section or full length exam supplemented with CDP.
5. In replacement of the Kaplan full length exams I would for sure get TopScorePro. It's only $60 for 3 full length exams. I would do these a few weeks before the actual DAT, and use the previously mentioned materials to prepare for these tests, doing a lot of study and practice in between.
6. If you feel like you need more full lengths than try the ADEA sample DAT or look elsewhere, but I think the first 5 items will be sufficient.
Please reply to this thread if you have any questions or comments about anything I have discussed. I wish all of you preparing for the DAT the best of luck!
BIO 18
GC 20
OC 22
PAT 20
RC 20
QR 18
TS 20
AA 20
I used this site countless times in preparation for the DAT and thought I'd give my two cents. I also haven't seen too many post of scores that are less than mid-20's range, so hopefully this will give some hope to the more "normal" people like me who aren't in the 95th percentile in everything.
I did the Kaplan, Course Saver, Crack the DAT PAT and datqvault.
First 4 months: Went through the 8 week Kaplan course twice and studied the Review Notes/flash cards for a few hours a day 4 times a week. Took all the quizzes, section tests and additional assignments
Last 4 weeks: Did Course Saver - watched all the GC, most of OC and some QR. Did most of the quizzes in all the sections. datqvault - took practice tests in science sections a few times a week. Studied 8-10 hours a day 4 times a week. Took Kaplan full length tests weekly.
Last 2 weeks: CDP - took one practice exam every day. Took remaining Kaplan full length tests.
I'll give a breakdown of my scores and what I did to prepare.
BIO
Kaplan scores: 17, 17, 21, 16, 17, 22
datqvault scores: 19, 19, 17, 18, 18, 17
Preparation:
I read most of the Kaplan Review Notes, did most of the review questions and went through the course. I'm a non-science major and only took intro-biology, evolution, cell biology, and physiology. I was confident in all of these areas except evolution. I didn't really study much ecology, taxonomy or genetics. I did just the basics from the Kaplan course in these areas. I also memorized all of the Kaplan flash cards and made my own cards of all the practice test questions I missed. In addition, I went over basic concepts of things I didn't understand from datqvault tests and made flash cards. This is the hardest section in my opinion because there is so much information covered. I did well on a few practice exams but very poorly on others. For this section you either know it or you don't.
Actual DAT: 18
I thought that it was very random stuff they asked. I honestly thought that I was going to get a 16 on this section. There were questions about things I have never heard of. There were a few questions about lab work and ecology I just guessed. There was only one physiology question and one more of anatomy. I felt like this section is the least consistent and you can either get lucky or unlucky depending on what areas of biology you are strong at. I was very pleased with an 18 because I thought I got completely destroyed. I thought the Kaplan tests either had a lot of one topic or none at all, not too balanced of material. datqvault was similar to the real thing, but again this section is tough just due to the volume of info you need to know.
GC
Kaplan scores: 16, 16, 17, 14, 19, 16
datqvault scores: 20, 19, 20, 19, 20, 19
Preparation:
I initially went through the Kaplan course, read through all the review notes and questions, and memorized all the flash cards. After all of this I was still getting 16's on my practice tests. I finally got Course Saver and did that for 4 weeks before my test. I watched all the videos and did all the quizzes. I feel that I learned way more through Chad's lectures than all of my Kaplan preparation for this section. I took great notes and would try and duplicate all the things he went over without referring to anything.
Actual DAT: 20
I felt very confident going into this section. There were probably only 5-6 calculations and most of them you didn't have to solve but just select the set-up. There were a few lab questions and some random questions that I had no clue about. Overall it was straight forward, very similar to datqvault. I think datqvault is an almost perfect representation of the actual test. Kaplan has too many calculation problems that do not appear on the real test and is more difficult than the real thing. There are more general concept questions than solving calculations. Chad's videos helped a ton with this section.
OC
Kaplan scores: 20, 19, 18, 18, 17, 14
datqvault scores: 19, 21, 26, 19, 20, 20
Preparation:
I prepared the least for this section. I was a TA for Ochem II the semester before I took the DAT, and am pretty comfortable with this chemistry. I didn't do much of anything from Kaplan except review some reactions and spectroscopy. I did watch most of the Course Saver lectures and did a lot of the quizzes. I highly recommend Chad's lectures for this section, it is the best use of your time. He teaches what you need to know, and tells you what you don't need to worry about. I am glad I watched his lectures as a means of review. I also did the datqvault for practice.
Actual DAT: 22
There was nothing too foreign to me on this section. A lot of general reaction stuff. A few detailed questions that I wasn't positive about. There were a few naming, spectroscopy, lab and mechanism questions but mostly reactions. datqvault had some inconsistencies and a few errors, but was good practice. With Kaplan I always would spend like 40+ minutes on GC and would be rushed to finish OC in 15-20 minutes so I had lower scores on the practice tests. I would recommend spending most of your time memorizing and using the basic reactions in the Kaplan book but more so Course Saver.
PAT
Kaplan scores: 20, 21, 20, 21, 22
Crack the Dat scores: 20, 20, 19, 18, 23, 20, 21, 19, 21
Preparation:
Keyholes - just visualized and eliminated choices. FTE - event counting and visualize. Hole punching - used 4x4 grid method and marked holes while visualizing unfolding. Angles - look at answers, find smallest or largest, compare middle angles and eliminate choices. Cubes - used chart and tally method. Pattern folding - look for unique shapes and fold pattern over answer choices.
Actual DAT: 20
I thought that I had done a lot better than 20 on the PAT. I had about 7 minutes left over and I went through about 10 that I marked. I was expecting to get at least a 22 and was pretty disappointed in my score. I had been told that Kaplan was way too easy in the PAT so I got the 10 CDP tests. I felt that Kaplan was pretty accurate to the actual DAT except the angles and cubes were too easy and maybe keyholes.
CDP was a better preparation than Kaplan. The figures for the keyholes and TFE were right on, but the CDP options were too dissimilar. I would average 14/15 TFE on CDP because I would just count events and eliminate, but that doesn't work with most options on the actual test. They are so similar it is hard to distinguish the right one. I struggled a bit on that part. Angles were a little easier on the actual DAT than CDP. Cubes were easier on actual DAT because there were not so many, maybe 15 for each figure as opposed to 20 or 25 for CDP. Pattern folding was similar.
RC
Kaplan scores: 21, 18, 17, 19, 18, 17
datqvault scores: 22, 21
Preparation:
I am the worst at reading comprehension. I have a terrible time concentrating on a passage and am always getting distracted thinking about something else and have to reread things several times. This section was tough for me and I knew that it wasn't my strongpoint. I tried all the methods: search and destroy, detailed reading with no notes, detailed reading with notes, skimming and noting topic sentences, skimming and noting keywords and topic sentences, detailed reading and noting summary of paragraphs and a combination of everything. I finally found that detailed reading with detailed notes worked best for me. This is completely up to the person. I have a friend that did this method and got a 26 and another friend that did only S&D and also got a 26, so it is individual based. I would spend 10-12 minutes reading the passage, and 8-10 minutes answering questions per passage.
Actual DAT: 20
I could feel the fatigue setting in at this point. I had a little trouble focusing but was fine after a few minutes when adrenaline kicked in. The first passage I did my practiced method of detailed reading with detailed notes, but took too much time. I started the second passage with 35 minutes left and got pretty nervous. I read faster and took less notes and had to do a little S&D on the last two passages. I did better than I expected in this section. I was pleased with my 20 because I knew I was weak in this area. I think the Kaplan tests were just like the actual DAT. The 2 datqvault tests I took were a little too easy but still good practice.
QR
Kaplan: 13, 13, 17, 18, 19, 16
datqvault: 21, 17, 18, 19, 20
Preparation:
I did the Kaplan course and read most of the Review Notes with questions. I spent a full week just doing math and feel like I wasted a lot of time reading and figuring out tips from Kaplan. I then watched most of Course Saver videos and did the quizzes. This helped a lot and gave some good tips for fractions, probability, ratios and more.
Actual DAT: 18
I knew that I could not get through the entire section and do every problem. I didn't know trigonometry or geometry very well, but got very quick with algebra, fractions and rate problems. So I would just guess and mark the trig/geometry problems unless I knew I could do it really fast. I marked 7-8 problems, but had about 5 minutes left over. I went back and figured a few out that I had marked. Kaplan was very similar to actual DAT. datqvault was a little easier but still good practice. It must be really hard to score in the 20's in QR because I was in the 85th percentile with my 18. Just take as many timed practiced tests in this areas a possible and figure out how to do them fast as you review the answers.
If I could go back in time I would do a lot differently to prepare for the DAT. Here is what I'd recommend:
1. Don't do Kaplan. The Review Notes/flash cards/quicksheets are extremely useful but you can find them online for like $50. Paying over $1000 is not worth it. If you are going to spend that much you can use that money elsewhere and in my opinion get better resources. I think the Kaplan resources are the best for BIO. Buy that stuff online, but don't waste your money on the entire course.
2. Get Course Saver. Chad's videos for GC and OC are the best preparation out of anything for these sections. He is also very helpful for QR. I would get a two month membership and go through his lectures once, take some practice tests and go through his lectures again on areas that you are weak in. It's only $40 a month, totally worth it.
3. Get Crack the DAT PAT. I think this is the best preparation for the PAT. This is all you need for this section. I would get the 10 tests, it costs $120. I would recommend taking a bunch of these a few weeks leading up to the exam. The PAT is all about practice and doing it a lot like 2 weeks before your test will help the most.
4. Get datqvault. The BIO, GC and OC are really similar to the real DAT. The RC and QR are easier but it is still great practice. To get 10 exams in each section (6 in RC) it is only $100 and will last 3 months. I think it is totally worth your money for how many tests they offer. I would do these as you are going or re-going through Chad's videos to gauge where you are at with GC and OC. Gauge where you are at with BIO. You can also get some exposure to RC and QR. You can also set these up to take them all in a row and simulate a TS section or full length exam supplemented with CDP.
5. In replacement of the Kaplan full length exams I would for sure get TopScorePro. It's only $60 for 3 full length exams. I would do these a few weeks before the actual DAT, and use the previously mentioned materials to prepare for these tests, doing a lot of study and practice in between.
6. If you feel like you need more full lengths than try the ADEA sample DAT or look elsewhere, but I think the first 5 items will be sufficient.
Please reply to this thread if you have any questions or comments about anything I have discussed. I wish all of you preparing for the DAT the best of luck!
