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So, I just finished taking the DAT this afternoon and it feels fantastic to be done! For the first time in months, I can relax again and return to life as it used to be, before I entered into this long adventure. For those who are still in the process of preparing, I guarantee that you will feel much, much better after the test; work hard and you will almost certainly not be disappointed!
In addition, I think the mindset with which you approach this test is critical; I have always strongly believed, throughout my years in undergrad, that so long as you try your absolute best (well, ok, at least an approximate "best"), you will have nothing to regret. If you work as hard as you can, whatever score you receive is representative of your one hundred percent; it is unreasonable to ask for more than that! Thus, I wanted to enter this test feeling like I had no regrets, and for the most part, I managed that.
Academic Average: 27
Total Science: 26
Bio: 26
General Chem: 25
Organic Chem: 29
PAT: 22
Reading Comprehension: 26
Quantitative Reasoning: 27
Background
I'm a regular old bio major at a public school in California. This past summer, having just finished up my sophomore year with better than average marks, I felt quite confident that I could take on a round of DAT preparation the following fall quarter, along with a full load of courses and assorted extracurriculars. I could not have been more wrong! The course load I took hit me like a sack of bricks and so I postponed to the middle of next quarter. This gave me the breathing room to review at a slow and comfortable pace.
Yet come the week of the test, I still felt like I had a poor handle on two critical sections of the test: the reading and math (which, together, make 40% of the average). I debated rescheduling and thought hard about which I wanted more: 1) to "get it over with" or 2) to minimize potential posttest regret. As I alluded to above, I am not an impulsive person and so, for the second time, I pushed the test back, now to the end of spring break. In retrospect, I am very deeply satisfied with this decision as I was able to hone in on the math section and get it to a much more competitive level.
Preparation Time
In total, then, I've studied for about three and a half months and I think that is a bit longer than average for most people. I sometimes felt bad that it took me so long (in particular, when I read posts on SDN from those who got like a 28 after three weeks or something). If you sometimes feel like I did, realize that all people are unique. Perhaps someone who studies three weeks has a fantastic foundation in the sciences and so needs less review. Who knows? In addition, some people are just flat out smarter than others, and it is important to accept that and not to cut oneself short just to feel faster or smarter. The DAT is not a game of egos! Admissions care not (and know not) one iota about the length of time spent preparing and so our goal, very simply, is to spend as much time as we deem necessary to inch our academic average as high as possible. Do note, however, that too much time is not a good thing either; I think two or so months is a good sweet spot because after that (and, for most people, even during that), there occurs a wonderful little phenomena called "forgetting". This will happen, so expect repeated review! I'll go over several important tools for not forgetting information, in a bit.
Indispensable Review Material
The first part of DAT prepping is review. I cannot stress how important this is. Do not jump straight into practice tests as you will almost certainly do poorly without a solid foundation. When reviewing, it is important to be able to recognize when you don't understand something...
Don't make this common mistake: "oh, I kinda sorta get it and if it pops up on the test, I will wing it at that point". I know this goes through the minds of all students, but resist! The DAT is not at all conducive to "winging it". Hunker down, review the material, mull it over, and perhaps explain it to a friend or two. For bio, explaining concepts to other people (or even to yourself, privately, if your friends are not available to listen to you for hours on end) is a fantastic method for cementing information in your brain very deeply.
Here are three review sources I found indispensable...
1. Chad's Videos: Chad is king in the chemistries! I didn't appreciate him until I'd begun doing practice tests, but his coverage of material is just superb! I have very rarely seen someone who can convey information so very clearly and concisely, yet also relatively comprehensively; Chad covers material to the perfect level of depth. If you are self studying, you simply cannot afford not to subscribe!
2. Cliffs AP Bio 3rd Edition: fantastic review of almost all the important areas; weak in physiology; I recommend this over AP Baron's
3. Feralis Notes: this is a compilation of information (based off of Cliffs) from a wide range of sources; I supplemented Cliffs with the very detailed physiology section from these notes
Detailed Breakdown; How I Studied For Each Section
Below I've included: 1) the materials and strategies I used to both review and practice and 2) a brief description of what each section was like for me on the test. Note, for the practice tests, I ended up using just about all that were available! You do not have to (and, in fact, should not) do this! I've selected the ones I liked the most and included them in the "recommended" title line, but I've also enclosed at the end a full table of scores where I kept track of how I was doing on each test. You can look there to see how representative each one was with respect to the real test, at least for me.
One special mention is the DAT Bootcamp! Imagine we have two weeks before the test and haven't started yet on practice tests. Which program should we purchase? Hands down, without a shadow of a doubt, go for the DAT Bootcamp!! I would go so far as to rank its tests even better than the official 2007 and 2009 tests (well, perhaps equal to the 2009 but much more representative than the 2007); that's how amazing it is! I would not consider it in an option to not use it!! Now, let's hop in…
Note: assume for all the below that I recommend both the 2007 and 2009 official tests as practice material. Take these near the date of your actual test.
Bio: 26… Recommended for review: Cliffs AP Bio + Feralis Notes… For practice: DAT Bootcamp + DAT QVault
How I studied: I read over Cliffs AP Bio during the winter break. At first, I thought I would be able to remember all the facts without writing stuff down, but as the time I spent on other subjects lengthened into weeks and months, I could just about feel huge chunks of the bio I'd spent time memorizing earlier falling piece by piece out of memory. This being a big problem, I scoured SDN for a solution and found someone who had gotten a high score on his bio section using lots of flashcards. I've never much liked flashcards before, but for the DAT, I believe that the sheer volume of information makes them a much more attractive option.
Flashcards serve two purposes: 1) we're taking part in active learning through forming our own sentences out of the concepts we've learned and 2) we'll have a big reservoir of all our information, should we ever forget some of it (fear not; we will). Because of #1, using someone else's flashcards will not be quite as helpful! I used a flashcard app for iphone, which I love, called Flashcards Deluxe. The first cards I made was a near complete set of all the terms and concepts that I didn't understand from the physiology section of Feralis Notes. Thereafter, I went through each of the bio tests across all the testing programs (in particular I recommend QVault first and then Bootcamp because these have super representative questions) and for each question I missed or just felt unsure of, I would make more flashcards via a spreadsheet (that's how Flashcards Deluxe works). Then, whenever I had a spare moment, I could review from either the entire sheet or from the iphone cards; quite convenient!
The test: so, the bio section on the DAT is known for being a bit random, but to be frank it is not too bad. I think I marked about 8 questions or so the first round through and there were questions on my test that were not covered in the material I reviewed (such as two application questions) but I was able to recall information I had learned in regular school and used that to answer them the best I was able; a good background knowledge is quite important for this section as it can get random. Also, I did not prepare for the "genetics" questions at all as one of the classes I'd taken in the fall quarter was genetics and the course at our school was far, far more in-depth and advanced than the questions on the DAT.
General Chem: 25... For review: Chad's Videos… For practice: DAT Destroyer + DAT Bootcamp + DAT QVault
How I studied: in a word, Chad's. I took detailed notes for each of his videos and took the appropriate quiz after each video (although I think I'd recommend taking the entire chapter's worth of videos at the end of each chapter). After I felt like I had a decent background in the content of his videos, I started the infamous DAT Destroyer and it, as per the name, destroyed me readily. Be prepared for this and do not be discouraged. What discouraged me the most was that it took me sometimes upwards of two hours to finish some 20 to 30 questions. Two hours!! I am a slow student... However, I spent that time reading and researching the solutions, making sure to write down all the concepts that I had learned on a couple sheets of paper that I kept in a binder. Each time I learned something new and important, it went onto a sheet of paper. This is critical for learning and remembering the nuances and intricacies of this subject (and its sister, organic chem). I also did this because I did not plan to redo the questions a second time, as most people recommended. However, I did end up doing two thirds of the questions over again and of course, I recommend reviewing all of your wrong answers the week of the test.
Afterwards, I took all the practice tests in the DAT QVault, which was a tad easier than most other practice tests; I later moved on to the DAT Bootcamp, which was far more representative. But both were good and I think instrumental for establishing a solid foundation of knowledge in general chem. Of course, I continued to write down all of the concepts or problems I didn't understand in the binder; this is so important!!
The test: the test I took was not bad for general chem. I think there were just one or two questions I didn't quite know and I suppose I got them wrong. I felt quite bad after not knowing one of them, in particular, which I felt I could have gotten right and so was distracted throughout the entire PAT section. If this happens to you, I advise that you take the time during your break to relax and calm down with deep breaths. Realize that there is still the reading and math ahead and that being calm and focused is crucial for success in these areas.
Organic Chem: 29… For review: Chad's Videos… For practice: DAT Destroyer + DAT Bootcamp + DAT QVault
How I studied: I did much the same as I did for general chem, so I have little to add. I should explain here that the school I go to has a professor who emphasizes the conceptual half of this subject but elects to shave off over half of the standard reactions that are required for the DAT. So when I saw reactants such as ZnHg or OsO4 on Chad's, I was seeing these for the first time. I thus had a lot of catching up to do and so worked hard to become familiar with all the reactions and when to use which. I felt that QVault's tests for this section were a bit harder than the actual test; TopScore's tests are good as well but there was just something I never quite liked about the feel of TopScore as a whole. As usual, the DAT Bootcamp is most representative.
The test: the organic chem section was quite simple, but I anticipated that. Before I took the test, I planned to get no questions wrong on the organic chem so that I could boost the average with one high 20s score. I think I marked two questions, but I was quite sure the answers I put down were correct.
PAT: 22… For practice: DAT Bootcamp + Crack the DAT PAT
This is a wonderful section because there is 1) no need to review for it and 2) no need to score that well on it. As soon as I realized that the PAT was not calculated into the academic average, I reduced the amount of time I spent on it to almost zero and focused on other, more "important" areas. As such, I don't have much to talk about here. I think DAT Bootcamp was the most representative of the real test, but CDP was also fair. Also, the real test was not too bad, but it had some weird shapes and whatnot. In general, I am not at all the best person to ask for advice in preparing for this section.
Oh I do have one tip: skip through the angle ranking and do it last. I hate angles; what a joke of a subsection!
Reading Comprehension: 26… For practice: DAT Bootcamp + TopScore (?)
Another section without reviewing! Reading comprehension is quite near and dear to me because it was one of the main reasons I postponed the second time; I suck at reading! I get distracted very easily and sometimes have to reread entire paragraphs to get the gist better. I still recall emailing Ari Rezaei, the creator of DAT Bootcamp, around the time I postponed and asking him what on earth I should do to get better and he told me to calm down and practice some more. When I first began taking tests for this section, I used QVault; I do not recommend using QVault for reading; its passages are far too interesting, its questions far too basic. Instead, I would recommend going through TopScore first, followed with the DAT Bootcamp because it excels in this area as no other testing program does.
I suspect it might just take a while to develop the proper method for tackling these passages; like everyone always says, what works for one person may not work very well for another. For example, unlike some, I never felt at all comfortable using the search and destroy method that is seemingly so very prevalent on these forums… so I didn't! Near the end, I found a solid method that worked for me:
1. Does the passage have a boring title? Is it chock-full of scientific terms? If so, consider skipping it and coming back later (I did this on the test).
2. If the passage is relatable and interesting, read through the entire thing at an efficient and deliberate pace. For each paragraph, jot down important names, terms, or even brief concepts. This is crucial for two reasons: 1) it prevents our mind from wandering and keeps us focused, allowing much better overall retention and general comprehension and 2) when answering questions, it allows us to find the pertinent paragraph much faster in most cases (I ended up using this second bit so much on the actual test). Aim to spend about 9 to 10 minutes reading and then proceed to answering the questions.
3. If the question we are on right now (or perhaps, if we've flicked through the first three questions, one of those) is related to the exact paragraph we are reading, finish reading the paragraph and answer the question, then flip to the next question and continue reading.
4. Once the interesting passages are done, proceed to the scientific ones and focus much more on step 3; that is, look several questions into the future and be willing to stop reading the passage to knock out pertinent questions right then and there. This is because scientific passages tend to be far denser and reading to the end will mean forgetting details. Don't forget to still jot down important terms (in fact, it is perhaps even more important for these scientific passages unless there are absolute boatloads of terms being introduced).
The idea behind this is that it takes into account one important fact: not all passages are equal! I realized through practicing that I would often do much, much, much better on passages that were interesting to me, whereas on passages that I found boring, I would hemorrhage huge numbers of points, regardless of the fact that I spent 25+ minutes on them because I just could not comprehend what the passage was attempting (or in the case of Achiever, not at all attempting) to tell me! Based on this, what on earth is the point of doing the hard passages before the easier ones? Skip them; find the easier ones; collect those points first. Once those are in the bank, we can take on the harder ones with renewed vigor and the confidence of having finished up a good part of the entire section.
The test: I spent the last five minutes of break just sitting next to the computer and calming down. Once I started, I tried to be as engaged and interested as possible in each of the topics I got; I was fortunate here, because the passages I ended up with were short, well written, and even somewhat interesting; the subjects included weather, quantum mechanics, and bacteria. In the end, the most important thing for me was that I understood each passage and all its nuances; once I did, the questions were a piece of cake! I finished a couple minutes ahead of time and felt like I had gotten most of the questions correct.
Quantitative Reasoning: 27… For practice: Math Destroyer + DAT QVault
How I studied: I struggled a lot with math in high school so this section was quite important to me. There isn't a lot to review except the formulas and when to use each but there also isn't a lot of advice I can give except: do lots of problems! These problems can come from a wide assortment of good materials; if you have QVault, its math is fair -- in fact, so are TopScore's and (for a change) Achiever's maths. The program with the hardest math, I thought, was, in fact, the DAT Bootcamp, but there's a disclaimer at the beginning of that section warning users about that (also I feel he made it tough because of the official 2009's math lol).
But the best practice for this section is Dr. Romano's Math Destroyer, which contains 14 outstanding tests. Go through them after you've built a decent foundation in math (perhaps brush up with Chad) or do a first round untimed and another round timed. In addition, when I was working on math, I wrote down all the new things I learned on several sheets of paper (which I kept in the same binder with all the sheets from the chemistries) so that I could review before each new practice session, ensuring consistent repetition. Regardless of your method, focus on figuring out: 1) the best approach for each "kind" of problem (I preferred slow and methodical over fast but "inventive"), and 2) how to work through problems while being both efficient and accurate. This cannot be overstated; I've read an awful lot of breakdowns which include, for this section, either: 1) "I ran out of time" (not efficient) or 2) "I thought I did good, but the score I got is much lower than I expected" (not accurate). It's hard to give better advice for math except: practice, practice, practice!
The test: the real test I took was not that bad. There were, however, a couple of questions I had a hard time with, but because I finished with about 5 minutes left over, I spent the time brute forcing some of them (plugging in all answer choices until one fell into place); this netted me at least two or three extra questions, which is invaluable! Thus, we see again the value of time; it can be reallocated into problematic areas! Last of all, I want to make it clear once again that I am not one of those SDN geniuses who doesn't prepare yet somehow still pulls a cool 30 out of his back pocket. No matter, this section can be studied for. Don't listen to people who claim that math is a section that can't be improved; when I postponed the test, I knew that I could improve it and worked hard to ensure that I did.
Remarks on Achiever: I got this because some people recommended it, in particular for the PAT and reading. The PAT is much harder than that on the real test but the reading is borderline insane. I ended up with a couple of mid teen scores like 16 or something. I don't recommend it at all for something like reading, where confidence is important. I did not do the natural sciences for the Achiever, but it sounds like hell as well. Thus, I cannot recommend the Achiever at all; there exists a plethora of other practice test options to choose from; pick some of those instead!
Conclusion
I've written this rather long-winded post because I want to give back as much as possible to the community without which I would very certainly have not gotten the scores I did. I used SDN exhaustively while I was researching the right materials to use as well as throughout the preparation period to continually gauge my progress. I thus want to thank all the people on SDN for their help and in particular Ari Rezaei, who has put together one of the most outstanding programs for testing simulation I've ever seen.
Hence, I will conclude with some last bits of advice. The path to taking an important, standardized test like the DAT is never going to be sunshine and daisies. I realize that I might sound as though I knew what I was doing each step along the way, but that is not at all true, for I had many, many days of absolute uncertainty -- days where I simply didn't know what on earth I could do to improve a section or whether I would fail the real test due to nerves or bad luck or a broken computer. But what I went back to each time I felt like that was something that I felt very strongly about then and still do feel very strongly about now: so long as I've tried my best to prepare, whatever score I get will be representative of all that I can do; it will represent a theoretical, if approximate, upper bound for what I can achieve given whatever resources I've selected. This, I think, is fundamental, and applicable to far more than just taking tests or doing well in school. The evening before the test, I didn't feel scared. I felt a bit nervous, but was in general quite relaxed. But above all, I felt that if I had the chance to redo the past several months, there was little I could or would have done differently. Thus, at the very end, I felt confident that I had done all that I could do to ensure that I entered this test with no regrets and, to be honest, that is all I could have ever wanted to ask of myself.
In addition, I think the mindset with which you approach this test is critical; I have always strongly believed, throughout my years in undergrad, that so long as you try your absolute best (well, ok, at least an approximate "best"), you will have nothing to regret. If you work as hard as you can, whatever score you receive is representative of your one hundred percent; it is unreasonable to ask for more than that! Thus, I wanted to enter this test feeling like I had no regrets, and for the most part, I managed that.
Academic Average: 27
Total Science: 26
Bio: 26
General Chem: 25
Organic Chem: 29
PAT: 22
Reading Comprehension: 26
Quantitative Reasoning: 27
Background
I'm a regular old bio major at a public school in California. This past summer, having just finished up my sophomore year with better than average marks, I felt quite confident that I could take on a round of DAT preparation the following fall quarter, along with a full load of courses and assorted extracurriculars. I could not have been more wrong! The course load I took hit me like a sack of bricks and so I postponed to the middle of next quarter. This gave me the breathing room to review at a slow and comfortable pace.
Yet come the week of the test, I still felt like I had a poor handle on two critical sections of the test: the reading and math (which, together, make 40% of the average). I debated rescheduling and thought hard about which I wanted more: 1) to "get it over with" or 2) to minimize potential posttest regret. As I alluded to above, I am not an impulsive person and so, for the second time, I pushed the test back, now to the end of spring break. In retrospect, I am very deeply satisfied with this decision as I was able to hone in on the math section and get it to a much more competitive level.
Preparation Time
In total, then, I've studied for about three and a half months and I think that is a bit longer than average for most people. I sometimes felt bad that it took me so long (in particular, when I read posts on SDN from those who got like a 28 after three weeks or something). If you sometimes feel like I did, realize that all people are unique. Perhaps someone who studies three weeks has a fantastic foundation in the sciences and so needs less review. Who knows? In addition, some people are just flat out smarter than others, and it is important to accept that and not to cut oneself short just to feel faster or smarter. The DAT is not a game of egos! Admissions care not (and know not) one iota about the length of time spent preparing and so our goal, very simply, is to spend as much time as we deem necessary to inch our academic average as high as possible. Do note, however, that too much time is not a good thing either; I think two or so months is a good sweet spot because after that (and, for most people, even during that), there occurs a wonderful little phenomena called "forgetting". This will happen, so expect repeated review! I'll go over several important tools for not forgetting information, in a bit.
Indispensable Review Material
The first part of DAT prepping is review. I cannot stress how important this is. Do not jump straight into practice tests as you will almost certainly do poorly without a solid foundation. When reviewing, it is important to be able to recognize when you don't understand something...
Don't make this common mistake: "oh, I kinda sorta get it and if it pops up on the test, I will wing it at that point". I know this goes through the minds of all students, but resist! The DAT is not at all conducive to "winging it". Hunker down, review the material, mull it over, and perhaps explain it to a friend or two. For bio, explaining concepts to other people (or even to yourself, privately, if your friends are not available to listen to you for hours on end) is a fantastic method for cementing information in your brain very deeply.
Here are three review sources I found indispensable...
1. Chad's Videos: Chad is king in the chemistries! I didn't appreciate him until I'd begun doing practice tests, but his coverage of material is just superb! I have very rarely seen someone who can convey information so very clearly and concisely, yet also relatively comprehensively; Chad covers material to the perfect level of depth. If you are self studying, you simply cannot afford not to subscribe!
2. Cliffs AP Bio 3rd Edition: fantastic review of almost all the important areas; weak in physiology; I recommend this over AP Baron's
3. Feralis Notes: this is a compilation of information (based off of Cliffs) from a wide range of sources; I supplemented Cliffs with the very detailed physiology section from these notes
Detailed Breakdown; How I Studied For Each Section
Below I've included: 1) the materials and strategies I used to both review and practice and 2) a brief description of what each section was like for me on the test. Note, for the practice tests, I ended up using just about all that were available! You do not have to (and, in fact, should not) do this! I've selected the ones I liked the most and included them in the "recommended" title line, but I've also enclosed at the end a full table of scores where I kept track of how I was doing on each test. You can look there to see how representative each one was with respect to the real test, at least for me.
One special mention is the DAT Bootcamp! Imagine we have two weeks before the test and haven't started yet on practice tests. Which program should we purchase? Hands down, without a shadow of a doubt, go for the DAT Bootcamp!! I would go so far as to rank its tests even better than the official 2007 and 2009 tests (well, perhaps equal to the 2009 but much more representative than the 2007); that's how amazing it is! I would not consider it in an option to not use it!! Now, let's hop in…
Note: assume for all the below that I recommend both the 2007 and 2009 official tests as practice material. Take these near the date of your actual test.
Bio: 26… Recommended for review: Cliffs AP Bio + Feralis Notes… For practice: DAT Bootcamp + DAT QVault
How I studied: I read over Cliffs AP Bio during the winter break. At first, I thought I would be able to remember all the facts without writing stuff down, but as the time I spent on other subjects lengthened into weeks and months, I could just about feel huge chunks of the bio I'd spent time memorizing earlier falling piece by piece out of memory. This being a big problem, I scoured SDN for a solution and found someone who had gotten a high score on his bio section using lots of flashcards. I've never much liked flashcards before, but for the DAT, I believe that the sheer volume of information makes them a much more attractive option.
Flashcards serve two purposes: 1) we're taking part in active learning through forming our own sentences out of the concepts we've learned and 2) we'll have a big reservoir of all our information, should we ever forget some of it (fear not; we will). Because of #1, using someone else's flashcards will not be quite as helpful! I used a flashcard app for iphone, which I love, called Flashcards Deluxe. The first cards I made was a near complete set of all the terms and concepts that I didn't understand from the physiology section of Feralis Notes. Thereafter, I went through each of the bio tests across all the testing programs (in particular I recommend QVault first and then Bootcamp because these have super representative questions) and for each question I missed or just felt unsure of, I would make more flashcards via a spreadsheet (that's how Flashcards Deluxe works). Then, whenever I had a spare moment, I could review from either the entire sheet or from the iphone cards; quite convenient!
The test: so, the bio section on the DAT is known for being a bit random, but to be frank it is not too bad. I think I marked about 8 questions or so the first round through and there were questions on my test that were not covered in the material I reviewed (such as two application questions) but I was able to recall information I had learned in regular school and used that to answer them the best I was able; a good background knowledge is quite important for this section as it can get random. Also, I did not prepare for the "genetics" questions at all as one of the classes I'd taken in the fall quarter was genetics and the course at our school was far, far more in-depth and advanced than the questions on the DAT.
General Chem: 25... For review: Chad's Videos… For practice: DAT Destroyer + DAT Bootcamp + DAT QVault
How I studied: in a word, Chad's. I took detailed notes for each of his videos and took the appropriate quiz after each video (although I think I'd recommend taking the entire chapter's worth of videos at the end of each chapter). After I felt like I had a decent background in the content of his videos, I started the infamous DAT Destroyer and it, as per the name, destroyed me readily. Be prepared for this and do not be discouraged. What discouraged me the most was that it took me sometimes upwards of two hours to finish some 20 to 30 questions. Two hours!! I am a slow student... However, I spent that time reading and researching the solutions, making sure to write down all the concepts that I had learned on a couple sheets of paper that I kept in a binder. Each time I learned something new and important, it went onto a sheet of paper. This is critical for learning and remembering the nuances and intricacies of this subject (and its sister, organic chem). I also did this because I did not plan to redo the questions a second time, as most people recommended. However, I did end up doing two thirds of the questions over again and of course, I recommend reviewing all of your wrong answers the week of the test.
Afterwards, I took all the practice tests in the DAT QVault, which was a tad easier than most other practice tests; I later moved on to the DAT Bootcamp, which was far more representative. But both were good and I think instrumental for establishing a solid foundation of knowledge in general chem. Of course, I continued to write down all of the concepts or problems I didn't understand in the binder; this is so important!!
The test: the test I took was not bad for general chem. I think there were just one or two questions I didn't quite know and I suppose I got them wrong. I felt quite bad after not knowing one of them, in particular, which I felt I could have gotten right and so was distracted throughout the entire PAT section. If this happens to you, I advise that you take the time during your break to relax and calm down with deep breaths. Realize that there is still the reading and math ahead and that being calm and focused is crucial for success in these areas.
Organic Chem: 29… For review: Chad's Videos… For practice: DAT Destroyer + DAT Bootcamp + DAT QVault
How I studied: I did much the same as I did for general chem, so I have little to add. I should explain here that the school I go to has a professor who emphasizes the conceptual half of this subject but elects to shave off over half of the standard reactions that are required for the DAT. So when I saw reactants such as ZnHg or OsO4 on Chad's, I was seeing these for the first time. I thus had a lot of catching up to do and so worked hard to become familiar with all the reactions and when to use which. I felt that QVault's tests for this section were a bit harder than the actual test; TopScore's tests are good as well but there was just something I never quite liked about the feel of TopScore as a whole. As usual, the DAT Bootcamp is most representative.
The test: the organic chem section was quite simple, but I anticipated that. Before I took the test, I planned to get no questions wrong on the organic chem so that I could boost the average with one high 20s score. I think I marked two questions, but I was quite sure the answers I put down were correct.
PAT: 22… For practice: DAT Bootcamp + Crack the DAT PAT
This is a wonderful section because there is 1) no need to review for it and 2) no need to score that well on it. As soon as I realized that the PAT was not calculated into the academic average, I reduced the amount of time I spent on it to almost zero and focused on other, more "important" areas. As such, I don't have much to talk about here. I think DAT Bootcamp was the most representative of the real test, but CDP was also fair. Also, the real test was not too bad, but it had some weird shapes and whatnot. In general, I am not at all the best person to ask for advice in preparing for this section.
Oh I do have one tip: skip through the angle ranking and do it last. I hate angles; what a joke of a subsection!
Reading Comprehension: 26… For practice: DAT Bootcamp + TopScore (?)
Another section without reviewing! Reading comprehension is quite near and dear to me because it was one of the main reasons I postponed the second time; I suck at reading! I get distracted very easily and sometimes have to reread entire paragraphs to get the gist better. I still recall emailing Ari Rezaei, the creator of DAT Bootcamp, around the time I postponed and asking him what on earth I should do to get better and he told me to calm down and practice some more. When I first began taking tests for this section, I used QVault; I do not recommend using QVault for reading; its passages are far too interesting, its questions far too basic. Instead, I would recommend going through TopScore first, followed with the DAT Bootcamp because it excels in this area as no other testing program does.
I suspect it might just take a while to develop the proper method for tackling these passages; like everyone always says, what works for one person may not work very well for another. For example, unlike some, I never felt at all comfortable using the search and destroy method that is seemingly so very prevalent on these forums… so I didn't! Near the end, I found a solid method that worked for me:
1. Does the passage have a boring title? Is it chock-full of scientific terms? If so, consider skipping it and coming back later (I did this on the test).
2. If the passage is relatable and interesting, read through the entire thing at an efficient and deliberate pace. For each paragraph, jot down important names, terms, or even brief concepts. This is crucial for two reasons: 1) it prevents our mind from wandering and keeps us focused, allowing much better overall retention and general comprehension and 2) when answering questions, it allows us to find the pertinent paragraph much faster in most cases (I ended up using this second bit so much on the actual test). Aim to spend about 9 to 10 minutes reading and then proceed to answering the questions.
3. If the question we are on right now (or perhaps, if we've flicked through the first three questions, one of those) is related to the exact paragraph we are reading, finish reading the paragraph and answer the question, then flip to the next question and continue reading.
4. Once the interesting passages are done, proceed to the scientific ones and focus much more on step 3; that is, look several questions into the future and be willing to stop reading the passage to knock out pertinent questions right then and there. This is because scientific passages tend to be far denser and reading to the end will mean forgetting details. Don't forget to still jot down important terms (in fact, it is perhaps even more important for these scientific passages unless there are absolute boatloads of terms being introduced).
The idea behind this is that it takes into account one important fact: not all passages are equal! I realized through practicing that I would often do much, much, much better on passages that were interesting to me, whereas on passages that I found boring, I would hemorrhage huge numbers of points, regardless of the fact that I spent 25+ minutes on them because I just could not comprehend what the passage was attempting (or in the case of Achiever, not at all attempting) to tell me! Based on this, what on earth is the point of doing the hard passages before the easier ones? Skip them; find the easier ones; collect those points first. Once those are in the bank, we can take on the harder ones with renewed vigor and the confidence of having finished up a good part of the entire section.
The test: I spent the last five minutes of break just sitting next to the computer and calming down. Once I started, I tried to be as engaged and interested as possible in each of the topics I got; I was fortunate here, because the passages I ended up with were short, well written, and even somewhat interesting; the subjects included weather, quantum mechanics, and bacteria. In the end, the most important thing for me was that I understood each passage and all its nuances; once I did, the questions were a piece of cake! I finished a couple minutes ahead of time and felt like I had gotten most of the questions correct.
Quantitative Reasoning: 27… For practice: Math Destroyer + DAT QVault
How I studied: I struggled a lot with math in high school so this section was quite important to me. There isn't a lot to review except the formulas and when to use each but there also isn't a lot of advice I can give except: do lots of problems! These problems can come from a wide assortment of good materials; if you have QVault, its math is fair -- in fact, so are TopScore's and (for a change) Achiever's maths. The program with the hardest math, I thought, was, in fact, the DAT Bootcamp, but there's a disclaimer at the beginning of that section warning users about that (also I feel he made it tough because of the official 2009's math lol).
But the best practice for this section is Dr. Romano's Math Destroyer, which contains 14 outstanding tests. Go through them after you've built a decent foundation in math (perhaps brush up with Chad) or do a first round untimed and another round timed. In addition, when I was working on math, I wrote down all the new things I learned on several sheets of paper (which I kept in the same binder with all the sheets from the chemistries) so that I could review before each new practice session, ensuring consistent repetition. Regardless of your method, focus on figuring out: 1) the best approach for each "kind" of problem (I preferred slow and methodical over fast but "inventive"), and 2) how to work through problems while being both efficient and accurate. This cannot be overstated; I've read an awful lot of breakdowns which include, for this section, either: 1) "I ran out of time" (not efficient) or 2) "I thought I did good, but the score I got is much lower than I expected" (not accurate). It's hard to give better advice for math except: practice, practice, practice!
The test: the real test I took was not that bad. There were, however, a couple of questions I had a hard time with, but because I finished with about 5 minutes left over, I spent the time brute forcing some of them (plugging in all answer choices until one fell into place); this netted me at least two or three extra questions, which is invaluable! Thus, we see again the value of time; it can be reallocated into problematic areas! Last of all, I want to make it clear once again that I am not one of those SDN geniuses who doesn't prepare yet somehow still pulls a cool 30 out of his back pocket. No matter, this section can be studied for. Don't listen to people who claim that math is a section that can't be improved; when I postponed the test, I knew that I could improve it and worked hard to ensure that I did.
Remarks on Achiever: I got this because some people recommended it, in particular for the PAT and reading. The PAT is much harder than that on the real test but the reading is borderline insane. I ended up with a couple of mid teen scores like 16 or something. I don't recommend it at all for something like reading, where confidence is important. I did not do the natural sciences for the Achiever, but it sounds like hell as well. Thus, I cannot recommend the Achiever at all; there exists a plethora of other practice test options to choose from; pick some of those instead!
Conclusion
I've written this rather long-winded post because I want to give back as much as possible to the community without which I would very certainly have not gotten the scores I did. I used SDN exhaustively while I was researching the right materials to use as well as throughout the preparation period to continually gauge my progress. I thus want to thank all the people on SDN for their help and in particular Ari Rezaei, who has put together one of the most outstanding programs for testing simulation I've ever seen.
Hence, I will conclude with some last bits of advice. The path to taking an important, standardized test like the DAT is never going to be sunshine and daisies. I realize that I might sound as though I knew what I was doing each step along the way, but that is not at all true, for I had many, many days of absolute uncertainty -- days where I simply didn't know what on earth I could do to improve a section or whether I would fail the real test due to nerves or bad luck or a broken computer. But what I went back to each time I felt like that was something that I felt very strongly about then and still do feel very strongly about now: so long as I've tried my best to prepare, whatever score I get will be representative of all that I can do; it will represent a theoretical, if approximate, upper bound for what I can achieve given whatever resources I've selected. This, I think, is fundamental, and applicable to far more than just taking tests or doing well in school. The evening before the test, I didn't feel scared. I felt a bit nervous, but was in general quite relaxed. But above all, I felt that if I had the chance to redo the past several months, there was little I could or would have done differently. Thus, at the very end, I felt confident that I had done all that I could do to ensure that I entered this test with no regrets and, to be honest, that is all I could have ever wanted to ask of myself.
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(idk why I checked SDN before). Give me your strength!
. Goodluck!
