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- Aug 12, 2013
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Hey guys, I was so busy after I took my DAT last week, I didn't have time to post until now, but here it is, and I am so relieved to be done!
07/09/14
BIO - 23
GC - 23
OC - 22
PAT - 22
RC - 22
QR - 24
AA - 23
TS - 23
Old DAT scores:
BIO - 20
GC - 21
OC - 16
PAT - 18
RC - 17
QR - 19
AA - 19
TS - 19
Time used: I studied ~ 6 weeks total, starting from the end of may, but didn't take it into high gear until the last 2 weeks.
Section brkdwn:
Bio - Feralis' Notes, Anki flashcards, Cliff's 3rd, old/random Kaplan flashcards, Mcat Audio Osmosis, Bootcamp, Chad's videos, Chad's outlines, Achiever (test 2 and 3)
Considering I am a Microbiology major, and bio always came naturally to me, I tried not to focus too much on it, but whenever I started to stray/got distracted/tired, I always wound up studying it because it is more fun to study. I made Anki flashcards in the beginning couple weeks of my studying, and went over it a bit every night, but as time drew near, I realized my other sections required more of my time, so I kind of dropped bio, and only studied it from bootcamp, feralis' notes and chad's mcat notes whenever I could, and would listen to Mcat Audio osmosis on my runs in the morning, on a drive, etc. I actually really liked the audio osmosis, and I think its a good resource to have, although its not as important as other resources, I had a lot of idle time to spare while running, driving, so it came in handy.
I think the most important thing for this section was that the more time you spend on it, the less yield you get, and I read this on someone else's forum. I spent most of my time on the chemistries, math and PAT, because I knew that I was more likely to increase my score per amount of studying time, than for bio. And I just kinda crammed the couple ninths before the test for this. Feralis is really good, but its really detailed, so I wouldn't go overboard on it, I highlighted the most high yield information on it, and just read those, and hoped for the best lol.
On the test, I was PRAYING this section to not be as random as others mention all the time on the forums, and it really wasn't. I was actually surprised.
GC - Chad's videos, quizzes, destroyer (only through question 70, and all acid-base questions, and random questions flipping through couple nights before test), Bootcamp, Achiever ( test 2 and 3)
I was worried about this section in the beginning, so I spent my time watching all of chad's and taking most of his quizzes. I didn't get time to watch the last section, and his last quiz, but I just reviewed my old notes from the last dat I took, which was really useful, as I would only update my notes as I watched Chad's, and my notes were also familiar to me. I tried to really focus on understanding the concepts and how to do each problem which I think is key. For the general chemistry and math, there are mainly only certain types of questions they can ask, in which you just have to know how to solve. After chad's, I started doing bootcamp tests, and whatever topic I was shaky on, that's what I honed in on, and made sure I learned. My weakest sections were acid-base, and lab. So I made sure I understand those very well using bootcamp, destroyer, internet, etc.
The test were also very straightforward, I realized bootcamp was golden for this section, It prepares you SO well. In general, if you can understand and do well on bootcamp, your solid for the test. I probably only marked 1 question.
OC - Chad's videos, quizzes, Bootcamp, destroyer ( only through question 70, and flipped through randomly couple nights before), old class notes/tests/problems, Achiever (test 2 and 3)
At first I thought I was solid in this section, because I loved orgo, and my school prepared me very well. But my bootcamp scores in the beginning, I was barely reaching 20, so I realized what my weaknesses were: nomenclature, lab AND STEREOCHEMISTRY and I was also shaky on a few concepts. After watching most of chad's videos and quizzes, I did destroyer and bootcamp. Bootcamp is also very good for Orgo, however I realized I still had all my old orgo notes, especially for orgo2, and they were amazing haha, they helped out a lot. I didn't look at roadmaps, because I was already solid in reactions. I went through my notes and tried to commit what I was weak in to memory.
The test was also really straightforward, I honestly think I got lucky with my tests haha, It was funny because the night before I took bootcmap test 5's orgo exam and got an 18 haha and I was so nervous, but It ended up being way easier than bootcamp. But Bootcamp is also really good for orgo.
PAT - CDP (all 10 tests), Bootcamp, Achiever (tests 1 through 4)
Okay, so I first started with CDP, took a test and got a 15. And if I can do well on PAT, so can you. ALL IT TAKES IS PRACTICE. I actually didn't even bother with PAT the first DAT I took because I was so bad, but this time around, I realized that It is all about how much work you put in by practicing. That's all it is. And I didn't really use strategies, except for hole punching method with the grid, which is awesome. I eventually started to score around 20/21 on CDP, and realized I needed to switch to Bootcamp. BOOTCAMP IS AMAZING FOR PAT, this is in my opinion is its strongest subject, and you must utilize all 10 of its tests. CDP only provided an underlay, but Bootcamp will help to perfect your score if you continue to practice with it. I also used achiever and only did 4 PAT tests. I recommend it only if you are willing to spend additional money, because bootcamp all you need, but I think achiever's keyholes are very helpful as well.
I realized that after using bootcamp and Achiever's PAT tests, the PAT section turned from my weakest subject to my strongest subject, because I got a 23 on the 2009 ADA exam, and it felt insanely easier than all my practice tests, which is GOOD. That is how it should be, and that is why I dropped CDP, because I trained on harder material.
The test was also very similar to the 2009 ADA, and was very straightforward. The only problem was that the DAT program at prometric SHUT DOWN ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF MY EXAM. After the SNS portion, after clicking the box that said you have run out of time, the program closed, and I was staring at the desktop of the computer. I raised my hand and talked to the lady, and she was so rude haha, she was telling me that she never heard anyone do what I did, and that I needed to pay more attention, and that I was doing something wrong. I was almost about to have a breakdown because I thought I lost all my scores from the SNS! Anyways, after they called support, and got it back up, she started my exam before I got inside, and my PAT section had already started!! As I stepped inside, It was already on 57:00! She was trying to explain to me how I needed to move my stuff over to the new computer, but I didn't even register what she was saying. I quickly grabbed all my boards, pen, ID, and earplugs, ran to my station, and started. I seriously couldn't believe that she would do that, as if we have all the time in the world for our exams! Because of her, I couldn't finish the last 7 angle questions
I save angles for last, because I feel its the most random, but every other section was very straightforward. The more practice you do, the easier this section becomes. Thank you Ari for an amazing program.
RC - Bootcamp
Didn't study. I knew I was very poor in reading. So instead, I tried a different strategy for each bootcmap exam until I found one that worked and used that. Remember, everyone is different so you need to experiment for yourself to realize what tailors most to you.
Exam was SO MUCH EAISER than anything I had ever read. It was pure S&D. I remember my last DAT exam, I had so many non S&D questions, but It was a breeze this time around. I seriously got so lucky. Also I think what helped was that I tried to be geniounly interested in what I was reading, and it worked. I thought that if I was not interested, I didn't deserve to be a medical professional haha because I would be reading much more difficult articles than these in my future haha.
QR - CDR, QR destroyer, MATH destroyer, Kahn Academy, Bootcamp
I really like math, and I was in math club during high school, and would TA and tutor math during college. So I was really familiar with everything, except for p-value, and probability. So I mainly honed on these, I even used Kahn academy, which I thought helped too.
The best advice for the math section I can give is that you need to understand that there are only certain types of questions they can ask. Just understand what you know and don't know, and work on you weak areas. I used only 2 Math destroy tests, all the QR destroyer, and Most of bootcamp, but It helped me to understand what I didn't understand, so that the last couple days before I knew what types of problems to do, and understand.
Test was REALLY straightforward, I never finished a Bootcamp test EVER on time, but I finished with a couple minutes on the real exam. Bootcamp helped most with my timing, which payed off on the real exam.
Scores:
I took a baseline Bootcamp test 1 to understand where I was at:
Bio - 23
GC - 14
OC - 17
PAT - 17
RC - 16
QR - 20
I have the rest of my BC scores in the attachment.
2009 ADA scores: I took this exam 2 days before and immediately knew what I needed work on
BIO - 19
GC - 20
OC - 19
PAT - 23
RC - 18 - I seriously was expecting this score on my real DAT, the passages in this were so hard!
QR - 22 - some of the math on this was hard lol
I also averaged a 20 in QR destroyer (I split it up into 3 40? exams, and timed myself)
Couple Key things I did that I think helped in my studies:
- For the chemistries especially, but also for math, ANY time I encountered a piece of info, or a problem I got wrong, or something I thought I should remember, I wrote it in my solutions notebook. This was compiled as I studied, and I used the last 2 days to review it all. Although I actually never finished reading through all of it, I think this helps to retain the useful information and how to do problems your weak in. Also it helped to remember things as I wrote them down. This is also important for gen chem and math, as there are certain types of probs asked that you must immediately know how to solve. By writing down how to solve them, I would understand what I needed to do on Test day.
- Bootcamp is an amazing software, (an absolute necessity for PAT), and I seriously think this was what did it for me. But I was smart in that I learned from everything I ever got wrong. I spent precious time to go through every single problem, and really understand why I was getting it wrong. EVEN THE ONES I GOT CORRECT I REVIEWED. I think this is important in order to really understand what you need help in, and what you don't, so that you can allocate your time for the most efficient studying you can. Study smart, not hard. Ari also has great customer service, I would email him, message him when I had questions, and he was always there to help. Bootcamp will seriously become the top DAT prep soon, if not already.
- Again, my studying was kind of erratic, and I never fully finished any material ( I even bought 10 Qvault bio tests, and only did 1 test haha), but I think its important to create a REALISTIC, yet EFFECTIVE schedule and stick to it as much as possible. But I constantly would reevaluate what I needed to do based on my productivity for that day and how much I got done.
- Ever test I took in bootcamp I wrote down exactly what topics I was missing, so I knew what I needed to work on.
- I was studying with a friend taking the MCATs, so we kept each other in line with work, breaks, and we were the support all of us need during this stressful time. Although my studying was mostly never productive, I wouldn't often take breaks, but I think it is necessary to at least put a couple hours a week to non-studying time.
Lastly, thank you SDN for having such a great and helpful community. Without this, I would be lost, and not able to achieve the scores I did, and I seriously mean that. Also, remember to have confidence on game day! I listened to some pump up music on my ride there.
Good luck everybody, and I hope at least some part of this long rant is useful to any of you on your journey!
07/09/14
BIO - 23
GC - 23
OC - 22
PAT - 22
RC - 22
QR - 24
AA - 23
TS - 23
Old DAT scores:
BIO - 20
GC - 21
OC - 16
PAT - 18
RC - 17
QR - 19
AA - 19
TS - 19
Time used: I studied ~ 6 weeks total, starting from the end of may, but didn't take it into high gear until the last 2 weeks.
Section brkdwn:
Bio - Feralis' Notes, Anki flashcards, Cliff's 3rd, old/random Kaplan flashcards, Mcat Audio Osmosis, Bootcamp, Chad's videos, Chad's outlines, Achiever (test 2 and 3)
Considering I am a Microbiology major, and bio always came naturally to me, I tried not to focus too much on it, but whenever I started to stray/got distracted/tired, I always wound up studying it because it is more fun to study. I made Anki flashcards in the beginning couple weeks of my studying, and went over it a bit every night, but as time drew near, I realized my other sections required more of my time, so I kind of dropped bio, and only studied it from bootcamp, feralis' notes and chad's mcat notes whenever I could, and would listen to Mcat Audio osmosis on my runs in the morning, on a drive, etc. I actually really liked the audio osmosis, and I think its a good resource to have, although its not as important as other resources, I had a lot of idle time to spare while running, driving, so it came in handy.
I think the most important thing for this section was that the more time you spend on it, the less yield you get, and I read this on someone else's forum. I spent most of my time on the chemistries, math and PAT, because I knew that I was more likely to increase my score per amount of studying time, than for bio. And I just kinda crammed the couple ninths before the test for this. Feralis is really good, but its really detailed, so I wouldn't go overboard on it, I highlighted the most high yield information on it, and just read those, and hoped for the best lol.
On the test, I was PRAYING this section to not be as random as others mention all the time on the forums, and it really wasn't. I was actually surprised.
GC - Chad's videos, quizzes, destroyer (only through question 70, and all acid-base questions, and random questions flipping through couple nights before test), Bootcamp, Achiever ( test 2 and 3)
I was worried about this section in the beginning, so I spent my time watching all of chad's and taking most of his quizzes. I didn't get time to watch the last section, and his last quiz, but I just reviewed my old notes from the last dat I took, which was really useful, as I would only update my notes as I watched Chad's, and my notes were also familiar to me. I tried to really focus on understanding the concepts and how to do each problem which I think is key. For the general chemistry and math, there are mainly only certain types of questions they can ask, in which you just have to know how to solve. After chad's, I started doing bootcamp tests, and whatever topic I was shaky on, that's what I honed in on, and made sure I learned. My weakest sections were acid-base, and lab. So I made sure I understand those very well using bootcamp, destroyer, internet, etc.
The test were also very straightforward, I realized bootcamp was golden for this section, It prepares you SO well. In general, if you can understand and do well on bootcamp, your solid for the test. I probably only marked 1 question.
OC - Chad's videos, quizzes, Bootcamp, destroyer ( only through question 70, and flipped through randomly couple nights before), old class notes/tests/problems, Achiever (test 2 and 3)
At first I thought I was solid in this section, because I loved orgo, and my school prepared me very well. But my bootcamp scores in the beginning, I was barely reaching 20, so I realized what my weaknesses were: nomenclature, lab AND STEREOCHEMISTRY and I was also shaky on a few concepts. After watching most of chad's videos and quizzes, I did destroyer and bootcamp. Bootcamp is also very good for Orgo, however I realized I still had all my old orgo notes, especially for orgo2, and they were amazing haha, they helped out a lot. I didn't look at roadmaps, because I was already solid in reactions. I went through my notes and tried to commit what I was weak in to memory.
The test was also really straightforward, I honestly think I got lucky with my tests haha, It was funny because the night before I took bootcmap test 5's orgo exam and got an 18 haha and I was so nervous, but It ended up being way easier than bootcamp. But Bootcamp is also really good for orgo.
PAT - CDP (all 10 tests), Bootcamp, Achiever (tests 1 through 4)
Okay, so I first started with CDP, took a test and got a 15. And if I can do well on PAT, so can you. ALL IT TAKES IS PRACTICE. I actually didn't even bother with PAT the first DAT I took because I was so bad, but this time around, I realized that It is all about how much work you put in by practicing. That's all it is. And I didn't really use strategies, except for hole punching method with the grid, which is awesome. I eventually started to score around 20/21 on CDP, and realized I needed to switch to Bootcamp. BOOTCAMP IS AMAZING FOR PAT, this is in my opinion is its strongest subject, and you must utilize all 10 of its tests. CDP only provided an underlay, but Bootcamp will help to perfect your score if you continue to practice with it. I also used achiever and only did 4 PAT tests. I recommend it only if you are willing to spend additional money, because bootcamp all you need, but I think achiever's keyholes are very helpful as well.
I realized that after using bootcamp and Achiever's PAT tests, the PAT section turned from my weakest subject to my strongest subject, because I got a 23 on the 2009 ADA exam, and it felt insanely easier than all my practice tests, which is GOOD. That is how it should be, and that is why I dropped CDP, because I trained on harder material.
The test was also very similar to the 2009 ADA, and was very straightforward. The only problem was that the DAT program at prometric SHUT DOWN ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF MY EXAM. After the SNS portion, after clicking the box that said you have run out of time, the program closed, and I was staring at the desktop of the computer. I raised my hand and talked to the lady, and she was so rude haha, she was telling me that she never heard anyone do what I did, and that I needed to pay more attention, and that I was doing something wrong. I was almost about to have a breakdown because I thought I lost all my scores from the SNS! Anyways, after they called support, and got it back up, she started my exam before I got inside, and my PAT section had already started!! As I stepped inside, It was already on 57:00! She was trying to explain to me how I needed to move my stuff over to the new computer, but I didn't even register what she was saying. I quickly grabbed all my boards, pen, ID, and earplugs, ran to my station, and started. I seriously couldn't believe that she would do that, as if we have all the time in the world for our exams! Because of her, I couldn't finish the last 7 angle questions
I save angles for last, because I feel its the most random, but every other section was very straightforward. The more practice you do, the easier this section becomes. Thank you Ari for an amazing program. RC - Bootcamp
Didn't study. I knew I was very poor in reading. So instead, I tried a different strategy for each bootcmap exam until I found one that worked and used that. Remember, everyone is different so you need to experiment for yourself to realize what tailors most to you.
Exam was SO MUCH EAISER than anything I had ever read. It was pure S&D. I remember my last DAT exam, I had so many non S&D questions, but It was a breeze this time around. I seriously got so lucky. Also I think what helped was that I tried to be geniounly interested in what I was reading, and it worked. I thought that if I was not interested, I didn't deserve to be a medical professional haha because I would be reading much more difficult articles than these in my future haha.
QR - CDR, QR destroyer, MATH destroyer, Kahn Academy, Bootcamp
I really like math, and I was in math club during high school, and would TA and tutor math during college. So I was really familiar with everything, except for p-value, and probability. So I mainly honed on these, I even used Kahn academy, which I thought helped too.
The best advice for the math section I can give is that you need to understand that there are only certain types of questions they can ask. Just understand what you know and don't know, and work on you weak areas. I used only 2 Math destroy tests, all the QR destroyer, and Most of bootcamp, but It helped me to understand what I didn't understand, so that the last couple days before I knew what types of problems to do, and understand.
Test was REALLY straightforward, I never finished a Bootcamp test EVER on time, but I finished with a couple minutes on the real exam. Bootcamp helped most with my timing, which payed off on the real exam.
Scores:
I took a baseline Bootcamp test 1 to understand where I was at:
Bio - 23
GC - 14
OC - 17
PAT - 17
RC - 16
QR - 20
I have the rest of my BC scores in the attachment.
2009 ADA scores: I took this exam 2 days before and immediately knew what I needed work on
BIO - 19
GC - 20
OC - 19
PAT - 23
RC - 18 - I seriously was expecting this score on my real DAT, the passages in this were so hard!
QR - 22 - some of the math on this was hard lol
I also averaged a 20 in QR destroyer (I split it up into 3 40? exams, and timed myself)
Couple Key things I did that I think helped in my studies:
- For the chemistries especially, but also for math, ANY time I encountered a piece of info, or a problem I got wrong, or something I thought I should remember, I wrote it in my solutions notebook. This was compiled as I studied, and I used the last 2 days to review it all. Although I actually never finished reading through all of it, I think this helps to retain the useful information and how to do problems your weak in. Also it helped to remember things as I wrote them down. This is also important for gen chem and math, as there are certain types of probs asked that you must immediately know how to solve. By writing down how to solve them, I would understand what I needed to do on Test day.
- Bootcamp is an amazing software, (an absolute necessity for PAT), and I seriously think this was what did it for me. But I was smart in that I learned from everything I ever got wrong. I spent precious time to go through every single problem, and really understand why I was getting it wrong. EVEN THE ONES I GOT CORRECT I REVIEWED. I think this is important in order to really understand what you need help in, and what you don't, so that you can allocate your time for the most efficient studying you can. Study smart, not hard. Ari also has great customer service, I would email him, message him when I had questions, and he was always there to help. Bootcamp will seriously become the top DAT prep soon, if not already.
- Again, my studying was kind of erratic, and I never fully finished any material ( I even bought 10 Qvault bio tests, and only did 1 test haha), but I think its important to create a REALISTIC, yet EFFECTIVE schedule and stick to it as much as possible. But I constantly would reevaluate what I needed to do based on my productivity for that day and how much I got done.
- Ever test I took in bootcamp I wrote down exactly what topics I was missing, so I knew what I needed to work on.
- I was studying with a friend taking the MCATs, so we kept each other in line with work, breaks, and we were the support all of us need during this stressful time. Although my studying was mostly never productive, I wouldn't often take breaks, but I think it is necessary to at least put a couple hours a week to non-studying time.
Lastly, thank you SDN for having such a great and helpful community. Without this, I would be lost, and not able to achieve the scores I did, and I seriously mean that. Also, remember to have confidence on game day! I listened to some pump up music on my ride there.
Good luck everybody, and I hope at least some part of this long rant is useful to any of you on your journey!
