Hey thank you very much for your input and congratulations on your score! could you explain how you used all three resources in terms of timing and daily schedule? (DAT bootcamp, Qvault and Destroyer) I was planing on using bootcamp and destroy for sure (now i want to add in Qvault) but i would really appreciate your input considering how well you scored on the actually exam
So I studied for 6.5 weeks, and I took one Bootcamp practice test every Saturday. Then starting the 4th week, I would do 2 full length Bootcamp practice tests per week. I strongly recommend taking full length tests once a week from the beginning because a) it gives you an idea of your strong and weak areas, b) it allows you to progressively build stamina, so by the time you take the real DAT you are used to a full length exam, and c) it allows you to track your progress so that you can reschedule your test date in case you are scoring poorly. It is much better to find out that you are getting 14's on OC after your second week of studying than it is the week before your exam. On another note, I think it is ideal to have 10 weeks devoted to studying for the DAT if you have that time available. Anyway, every Saturday I would take my one Bootcamp practice test.
Meanwhile, Sunday through Friday I studied content by thoroughly reviewing all the Bootcamp explanations from the practice test I had taken that past Saturday and taking handwritten notes on the bio explanations. I was also watching YouTube videos on weak topics, reading Kaplan MCAT biology review, reading some of Cliff's AP bio (but I didn't get far because I found it boring), and watching Chad's videos for GC and QR (you can use Mike's or Chad's, and you should watch them for both OC and GC). I teach OC so I hardly studied at all for OC as far as content review. I highly recommend doing Destroyer problems early on and tackling all the subjects at once. It is in your best interest to do a little bio and GC one day, and then maybe a little OC and QR the next day, as opposed to spending a week just on OC. Alternating will allow you to keep all the subjects fresh in your mind. Plus, I find it less mentally taxing. I would recommend that you make a plan for yourself for how many OC, GC, QR, and Bio Destroyer questions you plan to finish each day for the next X weeks (depending how long you have to prepare). As a side note, don't worry too much about Destroyer OC though, as Bootcamp and QVault are way closer to the real thing for OC. I would still complete Destroyer OC, but don't freak out if you find it difficult. Make sure to study OC roadmaps. In general, Destroyer should be used as a learning tool, whereas QVault and Bootcamp should be used for practice problems that are similar to the real DAT.
During the week to practice and prepare for my Saturday full length tests, I was using PAT Generators/retaking Bootcamp PAT tests from the full lengths I had already completed (30 minutes for generators or 1 hr for a full PAT practice test), doing Destroyer problems, doing DAT QVault subject tests (strongly recommend for sciences and QR), and taking Crack DAT RC tests (took all 10 tests, averaged a 22, got a 22 on the real thing).
So essentially, I saved Bootcamp for full length weekly or biweekly practice and utilized QVault for practicing individual subjects (recommend especially for QR & sciences). Crack DAT RC was my form of individual practice for reading. PAT Generators and retaking PAT tests I had already taken as part of a full length was how I practiced PAT each day.
My basic strategy was that I wanted Bootcamp full length tests to serve as a simulation of how I would (likely) perform on the real DAT if I had taken it that Saturday. Then, I also wanted to spread out those full length tests so that I could review them progressively across the 6.5 weeks that I was studying. I knew if I took them all at the end there'd be no way to go over all the explanations. Then, during the week, I knew I wanted extra practice similar to the real DAT, but Destroyer was considered harder than the real thing. So, that's where DAT QVault came in. The website was super easy to navigate and perfect at providing a "vault of questions" to practice a single bio subject test and maybe a single chemistry subject test.
Finally, I believe it is crucial to make a study schedule for yourself. What I did was make a Word document that essentially would lay out what I was going to do each day like this:
8-9am Breakfast
9-11am Notes on Bootcamp Bio Test #1
11am-12pm QVault Bio test #1 & notes on explanations
12pm-1pm Lunch
1-2:30pm Destroyer OC #1-30
2:30-4pm Destroyer GC #1-30
4-5pm Destroyer QR #1-30
5-6pm Dinner
6-8pm Kaplan MCAT Biology Review - Nervous System
8-9pm Crack DAT RC #1
9-10pm QVault GC #1 & OC #1
10-10:30pm Review QVault GC & OC#1
So, I just made that up, but that's to give you an idea. I would make a schedule like that for everyday of your study plan in advance and make changes as you go. Obviously, don't plan to study from 9am-10:30pm your first day or you won't make it. In the beginning maybe just study 6 hours a day or 8 hours a day (depending what you think is good for you). Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!