for those of you got above 20+ on every DAT

[Smooth Operater]

for those of you got above 20+ on every DAT section, can you estimate how many hours have you spent on preparing?

I know it depends on the person. I just wanna to see how many hours I should be expected on preparing for the DAT this summer. Thanks guys!

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[pbure]

for those of you got above 20+ on every DAT section, can you estimate how many hours have you spent on preparing?

I know it depends on the person. I just wanna to see how many hours I should be expected on preparing for the DAT this summer. Thanks guys!

my advice? just start opening the books and go at your own pace. dont worry about how many hours others did.
i got 21/21/18..wrote it in november, basically i started in early august and really started going at it about 1 and a half months before the testdate.
practise pat alot,do a couple of reading passages but make sure you know your natural sciences..u dont want to get caught with a bad score there.

 

[TimR]

my advice? just start opening the books and go at your own pace. dont worry about how many hours others did.
i got 21/21/18..wrote it in november, basically i started in early august and really started going at it about 1 and a half months before the testdate.
practise pat alot,do a couple of reading passages but make sure you know your natural sciences..u dont want to get caught with a bad score there.

don't listen to him. he didn't get above 20 on every section. (J/k dude).

seriously, I studied for 2 weeks about 4 hours/ day, realized it was too slow, then went to 6.5-10 hours/day and did that for about 7 weeks, then took it. The week before I took it i just did easy practice problems for about 3 hours a day and tried to stay relaxed (running, working out, movies etc.)

My worst score was a 20 in GC and my best was a 24 in reading. (which I put zero hours of studying into).

just put in the time. it will all start blending together and making sense.

 

[mayoree]

I did a summer program that offered Kaplan classes. So I guess between Kaplan and my own studying, I probably did about 8 hours a day for 8 weeks. I got a 22 overall, 19 or 20 in all of the sciences, a 27 in reading (no studying for that), but a 17 PA (it killed me, Kaplan practice sucks for PA). Good luck!

for those of you got above 20+ on every DAT section, can you estimate how many hours have you spent on preparing?

I know it depends on the person. I just wanna to see how many hours I should be expected on preparing for the DAT this summer. Thanks guys!

 

[sumozmom]

I did a summer program that offered Kaplan classes. So I guess between Kaplan and my own studying, I probably did about 8 hours a day for 8 weeks. I got a 22 overall, 19 or 20 in all of the sciences, a 27 in reading (no studying for that), but a 17 PA (it killed me, Kaplan practice sucks for PA). Good luck!

did u just study exams or did u crack open the old books u orig. learned from?

 

[futrdentist]

I wouldn't do hard core for a long period of time. Depending on how you learn, either cram it all in for three weeks hard core (thats the advice I got from someone at my school) or spread it out thin over the whole summer. If you can't cram, then spread it out for like two hours a day all summer, but don't do hard core for all summer because you'll burn out. I took it during the school year, so I did about a month of an hour or two every day and then about two weeks cramming for about 5-6 hours a day. I got 24AA/23PAT.

 

[saycheese]

i think i gave myself 3 months, mon - thur; few hours/night. Some told me that 1 month was all they needed, others said 3. ... just give urself enough time to be confident with the materials. I ended up taking 2 months to study but since i gave myself 3, in the last month i went through more practice tests from random companies. As the exam date approached, i felt more at ease and wasn't stressing out as i usually would come standardized tests.

I tried to get my hands on as many practice tests possible (kaplan, topscore.. etc..). I wanted more exposure to different types of questions on similar topics. i made sure i took timed tests on paper and on screen (just 'cause i'm not too fond of computerized tests... ). As for kaplan, i liked their materials but not their lecture (maybe it was my teachers 'cause they basically read off the book... )... so i cancelled lectures and went solo.

smooth operator and anyone else prepping for this exam .. gluck!

 

[sumozmom]

I had taken bio in college 15yrs ago...how would you reccomend I study for the bio section?
Chem is no biggy I'm taking those corses now....
PLEASE help

 

[howui3]

for those of you got above 20+ on every DAT section, can you estimate how many hours have you spent on preparing?

I know it depends on the person. I just wanna to see how many hours I should be expected on preparing for the DAT this summer. Thanks guys!

I spent about 6 weeks of hardcore DAT prep. I did it during late summer so I had no other classes or work, just DAT. I started with doing about 3-4 hrs/day and within a few weeks worked it up to 8-10 hrs/day.

I think there are two parts to being ready for the exam:

1. Knowing the material covered on each section (obvious)
2. Mental Stamina - the exam is over 4 hours and you want to be just as fresh and alert on the QR as you were on the first bio section.

Here is what I did:

First day I took a full length diagnostic exam, to see what my baseline is and to moniter my improvements. The exam was from the Kaplan blue book, the one on the back of it. I saved the CD exam for later.

First week I made outlines of each section. I used the Kaplan blue book and had a packet for bio, ochem, gchem, and math. I feel like making these detailed outlines, though took some time, helped me review a lot of the material. I had to read the Kaplan book and then concisely rewrite it on my outline.

Then I would review the outlines every morning for a few hours. At the end of my study period I had it all memorized. Also, making your own outlines helps you organize the material; you made it so you know exactly where things are. So if I came across a practice question with new info, I would just add it to the right place in my outline. This way everything was very organized.

After the review I would do practice problems. Then review them, and spend time understanding the ones I got wrong. This is really helpful on the PAT. If you miss a question, take as much time as you need understanding (or seeing) why you got it wrong and look why the other choices are wrong too. Helps train your brain.

Towards the end of my studying I started to do practice tests. The Kaplan CD test (that comes with the Blue Book), Barrons, DATachiever, and Topscore. I did about 8 full length exams. Then I would review them and add any new info into my outlines, and the review those.

Worked for me. (PAT:23, Bio:22, Gchem:21, Ochem:21, RQ:22, QR:21)

Good luck.

 

[sumozmom]

I spent about 6 weeks of hardcore DAT prep. I did it during late summer so I had no other classes or work, just DAT. I started with doing about 3-4 hrs/day and within a few weeks worked it up to 8-10 hrs/day.

I think there are two parts to being ready for the exam:

1. Knowing the material covered on each section (obvious)
2. Mental Stamina - the exam is over 4 hours and you want to be just as fresh and alert on the QR as you were on the first bio section.

Here is what I did:

First day I took a full length diagnostic exam, to see what my baseline is and to moniter my improvements. The exam was from the Kaplan blue book, the one on the back of it. I saved the CD exam for later.

First week I made outlines of each section. I used the Kaplan blue book and had a packet for bio, ochem, gchem, and math. I feel like making these detailed outlines, though took some time, helped me review a lot of the material. I had to read the Kaplan book and then concisely rewrite it on my outline.

Then I would review the outlines every morning for a few hours. At the end of my study period I had it all memorized. Also, making your own outlines helps you organize the material; you made it so you know exactly where things are. So if I came across a practice question with new info, I would just add it to the right place in my outline. This way everything was very organized.

After the review I would do practice problems. Then review them, and spend time understanding the ones I got wrong. This is really helpful on the PAT. If you miss a question, take as much time as you need understanding (or seeing) why you got it wrong and look why the other choices are wrong too. Helps train your brain.

Towards the end of my studying I started to do practice tests. The Kaplan CD test (that comes with the Blue Book), Barrons, DATachiever, and Topscore. I did about 8 full length exams. Then I would review them and add any new info into my outlines, and the review those.

Worked for me. (PAT:23, Bio:22, Gchem:21, Ochem:21, RQ:22, QR:21)

Good luck.

does Kaplan provide you with study guides for BIO? I have not taken bio for 15 yrs...do u think I could just study the guide for the DAT bio Section?

also would you say that the DAT req. BIO 1& 2 or just 1?

 

[howui3]

does Kaplan provide you with study guides for BIO? I have not taken bio for 15 yrs...do u think I could just study the guide for the DAT bio Section?

also would you say that the DAT req. BIO 1& 2 or just 1?

i took bio recently (and a lot of it) so for me the Kaplan bio review was enough. but i did learn a lot from Topscore/DATachiever, just from reviewing the detailed answer explanation.

the DAT tests on the entire inro bio, from plants to metabolism, from evolution to physiology.

good luck

 

[mayoree]

I used the Kaplan test prep books (The flashcards were extremely helpful) and I had an MCAT prep book that I bought freshman year when I came in as pre-med. They were actually more thorough than the DAT books.

did u just study exams or did u crack open the old books u orig. learned from?

 

[Smooth Operater]

Thanks for all the good tips.

I am asking this b/c I also have a part time work during the summer. I think I will just work on Mon,Wed,Fri till the end of the summer. That gives me time to study on Tus,Thu, and Sat . I don't like cramming, but I also afraid if I study the bio/chem section for long term, I may forget them by the time I take the exam.