Since everyone else's breakdowns on this forum helped me so much, I thought I'd try to return the favor and see if I could help someone else. After a week of sleepless nights and doing nothing but worrying, the day of reckoning is finally over!
PAT - 23 (98.1%)
QR - 19 (84.9%)
RC - 24 (97.2%)
Bio - 24 (98.7%)
GC - 24 (95.2%)
OC - 22 (91.5%)
TS - 23 (98.2%)
AA - 23 (98.3%)
PAT: Three words here: Crack DAT PAT. It's really the only resource I used for the PAT, and I went from getting 16's at first to consistently getting 23's and 24's by the time I finished it. It's a great representation of the actual test, although I think the hole-punching on the test was slightly easier than on the CDP.
QR: This is the only section I was disappointed in. I ran out of time on it, and had to guess on the last couple. All in all, I was actually pretty relieved that I still got a good score. For prep, I used Destroyer, Crack DAT Math, TopScore, and Achiever, although I think that Achiever was a little harder than the actual thing.
RC: I thought this was a hard section to prepare for. All I did was take a few practice tests. I would skim the passage, read the questions, and go back as needed. Not very scientific, I know, but it seemed to work. Having heard about the piano passage, I was a little scared when I saw it pop up on my test, but it actually wasn't as bad as I thought. Just breathe and read carefully!
Bio: I used a few materials to prepare for this, first and foremost Kaplan BB. Destroyer was also good for quick bits of studying here and there. I also used the ExamKrackers MCAT bio book, which had some good explanations. I got the Crack DAT Science also, but I wouldn't recommend it. Those tests are way too difficult to even be helpful, and only serve to frustrate you. At least they did to me. TopScore was good, and Achiever helped, although I thought it was really hard too (I got a 16 on my last Achiever bio test!) As long as you use what you get wrong on Achiever to learn something new, it can really help.
GC/OC: I grouped the two chemistrys together because I used similar resources for both. Kaplan BB again, as well as the MCAT ExamKracker books were really helpful. Destroyer was also good, but the o-chem stuff can be pretty difficult (which makes it a good learning tool once you've got the basics down). Really, the most helpful thing for these was Chad's videos, which really gave me a great refresher. I really struggled in o-chem during undergrad, so Chad was a great help and got me to understand some concepts that had been difficult before (his explanations on Sn1/Sn2 and E1/E2 are amazing). The key to these is to do as many practice problems as possible, so TopScore and Achiever are also helpful.
Overall, I was really happy with my scores. I'll be applying to Ohio State for fall 2011, so I hope these will be good enough! Thanks for all the help that these forums have given me; they really have been an invaluable resource for studying for this test.
PAT - 23 (98.1%)
QR - 19 (84.9%)
RC - 24 (97.2%)
Bio - 24 (98.7%)
GC - 24 (95.2%)
OC - 22 (91.5%)
TS - 23 (98.2%)
AA - 23 (98.3%)
PAT: Three words here: Crack DAT PAT. It's really the only resource I used for the PAT, and I went from getting 16's at first to consistently getting 23's and 24's by the time I finished it. It's a great representation of the actual test, although I think the hole-punching on the test was slightly easier than on the CDP.
QR: This is the only section I was disappointed in. I ran out of time on it, and had to guess on the last couple. All in all, I was actually pretty relieved that I still got a good score. For prep, I used Destroyer, Crack DAT Math, TopScore, and Achiever, although I think that Achiever was a little harder than the actual thing.
RC: I thought this was a hard section to prepare for. All I did was take a few practice tests. I would skim the passage, read the questions, and go back as needed. Not very scientific, I know, but it seemed to work. Having heard about the piano passage, I was a little scared when I saw it pop up on my test, but it actually wasn't as bad as I thought. Just breathe and read carefully!
Bio: I used a few materials to prepare for this, first and foremost Kaplan BB. Destroyer was also good for quick bits of studying here and there. I also used the ExamKrackers MCAT bio book, which had some good explanations. I got the Crack DAT Science also, but I wouldn't recommend it. Those tests are way too difficult to even be helpful, and only serve to frustrate you. At least they did to me. TopScore was good, and Achiever helped, although I thought it was really hard too (I got a 16 on my last Achiever bio test!) As long as you use what you get wrong on Achiever to learn something new, it can really help.
GC/OC: I grouped the two chemistrys together because I used similar resources for both. Kaplan BB again, as well as the MCAT ExamKracker books were really helpful. Destroyer was also good, but the o-chem stuff can be pretty difficult (which makes it a good learning tool once you've got the basics down). Really, the most helpful thing for these was Chad's videos, which really gave me a great refresher. I really struggled in o-chem during undergrad, so Chad was a great help and got me to understand some concepts that had been difficult before (his explanations on Sn1/Sn2 and E1/E2 are amazing). The key to these is to do as many practice problems as possible, so TopScore and Achiever are also helpful.
Overall, I was really happy with my scores. I'll be applying to Ohio State for fall 2011, so I hope these will be good enough! Thanks for all the help that these forums have given me; they really have been an invaluable resource for studying for this test.
