Everything is bigger in Texas - 08-24-10

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txlonghorn

txlonghorn

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Including my scores:

PA: 21 (89.2%)
QR: 21 (97.6%)
RC: 19 (67.6%) 🙄 Someone buy me some Hooked On Phonics
Bio: 26 (99.8%)
GC: 24 (98.0%)
OC: 24 (97.9%)
TS: 24 (99.7%)
AA: 23 (99.7%)

Overall GPA: 3.80
Science GPA: 3.87
BCP GPA: 4.00

Ok, with the numbers out of the way, I want to first and foremost thank everyone on SDN. You guys have helped answer many of the questions, provide support, and give guidance. I am certain that without your help that this would not have happened.

So on to the details:

PAT: Crack the DAT all the way! I started off making a 17 on my first timed test and felt that I was not mentally capable to getting over a 17 on this section. I could not fold things in my head, open up punched pieces of paper, or sort off angles. However, with practice and learning to eliminate answers, I began to consistently score a 21 on practice tests, which is what I ended up with. For this section, I thought that the keyholes were harder, TFE was about the same, angles were a joke, hole punching was easier, cube counting was tricky (I got one where there was a hole in the middle without support - wtf?), and patten folding was the same. I use to finish CDP with about 15 minutes to review, but only had 5 minutes on the test.

QR: The calculator is so freaking awesome! If there were no calculator, I would probably have scored an 18 or 19 on this section. I mean, I was totally abusing the calculator to solve 200/50 :laugh:. If you go through the Math Destroyer, you will rock this section. I was getting about 30/40 right on the math destroyer and not having enough time. I finished this section with 5 minutes left. However, I did not attempt to solve all of the questions - even if I knew how to do them. The key on this section is timing, so if you know how to solve a problem, but it takes too long, then skip it and move on.

RC:Yay no piano! I speak 3 languages (4 if you count Spanglish. lol) other than english, but have been speaking english since like elementary/middle school, so not sure why I am so weak at the section. When I started preparing for the DAT, I put this section off till the end. This was because I thought it would be a complete joke - I mean, who doesn't know how to read? I guess I realized I didn't after I got a 17 on Crack the DAT Reading. This section is most similar to the CDR type of reading - answers are not 100% S&D, but you kinda have to read them.

BIO: I know people say this section is random, but I don't think it is. This section had a few questions that required you to think for a bit about what was being asked. However, there were many questions that were very simple. I reviewed my questions at the end and was not sure about two of them, which are probably the ones that I missed. The first questions was one of them, and it kinda got me off to a bad start, but I just shook it off. I used Cliff's AP BIO, Kaplan WB/BB, and references Campbell's Biology. I also used the Destroyer for this to cover missing information not covered in any of the other materials that I had.

GCHEM: I was worried about this section the most. I only went through the Destroyer once, about 3 weeks ago, and didn't get a chance to review it. What helped for this section was watching CHAD videos and doing the quizzes. I made notes for his videos and read them along with Kaplan. Before I decided to review only Kaplan and Chad, I went through my class lecture slides - way too much detail and ended up wasting time. Don't do this! For this section, prepare for it as if you were preparing for a dumbed down version of your chem class - they will NEVER trick you on this section.

OCHEM: I am really disappointed with my score here - no joke either! I finished ochem I and II with a 99.9 and 99.0 average, so I thought I would easily make a 30 on this section. There were like 3 problems on this section that were like what?! The rest were a joke. One of them just threw me off completely. For this section, I used my ochem notes from class, destroyer, Kaplan, and CHAD (didn't think he was too good for this section, and I never did his quizzes for this section.

TS 1 TS Only: 21
TS 2 TS Only: 20
TS 3 TS Only: 22

Achiever I & II TS Only: I think I got a 20 (had to uninstall the software so lost my score)

CDP: Average was a 21

CDR: started off making a 17 on the first 5 tests, then I figured out my technique and began scoring a 20 on the rest of them.

Math Destroyer: 30/40 right on most test.

So here is a fun fact: I never completed a whole test ever. lol. I use to get so tired and lazy that I would take like a 20 minute or 4 hour break after doing the natural sciences section on topscore or achiever before completing PAT on CDP.

I studied for this horrible test starting in the middle of May. However, I was probably studying about 4 hours or less per day and enjoying life, going out, working out, and watching movies. I did this till about the beginning of July, then I realized how screwed I was. lol. I started studying about 10-14 hours a day from then on to pick up the slack, which eventually led me to neglecting my fiance, not going out with friends, and becoming fat(this part was actually fun). I had to do this because my weekends and part of my weekdays were gone due to 2 of my close friends getting married. I also ended up moving my test from the 19th to the 24th, so that I can review my materials.

Finally, I am free now 🙂 ....oh wait, school already started and missed the first day.lol.
 
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Awesome grades; I'm taking my exam next Saturday; I had been studying w/ DAT, Math Destroyer, Crack PAT/Reading, Top Score, and Campbell, and getting very nervous every moment til the exam.
 
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cm8a12321,

I was very nervous as well. You have to keep your cool before and during the test. When I would not understand the question or know the answer, I would just tell myself that I will come back to it later. Also, don't take any practice test for 3-4 days before your test date. Instead, take that time to review ALL of your materials - from a to z.
 
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txlonghorn said:
cm8a12321,

I was very nervous as well. You have to keep your cool before and during the test. When I would not understand the question or know the answer, I would just tell myself that I will come back to it later. Also, don't take any practice test for 3-4 days before your test date. Instead, take that time to review ALL of your materials - from a to z.
Click to expand...


Thanks, I will take your advice on that. I am not that strong in RC (scoring 15 **first time**-19 on this section on Crack Reading/Topscore), but I just hope that I don't get slaughtered as hard on this section.
 
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I told u that you'd kill it!! Congrats man!!! Ur scores own mine... i feel like i should retake now cause everyone's AA and TS scores seem so ridiculously high T_T
 
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Congratulations!!! Your scores are awesome!

So I want to ask you about something but not specifics (since obviously you can't disclose test material). You used your orgo notes to review for the oc section. For the 3 questions you were confused on for orgo was it because the material wasn't covered in your class or because you didn't remember or overlooked a few facts while studying?

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
 
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CONGRATS ON THE GREAT SCORE...

i had a question, did you ever use kaplan subject tests?

and which do you think was a better resemblence the TS or Achiever?

and lastly how were your questions for Chem & Ochem, for ex:

Chem - calculations or conceptual
ochem- reactions or conceptual?

Thanks
 
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Congrats on great scores!

if you have USC interviews, feel free to PM me.

I'll try to help out another longhorn with interviews and other questions (my class has 4 people from UT)

good luck! i'm pretty sure you won't need any help with getting in with your great stats
 
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cm8a12321,
Keep practicing RC until your test! Keep your mind in RC mode, so that when the section shows up, you know how to attack it. Trust me, I felt like giving up on the DAT after getting a 17 on the first 5 CDR tests. Figure out your strategy (try different ones to find yours) and keep practicing! Oh, and pray to whomever you do that you don't get the Piano passage.lol. If you do, people recommend that you read it first then answer it. I think you will do great! good luck!

ordinaryasian,

Thanks bud! Your PAT totally owns my brain!

LaFleur,
Thanks! The crazy ochem question that I had was not crazy in the sense that it was not covered in ochem, but that it was one of those things that was just mentioned by the prof in passing. Trust me, I knew ochem cold - was getting a 30 on sever practice test. The other two were manageable, but required a lot of thinking, which I wasn't expecting that. I wish the whole ochem section was mechanisms - I would have aced it. lol. Don't let me comment scare you, because for each section, you will get 1-2 wtf questions, and maybe 5 more that might require thinking. The rest will be cake. Good luck!

DoCt0rPeTe,
You will do great! Just think positive. I was really getting worried and nervous, but then calmed myself down. I think that helped me clearly think through the test and not make mistakes. I suggest you do the same. Just practice and keep skimming through your notes to keep info fresh all the time. Good luck with the test!

TexasDDS,
I did use the Kaplan subject test. They are WAY harder than the actual test. However, they are good to make sure you know your material. The other practice material in my opinion sucks. I took the kaplan midterm and score a 19 like 5 days before the test! I went through it and found most of my errors in chem were dumb calc errors. I also found that kaplan had several mistakes in their bio section too that threw me off. Also, what I realized was that I was thinking too much into stuff - I approached questions as if they were questions for the actual chem class, and always though that the test makers were out to trick me. Don't do this! Just approach all the test material as if it were simple.

The test was easier than any of the practice test that you will do, with the exception of the 7 or so thinking problems per section. These will be on par with the topscore problems. The only resemblance that the test has to topscore is its appearance. lol. It looked like the exact same thing :laugh:

Chem had calculations, but only one required actual calculating. The other were all just setup and go. There were probably a 50-50 split on conceptual and "calc" problems. The only real calc I did was on a rate problems. Ochem was also a mix, but maybe more favoring reactions.

I hope this helps. Good luck on the test!

lphiewok,
:horns: Thanks! 4?! Dang, that's crazy! I have applied to USC already, but just need to send in my secondary fee. I was waiting to send that in after the test (just in case i bombed it).lol. I would love to spend the next 4 years in socal, but it is all going to depend on where my fiance and I end up getting into. If both of us get interviews at USC, I will def hit you up for some info!


Ok everyone, time to go to bed so that I can go back to school. Those few hours of summer vacation were crazy fun!🙄
 
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omg, congrats man....awesome job, make sure u stay in texas i don't need u as my competition haha 😀
 
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Congrats Dude.....I literally spend the whole day yesterday waiting for your breakdown....

Just curious, what strategy did you use for RC...
 
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i was also waiting all day for this post!! congratulations!! i knew you would do well! My test is rapidly approaching and I saw how you said to not worry too much about practice test scores but its really getting me nervous b/c I'm def not doing as well as I would like. You genuinely think Kaplan subject tests are harder than the real test? I hope so! Also would you say bio is similar to Kaplan or no? Are the Destroyer Bio questions similar? I'm trying to just best manage my time 🙂
 
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dentdavis said:
i was also waiting all day for this post!! congratulations!! i knew you would do well! My test is rapidly approaching and I saw how you said to not worry too much about practice test scores but its really getting me nervous b/c I'm def not doing as well as I would like. You genuinely think Kaplan subject tests are harder than the real test? I hope so! Also would you say bio is similar to Kaplan or no? Are the Destroyer Bio questions similar? I'm trying to just best manage my time 🙂
Click to expand...

Kaplan subject tests might be a tad bit harder. I did about 1-2 points better on the real thing than on Kaplan.🙂
 
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hey.

lets make a deal.

i buy you Hooked and Phonics. you withdraw your app from Penn, USC, UCLA, and Columbia.

kthxbye.
 
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Nyr201,

Thanks bud! I think I might stay in Texas, unless I get into Harvard or UCLA. It will save me so much money staying here, but the no rank/high specialization opportunities at those schools are hard to pass up. I also like the PBL thing going on at Harvard, but I have to get accepted first 🙂

flyingforever,

Thanks! I will try to stay in my hood - H-town! lol

Casper22,
Dude, I wanted to post my stats when I got home, but the power was out for 3 hours cause of rain and whatnot.

As for RC, I don't know if you want to follow what I did - very dangerous. I changed my strategy as I was taking the test. If the questions seemed pure search and destroy, I did that. If there was a passage that required more, I used a modified version of the VicViper method - I looked at 4 questions at a time, then began reading the passage and answering a question. As soon as I answered one question, I would review the other reaming 3 questions and look at one more question. I just could not put 16-17 questions in the back of my head. Try it and let me know how it works out - other have tried it and have done well (obviously I didn't).

jenbruin,

Thanks! When I called up my fiance to let her know that I got the same score, she thought I was lying. lol. It is so awesome that it worked out this way.

TK2006,

You called my score in another thread 👍 Thanks bud!

dentdavis,
Sorry, but the power was out 🙁 The first thing I wanted to do was to get on and post my scores - I know, I am totally addicted to sdn.

The Kaplan subject tests are WAY harder than any of the questions you will see on the DAT. However, they are a good way to make sure you have command of the material that you will need to know. Don't worry about timing on the subject tests. The kaplan tests that they have available are not all that and have several mistakes that can affect your score. I would recommend that you use kaplan for its subject tests and workshops - those are really good. Use topscore to practice on timing.

JBieber,
:laugh: I don't think you have anything to worry about - your scores make me feel dumb. lol
 
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Great job!!

Got mine next week on the 30th!

Damn scared...I have been reading your posts and questions and I am so glad you did well...

Quick question though...I am really scared for bio...have done destroyer, read barron's AP and kaplan offcourse...was wondering how much taxonomy you had on yours?

Thanks =)
 
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SSD1 said:
Great job!!

Got mine next week on the 30th!

Damn scared...I have been reading your posts and questions and I am so glad you did well...

Quick question though...I am really scared for bio...have done destroyer, read barron's AP and kaplan offcourse...was wondering how much taxonomy you had on yours?

Thanks =)
Click to expand...

Don't be scared of the test - be confident! I completed the destroyer and used Kaplan, but no Barron's. I used Cliff's AP bio, which covered taxonomy pretty well. Although, it did not cover much about chordates. I think if you go through Kaplan, Destroyer, and AP biology, you will be fine. The taxonomy part is not that bad at all - very basic!
 
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txlonghorn said:
Nyr201,

Casper22,
Dude, I wanted to post my stats when I got home, but the power was out for 3 hours cause of rain and whatnot.

As for RC, I don't know if you want to follow what I did - very dangerous. I changed my strategy as I was taking the test. If the questions seemed pure search and destroy, I did that. If there was a passage that required more, I used a modified version of the VicViper method - I looked at 4 questions at a time, then began reading the passage and answering a question. As soon as I answered one question, I would review the other reaming 3 questions and look at one more question. I just could not put 16-17 questions in the back of my head. Try it and let me know how it works out - other have tried it and have done well (obviously I didn't).
Click to expand...

I will give this a try today... I was acutally thinking of using different strategy depending upon the passage.. .but I am yet to try either of the methods...I hope i can find a strategy before the exam day...🙂
 
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txlonghorn, question

did you or your wife happen to take yalls test in houston? if so which location, harwin?
 
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TexasDDS,
My fiancé took her test in Austin. I took mine at the Harwin location. The computers there are ok. However, I was in the room on the right, and there was a lot of noise from the AC unit. They provided heaphones to block out the noise, so I used those. Overall, the location is ok.


Chromosome21,
Thanks!
 
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They give you 2 whiteboards (actually, they are blue), 2 markers, and an eraser. Make sure you check the markers before taking them. The eraser kind of leaves a mark after you erase, but it is not that bad.
 
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