- Joined
- Apr 24, 2010
- Messages
- 95
- Reaction score
- 1
I took the DAT the day before school started, so forgive the delay. I'm not applying for this cycle, but took it early just in case I had to retake, but I am very happy with my scores so there will be no more DATing for me!
Section Standard Score Percentile
PA - - - - 26 - - - - - - - - - 99.6
QR - - - - 19 - - - - - - - - - 91.2 (some people would put a sad face here. but this deserves a
)
RC - - - - 25 - - - - - - - - - 97.0
Bio - - - - 23 - - - - - - - - - 97.4
GC - - - - 23 - - - - - - - - - 95.4
OC - - - - 29 - - - - - - - - - 98.9
TS - - - - 24 - - - - - - - - - 99.1
AA - - - - 24 - - - - - - - - - 99.6
Kaplan book test (13 days before test)
PA - - - - 25
QR - - - - 18
RC - - - - 20
Bio - - - - 21
GC - - - - 19
OC - - - - 21
TS - - - - 21
TS1 (10 days before test)
PA - - - - 22
QR - - - - 18
RC - - - - 20
Bio - - - - 19
GC - - - - 17
OC - - - - 19
TS - - - - 19
AA - - - - 19
TS2 (8 days before test)
PA - - - - 25
QR - - - - 18
RC - - - - 21
Bio - - - - 19
GC - - - - 18
OC - - - - 19
TS - - - - 19
AA - - - - 19
TS3 (6 days before test)
PA - - - - 24
QR - - - - 24
RC - - - - 21
Bio - - - - 18
GC - - - - 17
OC - - - - 23
TS - - - - 19
AA - - - - 21
The materials I used were:
Kaplan BB 2010:
This was a good review of topics I had forgotten, however reader-be-ware I found a lot of errors while reading it, and people who might not have a strong background in science might not catch them. The biology section is not enough and needs to be supplemented with something else, especially with plant topics. The general chemistry review was okay, but not as good as Chad's IMO. Ochem review is okay and worth going through, but it needs to be supplemented with Destroyer. The math review was a joke and is so ridiculously easy, though the KBB test in the back is pretty representative of the actual test. The PAT explanation was good and offered strategies that were useful to me, though the PAT section in the KBB test was WAY too easy. The best way to use this book would be to make note cards on anki as you read it. Would I buy it again if I knew what I know now? I'm not entirely sure.
Barron's AP Biology 2008:
The best thing about this resource was that it was like ten dollars because it was a bit old. But really, how often does basic biology ACTUALLY change? This was a good resource for biology. I read through the chapters. The most efficient way to use this would be to make note cards on anki while reading.
DAT Destroyer:
Overall, this was a good resource. The biology section was harder than the DAT, BUT it points out weak points in your knowledge base, which is valuable in itself. I think the organic chemistry section was right on with the actual test. The GC section of this book was calculation overkill. In the end, I just gave up and didn't use it because it was just so frustrating and I felt like I was just wasting time. Again, making flashcards of the questions you have missed and flashcards of the ochem road maps were EXTREMELY helpful.
MATH Destroyer:
This was the only reason I got a 19 on the QR section. I didn't have a good math program in high school and therefore my skill in these types of questions really sucks. Basically, I went through the book maybe three times. The types of questions that are in this book are on the test (distance problems, probability questions, logarithms, and other stuff you probably haven't used in years). I also made flashcards of the equations with anki. And also 5+7, which for some reason always screams 13 in my brain, but this is not accurate.
Crack DAT PAT:
A good resource for practicing the PAT section. Also, this is a good way to test new strategies. I bought the ten test version, wanting to be prepared, but only actually went through three of them because I was scoring just fine. What I lack in high school math, I guess I make up for with my strong art background. This was much more accurate than the test that comes with KBB. I would highly recommend this one also because it gives 3D explanations for problems you got wrong.
Crack DAT RC:
I really liked this resource because not all of the articles were science related, similar to the DAT. I did these tests until I got my pacing down. Many of the questions were tone-based, so skimming won't help you, which I found the best strategy for me for the test as well.
Chad's Videos:
I really ought to have just bought these in the first place. I only bought them after having a complete GC meltdown one day. They are fantastic. The best way to use them is take notes while you watch and make flashcards of them. They teach you how to do any of the calculations you'll need to do for the test, as well as advice on estimation. The best thing about these videos is that he doesn't spend time going over stuff you won't see on the test. With a lot of other materials I was using for this section, I was so frustrated because they were so different (destroyer vs kaplan) and left me wondering "what in the HECK do I ACTUALLY need to know!?" He tells you how a certain problem might be asked, what kinds of tricks they use, ect. The man knows his stuff and is good at teaching.
Topscore:
I chose topscore vs achiever because I heard that Achiever was super-hard, and as the kind of person who doesn't like to waste time, I wasn't about to stress over something that was going to be that much harder than my real test. Overall I liked topscore, I found it an accurate representation of QR, RC, and PAT. The sciences were a bit harder than the real thing IMO. My only gripe is that a few questions in the PAT and QR sections repeated themselves from test to test, so I found myself answering them according to what I remembered the answer to be previously, rather than actually taking the time to solve them which would have been more accurate. I mean, come on, how much did I pay for all this stuff and you can't even come up with different problems for each test? That said, I still wouldn't say this is a huge issue. Just a pet peeve of mine. Overall, this was a good buy.
Anki:
Saved. my. life. I was a three weeks away from my test and had that hopeless feeling that I was going to have to drop out of college and die or something. I had taken notes on all of the review material I had read, but I had poor recall. The best thing about this program, after spending hundreds of dollars on all of this review material and the test and everything, this was free. For a detailed breakdown of anki see here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=697147&highlight=anki
I wish you all the best of luck!
Section Standard Score Percentile
PA - - - - 26 - - - - - - - - - 99.6
QR - - - - 19 - - - - - - - - - 91.2 (some people would put a sad face here. but this deserves a
)RC - - - - 25 - - - - - - - - - 97.0
Bio - - - - 23 - - - - - - - - - 97.4
GC - - - - 23 - - - - - - - - - 95.4
OC - - - - 29 - - - - - - - - - 98.9
TS - - - - 24 - - - - - - - - - 99.1
AA - - - - 24 - - - - - - - - - 99.6
Kaplan book test (13 days before test)
PA - - - - 25
QR - - - - 18
RC - - - - 20
Bio - - - - 21
GC - - - - 19
OC - - - - 21
TS - - - - 21
TS1 (10 days before test)
PA - - - - 22
QR - - - - 18
RC - - - - 20
Bio - - - - 19
GC - - - - 17
OC - - - - 19
TS - - - - 19
AA - - - - 19
TS2 (8 days before test)
PA - - - - 25
QR - - - - 18
RC - - - - 21
Bio - - - - 19
GC - - - - 18
OC - - - - 19
TS - - - - 19
AA - - - - 19
TS3 (6 days before test)
PA - - - - 24
QR - - - - 24
RC - - - - 21
Bio - - - - 18
GC - - - - 17
OC - - - - 23
TS - - - - 19
AA - - - - 21
The materials I used were:
Kaplan BB 2010:
This was a good review of topics I had forgotten, however reader-be-ware I found a lot of errors while reading it, and people who might not have a strong background in science might not catch them. The biology section is not enough and needs to be supplemented with something else, especially with plant topics. The general chemistry review was okay, but not as good as Chad's IMO. Ochem review is okay and worth going through, but it needs to be supplemented with Destroyer. The math review was a joke and is so ridiculously easy, though the KBB test in the back is pretty representative of the actual test. The PAT explanation was good and offered strategies that were useful to me, though the PAT section in the KBB test was WAY too easy. The best way to use this book would be to make note cards on anki as you read it. Would I buy it again if I knew what I know now? I'm not entirely sure.
Barron's AP Biology 2008:
The best thing about this resource was that it was like ten dollars because it was a bit old. But really, how often does basic biology ACTUALLY change? This was a good resource for biology. I read through the chapters. The most efficient way to use this would be to make note cards on anki while reading.
DAT Destroyer:
Overall, this was a good resource. The biology section was harder than the DAT, BUT it points out weak points in your knowledge base, which is valuable in itself. I think the organic chemistry section was right on with the actual test. The GC section of this book was calculation overkill. In the end, I just gave up and didn't use it because it was just so frustrating and I felt like I was just wasting time. Again, making flashcards of the questions you have missed and flashcards of the ochem road maps were EXTREMELY helpful.
MATH Destroyer:
This was the only reason I got a 19 on the QR section. I didn't have a good math program in high school and therefore my skill in these types of questions really sucks. Basically, I went through the book maybe three times. The types of questions that are in this book are on the test (distance problems, probability questions, logarithms, and other stuff you probably haven't used in years). I also made flashcards of the equations with anki. And also 5+7, which for some reason always screams 13 in my brain, but this is not accurate.
Crack DAT PAT:
A good resource for practicing the PAT section. Also, this is a good way to test new strategies. I bought the ten test version, wanting to be prepared, but only actually went through three of them because I was scoring just fine. What I lack in high school math, I guess I make up for with my strong art background. This was much more accurate than the test that comes with KBB. I would highly recommend this one also because it gives 3D explanations for problems you got wrong.
Crack DAT RC:
I really liked this resource because not all of the articles were science related, similar to the DAT. I did these tests until I got my pacing down. Many of the questions were tone-based, so skimming won't help you, which I found the best strategy for me for the test as well.
Chad's Videos:
I really ought to have just bought these in the first place. I only bought them after having a complete GC meltdown one day. They are fantastic. The best way to use them is take notes while you watch and make flashcards of them. They teach you how to do any of the calculations you'll need to do for the test, as well as advice on estimation. The best thing about these videos is that he doesn't spend time going over stuff you won't see on the test. With a lot of other materials I was using for this section, I was so frustrated because they were so different (destroyer vs kaplan) and left me wondering "what in the HECK do I ACTUALLY need to know!?" He tells you how a certain problem might be asked, what kinds of tricks they use, ect. The man knows his stuff and is good at teaching.
Topscore:
I chose topscore vs achiever because I heard that Achiever was super-hard, and as the kind of person who doesn't like to waste time, I wasn't about to stress over something that was going to be that much harder than my real test. Overall I liked topscore, I found it an accurate representation of QR, RC, and PAT. The sciences were a bit harder than the real thing IMO. My only gripe is that a few questions in the PAT and QR sections repeated themselves from test to test, so I found myself answering them according to what I remembered the answer to be previously, rather than actually taking the time to solve them which would have been more accurate. I mean, come on, how much did I pay for all this stuff and you can't even come up with different problems for each test? That said, I still wouldn't say this is a huge issue. Just a pet peeve of mine. Overall, this was a good buy.
Anki:
Saved. my. life. I was a three weeks away from my test and had that hopeless feeling that I was going to have to drop out of college and die or something. I had taken notes on all of the review material I had read, but I had poor recall. The best thing about this program, after spending hundreds of dollars on all of this review material and the test and everything, this was free. For a detailed breakdown of anki see here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=697147&highlight=anki
I wish you all the best of luck!
