DAT done 6/10

DAT is done! AA-22

PAT - 20
QR - 18
RC - 23
BIO - 22
GC - 22
OCHEM - 25
TS - 22

This was my second take. First was an AA 19, but I "failed" QR (14). Obviously this is a great improvement!

Study schedule: 5 Months (late January-June), about 3-4 days a week. Maybe some light review on the other days. I worked full time the entire study length so I didn't do anything crazy (10+ hours a day), maybe 6 hours a day maximum. I went out to the bar, on vacation, and relaxed as normal. I did not see any reason to disrupt daily life to study for a test. I took the first DAT in Feb, thinking that I could get by with just reviewing things (Chad's, Cliff's), but I was wrong...you need to get your hands on practice tests and really get messy with the material.

Here are some of my practice rounds: (Mostly untimed!)
Topscore #1: Bio 19, Chem 19, Ochem 19, PAT 19, QR 15, RC 23, AA 19
Topscore #2: Bio 17, Chem 18, Ochem 21, PAT 19, QR 20, RC 20, AA 19
Topscore #3: Bio 18, Chem 16, Ochem 20, PAT 20, QR 21, RC 22, AA 19
Achiever #1: Bio 17, Chem 16, Ochem 18, PAT 16, QR 17, RC 17, AA 17
Achiever #2: Bio 17, Chem 16, Ochem 17, PAT 17, QR 14, RC --, AA --
Achiever #3: Bio 17, Chem 16, Ochem 19, PAT 17, QR 11, RC --, AA --
Kaplan #1: Bio 24, Chem 19, Ochem 20, PAT 16, QR 13, RC 18, AA 19
ADA 2007: Bio 24, Chem 25, Ochem 25, PAT 21, QR 20, RC 20, AA 23

DATqvault test average = 20 (took all 10 tests)

The only test I took timed was the ADA 2007 practice test. I took it about a week before the real DAT. I saw somewhere that the ADA 2007/2009 tests are a good indication of how well you will do, and I would agree.

Here is how I correlate the real DATs I took to the materials I used:
Bio: DATqvault was sufficient for me. Topscore, Kaplan, etc. all contain way too much taxonomy/evolution. I did not find the bio section to be "random" at all; most questions could be reasoned through.
Chem: I swear some questions were taken right out of Destroyer. It's the way to go. Also, Chad's quizzes were pretty similar.
Ochem: I thought ochem was pretty tricky, it wasn't similar to any one source. Be prepared!
--> Science: I think I finished with like 10 minutes left and checked my marked bio and chem questions.

PAT: I held out and didn't purchase Crack. I did use a friend's, it was not bad, but I didn't think it worth the money. Achiever and Barron's is harder than the real thing. I would say that Kaplan and Topscore are good practice. I probably finished this section with only about 2 minutes left. The actual test is not too difficult, but you must get your timing down.

RC: I really don't recommend actually practicing for this unless English is your second language. However, Achiever matched up perfectly. Topscore and Kaplan's passages were way too technical. My passages were very general, easy to read, and on broad biological topics you would have encountered in your courses. I finished with about 20 minutes left.

QR: This section was very tough. I don't think it was similar to any one source. There was not too much trig. I got through all 40 questions but had to guess on some and I could not revisit the marked ones.

Here is what/how I studied:
Bio: DATqvault (2x), Destroyer (2x), Practice Tests: Barron's, Kaplan, Achiever, Topscore. I didn't do any formal review because this was my major.
Chem: Chad's with quizzes for review (2x), Destroyer (2x), same practice tests as above
Ochem: Chad's with quizzes for review (2x), Destroyer (2x), practice tests, practice questions from my college textbook.
PAT: The two weeks before the test I spread out the ADA practice test, Topscore (3), Achiever (3), Barron's (2), and Kaplan (2) practice tests. I also borrowed Crack for like a day, I wasn't interested in wasting time and money on it. I did well on it though.
RC: I only really practiced this with the ADA 2007 test and Topscore. I didbn't read the newspaper every day or anything crazy. I honestly thought I got every question correct on the real DAT. There was not too much tone/inference. My strategy was to read the entire passage thoroughly and then when I read the questions go back to the paragraph for reference. If you read the passage first carefully, you'll pretty much be able to locate the topic for every question quickly.
QR: Destroyer a few times for really thorough practice, I also kept a notebook of Topscore's and Kaplan's problems. I made up a formula sheet that I was allowed to use on all tests except the real one to get the formulae down.

PAT Strategies:
Aperture Passing: "Obey the obvious features of the object" Forget where I heard this, but so true! Remember that squares can't fit into circles. For some sides there is a thick and little piece. Etc!
Orthographic projections: No special technique, I usually went off of one figure when I could though. Pick the top, front, or end view which is most informative and narrow the choices down off of that.
Angles: Not too difficult on the test. My method was to pick the smallest, pretend to fit it in the next largest, etc. I mentally said "2 fits inside 3 which fits inside 1 which fits inside 4". If my choice didn't exist, I then considered the choices and gave them another look.
Cube Counting: I did not keep a tally of all the cubes. I just, from practice, knew what different types of cubes could look like. I mentally counted, and as I found new cubes, I would rush the mouse over and check off the next highest amount. I ran into a problem though: The DAT structures were pretty large, like their answer choices started with 7 cubes and went through 12 cubes (of one type), so keeping mental count was difficult. I counted from left to right, top to bottom (or something) to keep order.
Pattern Folding: Not difficult on the real DAT. My strategy is to look for COMPLETELY possible structures only. If an answer choice has a shadow or edge in the wrong place, discard immediately...don't give it a second look unless you think all 4 are valid or invalid answers, then you are in a bind.
Paper Folding: Insane on the real DAT. I tried tic-tac-toe, but honestly my sweaty hands had erased the grids and this method killed time. Towards the end (and harder problems) I just kind of mentally unfolded it quickly. Don't let time come to die here.


Here is my advice after my experience:
-Don't sweat it. Seriously, you will get to the testing center and the place will be so quiet you will think you've gone deaf and will smell of lovely cleaning supplies. There will be no distractions. You will sit down and the test will be exactly what you practiced. No thrills or frills.
-Live your life: I probably drank 3 nights a week, I took a week long vacation the week before my DAT (last week), and I never neglected my friends or family. I woke up early and studied, put notes on my iPhone, went to the bar a little later in the night instead of 8pm, etc. Find time to squeeze review in, but don't go crazy.
-Practice tests are key: Get your hands on as many as possible. I answer the argument "Achiever or Topscore?" with BOTH! More practice is better. Achiever is tougher than the real deal, but it puts you to practice nonetheless. The ADA tests are helpful.
Chad knows best: I downloaded his videos like 3 years ago when they were free. BUT, I paid $30 to rewatch in HD and take his quizzes - WORTH IT! Keep a notebook with every word he says and all his practice problems! He knows how to teach chemistry!
"Destroyer is the best ever" Whoever said this wasn't kidding. I took this book to work, to class, in the car, while on the pot poopin', everywhere. I wrote the solutions in right next to the question. I read the question, looked how to solve the problem, and analyzed why the other choices were wrong. It is expensive but will help you.
Only sit through a test like this once: I understand this thing takes endurance, but don't torture yourself by taking entire Topscore, Achiever, etc. exams in one day. Do practice exams in parts and perfect every question/example asked of you! You will be honed in on test day for 5 hours, don't worry! - there is NO need to do this experience for a measly practice exam!
Don't believe the hype: Anyone who comes on SDN and brags about a score of 23 or higher is smart, but remember to live in your own circumstances. Maybe these people handcuffed themselves to a desk and studied, but I couldn't live that way and you don't have to either. Study the amount of time you feel comfortable with (for me, not marathons) and with the materials you prefer and can afford. Don't go buy things and spend time on methods that might only work for other people.

Prometric: They sat me early (like a half hour), so I recommend getting there early. If you are a coffee person, drink coffee. I weighed on not drinking it because of jitters, but f--k it, the people in that center had to put up with my hair scratching and chair moving, I totally needed the wakeup! Eat a good breakfast and bring a snack. The center is quiet, clean, and the computer is fast and they get it ready for you. I did see the thermostat, it was set to 68 but with a test this important I left sweating! Whoever said you will freeze like an icicle had no soul and was cold-blooded...jk! ...Not a stressful environment at all!

GOOD LUCK TO THE REST OF YOU STILL TAKING! PM with any questions!