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I took my DAT for the second time in my life today, first the scores:
AA 20
TS 20
QR 15 !!!
RC 23
BIO 21
GC 19
OC 20
PAT 21
Decent improvement from my initial AA of 18, but far from the 22 / *fantasy* 23 I was gunning for.
Two horrible things happened to me during my exam, both my fault. I want to say don't obsess with the timer, but good lord, please pay a little attention to it, because nothing will give you a heart attack faster than being 15 problems deep into QR because you are fixating on some problem and then the timer pops up with "15 minutes remaining". My brain completely went into a state of abstract terror, I was unable to even think clearly. I ran out of time, guessed the final 10-12 problems, even left the final one blank as the clock ran out. Terrible, terrible negligence and failure to prepare on my part.
Secondly, during the fifteen minute break, I was sitting in the lobby of the Prometric center eating my snack when I decided to try to remember the math formulas I had memorized before I return to start the second phase of the test. I started writing on a blank sheet of paper. Suddenly the Prometric proctor grabs my sheet of paper and starts yammering on that he has to file a report and that my test scores will be invalidated because I'm looking at notes during an unscheduled break.
I explained that I was on an official break, it wasn't like I just got up to go to the bathroom, etc. etc. Finally a supervisor comes in and says that I was in the right, but still takes my sheet of paper, makes a copy, and tells me to put it in my locker. I'm seeing red, totally thrown off of my game, and then... I walk back into the testing room to see... ~35 minutes remaining for my RC section. I left the room to complain and was told they couldn't restart the timer, even though it was Prometric staff detaining me over my "notes", causing me to miss the starting of the timer for the section. I would have to retake the entire test at a later date after filing some petition, blah blah blah.
I decided to just go for it. I have never read so fast in my entire life. I felt like my skull was on fire. When I finished the section I had the worst stress headache of my life! So lesson learned, when you leave the room for your break, touch nothing, do nothing. Eat your snack, go to the bathroom, and that is it!
Anyway, to study I read my old notes, listened to MCAT Audio Osmosis in the car, and worked through the Destroyer one time (wanted to do two run throughs but it took longer than I thought!) I also tried to read that huge Kaplan white book they give you when you take the DAT prep course, and maybe that is helpful in a classroom context, but I couldn't stand it.
Almost NO EQUATIONS were needed for the math section. It was definitely much more difficult than the first time I took the DAT (QR 18, with no studying). The majority of my problems were word passages regarding probability scenarios. This section, at least relative to my first test, was much less straightforward. The first time, I had lots of trig and geometry problems. This time I had what seemed like less than five. I was very ill-prepared for this, as I spent almost all my time working through trig problems and memorizing equations regarding volume of cones and exterior angles of this and that etc. My word questions last time mostly regarded work being done in a period of time, etc. Not so this time! Be prepared to read about odds of picking cards out of a deck and marbles, and chances of rolling dice instead... Bleh!
My G. CHEM section was also nearly 100% conceptual. I had perhaps a handful of problems involving calculations.
As far as BIO, well, memorizing every hormone and where it is synthesized? Not one question! Deuterostomes, protostomes, auxins, ABA, photosystem I vs. II, drawing out entire process of ATP synthesis et al... it was all a waste for me. My questions were extremely basic, except for the occasional left fielder no amount of prep work can ready you for (I had questions not even glanced upon by the Destroyer (ver. March 11 2008), my notes, or what I read of the Kaplan book.) The ones I knew, I knew well. The ones I didn't know, I had absolutely no idea whatsoever.
In any case, it's probably not high enough of a score to overcome my mediocre GPA (~3.1), but if I can just land an interview, I'll still feel like a millionaire.
Good luck to everyone who is yet to take their test! Don't be scared of it, it was so much more conceptual and "basics" oriented than I expected, even going on my second run through! If you are coming down to the wire, you are far better equipped with a clear logical mind and a night of sleep than the extra hours of studying, I wish I had just gone to bed early last night!
AA 20
TS 20
QR 15 !!!
RC 23
BIO 21
GC 19
OC 20
PAT 21
Decent improvement from my initial AA of 18, but far from the 22 / *fantasy* 23 I was gunning for.
Two horrible things happened to me during my exam, both my fault. I want to say don't obsess with the timer, but good lord, please pay a little attention to it, because nothing will give you a heart attack faster than being 15 problems deep into QR because you are fixating on some problem and then the timer pops up with "15 minutes remaining". My brain completely went into a state of abstract terror, I was unable to even think clearly. I ran out of time, guessed the final 10-12 problems, even left the final one blank as the clock ran out. Terrible, terrible negligence and failure to prepare on my part.
Secondly, during the fifteen minute break, I was sitting in the lobby of the Prometric center eating my snack when I decided to try to remember the math formulas I had memorized before I return to start the second phase of the test. I started writing on a blank sheet of paper. Suddenly the Prometric proctor grabs my sheet of paper and starts yammering on that he has to file a report and that my test scores will be invalidated because I'm looking at notes during an unscheduled break.
I explained that I was on an official break, it wasn't like I just got up to go to the bathroom, etc. etc. Finally a supervisor comes in and says that I was in the right, but still takes my sheet of paper, makes a copy, and tells me to put it in my locker. I'm seeing red, totally thrown off of my game, and then... I walk back into the testing room to see... ~35 minutes remaining for my RC section. I left the room to complain and was told they couldn't restart the timer, even though it was Prometric staff detaining me over my "notes", causing me to miss the starting of the timer for the section. I would have to retake the entire test at a later date after filing some petition, blah blah blah.
I decided to just go for it. I have never read so fast in my entire life. I felt like my skull was on fire. When I finished the section I had the worst stress headache of my life! So lesson learned, when you leave the room for your break, touch nothing, do nothing. Eat your snack, go to the bathroom, and that is it!
Anyway, to study I read my old notes, listened to MCAT Audio Osmosis in the car, and worked through the Destroyer one time (wanted to do two run throughs but it took longer than I thought!) I also tried to read that huge Kaplan white book they give you when you take the DAT prep course, and maybe that is helpful in a classroom context, but I couldn't stand it.
Almost NO EQUATIONS were needed for the math section. It was definitely much more difficult than the first time I took the DAT (QR 18, with no studying). The majority of my problems were word passages regarding probability scenarios. This section, at least relative to my first test, was much less straightforward. The first time, I had lots of trig and geometry problems. This time I had what seemed like less than five. I was very ill-prepared for this, as I spent almost all my time working through trig problems and memorizing equations regarding volume of cones and exterior angles of this and that etc. My word questions last time mostly regarded work being done in a period of time, etc. Not so this time! Be prepared to read about odds of picking cards out of a deck and marbles, and chances of rolling dice instead... Bleh!
My G. CHEM section was also nearly 100% conceptual. I had perhaps a handful of problems involving calculations.
As far as BIO, well, memorizing every hormone and where it is synthesized? Not one question! Deuterostomes, protostomes, auxins, ABA, photosystem I vs. II, drawing out entire process of ATP synthesis et al... it was all a waste for me. My questions were extremely basic, except for the occasional left fielder no amount of prep work can ready you for (I had questions not even glanced upon by the Destroyer (ver. March 11 2008), my notes, or what I read of the Kaplan book.) The ones I knew, I knew well. The ones I didn't know, I had absolutely no idea whatsoever.
In any case, it's probably not high enough of a score to overcome my mediocre GPA (~3.1), but if I can just land an interview, I'll still feel like a millionaire.
Good luck to everyone who is yet to take their test! Don't be scared of it, it was so much more conceptual and "basics" oriented than I expected, even going on my second run through! If you are coming down to the wire, you are far better equipped with a clear logical mind and a night of sleep than the extra hours of studying, I wish I had just gone to bed early last night!