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September 29th, 2015:
This is a breakdown of my entire DAT experience and tips for other pre-dents. I took the DAT today and decided to write this before I forgot it:
In preparing for the DAT, I was very overwhelmed. I had been studying lightly using DAT Bootcamp's Question of the Day (I highly recommend you sign up for it) and I would occasionally glance through Kaplan Blue Book (KBB) for a couple of months ahead of time but I retained little of the information. About 6 weeks out from test day, I began reading through KBB more rigorously. I then signed up for a Kaplan online free practice test to gauge my weaknesses. I received an 18 AA/19 PAT on my first attempt. I figured I was right on track to receive a 20+ as long as I started studying harder.
After this first practice test I took my time going over my weak areas. I shouldn't have been so confident. About 3 weeks out from the test, I took the DAT Bootcamp's free practice test. It wrecked me. I ordered DAT Bootcamp on the spot because I quickly realized Kaplan wasn't enough. I wish I would have tried that test sooner!
I then used Bootcamp's practice tests to periodically gauge my weaknesses. I used Cliffnote's AP Bio, Feralis's notes, KBB, and Google to try to fill in holes.
Here are my Bootcamp scores:
Bio/GC/OC/PAT/RC/QR
Test 1: 19/24/16/20/22/20
Test 2: 19/20/18/21/22/17
Test 3: 20/20/19/21/21/19
Test 4: 23/19/22/20/21/20
Test 5: 23/19/20/X/X/18
BC Average: 20.8/20.4/19/20.5/21.5/18.8
2009 DAT: 23/20/20/22/X/18
Real scores: 21/20/21/23/24/19
As you can see, my overall Bootcamp average and my 2009 DAT closely mirrored my real scores. The greatest outliers being my PAT and RC which were significantly higher on the real thing. Bootcamp was my #1 from the minute I purchased it. Worth every penny. If you could only invest in one thing, make it Bootcamp. It mirrors the actual format, timing, question types and wording more closely than any of my other resources and prepared me more than anything. Their PAT, RC, and QR are more difficult than the real DAT in my experience and it prepares you well. All questions on the real DAT in these areas were weak compared to Bootcamp's. Feralis's bio notes are also on Bootcamp and they are absolutely essential. Bootcamp's tests are structured such that the questions are harder than the real DAT to prepare you, however your scores are standardized such that the average of them is very close to the real DAT score for most people (although there are outliers to this of course). Their PAT generators and tests were my only source for studying for the PAT. If you don't get Bootcamp for any other reason, get it for their PAT section. It more than did the trick for me.
Kaplan Blue Book was essential for me. It is great to get you started for studying and provide you with some basics but their tests are insanely easy compared to the real thing (especially PAT). Use their tests just to get a feel for weaknesses but NOT to gauge score. Definitely use their books to get you started and supplement weaker areas.
Cliffnote's AP Bio: Worth it's weight in gold. Cliff's & Feralis's prepared me for the randomness of the bio section better than any other sources could.
Other than Google, these are really the only sources I needed. Although many people preach DAT Destroyer, Acheiver, etc. it is possible to get a reasonable score (20-21) with minimal resources if you learned well from your undergrad courses, retained most of what you learned, and you are naturally good at perceptual ability. This approach is DEFINITELY not for everyone! Most people require extra material to gain a respectable score. It is almost certainly necessary to spend more if you want to get above a 21 or if you are extremely weak in any areas.
The test itself:
The Prometric center where I took my test was very bland so prepare yourself for nothing but gray walls for 5+ hours. Also, do NOT forget to bring your license and your secondary ID. The secondary ID must have a signature on it (such as a credit card). I thought I had forgot my credit card and did not have any other form of ID. I panicked thinking I was going to have to reschedule but I found my ID in my car. The stress from almost missing my appointment probably cost me a point because I was a nervous wreck when they showed me to my seat. (I was already extremely anxious and this situation made that anxiety much worse). It took a few minutes into the test to find my zone and my stress was MUCH higher during the actual tests than any of my practice tests. I felt like this made me overestimate problem difficulty, made it take longer for me to get used to the problem format, and made me miss problems that I normally could have worked out if I was not under such high stress and time constraint. It is definitely normal to complete the entire test without being able to estimate your performance. I could not have predicted any of those scores while taking the test.
Now that the test is over, it's much easier for me to evaluate objectively.
BIOLOGY: Compared to DAT Bootcamp, the real biology questions were equally random, worded similarly, and focused on the same overall principles. Don't bank on your bio score, however. My Bootcamp Bio had a strong upward trend and I always received 23+ on bio exams from other sources (such as QVault's free test and Kaplan tests). But I got thrown some pretty random curve balls and my real DAT score was much lower in that section than I assumed it would be.
GEN CHEM & ORGANIC: Exactly on par with Bootcamp in terms of wording and difficulty.
PERCEPTUAL ABILITY: Bootcamp is MUCH more difficult than the real thing. If you can get a consistent 20 on Bootcamp's PAT test, you'll make a 22 minimum.
READING COMP: Real DAT passages closely mirrored Bootcamp passages, however Bootcamp's questions are much harder. Once again, if you can get a consistent 20 on Bootcamp, you'll kill the real deal.
QUANTITATIVE REASONING: I was totally drained by the time I reached this section. Although QR on the real DAT has much easier questions than Bootcamp, the questions are equally time consuming so Bootcamp score is pretty accurate. Pacing is important here. I ran out of time and had to randomly fill in more than 6 or 7 questions. I know I could have gotten them all right if I had been given plenty of time. None were excessively tricky on my test but they are long.
My scores: To be frank, I was very lucky to receive the scores I did. Especially considered how little time and money I spent on preparing. Looking back I realize I should have started studying earlier and invested more money because I was freaking out on the days leading up to the test and feeling very unprepared. I had pushed everything to the last minute and I was only able to squeak by with a 21 because I paid attention in class and I have always naturally excelled at spatial and verbal reasoning. I could just as easily have tanked the test by procrastinating like I did. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DAT. She can and will throw you curve balls so don't put off studying and don't take the test before you are ready. Don't assume you'll make the same scores on the real thing as practice tests. Do anything and everything in your power to make sure the test days goes smoothly with as little extra stress as possible (aka don't forget your ID). Do anything you can to minimize stress period! I know this is easier said than done but remember to take a breather every once in awhile.
Best of luck to my fellow pre-dents!
This is a breakdown of my entire DAT experience and tips for other pre-dents. I took the DAT today and decided to write this before I forgot it:
In preparing for the DAT, I was very overwhelmed. I had been studying lightly using DAT Bootcamp's Question of the Day (I highly recommend you sign up for it) and I would occasionally glance through Kaplan Blue Book (KBB) for a couple of months ahead of time but I retained little of the information. About 6 weeks out from test day, I began reading through KBB more rigorously. I then signed up for a Kaplan online free practice test to gauge my weaknesses. I received an 18 AA/19 PAT on my first attempt. I figured I was right on track to receive a 20+ as long as I started studying harder.
After this first practice test I took my time going over my weak areas. I shouldn't have been so confident. About 3 weeks out from the test, I took the DAT Bootcamp's free practice test. It wrecked me. I ordered DAT Bootcamp on the spot because I quickly realized Kaplan wasn't enough. I wish I would have tried that test sooner!
I then used Bootcamp's practice tests to periodically gauge my weaknesses. I used Cliffnote's AP Bio, Feralis's notes, KBB, and Google to try to fill in holes.
Here are my Bootcamp scores:
Bio/GC/OC/PAT/RC/QR
Test 1: 19/24/16/20/22/20
Test 2: 19/20/18/21/22/17
Test 3: 20/20/19/21/21/19
Test 4: 23/19/22/20/21/20
Test 5: 23/19/20/X/X/18
BC Average: 20.8/20.4/19/20.5/21.5/18.8
2009 DAT: 23/20/20/22/X/18
Real scores: 21/20/21/23/24/19
As you can see, my overall Bootcamp average and my 2009 DAT closely mirrored my real scores. The greatest outliers being my PAT and RC which were significantly higher on the real thing. Bootcamp was my #1 from the minute I purchased it. Worth every penny. If you could only invest in one thing, make it Bootcamp. It mirrors the actual format, timing, question types and wording more closely than any of my other resources and prepared me more than anything. Their PAT, RC, and QR are more difficult than the real DAT in my experience and it prepares you well. All questions on the real DAT in these areas were weak compared to Bootcamp's. Feralis's bio notes are also on Bootcamp and they are absolutely essential. Bootcamp's tests are structured such that the questions are harder than the real DAT to prepare you, however your scores are standardized such that the average of them is very close to the real DAT score for most people (although there are outliers to this of course). Their PAT generators and tests were my only source for studying for the PAT. If you don't get Bootcamp for any other reason, get it for their PAT section. It more than did the trick for me.
Kaplan Blue Book was essential for me. It is great to get you started for studying and provide you with some basics but their tests are insanely easy compared to the real thing (especially PAT). Use their tests just to get a feel for weaknesses but NOT to gauge score. Definitely use their books to get you started and supplement weaker areas.
Cliffnote's AP Bio: Worth it's weight in gold. Cliff's & Feralis's prepared me for the randomness of the bio section better than any other sources could.
Other than Google, these are really the only sources I needed. Although many people preach DAT Destroyer, Acheiver, etc. it is possible to get a reasonable score (20-21) with minimal resources if you learned well from your undergrad courses, retained most of what you learned, and you are naturally good at perceptual ability. This approach is DEFINITELY not for everyone! Most people require extra material to gain a respectable score. It is almost certainly necessary to spend more if you want to get above a 21 or if you are extremely weak in any areas.
The test itself:
The Prometric center where I took my test was very bland so prepare yourself for nothing but gray walls for 5+ hours. Also, do NOT forget to bring your license and your secondary ID. The secondary ID must have a signature on it (such as a credit card). I thought I had forgot my credit card and did not have any other form of ID. I panicked thinking I was going to have to reschedule but I found my ID in my car. The stress from almost missing my appointment probably cost me a point because I was a nervous wreck when they showed me to my seat. (I was already extremely anxious and this situation made that anxiety much worse). It took a few minutes into the test to find my zone and my stress was MUCH higher during the actual tests than any of my practice tests. I felt like this made me overestimate problem difficulty, made it take longer for me to get used to the problem format, and made me miss problems that I normally could have worked out if I was not under such high stress and time constraint. It is definitely normal to complete the entire test without being able to estimate your performance. I could not have predicted any of those scores while taking the test.
Now that the test is over, it's much easier for me to evaluate objectively.
BIOLOGY: Compared to DAT Bootcamp, the real biology questions were equally random, worded similarly, and focused on the same overall principles. Don't bank on your bio score, however. My Bootcamp Bio had a strong upward trend and I always received 23+ on bio exams from other sources (such as QVault's free test and Kaplan tests). But I got thrown some pretty random curve balls and my real DAT score was much lower in that section than I assumed it would be.
GEN CHEM & ORGANIC: Exactly on par with Bootcamp in terms of wording and difficulty.
PERCEPTUAL ABILITY: Bootcamp is MUCH more difficult than the real thing. If you can get a consistent 20 on Bootcamp's PAT test, you'll make a 22 minimum.
READING COMP: Real DAT passages closely mirrored Bootcamp passages, however Bootcamp's questions are much harder. Once again, if you can get a consistent 20 on Bootcamp, you'll kill the real deal.
QUANTITATIVE REASONING: I was totally drained by the time I reached this section. Although QR on the real DAT has much easier questions than Bootcamp, the questions are equally time consuming so Bootcamp score is pretty accurate. Pacing is important here. I ran out of time and had to randomly fill in more than 6 or 7 questions. I know I could have gotten them all right if I had been given plenty of time. None were excessively tricky on my test but they are long.
My scores: To be frank, I was very lucky to receive the scores I did. Especially considered how little time and money I spent on preparing. Looking back I realize I should have started studying earlier and invested more money because I was freaking out on the days leading up to the test and feeling very unprepared. I had pushed everything to the last minute and I was only able to squeak by with a 21 because I paid attention in class and I have always naturally excelled at spatial and verbal reasoning. I could just as easily have tanked the test by procrastinating like I did. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DAT. She can and will throw you curve balls so don't put off studying and don't take the test before you are ready. Don't assume you'll make the same scores on the real thing as practice tests. Do anything and everything in your power to make sure the test days goes smoothly with as little extra stress as possible (aka don't forget your ID). Do anything you can to minimize stress period! I know this is easier said than done but remember to take a breather every once in awhile.
Best of luck to my fellow pre-dents!
