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This has been a long emotional journey and I can't believe i'm writing this breakdown now. I took the DAT and I couldn’t be happier with my scores. I literally almost cried on my way home looking at my scores. First of all, I would like to thank Ari, Dr. Romano, and Shahed for creating such amazing resources! I wrote the DAT after studying for 4 months and these are the scores I received:
Scores
Biol: 22
Chem: 30
Orgo: 30
PAT: 27
RC: 20
QR: 20
TS: 27
AA: 24
Background:
I graduated earlier this year with a degree in neuroscience and minor in chemistry.
Materials I used:
1. DATDestroyer (9/10): For general chemistry and organic chemistry, nothing beats DATDestroyer. This is all you need since the destroyer book has every possible concept you might see on the DAT. Although there were some questions I thought were ridiculously tough, I don’t think I would’ve gotten the same score without DATDestroyer. My advice is to go through all of the questions in destroyer and make this your priority over finishing the DATBootcamp tests.
2. PATBooster (10/10): After using this for months, I have to say this is hands-down the best resource for the PAT (yes even better than bootcamps). I LOVED PATBooster, more people need to know about it. Their generators and tests gave me detailed feedback about the amount of time I spent on each question and feedback on how to improve. And over time, it tracked my progress for each section of the PAT that I completed and told me where to focus on. My only regret was that I found out about this resource mid-way during my preparation but nevertheless I'm happy I did. And the difficulty level was a bit higher compared to Bootcamp so it made me realize that there was still a lot to learn. Compared to the real DAT, I would say the difficulty level was very similar for all the sections. This is a must have for the PAT.
3. DATBootcamp (8/10): The practice tests for biology, general chem, and organic chemistry provided great practice material and the explanations for each question were very detailed and informative. I wasn’t a fan of their PAT or reading Academy videos since they were more obnoxious than helpful in my opinion but Dr. Mike’s videos were amazing. I also loved how I can mark which questions i don’t know and review them at the end. That being said, part of the reason why I liked DATBootcamp was because it was affordable but they recently raised their price to $497 from $347 which is insane. It used to be $247 last year and they keep raising the price without adding new features. I wouldn't recommend it anymore since DATDestroyer and PATBooster is more than enough. If you can afford an extra $499 for practice tests, then you could get DATBootcamp but honestly not recommended.
Breakdown
Biology (22): I started off going over Bootcamp’s biology notes but their notes had a ridiculous amount of information. By the time I almost finished reviewing the notes, I had a hard time remembering what I had reviewed in the earlier chapters. It got frustrating and so I switched to using the original Feralis Notes (80+ page notes) which were much more manageable. I went over the Feralis Notes 3 times before taking the bootcamp practice tests. While going through the practice tests, I always referred to the DATBootcamp Academy notes as a reference and continued reviewing up until a few days before my DAT. On bootcamp practice tests, I was scoring around 21-26. For future test takers, do not forget to spend time reviewing content because you'll find yourself forgetting a lot of information.
Chem (30) & Orgo (30): I’m a chemistry minor so I didn’t spend too much time preparing for the chemistry section. The only resource I used for general chem was DATDestroyer and then a few bootcamp practice tests. However, orgo was a different beast. Like most people, orgo was the one section that I dreaded. I practically slept with the DATDestroyer book and went over every question twice (tried going over it a third time but didn’t have enough time). For sections I needed more help, I watched either Mike’s Videos or Khan Academy videos. For future test takers, put your energy into completing all of the DATDestroyer questions over practice tests. This will make your life easier on the real DAT.
PAT (27): I have to say I really struggled with the PAT as I started out getting a 16 on my first practice test. I started out with DATBootcamp and later came across PATBooster. Its a new program that my study buddy was using and recommended it to me. I'm glad I did because it saved me and helped me to significantly improve my speed. For every practice test, it broke down exactly how much time I spent on each section and gave me feedback on how to improve. And I just loved their solutions since I didn't have to spend hours reviewing the tests whereas bootcamp it took too long. After exhausting PATBooster’s content, I finished off with the remaining DATBootcamp’s tests. Thanks to all the practice and PATBooster’s analyzers and generators, I was able to go from scoring 19 on the PAT to scoring 24-26 consistently.
Important: The 2019 DAT is NOT like DATBootcamp's PAT (Keyholes, TFE and Cube Counting are significantly tougher). Keep in mind, the actual PAT questions on DATBootcamp are old and have been the same since 2013 since they have never been updated. So don't be surprised if you find the questions on the real DAT to be tougher than DATBootcamp. The real DAT was more like PATBooster's practice tests since they were recently created.
Reading (20): This section kinda came naturally to me. I did a total of 4 practice tests on Bootcamp was scoring 24+ to start out. So I probably spent the least amount of time on this section. I didn’t really do anything else to be honest. I was skeptical of improving this section with practice anyway since it mostly comes down to the passages that you are given on exam day. So unfortunately, I can’t share much insight for this section.
QR (20): This section sucked because I forgot most of the math concepts I learned previously. I started off doing Math destroyer questions and once I was done, I moved on to Bootcamp practice tests. Every question I got wrong I would come back in a week to see if I could answer the question right. I made the mistake of not prioritizing this section when it came time closer to my DAT which sucks because AA could've been higher.
Overall thoughts
I would say each resource played their own crucial part in helping me achieve my scores. DAT Destroyer was essential for learning and expanding on the science foundations while PATBooster was unlike any other PAT program out there. Finally, DATBootcamp provided me with the extra practice tests that I needed. Overall, all three resources were highly representative of the real exam.
If you're taking the DAT, breath and take it one day at a time. Always practice under timed settings and treat the practice tests like the real DAT. The DAT is like a marathon and you have to train yourself to beat the marathon. And for the day of the test, get a good night's rest before the test and eat a nice breakfast. Good luck everyone!
Scores
Biol: 22
Chem: 30
Orgo: 30
PAT: 27
RC: 20
QR: 20
TS: 27
AA: 24
Background:
I graduated earlier this year with a degree in neuroscience and minor in chemistry.
Materials I used:
1. DATDestroyer (9/10): For general chemistry and organic chemistry, nothing beats DATDestroyer. This is all you need since the destroyer book has every possible concept you might see on the DAT. Although there were some questions I thought were ridiculously tough, I don’t think I would’ve gotten the same score without DATDestroyer. My advice is to go through all of the questions in destroyer and make this your priority over finishing the DATBootcamp tests.
2. PATBooster (10/10): After using this for months, I have to say this is hands-down the best resource for the PAT (yes even better than bootcamps). I LOVED PATBooster, more people need to know about it. Their generators and tests gave me detailed feedback about the amount of time I spent on each question and feedback on how to improve. And over time, it tracked my progress for each section of the PAT that I completed and told me where to focus on. My only regret was that I found out about this resource mid-way during my preparation but nevertheless I'm happy I did. And the difficulty level was a bit higher compared to Bootcamp so it made me realize that there was still a lot to learn. Compared to the real DAT, I would say the difficulty level was very similar for all the sections. This is a must have for the PAT.
3. DATBootcamp (8/10): The practice tests for biology, general chem, and organic chemistry provided great practice material and the explanations for each question were very detailed and informative. I wasn’t a fan of their PAT or reading Academy videos since they were more obnoxious than helpful in my opinion but Dr. Mike’s videos were amazing. I also loved how I can mark which questions i don’t know and review them at the end. That being said, part of the reason why I liked DATBootcamp was because it was affordable but they recently raised their price to $497 from $347 which is insane. It used to be $247 last year and they keep raising the price without adding new features. I wouldn't recommend it anymore since DATDestroyer and PATBooster is more than enough. If you can afford an extra $499 for practice tests, then you could get DATBootcamp but honestly not recommended.
Breakdown
Biology (22): I started off going over Bootcamp’s biology notes but their notes had a ridiculous amount of information. By the time I almost finished reviewing the notes, I had a hard time remembering what I had reviewed in the earlier chapters. It got frustrating and so I switched to using the original Feralis Notes (80+ page notes) which were much more manageable. I went over the Feralis Notes 3 times before taking the bootcamp practice tests. While going through the practice tests, I always referred to the DATBootcamp Academy notes as a reference and continued reviewing up until a few days before my DAT. On bootcamp practice tests, I was scoring around 21-26. For future test takers, do not forget to spend time reviewing content because you'll find yourself forgetting a lot of information.
Chem (30) & Orgo (30): I’m a chemistry minor so I didn’t spend too much time preparing for the chemistry section. The only resource I used for general chem was DATDestroyer and then a few bootcamp practice tests. However, orgo was a different beast. Like most people, orgo was the one section that I dreaded. I practically slept with the DATDestroyer book and went over every question twice (tried going over it a third time but didn’t have enough time). For sections I needed more help, I watched either Mike’s Videos or Khan Academy videos. For future test takers, put your energy into completing all of the DATDestroyer questions over practice tests. This will make your life easier on the real DAT.
PAT (27): I have to say I really struggled with the PAT as I started out getting a 16 on my first practice test. I started out with DATBootcamp and later came across PATBooster. Its a new program that my study buddy was using and recommended it to me. I'm glad I did because it saved me and helped me to significantly improve my speed. For every practice test, it broke down exactly how much time I spent on each section and gave me feedback on how to improve. And I just loved their solutions since I didn't have to spend hours reviewing the tests whereas bootcamp it took too long. After exhausting PATBooster’s content, I finished off with the remaining DATBootcamp’s tests. Thanks to all the practice and PATBooster’s analyzers and generators, I was able to go from scoring 19 on the PAT to scoring 24-26 consistently.
Important: The 2019 DAT is NOT like DATBootcamp's PAT (Keyholes, TFE and Cube Counting are significantly tougher). Keep in mind, the actual PAT questions on DATBootcamp are old and have been the same since 2013 since they have never been updated. So don't be surprised if you find the questions on the real DAT to be tougher than DATBootcamp. The real DAT was more like PATBooster's practice tests since they were recently created.
Reading (20): This section kinda came naturally to me. I did a total of 4 practice tests on Bootcamp was scoring 24+ to start out. So I probably spent the least amount of time on this section. I didn’t really do anything else to be honest. I was skeptical of improving this section with practice anyway since it mostly comes down to the passages that you are given on exam day. So unfortunately, I can’t share much insight for this section.
QR (20): This section sucked because I forgot most of the math concepts I learned previously. I started off doing Math destroyer questions and once I was done, I moved on to Bootcamp practice tests. Every question I got wrong I would come back in a week to see if I could answer the question right. I made the mistake of not prioritizing this section when it came time closer to my DAT which sucks because AA could've been higher.
Overall thoughts
I would say each resource played their own crucial part in helping me achieve my scores. DAT Destroyer was essential for learning and expanding on the science foundations while PATBooster was unlike any other PAT program out there. Finally, DATBootcamp provided me with the extra practice tests that I needed. Overall, all three resources were highly representative of the real exam.
If you're taking the DAT, breath and take it one day at a time. Always practice under timed settings and treat the practice tests like the real DAT. The DAT is like a marathon and you have to train yourself to beat the marathon. And for the day of the test, get a good night's rest before the test and eat a nice breakfast. Good luck everyone!
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