nouradaryani
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2022
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
Scores 1st time: (July 9th, 2022)
QR - 17
RC - 20
PAT - 18
Bio - 18
GC - 19
OC - 18
TS - 18
AA - 18
Bootcamp practice test scores: avg 17-18 and lower-ish
Method: DAT Bootcamp. I studied for 2 months total, first month doing fast paced content review, 2nd month getting through only ~6 practice exams.
Mistakes 1st time:
- Did not get through all 10 bootcamp practice exams.
- Did not do an *IN DEPTH* review after my exams, just skimmed.
- Spent too much time writing notes while learning content, not enough time reviewing the condensed notes that I literally paid for.
- Didn’t hang out with friends or family… this made me so sad! Don’t do this please, one night out every so often with your besties will not take away from your hard work.
Scores 2nd time: (September 20th, 2022)
QR - 18
RC - 21
PAT - 20
Bio - 21
GC - 21
OC - 18
TS - 20
AA - 20
Booster practice test scores: avg 19 on everything subject except QR. I didn’t let the scores define me, sometimes I got a 16 and sometimes I got a 20. Who cares!
Materials used 2nd time (in order of importance)
- Booster practice tests (do all 10.)
- Booster QR Crash Course I and II, Bio Crash Course I, II, III + the extra tests that come with these
- Bootcamp practice tests
- Booster OC Crash Course I, II, III (will not hurt you, but way too expensive and in depth for my liking)
Method: I studied for 5 weeks by only taking Booster individual practice exams (+ some Bootcamp individuals). I did not do any content review. I only took 2 full length tests. My goal was to improve my sciences, which required me to spend just as much time reviewing my exams as it did to take them. I took about 4 subject tests every other day and reviewed them consistently. Letting the practice tests guide my learning is what set me up for the most success. If you are short on time, the BEST way to study for the DAT and maintain your sanity, while also earning a score you will be proud of, is to FOCUS ON MASTERING HIGH YIELD INFORMATION from the Booster practice tests.
QR - 18
Do as many booster practice tests as you need to. I only ended up doing about four. For this section, you need to learn the types of questions that will be asked and how to work them out. If you practice the repetitive nature of this section, there are no surprises. Don’t waste time trying to figure it out yourself, just look at the explanations and do whatever you need to do to memorize how to solve the high yield question types. I also found the crash course to be very helpful and I applied the shortcuts I learned to my actual test. Every so often, I would rewrite the equation sheet from booster and bootcamp, to jog my memory.
RC - 21
I had 2 easy fact-based passages and 1 hard interpretation one. I used the search and destroy method. Read actively and read the question twice if necessary. Timing is important here, so hustle. I ignored this section the 2nd time around. Take a diagnostic test in the beginning of your studies to see where you are at.
PAT - 20
I had practiced this during my first attempt, so I took one PAT practice test every two weeks and felt that was enough to get me through. Everyone’s baseline PAT understanding is different. Take a diagnostic test in the beginning of your studies to see where you are at. I found angles on the actual DAT to be very difficult to distinguish and would urge you to practice with Bootcamp.
Bio - 21
I completed 10 Booster practice tests + 2 extra tests provided from the crash course, and 7 Bootcamp tests. If you are financially able, take the crash courses. They summarize everything you need to focus on. Trust that booster is exposing you to what you will see and consistently review the questions!!!!!!!!!!! Retaking bio tests are very helpful for recalling and reinforcing what you don’t know. I used the Bootcamp High-Yield Condensed Notes as a reference.
GC - 21
This section was more calculation based than they say. Learn how to divide decimals. Booster practice tests are key here. Learn from every question you miss on booster. I consistently rewrote the equation sheet and periodic trends.
OC - 18
Booster tests are ahead of its time here. I had many similar questions from my practice tests… some were even the same. I would not recommend spending money on the Crash Courses for OC if you don’t have the means, it was simply a review, and I would have been better off re-learning missed practice test questions.
Advice 2nd time:
- “IN DEPTH REVIEW” defined: Directly after any practice exam, I would skim through the Q’s and find out which ones I missed and got right (Exposure 1). For the q’s I got wrong, I would read the explanations with my condensed notes beside me and compare what my resources had to say about the topic vs. what the explanation addressed (this helped me connect some dots). THE NEXT DAY, I would again go through every question I missed, and jog my memory over what I did right and wrong during that test (Exposure 2). Throughout each week, I would flip back and randomly review this old practice test (Exposure 3). This way, I was always reinforcing my knowledge.
- Facebook group less, study more. Put a time limit. Seeing other scores was addicting and only made me more anxious while I was studying.
- Every missed question is an opportunity to learn. Don’t let a 16 in any section shake you up. Have the mind set of “I’m glad I missed this now and not during the actual test. I will make sure to never get it wrong again”. Period
- Bookmark Questions while you are taking any practice exams. Bookmarked questions prove that you weren’t confident in your answer or serve as a reminder that you guessed well and need to re-learn that topic.
- Do not take too many notes. Writing everything down will waste your time. Towards the very end of your studying, start writing things down to help yourself memorize or understand what you DON’T know.
- Rather than writing everything, review out loud and create stories, or random connections out of what you can’t remember. EX. On a random practice test, I had a question about the function of the medulla oblongata, and for whatever reason, I could not remember it’s function. 2 days before my DAT I saw this question again and realized Kanye uses it in his song “All Mine” when he says, “crazy that medulla oblongata ...”, so when I got this question on my actual DAT, I sang in my head “crazy that medulla oblongata got that control over breathing”. It’s silly, but it worked.
- The day before my exam, I kept studying, and stopped right when I got tired. This helped keep my head in the game on test day because by the end of it all, I still felt like I knew nothing. The least I could do at that point was skim through old practice tests and re-jog my memory on random things. I ended up having some questions from what I reviewed the day before my exam on my actual test!
To finish this off, you don’t need to be naturally smart to get this test done, you just need to be optimistic and hustling to always learn what you don’t know. I had so much anxiety and refused to study some days because I was so scared to fail. The night before my exam my sweet mom told me that we are celebrating no matter what the outcome was. A lot of us are doing this for ourselves and our parents, so hearing her say that relieved some stress.
QR - 17
RC - 20
PAT - 18
Bio - 18
GC - 19
OC - 18
TS - 18
AA - 18
Bootcamp practice test scores: avg 17-18 and lower-ish
Method: DAT Bootcamp. I studied for 2 months total, first month doing fast paced content review, 2nd month getting through only ~6 practice exams.
Mistakes 1st time:
- Did not get through all 10 bootcamp practice exams.
- Did not do an *IN DEPTH* review after my exams, just skimmed.
- Spent too much time writing notes while learning content, not enough time reviewing the condensed notes that I literally paid for.
- Didn’t hang out with friends or family… this made me so sad! Don’t do this please, one night out every so often with your besties will not take away from your hard work.
Scores 2nd time: (September 20th, 2022)
QR - 18
RC - 21
PAT - 20
Bio - 21
GC - 21
OC - 18
TS - 20
AA - 20
Booster practice test scores: avg 19 on everything subject except QR. I didn’t let the scores define me, sometimes I got a 16 and sometimes I got a 20. Who cares!
Materials used 2nd time (in order of importance)
- Booster practice tests (do all 10.)
- Booster QR Crash Course I and II, Bio Crash Course I, II, III + the extra tests that come with these
- Bootcamp practice tests
- Booster OC Crash Course I, II, III (will not hurt you, but way too expensive and in depth for my liking)
Method: I studied for 5 weeks by only taking Booster individual practice exams (+ some Bootcamp individuals). I did not do any content review. I only took 2 full length tests. My goal was to improve my sciences, which required me to spend just as much time reviewing my exams as it did to take them. I took about 4 subject tests every other day and reviewed them consistently. Letting the practice tests guide my learning is what set me up for the most success. If you are short on time, the BEST way to study for the DAT and maintain your sanity, while also earning a score you will be proud of, is to FOCUS ON MASTERING HIGH YIELD INFORMATION from the Booster practice tests.
QR - 18
Do as many booster practice tests as you need to. I only ended up doing about four. For this section, you need to learn the types of questions that will be asked and how to work them out. If you practice the repetitive nature of this section, there are no surprises. Don’t waste time trying to figure it out yourself, just look at the explanations and do whatever you need to do to memorize how to solve the high yield question types. I also found the crash course to be very helpful and I applied the shortcuts I learned to my actual test. Every so often, I would rewrite the equation sheet from booster and bootcamp, to jog my memory.
RC - 21
I had 2 easy fact-based passages and 1 hard interpretation one. I used the search and destroy method. Read actively and read the question twice if necessary. Timing is important here, so hustle. I ignored this section the 2nd time around. Take a diagnostic test in the beginning of your studies to see where you are at.
PAT - 20
I had practiced this during my first attempt, so I took one PAT practice test every two weeks and felt that was enough to get me through. Everyone’s baseline PAT understanding is different. Take a diagnostic test in the beginning of your studies to see where you are at. I found angles on the actual DAT to be very difficult to distinguish and would urge you to practice with Bootcamp.
Bio - 21
I completed 10 Booster practice tests + 2 extra tests provided from the crash course, and 7 Bootcamp tests. If you are financially able, take the crash courses. They summarize everything you need to focus on. Trust that booster is exposing you to what you will see and consistently review the questions!!!!!!!!!!! Retaking bio tests are very helpful for recalling and reinforcing what you don’t know. I used the Bootcamp High-Yield Condensed Notes as a reference.
GC - 21
This section was more calculation based than they say. Learn how to divide decimals. Booster practice tests are key here. Learn from every question you miss on booster. I consistently rewrote the equation sheet and periodic trends.
OC - 18
Booster tests are ahead of its time here. I had many similar questions from my practice tests… some were even the same. I would not recommend spending money on the Crash Courses for OC if you don’t have the means, it was simply a review, and I would have been better off re-learning missed practice test questions.
Advice 2nd time:
- “IN DEPTH REVIEW” defined: Directly after any practice exam, I would skim through the Q’s and find out which ones I missed and got right (Exposure 1). For the q’s I got wrong, I would read the explanations with my condensed notes beside me and compare what my resources had to say about the topic vs. what the explanation addressed (this helped me connect some dots). THE NEXT DAY, I would again go through every question I missed, and jog my memory over what I did right and wrong during that test (Exposure 2). Throughout each week, I would flip back and randomly review this old practice test (Exposure 3). This way, I was always reinforcing my knowledge.
- Facebook group less, study more. Put a time limit. Seeing other scores was addicting and only made me more anxious while I was studying.
- Every missed question is an opportunity to learn. Don’t let a 16 in any section shake you up. Have the mind set of “I’m glad I missed this now and not during the actual test. I will make sure to never get it wrong again”. Period
- Bookmark Questions while you are taking any practice exams. Bookmarked questions prove that you weren’t confident in your answer or serve as a reminder that you guessed well and need to re-learn that topic.
- Do not take too many notes. Writing everything down will waste your time. Towards the very end of your studying, start writing things down to help yourself memorize or understand what you DON’T know.
- Rather than writing everything, review out loud and create stories, or random connections out of what you can’t remember. EX. On a random practice test, I had a question about the function of the medulla oblongata, and for whatever reason, I could not remember it’s function. 2 days before my DAT I saw this question again and realized Kanye uses it in his song “All Mine” when he says, “crazy that medulla oblongata ...”, so when I got this question on my actual DAT, I sang in my head “crazy that medulla oblongata got that control over breathing”. It’s silly, but it worked.
- The day before my exam, I kept studying, and stopped right when I got tired. This helped keep my head in the game on test day because by the end of it all, I still felt like I knew nothing. The least I could do at that point was skim through old practice tests and re-jog my memory on random things. I ended up having some questions from what I reviewed the day before my exam on my actual test!
To finish this off, you don’t need to be naturally smart to get this test done, you just need to be optimistic and hustling to always learn what you don’t know. I had so much anxiety and refused to study some days because I was so scared to fail. The night before my exam my sweet mom told me that we are celebrating no matter what the outcome was. A lot of us are doing this for ourselves and our parents, so hearing her say that relieved some stress.
