Hi I recently completed my DAT and thought I’d share my experience as these posts were extremely helpful for me when I was studying.
Scores:
QR - 22
PAT- 20
RC - 25
BIO- 26
GC- 24
OC- 25
TS- 25
AA- 24
Background:
Currently a rising senior with a 3.99 cGPA and 4.00 sGPA
Materials Used:
I knew I was taking the DAT between sophomore and junior year (in my case sophomore and senior year as I am graduating undergrad in 3 years). TAKE IT AFTER U FINISH ORGO. Orgo was the freshest in my mind when I was studying for the DAT, and I spent the least time on it. I also did not spend too much time on Gen Chem either, as I had a strong foundation of it. I was mainly focusing on BIO as there is SO MUCH content and I barely had prior anatomy knowledge. Breadth over depth.
The first 3-4 weeks I followed Booster’s study schedule. I went over all the material and crossed off each topic as I completed them. When I finished this learning phase, it was time to take the practice tests. This is where I no longer followed the provided Booster schedule and did my own thing. On average, I would take a full length test every 3-4 days and in between the tests, go over my right/wrong questions and patch up topics. Every 2 days I would revisit my old BIO test and make sure I was scoring 30 on the redo- bio exams. If I continue to get something wrong on the redo, I would again, patch up that topic as I got it wrong twice from two different exposures.
My study schedule was a little set back because of 4th of July. I went to my friend’s place for 4 nights and tried sneaking out of her room to squeeze in a few hours of studying before we went out. I tried doing this but honestly wasn’t productive. However, I needed this break desperately looking back as you can burn out. This just gave me more energy to study after my break was over. So if you are reading this, be nice to yourself and make sure you do something fun!!!
I kind of slacked off for PAT, as I didn’t see myself improving. ANGLE RANKING I HATED IT. Even when I looked at the right answer, I still think my answer was right. It was honestly impossible for me. I can’t switch out my eyes so I just ignored Angles and prayed it wasn't too bad on the actual exam. Holepunching and cube counting were my best sections. Then pattern-folding, TFE, and keyhole. I didn’t really care too much about this section having read that it is not weighted too heavily, so I focused on my Sciences.
Day of Exam
I tracked my progress on Google sheets of my practice tests. Anything from 23+ I highlighted in light green. Anything above 25 I highlighted in bright green Anything below 21 was a red, which I had significantly more in my first 3 practice tests. Keep yourself accountable! I used this to make sure I was consistently hitting a certain range. This also improved my confidence going into the exam. My practice tests average from tests 5-10 were in the 23-26 AA range. And ding ding! I hit that on my actual DAT. Very representative.
Ending Advice:
I would 100% take the 30 minute break and eat something. I had a protein bar and a banana. Wasn’t hungry at all but ate just to eat. This test honestly was over once you finished the science and PAT, so I went into RC and QR excited to be almost done. Your score immediately pops up after you finish the survey, and I literally covered my eyes and opened the tiniest peephole through my fingers to reveal my subscores one at a time. I was sooo nervous to see my score if you can’t tell. I got to that 25 TS and was very satisfied. It was my QR that to this day, I wish I did 1-2 points higher so my AA was also a 25, but don’t get me wrong, happy with what I got.
Scores:
QR - 22
PAT- 20
RC - 25
BIO- 26
GC- 24
OC- 25
TS- 25
AA- 24
Background:
Currently a rising senior with a 3.99 cGPA and 4.00 sGPA
Materials Used:
- DAT Booster - I chose this over DAT bootcamp for the biology tests, PAT, and price difference. I have read that the booster biology tests are the most representative to the actual DAT, and as someone who cared more about improving in bio (my gen chem and orgo foundations is strong, just needed practice), I ultimately chose booster. I am so glad that I did. Booster provided me with more than enough materials to expose myself to all the topics that could possibly be tested. I actually ended up getting 2 word for word booster questions on my DAT. The PAT generators in DAT booster were pretty good in giving me plenty of practice puzzles. I also followed the provided 8-week schedule for the first month (the learning phase) but did my own thing when I started taking the practice tests.
- DAT Booster Crash Course 1- I was fortunate enough to attend one of the booster crash courses in late June without the price attached to it. This was more than 4 weeks away from my test so I would suggest finding a crash course date closer to your test date. Personally, I found it helpful and there was a kahoot game that went along with it. Going back, if there was a crash course closer to my test date, I would spend the money and attend these sessions.
- ANKI- I used it in the beginning, but found it hard to keep up. I’d say it was not for me, but I can see how it can be very useful to others. I only got up to the respiratory section and then stopped using ANKI. I found myself seeing Anki as a chore to complete and thus did not see it benefiting me in the long run.
I knew I was taking the DAT between sophomore and junior year (in my case sophomore and senior year as I am graduating undergrad in 3 years). TAKE IT AFTER U FINISH ORGO. Orgo was the freshest in my mind when I was studying for the DAT, and I spent the least time on it. I also did not spend too much time on Gen Chem either, as I had a strong foundation of it. I was mainly focusing on BIO as there is SO MUCH content and I barely had prior anatomy knowledge. Breadth over depth.
The first 3-4 weeks I followed Booster’s study schedule. I went over all the material and crossed off each topic as I completed them. When I finished this learning phase, it was time to take the practice tests. This is where I no longer followed the provided Booster schedule and did my own thing. On average, I would take a full length test every 3-4 days and in between the tests, go over my right/wrong questions and patch up topics. Every 2 days I would revisit my old BIO test and make sure I was scoring 30 on the redo- bio exams. If I continue to get something wrong on the redo, I would again, patch up that topic as I got it wrong twice from two different exposures.
My study schedule was a little set back because of 4th of July. I went to my friend’s place for 4 nights and tried sneaking out of her room to squeeze in a few hours of studying before we went out. I tried doing this but honestly wasn’t productive. However, I needed this break desperately looking back as you can burn out. This just gave me more energy to study after my break was over. So if you are reading this, be nice to yourself and make sure you do something fun!!!
I kind of slacked off for PAT, as I didn’t see myself improving. ANGLE RANKING I HATED IT. Even when I looked at the right answer, I still think my answer was right. It was honestly impossible for me. I can’t switch out my eyes so I just ignored Angles and prayed it wasn't too bad on the actual exam. Holepunching and cube counting were my best sections. Then pattern-folding, TFE, and keyhole. I didn’t really care too much about this section having read that it is not weighted too heavily, so I focused on my Sciences.
Day of Exam
- Bio (26): Very straightforward but had trouble with one question as I couldn’t pick between two answer choices. The first answer choice was like X, and the other answer choice included X and Y. I didn’t know if the Y, although true, applied to the question so this really stumped me up. Other than that, it was basic concept questions that Booster exposed me to.
- GC (24): I honestly was hoping for 26+ as gen chem was strong for me. But 24 could really be 1-2 wrong depending on the test so it’s okay. Calculations were extremely easy, and I got a few set-up equation questions. Other than that, no math skills were required haha. Again, very straightforward conceptual questions.
- OC (25): Knowing the reactions is not enough. Know your orgo foundation such as ranking, why something happens, etc. I got a question with a reagent i have never seen before so it def threw me in a curveball. Also got a few questions with multi-synthesis steps, but they were rather straightforward. Other than that, there were no surprises.
- I had around 40 mins leftover after finishing the science section and went over marked questions. I ended up changing a few answer choices, and looking back, I wish I didn’t. GO WITH UR FIRST CHOICE.
- PAT (20): Mhm don’t feel qualified to help out here. Didn’t really care too much about this section and it showed. If you are wondering, I start at question 31 to the end, and then go back to keyholes and TFE.
- RC (25): I used purely the search and destroy method. In my studying phase, I used the vanilla method but always was tight on time. Switched to search and destroy and always had at least 15 minutes remaining to check things over. Play around and see what works best for you. RC honestly scared me so much in the beginning as I was always pressed on time, but with practice, your speed follows.
- QR (22): This was shocking to me. This was the only section that I would get 30s on in my practice tests. Average, I would only get 1 wrong. However, I also got 7 comparison questions (so many!) and many probability on my actual DAT which is my weak point. Wish I scored higher in this, but it is what it is.
I tracked my progress on Google sheets of my practice tests. Anything from 23+ I highlighted in light green. Anything above 25 I highlighted in bright green Anything below 21 was a red, which I had significantly more in my first 3 practice tests. Keep yourself accountable! I used this to make sure I was consistently hitting a certain range. This also improved my confidence going into the exam. My practice tests average from tests 5-10 were in the 23-26 AA range. And ding ding! I hit that on my actual DAT. Very representative.
Ending Advice:
I would 100% take the 30 minute break and eat something. I had a protein bar and a banana. Wasn’t hungry at all but ate just to eat. This test honestly was over once you finished the science and PAT, so I went into RC and QR excited to be almost done. Your score immediately pops up after you finish the survey, and I literally covered my eyes and opened the tiniest peephole through my fingers to reveal my subscores one at a time. I was sooo nervous to see my score if you can’t tell. I got to that 25 TS and was very satisfied. It was my QR that to this day, I wish I did 1-2 points higher so my AA was also a 25, but don’t get me wrong, happy with what I got.
