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- Jul 14, 2011
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- 34
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All i can say is WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!! 7/18/11 has been the best day of my life! To those of you DAT takers that are studying right now and freaking out and being nervous (just like i was) you NEED to understand that once you see your score at the end of 4 1/2 hours of misery, IT'S ALL WORTH IT. The DAT is not as bad as you think, and you WILL be fine..just have confidence and give the test your absolute best!
Okay i wanna start out by thanking the SDN community, i was seriously on here 24/7 checking every thread and every post hoping i could feed off of yall's positiveness and words of advice...and let me tell you, they are what got me through this!
I'm not going to disclose my score, BUT through the support of God, my family and friends, i got MORE than i wanted/expected and I'm proud to say i won't be needing to take it again...and if you are well prepared you'll do the same
Preperation Materials I Used: (Rating 1-5*)
Kaplan Blue Book (KBB) ***
I used KBB merely for the basics, I really didn't think this book went in great detail BUT you should read it just to get basic ideas and to build a foundation for other materials
Cliffs Biology *****
This book covered all of biology and went in great detail! two words: GET IT.
DAT destroyer *****
This was far by the best tool I used in preparation for Bio, gChem, oChem, and math...I went throught the book 3 times and made sure i understood everything before i started with practice tests.
MATH destroyer *****
This is the BEST way to study for your QR section guys, go through all the problems and make sure you heavily concentrate on your weaknesses...I went through the problems twice before i started with practice tests.
CHAD's VIDEOS ********* (a million stars)
Chad is AWESOME..and his videos are the reasons why I did so well on the gChem and oChem part of the DAT. If you watch his videos, take notes, take the quizzes after each section you will do just fine on the DAT. He makes everything so much easier and goes over pretty much every concept that the DAT asks for. I HIGHLY recommend this!
Biology datQvault *****
I LOVED THIS. I took all 10 benchmark tests and made sure I understood the main concepts and on any errors i would make i would review it..it scored your performance and timed you and everything. it was awesome!
TopScore *****
Alright, AFTER you have finished preparing over everything, make sure you get TopScore...these practice tests are the BOMB DIGGITY. You can take them by section or choose to take a full length test..they have explanations and solutions for every section (except perceptual ability). Get this program! you wont regret it!
Crack DAT PAT *****
Want a high score on your PAT? GET THIS!!!!!! It helped me visualize everything and is one of the many reasons why I did well on my PAT!
2009 ADA Sample Test/All the other practice test i found ****
Having MORE practice will boost your self confidence and help better prepare you for the DAT..i strongly encourage you do as many practice tests as you can AFTER you have fully went over the preparation materials you use!
Comparing Prep Materials to the Real DAT:
Bio: okay this section I thought was pretty on par/a tad bit harder than TopScore, easier than DAT destroyer, and on par with biology datQvault. I went over this section 3 times in the destroyer and you should too! I guarantee you'll make a 20+ on this section IF you prepared well enough for it
gChem: alright guys, if you are prolly thinking "how the heck am i going to do well on this section if i can't do these calculations on TopScore in the amount of time that's given?!" YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY. I thought TopScore's gchem was wayyyyyy harder than the real thing. Go over Chad's vids and you'll be golden...i love chad!
oChem: oChem is my strongest subject so i didnt really review for it that much and scored the highest in this section! go over chad's videos, dat destroyer and know the basics...(most acidic, o/p activators, etc) and you will do GREAT..oh and it was easier on the real DAT than on TopScore.
PAT: PAT PAT PAT...where do i begin? i went from not knowing how to do a single TFE problem to them being my favorite..USE CRACK DAT PAT for this section..if you're using TopScore then this is how they relate to the real test..Cube side counting, Keyholes, TFE, and Pattern Folding were on par. Angle ranking and Hole punching were HARDER on the real thing...the key to angle ranking is to glance at the angles back and forth really quickly and GO WITH YOUR GUT, you'll most likely always be right, trust me!!
Reading Comprehension: I was EXTREMELY worried about this section,it was going to be possible to read 3 scientific passages and answer 50 questions in exactly one hour..but it was FINE!!...don't stress about it too much! I read scientific ariticles and journals online daily to get myself used to the kinds of readings that were going to be on the DAT..make sure you do that! Umm the method i used for this section was SEACH AND DESTROY and it worked out for me. I made sure to read the first paragraph or so to get myself familiarized with the passage and then would move on to the questions. I thought that TopScore was EASIER than the real DAT in this section.. but if you are freaking out about this section like i was, please dont..you'll do fine! My passages were actually pretty interesting, and this section overall went smoothly!
Quantitative Reasoning: Math Destroyer, DAT destroyer...ENOUGH SAID. There was not a single question on the real test that wasn't covered in these two books..awesome tools for QR. TopScore's QR was on par with the real DAT. oh and btw the calculator does NOT lag.
Overall DAT experience:
It definitely went better than I thought. I ended up finishing bio gchem and ochem with 34 minutes to spare, so i rechecked my answers, i finished math with 5 minutes to spare and the other sections i finished right on time...but this is ALL DUE TO PRACTICE, make sure you have enough of it!! To those of you that are thinking negatively about it...DONT...make sure you have confidence in yourself before you go in, eat a good breakfast, and sleep well the night before. The day before the big day you should not do any practice tests or anything..just take it easy and relax! I would also check out your testing center prior to your test date to get a feel of the place and atmosphere. umm note: the thin markers are IMPOSSIBLE to erase once they're dry, make sure you TEST your markers before going in..and take one of each type of marker provided. Like i said a million times before, go in with confidence and give the test your best...because if you tell yourself "I can do this" then you undoubtedly will
GOOD LUCK DAT TAKERS!!!!!!!! SHOW THAT TEST WHO'S BOSS!!!
Okay i wanna start out by thanking the SDN community, i was seriously on here 24/7 checking every thread and every post hoping i could feed off of yall's positiveness and words of advice...and let me tell you, they are what got me through this!
I'm not going to disclose my score, BUT through the support of God, my family and friends, i got MORE than i wanted/expected and I'm proud to say i won't be needing to take it again...and if you are well prepared you'll do the same
Preperation Materials I Used: (Rating 1-5*)
Kaplan Blue Book (KBB) ***
I used KBB merely for the basics, I really didn't think this book went in great detail BUT you should read it just to get basic ideas and to build a foundation for other materials
Cliffs Biology *****
This book covered all of biology and went in great detail! two words: GET IT.
DAT destroyer *****
This was far by the best tool I used in preparation for Bio, gChem, oChem, and math...I went throught the book 3 times and made sure i understood everything before i started with practice tests.
MATH destroyer *****
This is the BEST way to study for your QR section guys, go through all the problems and make sure you heavily concentrate on your weaknesses...I went through the problems twice before i started with practice tests.
CHAD's VIDEOS ********* (a million stars)
Chad is AWESOME..and his videos are the reasons why I did so well on the gChem and oChem part of the DAT. If you watch his videos, take notes, take the quizzes after each section you will do just fine on the DAT. He makes everything so much easier and goes over pretty much every concept that the DAT asks for. I HIGHLY recommend this!
Biology datQvault *****
I LOVED THIS. I took all 10 benchmark tests and made sure I understood the main concepts and on any errors i would make i would review it..it scored your performance and timed you and everything. it was awesome!
TopScore *****
Alright, AFTER you have finished preparing over everything, make sure you get TopScore...these practice tests are the BOMB DIGGITY. You can take them by section or choose to take a full length test..they have explanations and solutions for every section (except perceptual ability). Get this program! you wont regret it!
Crack DAT PAT *****
Want a high score on your PAT? GET THIS!!!!!! It helped me visualize everything and is one of the many reasons why I did well on my PAT!
2009 ADA Sample Test/All the other practice test i found ****
Having MORE practice will boost your self confidence and help better prepare you for the DAT..i strongly encourage you do as many practice tests as you can AFTER you have fully went over the preparation materials you use!
Comparing Prep Materials to the Real DAT:
Bio: okay this section I thought was pretty on par/a tad bit harder than TopScore, easier than DAT destroyer, and on par with biology datQvault. I went over this section 3 times in the destroyer and you should too! I guarantee you'll make a 20+ on this section IF you prepared well enough for it
gChem: alright guys, if you are prolly thinking "how the heck am i going to do well on this section if i can't do these calculations on TopScore in the amount of time that's given?!" YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY. I thought TopScore's gchem was wayyyyyy harder than the real thing. Go over Chad's vids and you'll be golden...i love chad!
oChem: oChem is my strongest subject so i didnt really review for it that much and scored the highest in this section! go over chad's videos, dat destroyer and know the basics...(most acidic, o/p activators, etc) and you will do GREAT..oh and it was easier on the real DAT than on TopScore.
PAT: PAT PAT PAT...where do i begin? i went from not knowing how to do a single TFE problem to them being my favorite..USE CRACK DAT PAT for this section..if you're using TopScore then this is how they relate to the real test..Cube side counting, Keyholes, TFE, and Pattern Folding were on par. Angle ranking and Hole punching were HARDER on the real thing...the key to angle ranking is to glance at the angles back and forth really quickly and GO WITH YOUR GUT, you'll most likely always be right, trust me!!
Reading Comprehension: I was EXTREMELY worried about this section,it was going to be possible to read 3 scientific passages and answer 50 questions in exactly one hour..but it was FINE!!...don't stress about it too much! I read scientific ariticles and journals online daily to get myself used to the kinds of readings that were going to be on the DAT..make sure you do that! Umm the method i used for this section was SEACH AND DESTROY and it worked out for me. I made sure to read the first paragraph or so to get myself familiarized with the passage and then would move on to the questions. I thought that TopScore was EASIER than the real DAT in this section.. but if you are freaking out about this section like i was, please dont..you'll do fine! My passages were actually pretty interesting, and this section overall went smoothly!
Quantitative Reasoning: Math Destroyer, DAT destroyer...ENOUGH SAID. There was not a single question on the real test that wasn't covered in these two books..awesome tools for QR. TopScore's QR was on par with the real DAT. oh and btw the calculator does NOT lag.
Overall DAT experience:
It definitely went better than I thought. I ended up finishing bio gchem and ochem with 34 minutes to spare, so i rechecked my answers, i finished math with 5 minutes to spare and the other sections i finished right on time...but this is ALL DUE TO PRACTICE, make sure you have enough of it!! To those of you that are thinking negatively about it...DONT...make sure you have confidence in yourself before you go in, eat a good breakfast, and sleep well the night before. The day before the big day you should not do any practice tests or anything..just take it easy and relax! I would also check out your testing center prior to your test date to get a feel of the place and atmosphere. umm note: the thin markers are IMPOSSIBLE to erase once they're dry, make sure you TEST your markers before going in..and take one of each type of marker provided. Like i said a million times before, go in with confidence and give the test your best...because if you tell yourself "I can do this" then you undoubtedly will
GOOD LUCK DAT TAKERS!!!!!!!! SHOW THAT TEST WHO'S BOSS!!!
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