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- Jun 3, 2012
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So I just took my DAT and sweet jesus does it feel good to be done. Here are my scores:
PAT---->23 (94.7)
QR----->21 (94.0)
RC------>21 (77.1) 😴
Bio------>23 (97.4)
GC------>22 (89.2)
OC------>20 (76.2)
TS------>22 (94.8)
AA------>21 (91.3)
Before I break this bad boy down, I just wanted to say that my best resource BY FAR was this website. I haven't posted all that much, and generally lurk, but I am very thankful for the SDN community and wished I knew about it earlier.
And here is my tailor made breakdown. (Hah, my name is Taylor, get it?)
Materials Used: Kaplan online course, DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer, CDP, Also read once/took notes Alan's notes and Bangity's Cliff Notes
Destroyer strategy: I went through destroyer GC/OC twice and Bio once. The second time through I wrote down the numbers of the (GC/OC) questions that I either got wrong or thought would be beneficial to reinforce concepts. Then, I went through these questions everyday for the couple days before the test, continually narrowing down my list.
Kaplan course was a good place to start for all sections of the test and I only took those practice tests. However, it was definitely not worth the money. If I had to take the test again I would probably use achiever and chad's videos instead of the course (probably would of done better too).
PAT (23): CDP was the best resource here. I averaged a 23 on the 10 tests that I took. I just realized that was the same score I got on the actual test, haha. Kaplan was good because it gave harder keyholes than CDP and I'm glad I did this before CDP. On the actual test, Keyholes were harder than CDP, TFE was a little easier, angles were easier, cubes and pattern folding were comparable. *NOTE ON ANGLES* CDP angles were so difficult for me that I started using a crazy combination of all angle strategy I found on SDN. On a case by case basis, I would run through the following: laptop closing, rapid eye movement (REM, hah), which hill is safer to ride a bike down, comparing the area made from a 180 degree line for obtuse angles, etccc. This was overkill for the real deal and a little unproductive! On the real test all I needed was REM and really the others just slowed me down/confused me. I could have done better if I used achiever.
QR (21): I've always been pretty good at math. Surprised I didn't do better. I never really had a time problem with this section so I did a couple math destroyers not timed. Destroyer was very representative of the test. I'm pretty sure I missed a question because the less-than-or-equal-to sign was weird looking compared to anything I've ever seen and I mistook it for a strange less than sign (the equal-to part was diagonal and very close to the alligators mouth!) and I didn't realize it until I was about done with test and it was too late. Not really a big deal, but in my delusional state of mind it was enough to mess me up and miss a question.
RC(21): I had some very strange passages asking some very peculiar questions which threw me off. I had been getting 24s and 25s on my Kaplan practice tests so I was expecting better. Again, I would attribute this to not having the best test endurance because I was struggling to stay focused, and I could have done better.
Bio(23): Destroyer was great and Kaplan was good too (although I found they had a good amount of mistakes in their materials and tests/quizzes). The best thing that works for me to memorize information has always been to make MY OWN mnemonic. That's how they stick the best! Even if you find a cool one online that someone else came up with (except for easy ones like FLAT PEG, etc...) nothing sticks better than something obscure and unique to yourself! I got realllllll weird with it (Guess that TV show!?). Most of the time I refuse to share my mnemonics/phrases because they are either incredibly vulgar or highly politically incorrect, but that works because I won't forget it! A few non-profane examples: Apocrine cells = "A Po' " boy don't "cri" under pressure! or Leydig cells = The "Ley"dies "dig" you at puberty!!
GC(22): Destroyer destroys.
OC(20): Got a couple NMR questions, a lab question, and a reagent I had never seen before, but destroyer got me through them. Everything else was pretty easy, and I'm not sure what I missed to get a 20. Normally I do better in OC than GC.
Anyone can do well on this test. You just have to want it bad enough! I actually got my girlfriend to change my Facebook password the week before the test - worked like a charm. Also take notes on everything you miss <-- that's what I mainly used to study the couple days before the test. Let me know if anyone has a question.
Good luck to everyone, hopefully some of us will meet next fall!
*Edit* The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby somehow got stuck in my head when I started studying and helped me survive...
PAT---->23 (94.7)
QR----->21 (94.0)
RC------>21 (77.1) 😴
Bio------>23 (97.4)
GC------>22 (89.2)
OC------>20 (76.2)
TS------>22 (94.8)
AA------>21 (91.3)
Before I break this bad boy down, I just wanted to say that my best resource BY FAR was this website. I haven't posted all that much, and generally lurk, but I am very thankful for the SDN community and wished I knew about it earlier.
And here is my tailor made breakdown. (Hah, my name is Taylor, get it?)
Materials Used: Kaplan online course, DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer, CDP, Also read once/took notes Alan's notes and Bangity's Cliff Notes
Destroyer strategy: I went through destroyer GC/OC twice and Bio once. The second time through I wrote down the numbers of the (GC/OC) questions that I either got wrong or thought would be beneficial to reinforce concepts. Then, I went through these questions everyday for the couple days before the test, continually narrowing down my list.
Kaplan course was a good place to start for all sections of the test and I only took those practice tests. However, it was definitely not worth the money. If I had to take the test again I would probably use achiever and chad's videos instead of the course (probably would of done better too).
PAT (23): CDP was the best resource here. I averaged a 23 on the 10 tests that I took. I just realized that was the same score I got on the actual test, haha. Kaplan was good because it gave harder keyholes than CDP and I'm glad I did this before CDP. On the actual test, Keyholes were harder than CDP, TFE was a little easier, angles were easier, cubes and pattern folding were comparable. *NOTE ON ANGLES* CDP angles were so difficult for me that I started using a crazy combination of all angle strategy I found on SDN. On a case by case basis, I would run through the following: laptop closing, rapid eye movement (REM, hah), which hill is safer to ride a bike down, comparing the area made from a 180 degree line for obtuse angles, etccc. This was overkill for the real deal and a little unproductive! On the real test all I needed was REM and really the others just slowed me down/confused me. I could have done better if I used achiever.
QR (21): I've always been pretty good at math. Surprised I didn't do better. I never really had a time problem with this section so I did a couple math destroyers not timed. Destroyer was very representative of the test. I'm pretty sure I missed a question because the less-than-or-equal-to sign was weird looking compared to anything I've ever seen and I mistook it for a strange less than sign (the equal-to part was diagonal and very close to the alligators mouth!) and I didn't realize it until I was about done with test and it was too late. Not really a big deal, but in my delusional state of mind it was enough to mess me up and miss a question.
RC(21): I had some very strange passages asking some very peculiar questions which threw me off. I had been getting 24s and 25s on my Kaplan practice tests so I was expecting better. Again, I would attribute this to not having the best test endurance because I was struggling to stay focused, and I could have done better.
Bio(23): Destroyer was great and Kaplan was good too (although I found they had a good amount of mistakes in their materials and tests/quizzes). The best thing that works for me to memorize information has always been to make MY OWN mnemonic. That's how they stick the best! Even if you find a cool one online that someone else came up with (except for easy ones like FLAT PEG, etc...) nothing sticks better than something obscure and unique to yourself! I got realllllll weird with it (Guess that TV show!?). Most of the time I refuse to share my mnemonics/phrases because they are either incredibly vulgar or highly politically incorrect, but that works because I won't forget it! A few non-profane examples: Apocrine cells = "A Po' " boy don't "cri" under pressure! or Leydig cells = The "Ley"dies "dig" you at puberty!!
GC(22): Destroyer destroys.
OC(20): Got a couple NMR questions, a lab question, and a reagent I had never seen before, but destroyer got me through them. Everything else was pretty easy, and I'm not sure what I missed to get a 20. Normally I do better in OC than GC.
Anyone can do well on this test. You just have to want it bad enough! I actually got my girlfriend to change my Facebook password the week before the test - worked like a charm. Also take notes on everything you miss <-- that's what I mainly used to study the couple days before the test. Let me know if anyone has a question.
Good luck to everyone, hopefully some of us will meet next fall!
*Edit* The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby somehow got stuck in my head when I started studying and helped me survive...
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