Achiever Bio vs DAT Bio?

[bchang57]

thoughts? Are there certain things perhaps that I should just be like "okay...this prly won't be on the test, I should focus on the details of this topic more"

I'm curious because I'm getting stuff that's making me go "uhhh..." for example....
i didn't know what type of environment a chaparral was, or that Chlorophyll b and carotenoids were accessory pigments (i don't even remember hearing that term in my bio classes), and i definitely did not remember the correct phylums of psuedocoelomates...(rotifers & nematoda) although maybe i should've gotten that??? Also, I knew breathing was controlled by the medulla oblongata but Achiever said it was that AND the pons, i guess it did a "+1" on me with it's detail compared to what I got from Destroyer and KBB.

Also...question about using whiteboards?

I've been doing practice tests w/out whiteboards (Since i'm too lazy to go buy one) and instead I have a pencil and 1 sheet of paper with me during tests...

did ppl find whiteboards during the test inefficient? (fat markers...messy, less space) and is it important enough to really just go get a whiteboard and practice test taking with one?

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[Kingsta2426]

When I took the DAT they gave me 2 laminated sheets of long paper with fine tip sharpie markers, it was plenty of space for me and you can switch them out during your break. For Biology since there is such a large variety of topics don't ever think a certain topic won't show up, good luck with the studying.

 

[bchang57]

thank you kingsta

 

[white fang]

I don't want to make you worried at all, because that stuff totally might not show up on your test, but I think you could/should have known most of those examples you just brought up.

In my opinion, all of that stuff is info you should have learned in Gen Bio and is fair game on the DAT. I know I saw questions in similar detail.

I think knowing this level of detail is the difference between scoring 18/19 in Bio and scoring 23+ in bio, so it all depends what you are shooting for.

 

[ushaseos]

White Fang is basically right.

You will need to know those things in bio if you want a significantly high score. For example, even now (3 months after my DAT) I still remember accessory pigments, pons, pseudocoelomates etc. right before the DAT I knew the various ecosystems. Bio is Random, and the Achiever level of detail truly isn't necessary but since it is random, the more you know the better your score because those "random" things aren't so random anymore. Just learn as many of those things as you can (i.e. correct all your mistakes)

With regards to the boards: they are really nice and the pens are super fine and write really well. Don't worry about it its a lot like pen and paper. The only thing is that you cannot write more than 4 pages at any time. When I took the test I used less than 3 pages for the whole test and swapped the 2 pads I had for 2 news ones in the break.

 

[bchang57]

mmk. will do! I definitely want that 23+ !!

 

[MAdental]

ya, Bio is pretty messed up and I would say the real DAT is like achiever Bio or maybe even harder ! they ask you some "non-bio" stuff too ! One question i had asked about how old the earth is ? lol i was like WTF ! Ask me about hormones, bones, promoter region, cell division.....not how old the earth is !
I guessed and got it right, but just so you know....IT IS RANDOM like that

 

[TheDentist16]

Just my two cents, I think Achiever bio is surprisingly accurate in question types/difficulty. However, more exposure is always better for the sciences. Supplemental materials can include DAT Destroyer, dat qVault, and Alan's Biology Notes (this one is free!).

Also, the whiteboards didn't help much for bio, but they did a lot for gen chem and math. Make sure to test the markers before you enter the test room so you don't have to wait for a proctor to make a round to switch out your markers.