All about "BIOLOGY" on the DAT!

[Kingo1996]

Hi everyone,

I am a senior and will be taking the DAT on July 2019 after I finish my next semester with bio chem and cell bio. Right now winter break is coming up and I wanted to lightly refresh on biology and maybe a bit on math but I need help to organize my study.

I have the AP biology 3rd edition book and I was planning on studying that book from cover to cover, but I was thinking what would be to best way to take advantage of these 3 weeks off. I usually take notes when I study for classes but I feel like doing this for the AP biology book will be too time consuming? should I just highlight things? how do you guys organize yourself when having to study for so many things and trying to be efficient? or should I take notes of the entire book? also, how can I use feralis notes or bootcamp bio notes to correlate it with the AP Bio book? are they all correlated in order? should I read the AP book and then test myself with the Feralis or bootcamp bio notes? because I feel like they only have the definitions so I can just quiz myself.

Also, should I get the destroyer book? or should I get it once I get closer to the exam?

As I mentioned earlier, I will be taking cell biology and biochemistry next semester before taking the DAT are these big sections for the DAT? and will there be things from cell biology and biochem in the AP bio book so I can review for the DAT and my classes simultaneously?

NOTE: I have not taken anatomy in college (only in high school) and I have not taken microbiology, embryology and I do not know much of immunology and endocrinology. I heard these sections are in the DAT but in small amounts, should I study for all that with the boot camp and Iprep? I don't think it's worth it waiting to take the DAT after maybe taking a semester of micro bio and all these classes I never took if they will not be abundant on the exam, maybe I can just familiarize myself with them.

What do you guys recommend? I am open to any ideas that may hep me for the DAT I am super scared to take it specially since I never took those classes.

thank you all in advance!

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[AppalachianDentalBoy]

The cliffs book will be a waste of time. You should read and take notes over Ferralis’s notes instead. My dat had no biochem, lots of cell bio, and even more anatomy.

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

Destroyer is worth it but you’ll want to be using it after you’ve reviewed all the material first. It’s not a good way to learn the material for the first time but it’s a great way to test yourself and find where your gaps are.

 

[yasc]

Just reintrating what @AppalachianDentalBoy said. Use datbootcamps bio notes there basically feralis' but way better I used them my second time taking that DAT and got a 22 in bio compared to a 17 I got using cliffs my first time around.

 

[Kingo1996]

Destroyer is worth it but you’ll want to be using it after you’ve reviewed all the material first. It’s not a good way to learn the material for the first time but it’s a great way to test yourself and find where your gaps are.

That sounds like a solid plan but I was thinking doing bio cliff because it is more general and I am looking to refresh sense i am taking the DAT in July which is 6 months later, or do you still think bootcamp bio notes and feralis will be my best bet?

 

[Kingo1996]

Just reintrating what @AppalachianDentalBoy said. Use datbootcamps bio notes there basically feralis' but way better I used them my second time taking that DAT and got a 22 in bio compared to a 17 I got using cliffs my first time around.


I was thinking doing bio cliff notes and bio Bootcamp notes since I believe they are correlated? and what do you think I should do to learn enough anatomy for the DAT?

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

That sounds like a solid plan but I was thinking doing bio cliff because it is more general and I am looking to refresh sense i am taking the DAT in July which is 6 months later, or do you still think bootcamp bio notes and feralis will be my best bet?

The bootcamp notes were over 500 pages when I was studying for my DAT. Can't imagine they've been condensed, only lengthened since then. Ferallis is much shorter but its definitely more dense. I'd suggest reading through both and seeing what you like more. If you're still in college bio then the cliffs will be bit basic.

 

[Faefly]

I used the bio dynamite notes by Dr. Romano + destroyer Q&A+ Kaplan bio quizzes + datqvault bio section.

I would suggest you download both Bootcamp notes and destroyer notes and figure out which one works for you and stick to one of them only, don't overwhelm yourself.

But whatever you choose, you need to have a notebook ready or a Microsoft word ready to write your notes or you simply write them on Quizlet right away, so you can get back to them whenever you need a shorter version. (hint: people have already made flashcards on these notes already on quizlet)

After that do destroyer once: Take notes
Then do datqault bio once: Take notes
Then redo destroyer again and review your datqvault notes.

If you have time you can do Bootcamp bio questions or any other bio questions available to you.

Bio will take a lot of time to master, but it is worth it.

 

[Jolly roger dentistry]

Just reintrating what @AppalachianDentalBoy said. Use datbootcamps bio notes there basically feralis' but way better I used them my second time taking that DAT and got a 22 in bio compared to a 17 I got using cliffs my first time around.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Wikipedia

Did you use the normal biology notes on Bootcamp or the academic longer one?


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[Jolly roger dentistry]

The bootcamp notes were over 500 pages when I was studying for my DAT. Can't imagine they've been condensed, only lengthened since then. Ferallis is much shorter but its definitely more dense. I'd suggest reading through both and seeing what you like more. If you're still in college bio then the cliffs will be bit basic.

Did you only use feralis or also Bootcamp?


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[yasc]

Did you use the normal biology notes on Bootcamp or the academic longer one?


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There was only one type of bio notes when I took my test over the summer but from my understanding the longer ones would probably be better.

 

[MavsFanForLife]

Not that you need another person to say it but.....do not use cliffs. I used for most of the time studying and was not retaining information at all. Luckily I pounded feralis and destroyer and was able to salvage my bio score on the real DAT (20) but i could have done loads better if I stopped using cliffs earlier

 

[baszilion]

I think the Bootcamp Biology Notes (the online extended version!) are a godsend for this section. I used them exclusively and scored a 27 in Bio

I know it seems like an insane amount of material, but it is very manageable if you just take it one chapter at a time! Here's how I tackled each chapter:
1. Read the chapter slowly and intently. Verbalize everything and don't skim. Reread sentences if necessary. Accentuate key words. Paraphrase concepts in your mind as you are going along and be sure it makes sense.
2. Google stuff! Especially google images The Bootcamp notes are great but not perfect. If you are unsatisfied with an explanation of something or are just having trouble with it, scour the internet for something helpful. Synthesizing multiple sources of information on a particular topic into your own advanced understanding is the way to go! Youtube is great for animations of many biological processes. There's also this website called Bioninja that has a lot of awesome and concise info on general biology topics. Wikipedia can be overkill at times but is great too.
3. As you are reading and going through this learning process for the chapter, note the things you are confident you could recall on test day (be honest!). Since you have some background in bio already, this will happen Everything that is not obvious to you or you are unsure if you'd remember long-term, make flashcards on! I used Quizlet; kept it open in another tab and flipped back and forth while reading the chapter. Include personal reminders or pneumonic devices in the flashcards too, whatever works for you.
4. Study study the flashcards. I can't really recommend any routine schedule for doing this. I guess studying the prior chapter's flashcards before starting a new one is a good approach. At the end of the day, you just have to keep returning to them until they are all mastered!

One chapter per day is a great routine if you have that time. Some chapters will be easier than others and it might be reasonable to do 2 or even 3 in a row sometimes. Counting each section of the Anatomy/Physiology chapter as its own chapter, there are 24 chapters total. So, with a 3-4 weeks of dedication Biology can be conquered!

Hope that helps Biology is all about being diligent and curious. Asking questions about the info and looking stuff up as you are learning is always a good sign. Pace around around the room or put your head down while sitting and try to recite concepts and processes in your head to ensure you know them well. A lot of the biology material is memorization for sure, but a lot of it can be surprisingly logical if you take the time to break it down! The more you can conceptualize and avoid memorization, the easier it will be to retain all of it. I think the courses you are taking next semester will definitely help you learn certain chapters more easily, but others like the anatomy and physiology you might need to work harder on. There will definitely be new things to learn, no matter what, but you got this!