Aanchal Dubey
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2022
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
Scores:
PAT 23
QR 24
RC 23
Biology 25
Gen Chem 22
Organic Chem 23
TS: 24
AA: 23
Background:
Currently a rising junior. Just finished orgo 2 before starting the summer to study. Have taken genetics, cell bio and bio 1&2.
Materials Used :
Chem: Gen chem was actually harder than I expected. I took it more than a year ago but it was an adjustment doing different problems all together. Make sure to have as many practice problems as possible and know how to do them and work it out.
Orgo: This is the most straightforward section. I feel like sometimes gen chem tries to trick you, but orgo doesn’t, it is just if you know the mechanisms. Do the anki deck for the mechanisms and watch the videos. Orgo, as long as you know the basics and the mechanisms, is doable. I spent the least amount of time on this section as it was a little recent.
RC: I’ve always been good with reading, I use the traditional method. On the actual exam, the first passage was really easy so I took my time which was a mistake. Make sure to take your time but don’t overthink. Do all the practice and read an article everyday (I just read the news).
QR: It was hard at the start but practice made it so much easier. Do the question banks because those questions are harder than any you will get on the regular exam. Make sure to know how to do probability questions! I see that so much. Practice practice practice. Focus on speed and if you don’t know how to do a problem once you read it, skip it.
PAT: I did practice every single day. I hated TFE and Keyhole with a passion. Just practice. That's all I can say. For the questions you get wrong, try to figure them out without looking at the answers.
Timeline:
Right after finals in May, I started researching about the DAT, what to do, how to study. I would say make/find a study plan and stick with it. I used the 8- week program from DAT booster. When you study, put your phone away and don’t answer notifications. It doesn’t matter how long you study, just how much you get done. I took it on August 19th and started actually studying at the end of May..
Ending Advice:
I was extremely scared for the exam, but have confidence in yourself. Make sure your family and friends know how serious you are about the exam. Your hard work will pay out. Also, studying is a full time job; I can’t imagine working or taking a class while studying. You got it!
PAT 23
QR 24
RC 23
Biology 25
Gen Chem 22
Organic Chem 23
TS: 24
AA: 23
Background:
Currently a rising junior. Just finished orgo 2 before starting the summer to study. Have taken genetics, cell bio and bio 1&2.
Materials Used :
- DAT booster - I used the 8- week study guide there to study. It was hard to complete everything per day because of how condensed the booster notes were, but I made it through. I gave myself 3 months to study and took a day break every week (sometimes 2 days if I had stuff in the weekend) and I went out of the country (with limited wifi) for like 2 weeks so I didn’t do much studying then. I will say 3 weeks before the exam I did not feel confident at all, but I started studying at least 10 hours of uninterrupted work and that really helped my confidence and scores.
- Another thing about Booster was the price point compared to bootcamp. Booster has less videos for learning, it's more about review and practice. If you need to relearn the material, I would suggest bootcamp because they have a lot of videos to learn (they are extremely long though)
- Whatever you decide to do, stick with it. Have a schedule.
- Anki - STAY WITH THIS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. Booster has the premade anki decks for orgo, bio, qr, and gen chem. USE IT and make sure to do all the cards for orgo, gen chem, and qr. It is very hard to get through all the biology cards since there are so many of them, but you should get through as many as possible.
- VIDEOS!! For concepts you do not understand, please please please look online for other videos to watch. Crash course and Khan academy are great resources.
- PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE- Do as many questions as you can. It is very important that you do and expose yourself to these concepts.
Chem: Gen chem was actually harder than I expected. I took it more than a year ago but it was an adjustment doing different problems all together. Make sure to have as many practice problems as possible and know how to do them and work it out.
Orgo: This is the most straightforward section. I feel like sometimes gen chem tries to trick you, but orgo doesn’t, it is just if you know the mechanisms. Do the anki deck for the mechanisms and watch the videos. Orgo, as long as you know the basics and the mechanisms, is doable. I spent the least amount of time on this section as it was a little recent.
RC: I’ve always been good with reading, I use the traditional method. On the actual exam, the first passage was really easy so I took my time which was a mistake. Make sure to take your time but don’t overthink. Do all the practice and read an article everyday (I just read the news).
QR: It was hard at the start but practice made it so much easier. Do the question banks because those questions are harder than any you will get on the regular exam. Make sure to know how to do probability questions! I see that so much. Practice practice practice. Focus on speed and if you don’t know how to do a problem once you read it, skip it.
PAT: I did practice every single day. I hated TFE and Keyhole with a passion. Just practice. That's all I can say. For the questions you get wrong, try to figure them out without looking at the answers.
Timeline:
Right after finals in May, I started researching about the DAT, what to do, how to study. I would say make/find a study plan and stick with it. I used the 8- week program from DAT booster. When you study, put your phone away and don’t answer notifications. It doesn’t matter how long you study, just how much you get done. I took it on August 19th and started actually studying at the end of May..
Ending Advice:
I was extremely scared for the exam, but have confidence in yourself. Make sure your family and friends know how serious you are about the exam. Your hard work will pay out. Also, studying is a full time job; I can’t imagine working or taking a class while studying. You got it!
