to answer the first question... for me, Perceptual ability came naturally from the beginning... i think i got a 19 on my diagnostic test. It was the very first time I every saw the test, I had no idea what to expect... however, to get myself up to a 25, It really is just practice... Knowing the section like the palm of your hand is always beneficial because it eliminates the unknowns that can just add to the stress... for example, just by doing multiple practice PAT tests you naturally build up the familiarity that keyholes are first, then TFE, then angles, then Hole Punch, then cubes, then pattern folding, so when each subsection pops up you know exactly what to do... I used kaplan online course, crack DAT PAT, and Top Score... Crack DAT PAT is 1000% harder then the actual PAT, so if you can consistently do well on those, you are golden, don't get discouraged however, if you aren't because like I said, they are harddddd....
As for the BIO... While I was studying, I came to the oversimplified understanding that the difference between BIO and the 2 chemistries, is that there are essentially a limitless number of BIO facts and stupid random things they can ask you about, whereas in G-Chem there are a certain number of concepts they can ask you and test you on... its more conceptual than fact based, and for ochem, if you know your reactions, then you will do fine... Therefore, with bio, it's hit or miss, you either know it or you don't... I found my weaknesses by doing TONSSSS of practice tests and focused on the weaknesses by reading the PURPLE Kaplan book, it really provides enough details for you to do welll... for last minute cramming, I read over the BIO notes that "Alan84" suggested in his post
hope this helps.... keep em commin!
