I took the DAT on August 8, and DAT Bootcamp.com was the only resource that I used to prepare. So, I thought I would share my thoughts on how each DAT section compared to Bootcamp’s practice exams:
Quantitative Reasoning: 24
Compared to Bootcamp, I felt that the QR section on the DAT was slightly easier, though it was still the section that I had the most difficulty finishing by far. On Bootcamp practice tests, I was typically scoring in the 20-22 region. Something that made a big difference on the actual DAT was the ability to use the number pad on the keyboard at the testing center, since this enabled me to use the calculator much more quickly. From what I’ve read online, though, this might not be the case at all testing locations (I find it hard to believe that the testing experience is this inconsistent, however, since the ability to rapidly use a calculator can make a significant difference in one’s QR score). Also, the calculator for the actual DAT was the calculator built-in to Windows 10 rather than the online one on Bootcamp. Still quite limited in its functionality, but far more user-friendly than the online one.
Reading Comprehension: 27
I felt that this section was similar to Bootcamp practice exams overall, though the difficulty between the passages seemed more significant on the actual DAT. To elaborate, the difficulty of the three passages in a Bootcamp practice exam seemed to be relatively constant, while the difficulty of the three passages on the DAT varied more; I remember that one of the passages on the DAT seemed particularly complex while the other two seemed much simpler in comparison. RC was one of my highest-scoring sections on Bootcamp: I was usually scoring 28-30. I have taken multiple Philosophy courses and dug into many scientific journal articles in my chemistry research, both of which I feel helped me out a lot in this area.
PAT: 22
I thought that overall, this section was pretty similar to Bootcamp. As with most sections, though, the actual DAT felt slightly easier than Bootcamp practice exams, on which I was usually scoring in the 20-22 range. This was especially true of hole punching. If I were to do the DAT over again, I probably would have studied more for Apertures/Keyholes. Though this section did feel easier than Bootcamp practice exams, it was still one that I would have preferred to finish more quickly than I did. Practice is truly the key to this section.
Biology: 27
I felt that the Biology sections on Bootcamp and the actual DAT were quite similar, though some questions took me slightly off guard on the actual DAT compared to Bootcamp. I think that may have been because the questions were simpler on average than those on Bootcamp, so it sometimes took me additional time to realize that the DAT question was truly as simple as it was. Something that I think helps on the actual DAT is the combination of the three science sections into one time limit, since this allows you to spend less time on subjects you are strong in and spend some extra time on those you are not as familiar with. For example, my major is chemistry. So, I spent less time on Organic and Gen Chem than people majoring in other subjects probably do. This gave me more time to think about my answers to some of the biology questions. I was typically scoring 25-30 on Bootcamp practice tests in Biology.
General Chemistry: 24
This section didn’t feel any more difficult than the practice tests on Bootcamp, but I had honestly expected this to be one of my strong sections rather than one of my weakest. After all, my major is chemistry, my research centers on inorganic chemistry (which is far more closely related to general than organic chemistry), and I was scoring 26-30 on Bootcamp practice tests. If I were to do things over again, I would spend more time studying for this section. I think that I was—in the end—overconfident here. It’s important to remember that the scoring of the DAT is logarithmic, so one question can make a big difference—especially for scores over 20. This means that it’s always important to study for all of the sections, no matter what your background is or how confident you feel in a subject.
Organic Chemistry: 27
This was one of the sections that I thought felt the most similar to Bootcamp practice exams. On the DAT, I scored right about what I was scoring on Bootcamp practice exams. In addition, the subjects covered felt very similar to Bootcamp: NMR, Stereochemistry, Relative Acidity, and Reaction/Reagent Outcomes were prevalent on the DAT.
If I had to do the entire DAT experience over again, I would focus more on the QR, GC, and PAT sections and I would choose practice exams over finishing the question banks on Bootcamp. For QR, I delayed studying because I figured that I was “usually fairly good” at math. The thing is, though, that the questions on the QR section of the DAT are not typical math questions. Rather, they are just what they claim to be—reasoning questions. As a result, I personally felt that this section was one of the most difficult to improve in; these questions are not just about learning a process, and I felt discouraged when I finally started studying for this section because over the course of my review I was only able to improve from a 19-20 to about a 21 on BC. The GC section, meanwhile, showed me that it’s important not to neglect subjects that you feel “safe” in. The other sections were largely what I had come to expect from Bootcamp.
Quantitative Reasoning: 24
Compared to Bootcamp, I felt that the QR section on the DAT was slightly easier, though it was still the section that I had the most difficulty finishing by far. On Bootcamp practice tests, I was typically scoring in the 20-22 region. Something that made a big difference on the actual DAT was the ability to use the number pad on the keyboard at the testing center, since this enabled me to use the calculator much more quickly. From what I’ve read online, though, this might not be the case at all testing locations (I find it hard to believe that the testing experience is this inconsistent, however, since the ability to rapidly use a calculator can make a significant difference in one’s QR score). Also, the calculator for the actual DAT was the calculator built-in to Windows 10 rather than the online one on Bootcamp. Still quite limited in its functionality, but far more user-friendly than the online one.
Reading Comprehension: 27
I felt that this section was similar to Bootcamp practice exams overall, though the difficulty between the passages seemed more significant on the actual DAT. To elaborate, the difficulty of the three passages in a Bootcamp practice exam seemed to be relatively constant, while the difficulty of the three passages on the DAT varied more; I remember that one of the passages on the DAT seemed particularly complex while the other two seemed much simpler in comparison. RC was one of my highest-scoring sections on Bootcamp: I was usually scoring 28-30. I have taken multiple Philosophy courses and dug into many scientific journal articles in my chemistry research, both of which I feel helped me out a lot in this area.
PAT: 22
I thought that overall, this section was pretty similar to Bootcamp. As with most sections, though, the actual DAT felt slightly easier than Bootcamp practice exams, on which I was usually scoring in the 20-22 range. This was especially true of hole punching. If I were to do the DAT over again, I probably would have studied more for Apertures/Keyholes. Though this section did feel easier than Bootcamp practice exams, it was still one that I would have preferred to finish more quickly than I did. Practice is truly the key to this section.
Biology: 27
I felt that the Biology sections on Bootcamp and the actual DAT were quite similar, though some questions took me slightly off guard on the actual DAT compared to Bootcamp. I think that may have been because the questions were simpler on average than those on Bootcamp, so it sometimes took me additional time to realize that the DAT question was truly as simple as it was. Something that I think helps on the actual DAT is the combination of the three science sections into one time limit, since this allows you to spend less time on subjects you are strong in and spend some extra time on those you are not as familiar with. For example, my major is chemistry. So, I spent less time on Organic and Gen Chem than people majoring in other subjects probably do. This gave me more time to think about my answers to some of the biology questions. I was typically scoring 25-30 on Bootcamp practice tests in Biology.
General Chemistry: 24
This section didn’t feel any more difficult than the practice tests on Bootcamp, but I had honestly expected this to be one of my strong sections rather than one of my weakest. After all, my major is chemistry, my research centers on inorganic chemistry (which is far more closely related to general than organic chemistry), and I was scoring 26-30 on Bootcamp practice tests. If I were to do things over again, I would spend more time studying for this section. I think that I was—in the end—overconfident here. It’s important to remember that the scoring of the DAT is logarithmic, so one question can make a big difference—especially for scores over 20. This means that it’s always important to study for all of the sections, no matter what your background is or how confident you feel in a subject.
Organic Chemistry: 27
This was one of the sections that I thought felt the most similar to Bootcamp practice exams. On the DAT, I scored right about what I was scoring on Bootcamp practice exams. In addition, the subjects covered felt very similar to Bootcamp: NMR, Stereochemistry, Relative Acidity, and Reaction/Reagent Outcomes were prevalent on the DAT.
If I had to do the entire DAT experience over again, I would focus more on the QR, GC, and PAT sections and I would choose practice exams over finishing the question banks on Bootcamp. For QR, I delayed studying because I figured that I was “usually fairly good” at math. The thing is, though, that the questions on the QR section of the DAT are not typical math questions. Rather, they are just what they claim to be—reasoning questions. As a result, I personally felt that this section was one of the most difficult to improve in; these questions are not just about learning a process, and I felt discouraged when I finally started studying for this section because over the course of my review I was only able to improve from a 19-20 to about a 21 on BC. The GC section, meanwhile, showed me that it’s important not to neglect subjects that you feel “safe” in. The other sections were largely what I had come to expect from Bootcamp.
