- Joined
- Jun 20, 2014
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 3
I took my DAT last week and this was the biggest thing on my mind so I thought I'd share my experience comparing DAT vs. Bootcamp per section.
PAT:
My Score: 22
AVG BC: 20
- BC is definitely harder in angles and hole punching than the real deal. I felt like rest of the sections were pretty similar in difficulty except cube counting which is RIDICULOUSLY EASY. If you are struggling with angles (as much as I did) on bootcamp, I don't think it's something to be concerned about. I would have definitely focused more on folding and keyholes if I had to study over again based on BC.
QR:
My score: 20
AVG BC: 18
- I was so scared about the QR section after taking BC exams and I was so relieved to see that I didn't bomb it. The questions on the DAT are actually pretty similar in difficulty but not as wordy as BC questions. I would recommend using BC as a way to get faster at solving the problems by doing them over and over again and don't get discouraged if you get a bad score the first time around.
RC:
My score: 23
AVG BC: 20
- RC is definitely harder on BC than the actual DAT. BC is heavy on "first statement/second statement is true/false and are not/related" questions but I only had one in the whole section. Again, I would recommend using BC as a tool to get faster and finding the best method that fits for you. The length of the passages were similar.
BIO: 21
My score: 21
AVG BC: 21
- BIO section is luck honestly. I didn't even study for it because I knew if I were to get some ridiculous question about the anatomy of a hydra then it wouldn't even be worth shoving into my head anyways. I think BC's BIO questions were pretty similar in topics as DAT so it is a good indicator of where you are at.
GC:
My score: 23
AVG BC: 20
- BC has this section spot on. I feel like every question besides some random theory questions were all from BC. If you are getting around 20's then you are definitely on tract to do well.
OC:
My score: 23
AVG BC: 22
- I was pretty confident about my OC and BC's pool of questions were pretty similar to the actual DAT. I would treat OC and GC section as almost being identical to the DAT. I did have 4 questions on NMR which is kind of light on BC so I wouldn't leave those out of your studies.
After taking the DAT I felt like BC was difficult because their pool of questions were from the difficult questions I saw on the DAT. So those difficult problems are definitely on there but along with some easy questions to lighten the load. I had a hard time finishing many of the BC exams on time but I finished all of the DAT sections with 3 to 5 mins to spare.
I was super nervous about taking the DAT and rescheduled it 3 times! I think the best thing I got from taking BC exams is confidence that I can do well. So if you are scoring around 20's, don't doubt those scores! Just keep pushing onward and walk into that testing site with confidence.
PAT:
My Score: 22
AVG BC: 20
- BC is definitely harder in angles and hole punching than the real deal. I felt like rest of the sections were pretty similar in difficulty except cube counting which is RIDICULOUSLY EASY. If you are struggling with angles (as much as I did) on bootcamp, I don't think it's something to be concerned about. I would have definitely focused more on folding and keyholes if I had to study over again based on BC.
QR:
My score: 20
AVG BC: 18
- I was so scared about the QR section after taking BC exams and I was so relieved to see that I didn't bomb it. The questions on the DAT are actually pretty similar in difficulty but not as wordy as BC questions. I would recommend using BC as a way to get faster at solving the problems by doing them over and over again and don't get discouraged if you get a bad score the first time around.
RC:
My score: 23
AVG BC: 20
- RC is definitely harder on BC than the actual DAT. BC is heavy on "first statement/second statement is true/false and are not/related" questions but I only had one in the whole section. Again, I would recommend using BC as a tool to get faster and finding the best method that fits for you. The length of the passages were similar.
BIO: 21
My score: 21
AVG BC: 21
- BIO section is luck honestly. I didn't even study for it because I knew if I were to get some ridiculous question about the anatomy of a hydra then it wouldn't even be worth shoving into my head anyways. I think BC's BIO questions were pretty similar in topics as DAT so it is a good indicator of where you are at.
GC:
My score: 23
AVG BC: 20
- BC has this section spot on. I feel like every question besides some random theory questions were all from BC. If you are getting around 20's then you are definitely on tract to do well.
OC:
My score: 23
AVG BC: 22
- I was pretty confident about my OC and BC's pool of questions were pretty similar to the actual DAT. I would treat OC and GC section as almost being identical to the DAT. I did have 4 questions on NMR which is kind of light on BC so I wouldn't leave those out of your studies.
After taking the DAT I felt like BC was difficult because their pool of questions were from the difficult questions I saw on the DAT. So those difficult problems are definitely on there but along with some easy questions to lighten the load. I had a hard time finishing many of the BC exams on time but I finished all of the DAT sections with 3 to 5 mins to spare.
I was super nervous about taking the DAT and rescheduled it 3 times! I think the best thing I got from taking BC exams is confidence that I can do well. So if you are scoring around 20's, don't doubt those scores! Just keep pushing onward and walk into that testing site with confidence.
