- Joined
- Sep 8, 2012
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction score
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Here are my scores:
PA:22
QR:19
RC:18
BS:23
GC:22
OC:24
TS:22
AA:21
My gpa is low (3.3). I'll be applying next year. Is a retake necessary or can I just focus on bringing my gpa up to make myself more competitive? Thank you for any of your feedback. I greatly appreciate it.
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Edited: My DAT scores are nowhere near perfect, but I wanted to give my feedback to offer some perspective for those of you who feel defeated, anxious, and scared.
I'm not the smartest person in the world, so I knew that I had to do well on the DAT. I wasn't sure what to aim for realistically, but at least a 20 would have been satisfying for me. I studied only for the summer (June-August) roughly 4 hours a week only relying on KBB. Too late in the game I realized it's NOT enough. KBB is only good to use just for an overview of topics, but it's not enough for the DAT. The practice tests are way too easy, so look at them as extra practice, NOT as an indicator of your scores. A month in, I started using DAT destroyer and it was definitely super hard and I just felt so defeated. I went through the questions, 100 at a time, then circled all the answers and wrote down extra notes that was from the answer key. I also bought CrackDAT (everything, what a waste!). CrackDAT science is HORRIBLE. CrackPAT and CrackRC are good, however the RC passages aren't something you're going to run into on the exam, but it's good for practice, timing, and working out an efficient strategy. CrackQC is okay, but they recycle a lot of questions, so if you're going to buy this portion, you only need the minimal amount of tests. I did a free Kaplan Test, which was a waste of time. ADA 2009 and 2007 practice tests are great to use when you're down to your last few weeks. Chad's videos are so worth the 40 bucks that I spent, so go through GC and OC for sure. Only go through his BS videos if you have the time to spare, all I did was download his outlines and fastforward to topics that I wasn't sure about. That's pretty much all the materials that I used.
What I did differently from practically everyone that's been on SDN.... I did NOT buy qvault, did NOT buy topscore, did NOT buy dat math destroyer, and did NOT buy achiever. I did use qvault for a free trial run though! So if you're freaking out because you didn't buy all those practice tests and simply don't have time to do them all.... don't worry, you can still succeed. I'm not saying that they aren't helpful (I wouldn't know, but I do want to provide some peace of mind). However, if you want to make sure you get a decent shot at the grade you deserve, I would invest in CrackPAT, Chad's Videos, and DAT destroyer.
Some say that DAT destroyer is overkill (and it is), but in a good way. It makes you think about different aspects in very specific details (which the DAT won't ask). As you start looking at the finer details, it helps to paint a bigger picture and that's what you should be focusing on... the concepts! The best advice that I can give you... WORK ON YOUR TESTING ENDURANCE. Sure, you can study all day, but can you be 100% mentally for this incredibly stressful test under time constraints? If you're going to do practice problems, do them by sets and time yourself. By the time that I got to my scheduled break, I was so beaten up that I just wanted to get the test over with...resulting in my lower scores, so maybe I should have bought those practice tests? hahaha. DON'T LET THIS BE YOU!
I can't really say if the DAT is easy or hard because it depends on how well you've prepared for it, so I'm not going to provide a thorough break down of the test. So just go into the test not expecting it to be easy, but being confident that you can handle whatever pops up on that screen. I seriously had a nervous breakdown a week before the test and that's not how you want to go down.... crying because you can't do a problem.
One of my favorite quotes, "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but a lack in will." You don't have to be the smartest person walking into that test room, you just got to have the dedication and know that you are more than capable of accomplishing your dreams. I wish you the best of luck and thank you for taking the time to read this.
PA:22
QR:19
RC:18
BS:23
GC:22
OC:24
TS:22
AA:21
My gpa is low (3.3). I'll be applying next year. Is a retake necessary or can I just focus on bringing my gpa up to make myself more competitive? Thank you for any of your feedback. I greatly appreciate it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited: My DAT scores are nowhere near perfect, but I wanted to give my feedback to offer some perspective for those of you who feel defeated, anxious, and scared.
I'm not the smartest person in the world, so I knew that I had to do well on the DAT. I wasn't sure what to aim for realistically, but at least a 20 would have been satisfying for me. I studied only for the summer (June-August) roughly 4 hours a week only relying on KBB. Too late in the game I realized it's NOT enough. KBB is only good to use just for an overview of topics, but it's not enough for the DAT. The practice tests are way too easy, so look at them as extra practice, NOT as an indicator of your scores. A month in, I started using DAT destroyer and it was definitely super hard and I just felt so defeated. I went through the questions, 100 at a time, then circled all the answers and wrote down extra notes that was from the answer key. I also bought CrackDAT (everything, what a waste!). CrackDAT science is HORRIBLE. CrackPAT and CrackRC are good, however the RC passages aren't something you're going to run into on the exam, but it's good for practice, timing, and working out an efficient strategy. CrackQC is okay, but they recycle a lot of questions, so if you're going to buy this portion, you only need the minimal amount of tests. I did a free Kaplan Test, which was a waste of time. ADA 2009 and 2007 practice tests are great to use when you're down to your last few weeks. Chad's videos are so worth the 40 bucks that I spent, so go through GC and OC for sure. Only go through his BS videos if you have the time to spare, all I did was download his outlines and fastforward to topics that I wasn't sure about. That's pretty much all the materials that I used.
What I did differently from practically everyone that's been on SDN.... I did NOT buy qvault, did NOT buy topscore, did NOT buy dat math destroyer, and did NOT buy achiever. I did use qvault for a free trial run though! So if you're freaking out because you didn't buy all those practice tests and simply don't have time to do them all.... don't worry, you can still succeed. I'm not saying that they aren't helpful (I wouldn't know, but I do want to provide some peace of mind). However, if you want to make sure you get a decent shot at the grade you deserve, I would invest in CrackPAT, Chad's Videos, and DAT destroyer.
Some say that DAT destroyer is overkill (and it is), but in a good way. It makes you think about different aspects in very specific details (which the DAT won't ask). As you start looking at the finer details, it helps to paint a bigger picture and that's what you should be focusing on... the concepts! The best advice that I can give you... WORK ON YOUR TESTING ENDURANCE. Sure, you can study all day, but can you be 100% mentally for this incredibly stressful test under time constraints? If you're going to do practice problems, do them by sets and time yourself. By the time that I got to my scheduled break, I was so beaten up that I just wanted to get the test over with...resulting in my lower scores, so maybe I should have bought those practice tests? hahaha. DON'T LET THIS BE YOU!
I can't really say if the DAT is easy or hard because it depends on how well you've prepared for it, so I'm not going to provide a thorough break down of the test. So just go into the test not expecting it to be easy, but being confident that you can handle whatever pops up on that screen. I seriously had a nervous breakdown a week before the test and that's not how you want to go down.... crying because you can't do a problem.
One of my favorite quotes, "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but a lack in will." You don't have to be the smartest person walking into that test room, you just got to have the dedication and know that you are more than capable of accomplishing your dreams. I wish you the best of luck and thank you for taking the time to read this.
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