- Joined
- Sep 15, 2016
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 7
Hello everyone,
I just took the DAT and first I have to say, I have never felt better to have it done!!! Once I saw my scores I literally sat there and just smiled at the screen for a good 5 minutes. (I know they are not the most impressive ever seen on SDN, but I am very very proud of myself). It has not been an easy process.
Score breakdown:
PAT: 21
QR: 20
RC: 23
BIO: 20
GC: 21
OC: 21
TS: 21
AA: 21
My DAT BC Full-Length Scores:
BIO/GC/OC/PAT/RC/QR (The BIO are elevated because I've practiced some of these questions before)
Full-length 1: 24,23, 20, 21, 19, 19
Full-length 2: 23, 19, 20, 21, 20, 17
Full-length 3: 26, 24, 18, 20, 22, 18
Full-length 4: 25, 19, 21, 20, 22, 17
Full-length 5: 22, 18, 20, 20, 22, 19
2009 test: 19, 24, 19, 24, 18, 18
I want to say a big big thank you for the resources provided by @Ari Rezaei and @orgoman22, they are 100% the best out there.
I do not want to get too detailed with my breakdown, because I used mainly all of the recommended resources and tried to stick to Ari's schedule. However, I still had to work Fridays and Saturdays so it was more of a 12-week study process instead of 10. CliffsAP, Feralis, Chad's videos, DAT bootcamp, Math Destroyer, and DAT Destroyer are a must!! I did the Destroyer 2x for GC and OC, and 1x for BIO. I also ended up rewatching almost all of the GC Chad's videos because I was having such a rough time retaining the information. I also got DAT Genius late in my studying and I found it very helpful, especially with their Biology explanations. I feel like there is so much more study material out there, and overloading works for some, but I truly feel that my best strategy was so stick to minimal material and make sure I took my time reviewing every solution, instead of just rushing through a ton of practice tests.
My biggest problem, which I only recognized after about 5-6 weeks into my studying, is that although I was "studying" the material, watching videos, and taking detailed notes, I was not actually holding onto any of the new information, and it felt like wasted time. My advice would be to ACTIVELY study, constantly quiz yourself, and reinforce the information.
Biggest regrets: Kaplan!!!! I did the in-class course in the beginning of my studying, and I have never experienced a bigger waste of money and time. After about 2 weeks into the course, I gave up on their material, and began using outside sources. I can honestly say that I learned more in one day on my own than I did by 30+ in class hours of the "professor" reading off of his notes. Also, I purchased the entire bundle of CracktheDAT and really did not enjoy that program either and stopped using it after a few practice exams.
Going into the study process, I truly think I was overly confident. I've always had to work hard for my classes, but I knew that I would be able to study long hours and put in the effort. My overall GPA is a 3.9, and in the beginning I definitely thought the DAT couldn't be that hard. Boy was I wrong.... I have never dealt with so much anxiety, self doubt, and completely feeling like I was losing my mental well-being. But the biggest lesson from it all, DO NOT GIVE UP. 2 days prior to my test I wanted to completely cancel the whole thing, I lacked so much confidence. I constantly kept imagining worst case scenarios.
My practice test scores were never what I wanted them to be... although my AA for each practice test was good, my scores would waiver too much to my liking. I really wanted consistent scores across the board and my practice tests would really make me question myself. It is so important to not focus on those scores and instead learn from your mistakes!! I know everyone says that but it's so true.
Overall, I averaged my scores for BC full-length tests 1-5 and the scores were very close to what I actually got on the DAT!
Test day: I was so anxious the entire morning and the drive. I seriously walked around the location 4x before I went inside. I was not allowed to write during the tutorial. Biggest complain about the exam is that the PAT section seemed so poorly formatted... for instance, the shading on the Pattern Folding was very difficult to see. My biggest score of surprise is the QR, since I never made a 20 on my practice exams.
I'm not sure what I missed or forgot to mention, but I hope this was hopeful to some! Please feel free to ask me any other questions. And to those of you who struggle with anxiety and self confidence, it will be OK!!! I promise that the time and effort is absolutely worth it and will show through your test scores!
(Also a big thank you to those who commented on my post about the 2009 practice a few days ago... I was so disappointed with my scores and it was so nice to get support from the SDN community)
I just took the DAT and first I have to say, I have never felt better to have it done!!! Once I saw my scores I literally sat there and just smiled at the screen for a good 5 minutes. (I know they are not the most impressive ever seen on SDN, but I am very very proud of myself). It has not been an easy process.
Score breakdown:
PAT: 21
QR: 20
RC: 23
BIO: 20
GC: 21
OC: 21
TS: 21
AA: 21
My DAT BC Full-Length Scores:
BIO/GC/OC/PAT/RC/QR (The BIO are elevated because I've practiced some of these questions before)
Full-length 1: 24,23, 20, 21, 19, 19
Full-length 2: 23, 19, 20, 21, 20, 17
Full-length 3: 26, 24, 18, 20, 22, 18
Full-length 4: 25, 19, 21, 20, 22, 17
Full-length 5: 22, 18, 20, 20, 22, 19
2009 test: 19, 24, 19, 24, 18, 18
I want to say a big big thank you for the resources provided by @Ari Rezaei and @orgoman22, they are 100% the best out there.
I do not want to get too detailed with my breakdown, because I used mainly all of the recommended resources and tried to stick to Ari's schedule. However, I still had to work Fridays and Saturdays so it was more of a 12-week study process instead of 10. CliffsAP, Feralis, Chad's videos, DAT bootcamp, Math Destroyer, and DAT Destroyer are a must!! I did the Destroyer 2x for GC and OC, and 1x for BIO. I also ended up rewatching almost all of the GC Chad's videos because I was having such a rough time retaining the information. I also got DAT Genius late in my studying and I found it very helpful, especially with their Biology explanations. I feel like there is so much more study material out there, and overloading works for some, but I truly feel that my best strategy was so stick to minimal material and make sure I took my time reviewing every solution, instead of just rushing through a ton of practice tests.
My biggest problem, which I only recognized after about 5-6 weeks into my studying, is that although I was "studying" the material, watching videos, and taking detailed notes, I was not actually holding onto any of the new information, and it felt like wasted time. My advice would be to ACTIVELY study, constantly quiz yourself, and reinforce the information.
Biggest regrets: Kaplan!!!! I did the in-class course in the beginning of my studying, and I have never experienced a bigger waste of money and time. After about 2 weeks into the course, I gave up on their material, and began using outside sources. I can honestly say that I learned more in one day on my own than I did by 30+ in class hours of the "professor" reading off of his notes. Also, I purchased the entire bundle of CracktheDAT and really did not enjoy that program either and stopped using it after a few practice exams.
Going into the study process, I truly think I was overly confident. I've always had to work hard for my classes, but I knew that I would be able to study long hours and put in the effort. My overall GPA is a 3.9, and in the beginning I definitely thought the DAT couldn't be that hard. Boy was I wrong.... I have never dealt with so much anxiety, self doubt, and completely feeling like I was losing my mental well-being. But the biggest lesson from it all, DO NOT GIVE UP. 2 days prior to my test I wanted to completely cancel the whole thing, I lacked so much confidence. I constantly kept imagining worst case scenarios.
My practice test scores were never what I wanted them to be... although my AA for each practice test was good, my scores would waiver too much to my liking. I really wanted consistent scores across the board and my practice tests would really make me question myself. It is so important to not focus on those scores and instead learn from your mistakes!! I know everyone says that but it's so true.
Overall, I averaged my scores for BC full-length tests 1-5 and the scores were very close to what I actually got on the DAT!
Test day: I was so anxious the entire morning and the drive. I seriously walked around the location 4x before I went inside. I was not allowed to write during the tutorial. Biggest complain about the exam is that the PAT section seemed so poorly formatted... for instance, the shading on the Pattern Folding was very difficult to see. My biggest score of surprise is the QR, since I never made a 20 on my practice exams.
I'm not sure what I missed or forgot to mention, but I hope this was hopeful to some! Please feel free to ask me any other questions. And to those of you who struggle with anxiety and self confidence, it will be OK!!! I promise that the time and effort is absolutely worth it and will show through your test scores!
(Also a big thank you to those who commented on my post about the 2009 practice a few days ago... I was so disappointed with my scores and it was so nice to get support from the SDN community)
