Hey all,
Just wanted to leave a quick message to share my study tips. With SDNs help, I managed to get the score I need for the program I am in!
17 BIO
21 GC
18 OC
18 TS
20 PAT
22 RC
21 QR
20 AA
I have a 3.7 Science GPA, and I am normally a decent test taker, so I only planned two and a half weeks of studying for preparation. SDN and Bootcamp had me worried that this wouldn't be enough time. I can definitely say that I did not come close to reaching my potential with this test, and if you want to score high, give yourself a LOT more uninterrupted time to study.
For resources, I watched all of Chads Videos twice through besides biology, and I would rewatch sections that I was doing poorly on in practice. Everyone says this, but Chad's is the most important source for studying the DAT, without a doubt.
I had the 2013 Destroyer version. I made excel spreadsheets programmed to grade my answers as I ran through them, so I could have immediate feedback as to whether or not I knew what I was doing. I ran through the bio and Chem sections twice, completely. I feel as though I did not receive any benefit from doing the biology questions and reviewing the answers, but I can say without a doubt that I would've scored nowhere near a 21 without the Chem practice problems.
I also was given access to Topscore via my school and purchased Crack the PAT and DAT Achiever. I think Topscore Pro did a good job of representing the DAT, though I do believe the problems in Topscore are easier. If I were to take it again, i would definitely still utilize TopScore. Achiever and Crack the PAT were worthless - nothing to learn from the difficulty of achiever, and nothing to benefit from Crack the PAT that couldn't be found in YouTube videos. As a matter of fact, I spent about ten times as much of my PAT studying on YouTube than I did CTP. I think videos on YouTube did a better job at giving me experience.
As for the actual test, Biology was brutal, and consisted mostly of bio at the micro level, which is the polar opposite of where my strengths lie. Chem was exactly what I expected. Org was easier than any practice test I took, and had I invested more time studying Org, I know I could've done better. The PAT, with the exception of keyholes, was a walk in the park! If you feel good with bootcamp's/topscore's PAT, you will do just fine! RC was also easier than any practice test I took, except for a few questions that dealt with the "tone" of the articles. QR was exactly what I expected - however, I was scoring mid-upper 20s on every practice test I took, so something must've went wrong. There was a fair amount of geometry, which tripped me up!
Bottom line: study, study, study. It's a hard test, and more work than you've probably ever done this far in your life, but it is so worth it in the end! Second tip, you are NEVER prepared for this test. Don't get complacent with how you are doing before the test. Figure out your weakness, and work on that until it's not your weakness anymore. Rinse and repeat. Good luck to everyone still waiting to take the test, and thank you SDN for all of your help!
Just wanted to leave a quick message to share my study tips. With SDNs help, I managed to get the score I need for the program I am in!
17 BIO
21 GC
18 OC
18 TS
20 PAT
22 RC
21 QR
20 AA
I have a 3.7 Science GPA, and I am normally a decent test taker, so I only planned two and a half weeks of studying for preparation. SDN and Bootcamp had me worried that this wouldn't be enough time. I can definitely say that I did not come close to reaching my potential with this test, and if you want to score high, give yourself a LOT more uninterrupted time to study.
For resources, I watched all of Chads Videos twice through besides biology, and I would rewatch sections that I was doing poorly on in practice. Everyone says this, but Chad's is the most important source for studying the DAT, without a doubt.
I had the 2013 Destroyer version. I made excel spreadsheets programmed to grade my answers as I ran through them, so I could have immediate feedback as to whether or not I knew what I was doing. I ran through the bio and Chem sections twice, completely. I feel as though I did not receive any benefit from doing the biology questions and reviewing the answers, but I can say without a doubt that I would've scored nowhere near a 21 without the Chem practice problems.
I also was given access to Topscore via my school and purchased Crack the PAT and DAT Achiever. I think Topscore Pro did a good job of representing the DAT, though I do believe the problems in Topscore are easier. If I were to take it again, i would definitely still utilize TopScore. Achiever and Crack the PAT were worthless - nothing to learn from the difficulty of achiever, and nothing to benefit from Crack the PAT that couldn't be found in YouTube videos. As a matter of fact, I spent about ten times as much of my PAT studying on YouTube than I did CTP. I think videos on YouTube did a better job at giving me experience.
As for the actual test, Biology was brutal, and consisted mostly of bio at the micro level, which is the polar opposite of where my strengths lie. Chem was exactly what I expected. Org was easier than any practice test I took, and had I invested more time studying Org, I know I could've done better. The PAT, with the exception of keyholes, was a walk in the park! If you feel good with bootcamp's/topscore's PAT, you will do just fine! RC was also easier than any practice test I took, except for a few questions that dealt with the "tone" of the articles. QR was exactly what I expected - however, I was scoring mid-upper 20s on every practice test I took, so something must've went wrong. There was a fair amount of geometry, which tripped me up!
Bottom line: study, study, study. It's a hard test, and more work than you've probably ever done this far in your life, but it is so worth it in the end! Second tip, you are NEVER prepared for this test. Don't get complacent with how you are doing before the test. Figure out your weakness, and work on that until it's not your weakness anymore. Rinse and repeat. Good luck to everyone still waiting to take the test, and thank you SDN for all of your help!
