- Joined
- Mar 3, 2016
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 6
Hello everyone!
I would first like to thank all the helpful threads on SDN, because it has definitely helped me tailor the study materials and study schedule that helped me finish taking the DATs once and for all! Most of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH to Orgoman and Ari for helping me prepare for most of the materials (especially Biology). Without the materials, I have no idea how I would've gotten over the sheer amount of material to cover Bio.
This is the first time I have attempted to take the DATs, and I was definitely freaking out about it right to the day I took the exam. It took me around a month to prep for the DATs. I started studying right when winter break started and took the exam the day before I went back to school (~4.5 weeks). Personally, I wouldn't recommend taking only 4.5 weeks to study for the exam. I looked at Ari's (DAT Bootcamp) study schedule, and I find that to be a more manageable schedule. I, however, know my study habits, and I tend to work better under stress, so I sort of put myself in a position where I felt a time pressure the entire time I was prepping for the exam. I also think it was a little more manageable because I am a Chemistry major, so I didn't feel the need to prep for Gen Chem and Orgo too much.
Materials I used and how I utilized them:
Chad's videos (GC and OC) (8/10)
I watched all of Chad's chemistry videos, took notes, and took the quizzes at the end of almost every video. The material was familiar to me, so I didn't feel the need to have to go over the videos and quizzes again. I would just refer back to my notes when I have questions from time to time.
Cliff's AP Bio (Bio) (8/10) and Kaplan (Bio) (5/10)
I have to say, I dreaded the biology portion the most because I am absolutely horrible at cramming information in my head. In addition, there was just so much information that I know I would forget the moment I finish taking the exam. Cliff's was good supplemental reading for the details that Kaplan might have missed. I have read that some people only counted on Cliff's for Bio readings, but I felt like it lacked when it comes to physiology (which was covered by Kaplan). Kaplan, on the other hand, was a good overview reading, but lacked the details that Cliff's included. As a result, I would say using both books would be very helpful.
FYI, I didn't use the Kaplan book for anything other than the Bio reading. The questions were too easy, and there are better materials out there for Math/Chem/PAT.
Crack DAT (Royal Flush Edition) (7/10)
Crack DAT was pretty good for Pat practice. I wish I knew of DAT Bootcamp before I threw down some serious bank on Crack DAT, but it still got the job done!
Crack DAT PAT and Ari's Angle Ranking exercises are the only materials I used to prep for the PAT section. Angle ranking was consistently my weakest portion, so I was very thankful I got to utilize the Angle Ranking exercises to help me improve in that area. Not sure if everyone knows of the Hill method, but it worked really well for me, so be sure to look for it on SDN!
Crack DAT also had really good practice for RC in terms of passage lengths. I primarily used the RC on Crack DAT to practice how much time I allocate to each passage and the questions.
Sadly, the Science practice tests on Crack DAT were not that helpful. They were seriously way too difficult, and not even in the productive way Destroyer does it. It was just plain random at times even in the GC and OC sections. I do not recommend.
DAT/Math Destroyer (Blessing to all studying for the DAT. 10/10 does not do it justice)
This set of books is too precious to me for words. It has saved me on Bio and provided wonderful practice on basically all sections on the DAT (except for PAT). I finished reading over Cliff's and Kaplan for Bio a week before my exam, and used the remaining week to go over the Bio section on the Destroyer as often as I could. By no means did I remember all the details, but being exposed to the material and terminology is enough to make smart guesses on the actual DAT. I also found the OC roadmaps to be very helpful. Also, make sure to know the reactions on the Roadmap, but not in Chad's videos! A couple of those definitely came up on my DATs, so spend a couple extra minutes on those reactions to save a couple points!
The Math Destroyer was also really good practice. I have a strong math background, so I didn't do much studying other than going through the Destroyer practice sets once.
DAT Bootcamp (10/10)
I actually didn't buy any of the materials from DAT Bootcamp because I heard of DAT Bootcamp midway through the 4 weeks I had, and just didn't see the point of purchasing a new set of study materials. I did, however, look over the study schedule Ari posted and it helped me tailor my schedule for the last two weeks. I also loved the Angle Ranking exercises, which were pretty indicative of the actual angle ranking (if not easier) on the PAT. I also read 3 articles from the recommended readings on the site, which helped me be in tip top shape for fast and efficient reading.
EXAM DAY:
I had a massive scare the day of the exam. The testing center is 30 minutes away from my house, and I thought my passport and passport card would be enough for identification. I didn't know that I needed two SIGNED forms of identification, so I had to step on it and rush home to get another ID. Luckily, they let me start 30 minutes later than my designated time.
The GC, OC, Bio sections are way easier than Destroyer, but the key is to time yourself. I didn't time myself when going through Destroyer, but I made a mental note to not get bogged down by a single question. If you don't know it after staring for 2-3 seconds after reading the question, mark it and move on.
RC was pretty easy. There's something about reading scientific articles that makes it a lot more digestible than random articles on whales and some European royalty's affair partner (I know, right...?).
QR is also really easy, just be careful about timing.
PAT was harder than I expected it to be. I was pretty sure I bombed the first ten questions, but I guess I made lucky guesses. Just do your best! I feel like a lot of people felt like PAT was more difficult, so don't feel like you're the only one!
I am glad that I only had to take it once, because I took a 12 hour "nap" right after my exam. Good luck to everyone who is planning on taking the DATs in the near future. Please feel free to ask questions if there are any!
I would first like to thank all the helpful threads on SDN, because it has definitely helped me tailor the study materials and study schedule that helped me finish taking the DATs once and for all! Most of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH to Orgoman and Ari for helping me prepare for most of the materials (especially Biology). Without the materials, I have no idea how I would've gotten over the sheer amount of material to cover Bio.
This is the first time I have attempted to take the DATs, and I was definitely freaking out about it right to the day I took the exam. It took me around a month to prep for the DATs. I started studying right when winter break started and took the exam the day before I went back to school (~4.5 weeks). Personally, I wouldn't recommend taking only 4.5 weeks to study for the exam. I looked at Ari's (DAT Bootcamp) study schedule, and I find that to be a more manageable schedule. I, however, know my study habits, and I tend to work better under stress, so I sort of put myself in a position where I felt a time pressure the entire time I was prepping for the exam. I also think it was a little more manageable because I am a Chemistry major, so I didn't feel the need to prep for Gen Chem and Orgo too much.
Materials I used and how I utilized them:
Chad's videos (GC and OC) (8/10)
I watched all of Chad's chemistry videos, took notes, and took the quizzes at the end of almost every video. The material was familiar to me, so I didn't feel the need to have to go over the videos and quizzes again. I would just refer back to my notes when I have questions from time to time.
Cliff's AP Bio (Bio) (8/10) and Kaplan (Bio) (5/10)
I have to say, I dreaded the biology portion the most because I am absolutely horrible at cramming information in my head. In addition, there was just so much information that I know I would forget the moment I finish taking the exam. Cliff's was good supplemental reading for the details that Kaplan might have missed. I have read that some people only counted on Cliff's for Bio readings, but I felt like it lacked when it comes to physiology (which was covered by Kaplan). Kaplan, on the other hand, was a good overview reading, but lacked the details that Cliff's included. As a result, I would say using both books would be very helpful.
FYI, I didn't use the Kaplan book for anything other than the Bio reading. The questions were too easy, and there are better materials out there for Math/Chem/PAT.
Crack DAT (Royal Flush Edition) (7/10)
Crack DAT was pretty good for Pat practice. I wish I knew of DAT Bootcamp before I threw down some serious bank on Crack DAT, but it still got the job done!
Crack DAT PAT and Ari's Angle Ranking exercises are the only materials I used to prep for the PAT section. Angle ranking was consistently my weakest portion, so I was very thankful I got to utilize the Angle Ranking exercises to help me improve in that area. Not sure if everyone knows of the Hill method, but it worked really well for me, so be sure to look for it on SDN!
Crack DAT also had really good practice for RC in terms of passage lengths. I primarily used the RC on Crack DAT to practice how much time I allocate to each passage and the questions.
Sadly, the Science practice tests on Crack DAT were not that helpful. They were seriously way too difficult, and not even in the productive way Destroyer does it. It was just plain random at times even in the GC and OC sections. I do not recommend.
DAT/Math Destroyer (Blessing to all studying for the DAT. 10/10 does not do it justice)
This set of books is too precious to me for words. It has saved me on Bio and provided wonderful practice on basically all sections on the DAT (except for PAT). I finished reading over Cliff's and Kaplan for Bio a week before my exam, and used the remaining week to go over the Bio section on the Destroyer as often as I could. By no means did I remember all the details, but being exposed to the material and terminology is enough to make smart guesses on the actual DAT. I also found the OC roadmaps to be very helpful. Also, make sure to know the reactions on the Roadmap, but not in Chad's videos! A couple of those definitely came up on my DATs, so spend a couple extra minutes on those reactions to save a couple points!
The Math Destroyer was also really good practice. I have a strong math background, so I didn't do much studying other than going through the Destroyer practice sets once.
DAT Bootcamp (10/10)
I actually didn't buy any of the materials from DAT Bootcamp because I heard of DAT Bootcamp midway through the 4 weeks I had, and just didn't see the point of purchasing a new set of study materials. I did, however, look over the study schedule Ari posted and it helped me tailor my schedule for the last two weeks. I also loved the Angle Ranking exercises, which were pretty indicative of the actual angle ranking (if not easier) on the PAT. I also read 3 articles from the recommended readings on the site, which helped me be in tip top shape for fast and efficient reading.
EXAM DAY:
I had a massive scare the day of the exam. The testing center is 30 minutes away from my house, and I thought my passport and passport card would be enough for identification. I didn't know that I needed two SIGNED forms of identification, so I had to step on it and rush home to get another ID. Luckily, they let me start 30 minutes later than my designated time.
The GC, OC, Bio sections are way easier than Destroyer, but the key is to time yourself. I didn't time myself when going through Destroyer, but I made a mental note to not get bogged down by a single question. If you don't know it after staring for 2-3 seconds after reading the question, mark it and move on.
RC was pretty easy. There's something about reading scientific articles that makes it a lot more digestible than random articles on whales and some European royalty's affair partner (I know, right...?).
QR is also really easy, just be careful about timing.
PAT was harder than I expected it to be. I was pretty sure I bombed the first ten questions, but I guess I made lucky guesses. Just do your best! I feel like a lot of people felt like PAT was more difficult, so don't feel like you're the only one!
I am glad that I only had to take it once, because I took a 12 hour "nap" right after my exam. Good luck to everyone who is planning on taking the DATs in the near future. Please feel free to ask questions if there are any!
