- Joined
- Aug 18, 2017
- Messages
- 70
- Reaction score
- 47
Hello SDN Community! Here is my breakdown! I wanted to thank everyone on SDN for providing which study materials are the best and how to tackle the DAT! I would also like to thank DAT Destroyer and Ari for creating such master pieces! I am going to try and keep the following as concise as possible!
Background
I graduated with High Honors from an average UC school with a B.S. in Biology. I have a strong Biology background and was mediocre at Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry. I studied for 3 months total. The first month and a half I studied around 2 hours a day. The second month and a half I studied for 3-6 hours a day. Total study time: 300 hours.
Materials
1. CHAD's Videos (Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry)
2. DAT Destroyer
3. DAT Math Destroyer
4. DAT Bootcamp
5. Cliff's AP Bio 3rd Edition
6. Feralis Biology Notes
7. Ari's Study Guides (Biology/OCHEM Mechanisms/GCHEM Equations/QR Equations)
Bootcamp Scores
Test 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 (I took Test 6-10 first by section and Test 1-5 are taken at full length)
BIO: 20/20/22/23/23/20/20/19/22/20
GCHEM: 20/23/30/23/22/20/22/20/22/22
OCHEM: 17/20/18/19/26/20/17/20/22/21
PAT: 20/22/20/21/19/19
RC: 17/20/18/22/23
QR: 19/19/19/19/18/18
How I Studied
BIO (25)
Month 1: Read Cliff's AP Bio 3rd Edition while taking detailed notes. Review!
Month 2: Review Notes and did all 650 DAT Destroyer's Bio section while taking notes on answer I got right and wrong. Also read Feralis Notes and taking notes ONLY on things I didn't know.
Month 3: Took practice tests for DAT Bootcamp while reviewing and taking notes on the answers I got right and wrong.
GCHEM (21)
Month 1: Went through Chad's Video as quick as I could in 4 days and took detailed notes. Review these notes the rest of the month while doing Chad's Quizzes.
Month 2: Reviewed Chad's notes and went through DAT Destroyer's General Chemistry section 2 time while taking notes.
Month 3: Took practice tests for DAT Bootcamp while reviewing and taking notes on the answers I got right and wrong.
OCHEM(20)
Month 1: Went through Chad's Video as quick as I could in 5 days and took detailed notes on each video. Reviewed the rest of the month while doing the Chad's Quizzes.
Month 2: Reviewed Chad's notes and went through DAT Destroyer's Organic Chemistry section 2 times while taking notes. Studied the Road Maps every day!
Month 3: Took practice tests for DAT Bootcamp while reviewing and taking notes on the answers I got right and wrong.
RC (24)
I am a very poor reader and usually score below average in any reading or standardized reading test. I just took 5 timed practice tests and figured out what worked best for me and it was Search and Destroy. What I liked to do was read the first couple questions first then read a paragraph and simultaneously skim through more questions after each paragraph. I think it was very important to get an idea of the importance of each paragraph (dates, names, characteristics, facts) and use the highlight feature!
QR (22)
Month 2: I completed the Math Section in the DAT Destroyer book. Then I did the first 5 tests in the Math Destroyer. I unfortunately didn't put much emphasis on math.
Month 3: Took a couple QR sections in the Bootcamp and make sure to review equations! I reviewed Ari's QR Equation sheet.
PAT (20)
Month 3: The only practice I had was with DAT Bootcamp and is probably the only place to really get practice. The only thing you can do in this section is practice and practice, in which I didn't put enough time into this section.
Similarities (Practice Material VS. Real DAT)
1. DAT Destroyer was significantly harder than the real DAT in all aspects. It helps to go through all the questions and to understand them if you really want to have a high score!
2. DAT Bootcamp is an accurate representation in all aspects and in general a little harder than the real DAT. The QR Section in the Bootcamp is definitely much harder than the real DAT.
Tips
1. BREADTH OVER DEPTH! The questions on the real test are much more vague and simple than you think! Don't let the practice material scare you! It is important to understand the concepts of why things happen and knowing how to approach the problem.
2. Don't forget to REVIEW THE BASICS! Don't focus too much on the specifics.
3. Relax, enjoy studying, take frequent breaks and don't stress!
4. Finally, make sure to exercise! Make sure to workout at least 3 times a week to get your body moving!
ENJOY STUDYING AND FOCUS HARD EVERYONE! GOOD LUCK ON THE DAT!
Background
I graduated with High Honors from an average UC school with a B.S. in Biology. I have a strong Biology background and was mediocre at Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry. I studied for 3 months total. The first month and a half I studied around 2 hours a day. The second month and a half I studied for 3-6 hours a day. Total study time: 300 hours.
Materials
1. CHAD's Videos (Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry)
2. DAT Destroyer
3. DAT Math Destroyer
4. DAT Bootcamp
5. Cliff's AP Bio 3rd Edition
6. Feralis Biology Notes
7. Ari's Study Guides (Biology/OCHEM Mechanisms/GCHEM Equations/QR Equations)
Bootcamp Scores
Test 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 (I took Test 6-10 first by section and Test 1-5 are taken at full length)
BIO: 20/20/22/23/23/20/20/19/22/20
GCHEM: 20/23/30/23/22/20/22/20/22/22
OCHEM: 17/20/18/19/26/20/17/20/22/21
PAT: 20/22/20/21/19/19
RC: 17/20/18/22/23
QR: 19/19/19/19/18/18
How I Studied
BIO (25)
Month 1: Read Cliff's AP Bio 3rd Edition while taking detailed notes. Review!
Month 2: Review Notes and did all 650 DAT Destroyer's Bio section while taking notes on answer I got right and wrong. Also read Feralis Notes and taking notes ONLY on things I didn't know.
Month 3: Took practice tests for DAT Bootcamp while reviewing and taking notes on the answers I got right and wrong.
GCHEM (21)
Month 1: Went through Chad's Video as quick as I could in 4 days and took detailed notes. Review these notes the rest of the month while doing Chad's Quizzes.
Month 2: Reviewed Chad's notes and went through DAT Destroyer's General Chemistry section 2 time while taking notes.
Month 3: Took practice tests for DAT Bootcamp while reviewing and taking notes on the answers I got right and wrong.
OCHEM(20)
Month 1: Went through Chad's Video as quick as I could in 5 days and took detailed notes on each video. Reviewed the rest of the month while doing the Chad's Quizzes.
Month 2: Reviewed Chad's notes and went through DAT Destroyer's Organic Chemistry section 2 times while taking notes. Studied the Road Maps every day!
Month 3: Took practice tests for DAT Bootcamp while reviewing and taking notes on the answers I got right and wrong.
RC (24)
I am a very poor reader and usually score below average in any reading or standardized reading test. I just took 5 timed practice tests and figured out what worked best for me and it was Search and Destroy. What I liked to do was read the first couple questions first then read a paragraph and simultaneously skim through more questions after each paragraph. I think it was very important to get an idea of the importance of each paragraph (dates, names, characteristics, facts) and use the highlight feature!
QR (22)
Month 2: I completed the Math Section in the DAT Destroyer book. Then I did the first 5 tests in the Math Destroyer. I unfortunately didn't put much emphasis on math.
Month 3: Took a couple QR sections in the Bootcamp and make sure to review equations! I reviewed Ari's QR Equation sheet.
PAT (20)
Month 3: The only practice I had was with DAT Bootcamp and is probably the only place to really get practice. The only thing you can do in this section is practice and practice, in which I didn't put enough time into this section.
Similarities (Practice Material VS. Real DAT)
1. DAT Destroyer was significantly harder than the real DAT in all aspects. It helps to go through all the questions and to understand them if you really want to have a high score!
2. DAT Bootcamp is an accurate representation in all aspects and in general a little harder than the real DAT. The QR Section in the Bootcamp is definitely much harder than the real DAT.
Tips
1. BREADTH OVER DEPTH! The questions on the real test are much more vague and simple than you think! Don't let the practice material scare you! It is important to understand the concepts of why things happen and knowing how to approach the problem.
2. Don't forget to REVIEW THE BASICS! Don't focus too much on the specifics.
3. Relax, enjoy studying, take frequent breaks and don't stress!
4. Finally, make sure to exercise! Make sure to workout at least 3 times a week to get your body moving!
ENJOY STUDYING AND FOCUS HARD EVERYONE! GOOD LUCK ON THE DAT!
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