cayden0317
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2024
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 1
AA (24) TS (22)
PAT (18): Always remember no matter how much you practice, or which sections you are confident you are going to do better in than others, it can always flip on you during the heat of the moment. I spent the majority of my study time on the PAT using DAT Boosters generators and problem sets, I would say that they are the best resource available especially if you watch the videos and practice and tinker with the techniques they suggest. I made the unfortunate mistake of not using the bathroom before the test and drinking too much water, so during the entire PAT I was barely able to focus. I was scoring 23-24 on my practice tests then fell flat on test day, and honestly was surprised that I pulled out an 18. It's important to have amnesia and if you think you did badly on a certain section just forget it and move on to the next one and do the best you can
Quantitative Reasoning (21): I expected to do stronger in this section but was caught off-guard by the onscreen calculator. I highly recommend doing practice with one of these integrated computer calculators rather than the one you are comfortable with, it makes a bigger difference than you would expect. I believe Booster was a good resource but might have been a bit easier than the actual exam. The most important thing to do for this section is to practice using the different formulas for permutations and be familiar with interest and factorials.
Reading Comprehension (30): The most valuable advice I can give for this section is to devote proper time to double-checking. I read and highlighted through the entire article before getting into the questions, the search-and-destroy methods led me to lose focus and not fully understand the content. Most of the questions are intuitive and for the ones that aren't if you allow yourself time, you can usually narrow down the choices logically. Exposure to different articles in practice will likely lead to overlap to some degree, being familiar isn't necessary to do well but sometimes it helps.
Biology (21): This was disappointing for me and I feel that I got a bad draw with my questions. Some very hard ecology and taxonomy questions that if you didn't know the answer it was extremely difficult to figure out intuitively. Boosters videos were something I hit hard and rewatched multiple times. The most valuable resource for me in bio was just grinding practice tests, and then turning the questions into a quizlet to get exposure to as much content as possible. There were a lot of questions I'd seen from practice tests that showed up on the exam. I'd recommend starting the practice tests for bio earlier than you are planning on and buying the extra if you can.
Gen Chem (26): A lot of the content is stuff I've been practicing since AP Chem and just knew based on exposure. This was the section I dedicated the least time to studying, but retrospectively I wish I would have done a bit more to get closer to acing it and pulling my average up. It seems possible to me to get a near-perfect score in this section if you are a chem/biochem major and have a high level of exposure to this stuff. If you are in a major that does not provide a lot of lab experience, definitely prioritize this because it is not intuitive information and a lot of the equipment has unique names.
Organic (21): This is a highly variable section and was the one I was completely unsure if I would score a 16 or a 24. Thankfully I didn't land on the lower side, but I would still say I got a hard draw on questions based on my practice tests on Booster. Becoming familiar with the oxidating and reducing agents is vital, other than that I would review mechanisms and become comfortable with thinking about reagents as tools and thinking logically through the steps rather than trying to memorize products like flashcards. Khan Academy was a great resource for me for organic and I felt that I now have a better understanding of the material even though I struggled in my Organic 2 course.
Feel free to ask me any specific questions or to elaborate further on anything I said. I would also like any feedback on schools I should apply to besides WVU as a West Virginia resident (financially constrained).
PAT (18): Always remember no matter how much you practice, or which sections you are confident you are going to do better in than others, it can always flip on you during the heat of the moment. I spent the majority of my study time on the PAT using DAT Boosters generators and problem sets, I would say that they are the best resource available especially if you watch the videos and practice and tinker with the techniques they suggest. I made the unfortunate mistake of not using the bathroom before the test and drinking too much water, so during the entire PAT I was barely able to focus. I was scoring 23-24 on my practice tests then fell flat on test day, and honestly was surprised that I pulled out an 18. It's important to have amnesia and if you think you did badly on a certain section just forget it and move on to the next one and do the best you can
Quantitative Reasoning (21): I expected to do stronger in this section but was caught off-guard by the onscreen calculator. I highly recommend doing practice with one of these integrated computer calculators rather than the one you are comfortable with, it makes a bigger difference than you would expect. I believe Booster was a good resource but might have been a bit easier than the actual exam. The most important thing to do for this section is to practice using the different formulas for permutations and be familiar with interest and factorials.
Reading Comprehension (30): The most valuable advice I can give for this section is to devote proper time to double-checking. I read and highlighted through the entire article before getting into the questions, the search-and-destroy methods led me to lose focus and not fully understand the content. Most of the questions are intuitive and for the ones that aren't if you allow yourself time, you can usually narrow down the choices logically. Exposure to different articles in practice will likely lead to overlap to some degree, being familiar isn't necessary to do well but sometimes it helps.
Biology (21): This was disappointing for me and I feel that I got a bad draw with my questions. Some very hard ecology and taxonomy questions that if you didn't know the answer it was extremely difficult to figure out intuitively. Boosters videos were something I hit hard and rewatched multiple times. The most valuable resource for me in bio was just grinding practice tests, and then turning the questions into a quizlet to get exposure to as much content as possible. There were a lot of questions I'd seen from practice tests that showed up on the exam. I'd recommend starting the practice tests for bio earlier than you are planning on and buying the extra if you can.
Gen Chem (26): A lot of the content is stuff I've been practicing since AP Chem and just knew based on exposure. This was the section I dedicated the least time to studying, but retrospectively I wish I would have done a bit more to get closer to acing it and pulling my average up. It seems possible to me to get a near-perfect score in this section if you are a chem/biochem major and have a high level of exposure to this stuff. If you are in a major that does not provide a lot of lab experience, definitely prioritize this because it is not intuitive information and a lot of the equipment has unique names.
Organic (21): This is a highly variable section and was the one I was completely unsure if I would score a 16 or a 24. Thankfully I didn't land on the lower side, but I would still say I got a hard draw on questions based on my practice tests on Booster. Becoming familiar with the oxidating and reducing agents is vital, other than that I would review mechanisms and become comfortable with thinking about reagents as tools and thinking logically through the steps rather than trying to memorize products like flashcards. Khan Academy was a great resource for me for organic and I felt that I now have a better understanding of the material even though I struggled in my Organic 2 course.
Feel free to ask me any specific questions or to elaborate further on anything I said. I would also like any feedback on schools I should apply to besides WVU as a West Virginia resident (financially constrained).
