predental2023.
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2023
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
Hello everyone! I know how stressful studying for the DAT can be and I found other breakdowns to be very helpful for seeing what to expect and what worked well for other people.
Scores:
QR: 26
RC: 27
Bio: 21
GC: 23
OC: 25
TS: 23
AA: 24
Background:
I took the DAT on May 14. I am currently a senior and I finished my pre-reqs last year.
Resources:
Timeline:
I began studying at the start of my Spring semester this year. I took the first practice exam on DATBooster on Jan. 7th and originally scheduled my DAT for April 8th. My first practice exam, I scored a 13 in bio and a 19 AA. This first practice exam showed me what I needed to focus on the most. I focused all my time on biology as it was my weakest subject. Around the end of February, I knew I would not be ready in April and pushed my exam date back to May 14. I tried to study a little bit each day but during the semester it was mainly an hour in evenings and 4-5 hours on weekends.
After the spring semester ended, I had two weeks before my exam date and I really utilized this time to bring everything together. With around two and a half weeks, I had 9 practice exams. I tried to take one every other day. I would review what I got wrong the day after and look over topics that were difficult. Around three weeks before the exam, I also began to look over orgo mechanisms only utilizing the reaction cheat-sheet on DATBooster. I studied GC by looking over what I got wrong on the practice exams. I think this approach of clearing two weeks before the exam and studying every day for ~8 hours was helpful.
Day of Exam/Breakdown of each Section:
I got there around 30 minutes early as I wanted to make sure everything was in order. I set up everything the night before (water bottle, ID, jacket, etc.). As I began to take the exam, a line of about 5 people began forming so I would suggest getting there early to avoid the line. I was nervous and did not get much sleep the night before. The science section was a bit harder than I was used to, but my scores ended up being higher, so don’t panic.
Bio (21): My practice exam scores ranged from (13-21). Bio has always been my weakest subject. The exam was like many of the Booster exams, and I even saw a couple repeats. I think I could have scored higher on this section if I studied more efficiently, I got too caught up in many of the small details while studying.
GC (23): My practice exam scores ranged from (15-25). GC I did not study much until the day before the exam. The day before, I watched all the GC videos on DATBooster. I was stressed for this section the day before and wanted to review everything. I would not recommend doing what I did, as I do not think it was very beneficial. I mainly studied for this section by looking at what I got wrong on the practice exams. If something was foreign, then I would watch a video on it.
OC (25): My practice exam scores ranged from (18-25). OC has been my strongest subject as I am a TA for it. The DAT OC is much easier than university exams. I would memorize the reaction cheat sheet and you should be good. I had a question about lab procedures on this section that I did not expect.
PAT (22): My practice exam scores ranged from (17-25). This section felt easier on the actual DAT, but I think I could have scored better. Angle ranking was easier on the actual DAT, but TFE was harder in my opinion. I had extra time for this section when normally I run out. On the exam, I would start with angle ranking and then move through the exam. I would finish with keyhole and TFE.
RC (27): My practice exam scores ranged from (20-30). I was surprised with this score as I felt I scored lower. There were a couple questions that you had to infer information rather than being able to find it within the text. The passages on the DAT were much longer in length than the practice exams. I would read the first question for the passage. I would then read until I found the answer to that question, while reading I would highlight information, I thought would be important. Then after I found the answer, I would go to the next question and continue reading until I found the answer. By about question number 5, I would have read through the whole passage and had a good idea of what the passage was about. This made finding answers much easier, especially with key topics highlighted.
QR (26): My practice exam scores ranged from (22-30). I thought I scored higher than this as the questions felt much easier than Booster practice exams. Math has always been a strong point of mine. When I began studying, some of the statistics questions would trick me. For this section, I would say look over the QR cheat sheets on Booster and if you are familiar with all the formulas, then you should be good.
Practice Exam Scores:
I kept a log of all my practice exam scores to look for improvement. At the end, I retook the first practice exam. As you can see, DATBooster helped to improve a lot as my first diagnostic practice exam went from a 19 AA to a 23 AA after studying with DATBooster.
Scores:
QR: 26
RC: 27
Bio: 21
GC: 23
OC: 25
TS: 23
AA: 24
Background:
I took the DAT on May 14. I am currently a senior and I finished my pre-reqs last year.
Resources:
- DATBooster: The practice exams were the best resource available. As you take more practice exams, you begin to see consistent themes in topic they focus on. This is helpful when studying as you begin to look out for certain information. I mainly utilized their biology section as it was my weakest section. I would watch the videos, look over the cheat sheets, read the Bootcamp High Yield Bio Notes, and then answer the question banks. The PAT generator and extra practice questions were also very helpful.
- DAT Bootcamp High Yield Bio Notes: I found these to be easier to read as they were more condensed than the Booster bio notes. A friend sent me the PDF so I did not need to buy the subscription.
Timeline:
I began studying at the start of my Spring semester this year. I took the first practice exam on DATBooster on Jan. 7th and originally scheduled my DAT for April 8th. My first practice exam, I scored a 13 in bio and a 19 AA. This first practice exam showed me what I needed to focus on the most. I focused all my time on biology as it was my weakest subject. Around the end of February, I knew I would not be ready in April and pushed my exam date back to May 14. I tried to study a little bit each day but during the semester it was mainly an hour in evenings and 4-5 hours on weekends.
After the spring semester ended, I had two weeks before my exam date and I really utilized this time to bring everything together. With around two and a half weeks, I had 9 practice exams. I tried to take one every other day. I would review what I got wrong the day after and look over topics that were difficult. Around three weeks before the exam, I also began to look over orgo mechanisms only utilizing the reaction cheat-sheet on DATBooster. I studied GC by looking over what I got wrong on the practice exams. I think this approach of clearing two weeks before the exam and studying every day for ~8 hours was helpful.
Day of Exam/Breakdown of each Section:
I got there around 30 minutes early as I wanted to make sure everything was in order. I set up everything the night before (water bottle, ID, jacket, etc.). As I began to take the exam, a line of about 5 people began forming so I would suggest getting there early to avoid the line. I was nervous and did not get much sleep the night before. The science section was a bit harder than I was used to, but my scores ended up being higher, so don’t panic.
Bio (21): My practice exam scores ranged from (13-21). Bio has always been my weakest subject. The exam was like many of the Booster exams, and I even saw a couple repeats. I think I could have scored higher on this section if I studied more efficiently, I got too caught up in many of the small details while studying.
GC (23): My practice exam scores ranged from (15-25). GC I did not study much until the day before the exam. The day before, I watched all the GC videos on DATBooster. I was stressed for this section the day before and wanted to review everything. I would not recommend doing what I did, as I do not think it was very beneficial. I mainly studied for this section by looking at what I got wrong on the practice exams. If something was foreign, then I would watch a video on it.
OC (25): My practice exam scores ranged from (18-25). OC has been my strongest subject as I am a TA for it. The DAT OC is much easier than university exams. I would memorize the reaction cheat sheet and you should be good. I had a question about lab procedures on this section that I did not expect.
PAT (22): My practice exam scores ranged from (17-25). This section felt easier on the actual DAT, but I think I could have scored better. Angle ranking was easier on the actual DAT, but TFE was harder in my opinion. I had extra time for this section when normally I run out. On the exam, I would start with angle ranking and then move through the exam. I would finish with keyhole and TFE.
RC (27): My practice exam scores ranged from (20-30). I was surprised with this score as I felt I scored lower. There were a couple questions that you had to infer information rather than being able to find it within the text. The passages on the DAT were much longer in length than the practice exams. I would read the first question for the passage. I would then read until I found the answer to that question, while reading I would highlight information, I thought would be important. Then after I found the answer, I would go to the next question and continue reading until I found the answer. By about question number 5, I would have read through the whole passage and had a good idea of what the passage was about. This made finding answers much easier, especially with key topics highlighted.
QR (26): My practice exam scores ranged from (22-30). I thought I scored higher than this as the questions felt much easier than Booster practice exams. Math has always been a strong point of mine. When I began studying, some of the statistics questions would trick me. For this section, I would say look over the QR cheat sheets on Booster and if you are familiar with all the formulas, then you should be good.
Practice Exam Scores:
I kept a log of all my practice exam scores to look for improvement. At the end, I retook the first practice exam. As you can see, DATBooster helped to improve a lot as my first diagnostic practice exam went from a 19 AA to a 23 AA after studying with DATBooster.
