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- May 6, 2015
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I took my DAT recently, and I figured I'd post this breakdown for anyone who might find it helpful.
24 AA / 25 TS / 22 PAT (nothing below 22)
I'd like to maintain some anonymity, so I don't want to give more score info than that.
Study Materials:
-Chad's videos - for GC, OC, and QR
-Cliffs AP Biology 3rd ed.
-DAT Destroyer - for Bio and QR only. I had planned on doing the GC and OC sections, but those were the sections I felt least confident about, and I didn't want to attempt Destroyer only to psych myself out. If I'd had more time to prepare fully, I'd definitely have worked the entire book.
-DAT Bootcamp
How I prepared (by section):
Bio: I read through Cliffs front to back once quickly as a review, then once more, highlighting things I didn't know well. I went through Destroyer Bio once. I typed up some of my own notes from Cliffs and some DAT Bootcamp questions. I glanced at Feralis' notes but didn't use them, as I found them to actually be too in-depth for me, personally. But that's why he got a 30.
I made sure to fully understand the areas that usually trip people up, especially meiosis, embryology, phylogenetics/taxa, etc. Did all Bootcamp tests.
GC: Chad's videos. I took detailed notes as I watched, and took the quiz after each video. I glanced at his outlines to make sure I hadn't missed anything, but I learn better from actually writing my own notes as opposed to just reading them. Reviewed my notes a few days before the test. Bootcamp tests.
OC: Chad's videos. I took the class approximately 6 months ago, so for some of the concepts I only needed to watch for review. I took detailed notes on the rest, especially reactions/mechanisms. Did not do the quizzes (although I highly recommend it). This was my last section to study before the test, and I was literally reviewing my notes and Chad's reaction notes like 10 minutes before my test. Only did 2 of the Bootcamp tests (ran out of time to take the rest).
QR: Chad's videos and quizzes. Destroyer QR (not Math Destroyer). Bootcamp tests.
RC: Didn't do anything to prep for this except for some Bootcamp tests which were actually very frustrating.
PAT: Bootcamp tests. I generally do well on TFE, hole punching, and cube counting. Angles were my worst, followed by keyholes. I found the angle ranking generator easier than that section on the practice tests.
Other: Bio major. If I had to pick 2 bio courses for someone to take the semester before the DAT, hands down it'd be Microbiology and Anatomy & Physiology. I've always done well on standardized tests. I've tutored high school students in SAT prep, so I felt fairly confident about the QR and RC sections.
Bootcamp scores as follows:
Bio 24/26/22/25/25
GC 20/22/22/19
OC 19/21
QR 23/25/22
RC 22/22/26
PAT 19/22/20/20/20 (#1/2/3/6/7)
-I never took a full length practice test. I just did sections individually. I figured the test day adrenaline would get me through 5 hours (and it did), so building endurance wasn't something I found important.
Overall, I felt that the actual DAT was easier than Bootcamp, for every section. I usually ran out of time on PAT and almost on RC, but on the actual test I had about 10 min to spare on both.
My study schedule was pretty awful. Studying began 8 weeks before the test, but very light in the beginning (2-3hr/day for first 3 weeks or so) and gradually became a monster, with the last 2 weeks being 8-12/hrs a day. Would not recommend. Kept revising my study schedule because I was constantly falling behind; everything was taking about 3x longer than expected. I didn't get to/through a lot of study material that I initially planned to do. I pushed my test date back twice! I'm sure it was a good decision each time, but man what a waste of money...
I'm ridiculously pleased with my scores, but I don't want them to lead anyone astray... Do as I say, not as I do. Even though I was unable to do the following, I still recommend completing all Bootcamp tests, all Chad's videos and quizzes, going over Destroyer Bio until you know it all, and doing Destroyer GC and OC. I would've felt so much more confident and prepared going into the test if I had done these things. I was a nervous wreck during the two days leading up to the test (and the day of). So relieved it's over!!!
24 AA / 25 TS / 22 PAT (nothing below 22)
I'd like to maintain some anonymity, so I don't want to give more score info than that.
Study Materials:
-Chad's videos - for GC, OC, and QR
-Cliffs AP Biology 3rd ed.
-DAT Destroyer - for Bio and QR only. I had planned on doing the GC and OC sections, but those were the sections I felt least confident about, and I didn't want to attempt Destroyer only to psych myself out. If I'd had more time to prepare fully, I'd definitely have worked the entire book.
-DAT Bootcamp
How I prepared (by section):
Bio: I read through Cliffs front to back once quickly as a review, then once more, highlighting things I didn't know well. I went through Destroyer Bio once. I typed up some of my own notes from Cliffs and some DAT Bootcamp questions. I glanced at Feralis' notes but didn't use them, as I found them to actually be too in-depth for me, personally. But that's why he got a 30.
I made sure to fully understand the areas that usually trip people up, especially meiosis, embryology, phylogenetics/taxa, etc. Did all Bootcamp tests.GC: Chad's videos. I took detailed notes as I watched, and took the quiz after each video. I glanced at his outlines to make sure I hadn't missed anything, but I learn better from actually writing my own notes as opposed to just reading them. Reviewed my notes a few days before the test. Bootcamp tests.
OC: Chad's videos. I took the class approximately 6 months ago, so for some of the concepts I only needed to watch for review. I took detailed notes on the rest, especially reactions/mechanisms. Did not do the quizzes (although I highly recommend it). This was my last section to study before the test, and I was literally reviewing my notes and Chad's reaction notes like 10 minutes before my test. Only did 2 of the Bootcamp tests (ran out of time to take the rest).
QR: Chad's videos and quizzes. Destroyer QR (not Math Destroyer). Bootcamp tests.
RC: Didn't do anything to prep for this except for some Bootcamp tests which were actually very frustrating.
PAT: Bootcamp tests. I generally do well on TFE, hole punching, and cube counting. Angles were my worst, followed by keyholes. I found the angle ranking generator easier than that section on the practice tests.
Other: Bio major. If I had to pick 2 bio courses for someone to take the semester before the DAT, hands down it'd be Microbiology and Anatomy & Physiology. I've always done well on standardized tests. I've tutored high school students in SAT prep, so I felt fairly confident about the QR and RC sections.
Bootcamp scores as follows:
Bio 24/26/22/25/25
GC 20/22/22/19
OC 19/21
QR 23/25/22
RC 22/22/26
PAT 19/22/20/20/20 (#1/2/3/6/7)
-I never took a full length practice test. I just did sections individually. I figured the test day adrenaline would get me through 5 hours (and it did), so building endurance wasn't something I found important.
Overall, I felt that the actual DAT was easier than Bootcamp, for every section. I usually ran out of time on PAT and almost on RC, but on the actual test I had about 10 min to spare on both.
My study schedule was pretty awful. Studying began 8 weeks before the test, but very light in the beginning (2-3hr/day for first 3 weeks or so) and gradually became a monster, with the last 2 weeks being 8-12/hrs a day. Would not recommend. Kept revising my study schedule because I was constantly falling behind; everything was taking about 3x longer than expected. I didn't get to/through a lot of study material that I initially planned to do. I pushed my test date back twice! I'm sure it was a good decision each time, but man what a waste of money...
I'm ridiculously pleased with my scores, but I don't want them to lead anyone astray... Do as I say, not as I do. Even though I was unable to do the following, I still recommend completing all Bootcamp tests, all Chad's videos and quizzes, going over Destroyer Bio until you know it all, and doing Destroyer GC and OC. I would've felt so much more confident and prepared going into the test if I had done these things. I was a nervous wreck during the two days leading up to the test (and the day of). So relieved it's over!!!
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