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Hi everyone, this is for those who feel like they’re not improving after weeks of studying! I was consistently getting 22 and 23 AA when practicing, and got a 25AA on the actual DAT!
Some background info, I’m a biology/psychology double major with a relatively strong math and GC background. I started studying in mid-May and took the test in late August, giving myself a full summer to study. I did around 3-5 hours a day, taking one day off each week.
What I used to prep: DATBooster, Anki, Chad’s videos, Destroyer
My study schedule:
The only studying I did every single day was Anki cards. I started off by following DATBooster’s content schedule to a T, and then transitioned into practice test questions using Destroyer, and eventually DATBooster’s extra questions bank. In the last phase, I started taking full-length practice tests, spacing them so that they became more frequent the closer I got to test day. Throughout all my prep, I used Anki decks that DAT Booster provided, but created new decks and cards as I got questions wrong in practice.
Now for the #breakdown:
Biology (28)
I was making 22s in practice, so I was really surprised that biology ended up being my strongest section. I relied on DATBooster/Feralis Notes + DATBooster videos and took notes on everything. I skipped topics I knew very well and spent extra time on topics that were new. As soon as I finished a chapter, I would start the corresponding Anki cards for that topic. I found that this really reinforced my understanding after I learned the content, and prevented me from forgetting things I learned earlier. I also did the corresponding extra questions section, to test my understanding. I did use Destroyer, but only did around 200 of the questions, as it tested very detailed knowledge. The bio questions on the actual DAT are a little easier than Booster bio questions, but some were word for word!
General Chemistry (26)
My practice scores varied but averaged around 23. I watched all of DATBooster’s videos but I didn’t think they were particularly helpful for GC. Chad’s free videos on YouTube are much more engaging and more clear. I took notes on new topics and did the extra questions. Towards the end of my prep, I started on GC Anki cards provided by Booster. For this section, I noticed my score improve most after doing several practice tests. I found the actual DAT GC to be about the same difficulty as Booster practice tests.
Organic Chemistry (22)
In practice, I was getting 19-20. I watched all of DATBooster’s Organic Chemistry videos as well, but I noticed the most improvement came from memorizing the major reactions. I highly recommend the Reactions Anki deck for this– as soon as I knew the reactions, Orgo became a lot more straightforward. I spent a lot of time reviewing wrong questions from practice tests, and learning how to answer each type of question: stereochemistry, organic analysis, reactions, etc. Compared to Booster’s practice OC, the actual DAT was definitely more straightforward, with fewer mechanisms and complicated reaction sequences, and had more SN1/SN2 type questions.
PAT (23)
I started studying for PAT early in my prep by reading the guides and watching all of Booster’s PAT videos. I had the most difficulty with TFE and Keyholes, and getting around 50% correct on them when practicing. My PAT scores in practice remained relatively consistent at 20. I used the generators during my content learning phase, but stopped when I started taking full tests. Booster’s PAT is definitely a little more challenging than the actual exam, especially the TFE and Keyholes section. Cube counting, hole punching, angles, and pattern-folding were similar.
Reading Comp (23)
I didn’t prep reading other than the videos from content review and doing the full-length practice tests, and I noticed my scores start to go up after I adopted the paragraph summary strategy. I would write down the main idea of each paragraph as I read so I could refer back to it. My scores during practice ranged between 20 and 23. I felt that reading was slightly easier on the real DAT compared to Booster.
Quantitative Reasoning (24)
I did the extra questions and the full-length practice tests for math. I reviewed the equations cheat sheet to make sure I knew all of them. I redid problems I got wrong. My scores were around 23-25 in practice. I felt that the actual DAT QR was significantly easier than the Booster’s QR.
Final thoughts:
If you feel frustrated with your practice scores don’t fret. Your scores will reflect your effort, and DATBooster gives you all the resources you need to do well. I highly recommend taking the practice tests as full length, especially the last few. Remember, you got this! The DAT is a stamina test more than anything else.
Some background info, I’m a biology/psychology double major with a relatively strong math and GC background. I started studying in mid-May and took the test in late August, giving myself a full summer to study. I did around 3-5 hours a day, taking one day off each week.
What I used to prep: DATBooster, Anki, Chad’s videos, Destroyer
My study schedule:
The only studying I did every single day was Anki cards. I started off by following DATBooster’s content schedule to a T, and then transitioned into practice test questions using Destroyer, and eventually DATBooster’s extra questions bank. In the last phase, I started taking full-length practice tests, spacing them so that they became more frequent the closer I got to test day. Throughout all my prep, I used Anki decks that DAT Booster provided, but created new decks and cards as I got questions wrong in practice.
Now for the #breakdown:
Biology (28)
I was making 22s in practice, so I was really surprised that biology ended up being my strongest section. I relied on DATBooster/Feralis Notes + DATBooster videos and took notes on everything. I skipped topics I knew very well and spent extra time on topics that were new. As soon as I finished a chapter, I would start the corresponding Anki cards for that topic. I found that this really reinforced my understanding after I learned the content, and prevented me from forgetting things I learned earlier. I also did the corresponding extra questions section, to test my understanding. I did use Destroyer, but only did around 200 of the questions, as it tested very detailed knowledge. The bio questions on the actual DAT are a little easier than Booster bio questions, but some were word for word!
General Chemistry (26)
My practice scores varied but averaged around 23. I watched all of DATBooster’s videos but I didn’t think they were particularly helpful for GC. Chad’s free videos on YouTube are much more engaging and more clear. I took notes on new topics and did the extra questions. Towards the end of my prep, I started on GC Anki cards provided by Booster. For this section, I noticed my score improve most after doing several practice tests. I found the actual DAT GC to be about the same difficulty as Booster practice tests.
Organic Chemistry (22)
In practice, I was getting 19-20. I watched all of DATBooster’s Organic Chemistry videos as well, but I noticed the most improvement came from memorizing the major reactions. I highly recommend the Reactions Anki deck for this– as soon as I knew the reactions, Orgo became a lot more straightforward. I spent a lot of time reviewing wrong questions from practice tests, and learning how to answer each type of question: stereochemistry, organic analysis, reactions, etc. Compared to Booster’s practice OC, the actual DAT was definitely more straightforward, with fewer mechanisms and complicated reaction sequences, and had more SN1/SN2 type questions.
PAT (23)
I started studying for PAT early in my prep by reading the guides and watching all of Booster’s PAT videos. I had the most difficulty with TFE and Keyholes, and getting around 50% correct on them when practicing. My PAT scores in practice remained relatively consistent at 20. I used the generators during my content learning phase, but stopped when I started taking full tests. Booster’s PAT is definitely a little more challenging than the actual exam, especially the TFE and Keyholes section. Cube counting, hole punching, angles, and pattern-folding were similar.
Reading Comp (23)
I didn’t prep reading other than the videos from content review and doing the full-length practice tests, and I noticed my scores start to go up after I adopted the paragraph summary strategy. I would write down the main idea of each paragraph as I read so I could refer back to it. My scores during practice ranged between 20 and 23. I felt that reading was slightly easier on the real DAT compared to Booster.
Quantitative Reasoning (24)
I did the extra questions and the full-length practice tests for math. I reviewed the equations cheat sheet to make sure I knew all of them. I redid problems I got wrong. My scores were around 23-25 in practice. I felt that the actual DAT QR was significantly easier than the Booster’s QR.
Final thoughts:
If you feel frustrated with your practice scores don’t fret. Your scores will reflect your effort, and DATBooster gives you all the resources you need to do well. I highly recommend taking the practice tests as full length, especially the last few. Remember, you got this! The DAT is a stamina test more than anything else.
