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- Apr 14, 2017
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*Sigh of relief* It's all over. To those still studying or coming up on test dates, keep going! The numerous breakdowns on this site helped me immensely in preparing for the big day, so I feel it's only right I try and share what I learned.
To start, I took the DAT 06/23/2017, below are my scores:
AA: 25
TS: 26
PAT: 21
QR: 23
RC: 22
Bio: 26
GC: 25
OC: 28
My 4 bootcamp tests and 2007 DAT test were all around my actual scores, except for QR and PAT--which I was averaging around 20 and 19, respectively.
Background: I graduated from college in 2015 with a degree in Molecular Biology. After graduating, I took a job as a medical scribe for an internist at a large hospital. I have always been an A/B student, nothing too standout. Relearning the science information was definitely difficult being 2 years out of college, but my hospital work kept a lot of physiology and pathology info fresh; that being said, I wish I would've taken the DAT during college to avoid the headache of relearning everything.
Study Materials:
1) Bootcamp: an absolute must-have; I followed the 10-week study schedule closely for the first 5 weeks and then customized the remaining time to my own schedule/study materials. I would've paid for the program just to have the PAT generators, which almost exactly mirrored the actual test.
2) DAT Destroyer/Math Destroyer: cannot express enough how integral these were to studying.
Dr. Jim Romano and Nancy, if you're ever in Colorado, I owe you a steak dinner. My first run-through on the natural sciences, I wasn't getting more than 50% right. The biology section was extremely varied and covered everything I eventually saw on the test. For Gen Chem, there were such a large quantity of questions that you get excellent practice at doing every type of problem covered on the DAT. The Roadmaps for the Orgo section were crucial to practicing my reactions. On the actual DAT, I had a ton of reaction intermediates and mechanism questions, all of which were made simple by working through Destroyer so many times. To study/practice, I generally did 70 bio, 40 GC, and 40 OC question daily. Whenever I came across a broader theme in bio, I'd go back and outline the entire process; for example, if the question was about a Calvin Cycle enzyme, I'd answer the question and then go back and outline photosynthesis as a whole--its time consuming, but a great way to nail down the general concepts. For Math Destroyer, coming from a person that has always been "okay" at Math, if you can master these tests you can do anything on the actual test. The questions were challenging, but you figure out the best/most efficient methods after a few passes.
3) Feralis' Notes: very helpful when trying to understand a complicated concept, because the notes breakdown the important information. I used these notes to supplement my own notes and fill in the gaps where necessary. I think the key is to use these notes to fill in gaps, but should absolutely not be used in place of your own notes. I outlined every Cliff's chapter in detail and watched youtube vids when needed, and then I'd read Feralis' notes to see what I missed. I used these notes daily when looking up definitions, pathways, conceptual ideas, but it's still very important to try and make your own detailed notes through personal research/study
4) Chad's videos: I think everyone can agree that Chad is the man when it comes to reteaching chem and ochem. I hadn't seen chemistry for a few years when I started studying, and he broke everything down in a smooth and concise manner. I had just finished Chad's Gen Chem review when Mike was added to Bootcamp. I originally planned to watch both sets of videos for Orgo, but really didn't have the time to do so. I chose to just do Chad's videos because it seemed to be the time-tested method; that being said, I watched a few of Mike's videos when I needed extra explanations and he did a great job as well. So in terms of choosing Chad or Mike, I think they're both fine options, but doing both is too much to do.
The Actual Test:
Marking questions for review later is something that everyone should really take advantage of. Getting stuck on a single question and being too stubborn to leave it for later will definitely kill you in the long run. I was also able to jump to any question at anytime--via review button--so if you know a certain section will take longer, strategizing to do that section first would be a good idea
Bio: If you work through DAT Destroyer and the questions from Cliff's, you'll be fine. The actual test was pretty simple, mainly larger concepts and only a few super-specific. My test had a few random, out-of-left-field questions that I had to guess at, but nothing too strange
Gen Chem/Orgo: again, nothing that isn't covered in Destroyer. Whatever you tend to score on Bootcamp practice tests/2007 DAT will likely be what you get here. If you're solid at Destroyer road maps and understand basic mechanisms, there's no reason you can't get a 30 on Orgo.
RC: my advice is to research the myriad methods that people employ, test them out, and stick with what you like. My first RC practice test I was using a search and destroy method and scored a 17.
I decided to switch my strategy to just reading the entire section with generous highlighting, which worked well for me. I honestly think that the real key is being lucky enough to get interesting passages. 2/3 of my passages were super cool, so it was much easier to retain info. My other passage was about as appealing as drinking lead paint, so staying focused was a bit harder. The time limit, however, gives more than enough time to put extra focus on a boring passage.
QR: Easier than the Destroyer tests, but not roll-over simple. The new section definitely adds a cushion to the test, because I thought the questions were pretty easy. The new section questions on Bootcamp were only slightly harder than the actual test, but still pretty close. I always struggled with timing while practicing; I answered all the questions on the actual test, but only finished with about 30 seconds remaining. To study, I'd definitely start with untimed tests to get the hang of the general flow, but then spend a good deal of work making sure you can work within the time limit.
PAT: Pretty on par to the Bootcamp Generators. The keyhole section was like a blind man trying to read hieroglyphics, but I survived it. As long as your hole punching and cube counting are perfect, you should be fine. For perspective, my first PAT test was about 30%, so practice, practice, practice, practice--especially for TFE, that section was impossible for me at the start, but I mastered it after a few weeks of intense practice
Overall, I spent 10 weeks studying for this test. I was always terrible at ScanTrons and standardized testing in school, so for those in a similar boat, don't give up hope! Study hard so you only have to do this test 1x, but don't let yourself breakdown during the process. Make sure to eat healthy, get adequate sleep, and exercise consistently during your study period, otherwise it'll make everything a lot more miserable. Drink a lot of water on test day, but don't overdo it--I was squirming like a worm on a hook towards the end of my PAT section. Feel free to message me about any questions and thanks again to @FeralisExtremum , @orgoman22 , and @Ari Rezaei
To start, I took the DAT 06/23/2017, below are my scores:
AA: 25
TS: 26
PAT: 21
QR: 23
RC: 22
Bio: 26
GC: 25
OC: 28
My 4 bootcamp tests and 2007 DAT test were all around my actual scores, except for QR and PAT--which I was averaging around 20 and 19, respectively.
Background: I graduated from college in 2015 with a degree in Molecular Biology. After graduating, I took a job as a medical scribe for an internist at a large hospital. I have always been an A/B student, nothing too standout. Relearning the science information was definitely difficult being 2 years out of college, but my hospital work kept a lot of physiology and pathology info fresh; that being said, I wish I would've taken the DAT during college to avoid the headache of relearning everything.
Study Materials:
1) Bootcamp: an absolute must-have; I followed the 10-week study schedule closely for the first 5 weeks and then customized the remaining time to my own schedule/study materials. I would've paid for the program just to have the PAT generators, which almost exactly mirrored the actual test.
2) DAT Destroyer/Math Destroyer: cannot express enough how integral these were to studying.
Dr. Jim Romano and Nancy, if you're ever in Colorado, I owe you a steak dinner. My first run-through on the natural sciences, I wasn't getting more than 50% right. The biology section was extremely varied and covered everything I eventually saw on the test. For Gen Chem, there were such a large quantity of questions that you get excellent practice at doing every type of problem covered on the DAT. The Roadmaps for the Orgo section were crucial to practicing my reactions. On the actual DAT, I had a ton of reaction intermediates and mechanism questions, all of which were made simple by working through Destroyer so many times. To study/practice, I generally did 70 bio, 40 GC, and 40 OC question daily. Whenever I came across a broader theme in bio, I'd go back and outline the entire process; for example, if the question was about a Calvin Cycle enzyme, I'd answer the question and then go back and outline photosynthesis as a whole--its time consuming, but a great way to nail down the general concepts. For Math Destroyer, coming from a person that has always been "okay" at Math, if you can master these tests you can do anything on the actual test. The questions were challenging, but you figure out the best/most efficient methods after a few passes.
3) Feralis' Notes: very helpful when trying to understand a complicated concept, because the notes breakdown the important information. I used these notes to supplement my own notes and fill in the gaps where necessary. I think the key is to use these notes to fill in gaps, but should absolutely not be used in place of your own notes. I outlined every Cliff's chapter in detail and watched youtube vids when needed, and then I'd read Feralis' notes to see what I missed. I used these notes daily when looking up definitions, pathways, conceptual ideas, but it's still very important to try and make your own detailed notes through personal research/study
4) Chad's videos: I think everyone can agree that Chad is the man when it comes to reteaching chem and ochem. I hadn't seen chemistry for a few years when I started studying, and he broke everything down in a smooth and concise manner. I had just finished Chad's Gen Chem review when Mike was added to Bootcamp. I originally planned to watch both sets of videos for Orgo, but really didn't have the time to do so. I chose to just do Chad's videos because it seemed to be the time-tested method; that being said, I watched a few of Mike's videos when I needed extra explanations and he did a great job as well. So in terms of choosing Chad or Mike, I think they're both fine options, but doing both is too much to do.
The Actual Test:
Marking questions for review later is something that everyone should really take advantage of. Getting stuck on a single question and being too stubborn to leave it for later will definitely kill you in the long run. I was also able to jump to any question at anytime--via review button--so if you know a certain section will take longer, strategizing to do that section first would be a good idea
Bio: If you work through DAT Destroyer and the questions from Cliff's, you'll be fine. The actual test was pretty simple, mainly larger concepts and only a few super-specific. My test had a few random, out-of-left-field questions that I had to guess at, but nothing too strange
Gen Chem/Orgo: again, nothing that isn't covered in Destroyer. Whatever you tend to score on Bootcamp practice tests/2007 DAT will likely be what you get here. If you're solid at Destroyer road maps and understand basic mechanisms, there's no reason you can't get a 30 on Orgo.
RC: my advice is to research the myriad methods that people employ, test them out, and stick with what you like. My first RC practice test I was using a search and destroy method and scored a 17.
I decided to switch my strategy to just reading the entire section with generous highlighting, which worked well for me. I honestly think that the real key is being lucky enough to get interesting passages. 2/3 of my passages were super cool, so it was much easier to retain info. My other passage was about as appealing as drinking lead paint, so staying focused was a bit harder. The time limit, however, gives more than enough time to put extra focus on a boring passage.
QR: Easier than the Destroyer tests, but not roll-over simple. The new section definitely adds a cushion to the test, because I thought the questions were pretty easy. The new section questions on Bootcamp were only slightly harder than the actual test, but still pretty close. I always struggled with timing while practicing; I answered all the questions on the actual test, but only finished with about 30 seconds remaining. To study, I'd definitely start with untimed tests to get the hang of the general flow, but then spend a good deal of work making sure you can work within the time limit.
PAT: Pretty on par to the Bootcamp Generators. The keyhole section was like a blind man trying to read hieroglyphics, but I survived it. As long as your hole punching and cube counting are perfect, you should be fine. For perspective, my first PAT test was about 30%, so practice, practice, practice, practice--especially for TFE, that section was impossible for me at the start, but I mastered it after a few weeks of intense practice
Overall, I spent 10 weeks studying for this test. I was always terrible at ScanTrons and standardized testing in school, so for those in a similar boat, don't give up hope! Study hard so you only have to do this test 1x, but don't let yourself breakdown during the process. Make sure to eat healthy, get adequate sleep, and exercise consistently during your study period, otherwise it'll make everything a lot more miserable. Drink a lot of water on test day, but don't overdo it--I was squirming like a worm on a hook towards the end of my PAT section. Feel free to message me about any questions and thanks again to @FeralisExtremum , @orgoman22 , and @Ari Rezaei
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