Hi everyone! I took the DAT a few days ago on 01/24/2022 and thought I would share my breakdown so maybe I can help others! I studied for about 7 weeks. For the first 5 weeks, I studied 6 days a week for 8+ hours. The last two weeks, I had to go back to school, so I studied 6+ hours a day but 7 days a week. I used DAT Bootcamp Pro and their cards on Quizlet and Anki, and I stuck to Ari's Schedule. I completed all question banks, practice tests 1-5 for all subjects, and full length tests 6 and 7.
Scores: PAT: 24, QR: 30, RC: 25, Bio: 24, GC: 21, OC: 24, TS: 23, AA: 25
Biology (24): I used the High Yield Biology Notes, the Bio Videos, and the Question Bank. The Bio Videos were especially helpful for topics I was less familiar with, however I didn't watch them for Anatomy and Physiology. I used Bootcamp's Quizlet and Anki cards religiously, especially towards the end of my studying to review subjects I was frequently getting wrong. I thought some of the real DAT's questions were easier; while others were almost the exact same question I had seen before in the question banks!
GC (21) and OC (24): For both of these, I printed off the outlines and followed along with Mike's videos, and then I completed the question banks for each video. I used the notes on my outlines to make my own Anki cards for memorizing polyatomic ions, strong/weak acids/bases, organic chem lab tests, etc. I also made my own Anki cards based off the organic chemistry reaction sheet, but using words (ex: "secondary alcohol") instead of pictures. The questions on the DAT were very similar to the ones on the practice tests. Be sure to study organic chemistry concepts too instead of just memorizing reactions.
RC (25): The RC academy videos were helpful for figuring out my strategy. I would read the first question, and then begin reading the passage. When I came to the answer, I would answer the first question and then read the second question, returning to the text where I left off. As I read, I highlighted definitions, dates, names, and unfamiliar words. I tagged questions that were not easy to find and then returned to them once I finished reading the whole passage. I recommend doing many practice tests so you can try different strategies.
QR (30): I began by studying the QR Formulas Cheat Sheet and then diving into the question banks. I would read explanations for questions I got wrong, and then be sure to review tagged questions. I found that the DAT's questions were much easier than the practice questions, especially those tricky ones about statement A/B being sufficient/not sufficient.
PAT (24): My biggest piece of advice is PRACTICE EVERYDAY! I watched all PAT academy videos, played PAT Trainer everyday, and did 10-15 questions of each type of problem from the question bank or generators everyday. Practicing everyday was especially helpful for the angle ranking and keyhole questions.
Towards the end of studying, I got a bit burnt out. I definitely don't recommend trying to study for the DAT all day everyday. I took full length tests 6 and 7 and scored a 21 and 22. I also took the 2007 test. I found it most helpful to review missed/tagged questions, and then review my Anki cards for the topics that I was missing often. Be sure to eat and sleep well! On days when I was tired, I felt like I couldn't focus and just wasn't making good use of my time. The week before the test, I did a $30 "dry run" at the testing site through Prometric. This allowed me to go through the check-in process, see the facility, and do a few practice problems on the computer. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you are nervous about those small details or have test anxiety.
Hopefully this helps someone else who is studying! Please comment if you have any questions!
Scores: PAT: 24, QR: 30, RC: 25, Bio: 24, GC: 21, OC: 24, TS: 23, AA: 25
Biology (24): I used the High Yield Biology Notes, the Bio Videos, and the Question Bank. The Bio Videos were especially helpful for topics I was less familiar with, however I didn't watch them for Anatomy and Physiology. I used Bootcamp's Quizlet and Anki cards religiously, especially towards the end of my studying to review subjects I was frequently getting wrong. I thought some of the real DAT's questions were easier; while others were almost the exact same question I had seen before in the question banks!
GC (21) and OC (24): For both of these, I printed off the outlines and followed along with Mike's videos, and then I completed the question banks for each video. I used the notes on my outlines to make my own Anki cards for memorizing polyatomic ions, strong/weak acids/bases, organic chem lab tests, etc. I also made my own Anki cards based off the organic chemistry reaction sheet, but using words (ex: "secondary alcohol") instead of pictures. The questions on the DAT were very similar to the ones on the practice tests. Be sure to study organic chemistry concepts too instead of just memorizing reactions.
RC (25): The RC academy videos were helpful for figuring out my strategy. I would read the first question, and then begin reading the passage. When I came to the answer, I would answer the first question and then read the second question, returning to the text where I left off. As I read, I highlighted definitions, dates, names, and unfamiliar words. I tagged questions that were not easy to find and then returned to them once I finished reading the whole passage. I recommend doing many practice tests so you can try different strategies.
QR (30): I began by studying the QR Formulas Cheat Sheet and then diving into the question banks. I would read explanations for questions I got wrong, and then be sure to review tagged questions. I found that the DAT's questions were much easier than the practice questions, especially those tricky ones about statement A/B being sufficient/not sufficient.
PAT (24): My biggest piece of advice is PRACTICE EVERYDAY! I watched all PAT academy videos, played PAT Trainer everyday, and did 10-15 questions of each type of problem from the question bank or generators everyday. Practicing everyday was especially helpful for the angle ranking and keyhole questions.
Towards the end of studying, I got a bit burnt out. I definitely don't recommend trying to study for the DAT all day everyday. I took full length tests 6 and 7 and scored a 21 and 22. I also took the 2007 test. I found it most helpful to review missed/tagged questions, and then review my Anki cards for the topics that I was missing often. Be sure to eat and sleep well! On days when I was tired, I felt like I couldn't focus and just wasn't making good use of my time. The week before the test, I did a $30 "dry run" at the testing site through Prometric. This allowed me to go through the check-in process, see the facility, and do a few practice problems on the computer. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you are nervous about those small details or have test anxiety.
Hopefully this helps someone else who is studying! Please comment if you have any questions!
