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- Aug 13, 2017
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Hi all,
I recently took the DAT(8/16/17) and just wanted to share my study strategies as I also got tremendous amount of help from similar SDN threads.
I initially planned on studying for 2 months but as I was also researching full-time, I decided to postpone my exam. As a result, it took me about 2.5 months to prepare for the exam.
BIO(26): CliffNotes 3rd, Feralis notes, Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer, Qvault
I spent most of my time studying for this section because there were a lot of information to memorize and review. My approach to this section was reading through the book/notes quickly and solving practice problems early in my preparation period. This allowed me to figure out my weak areas to focus on studying those topics. Also, the reason why I used so many resources was because I thought getting exposed to different types of questions was crucial for preparing for this section.
GC(30): Chad's Videos, Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer
I really really think these 3 resources prepare you well for both GC and OC sections of the DAT. I started off by watching Chad's videos and started solving Bootcamp and Destroyer problems. I felt comfortable solving calculation problems, so I spent much of my time tackling the conceptual problems (ex. factors that affect bp, mp, osmolarity, acid/base and etc). I did Chad's Video's quizzes twice, Bootcamp 3 times and Destroyer twice.
OC(26): Chad's Videos, Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer, Ty Jacob's Notes
If you fully understand the roadmaps and lab techniques on Destroyer, I would say you are prepared for this section. A good practice method is to draw a benzene ring in the middle of a blank paper and start drawing out all the reactions that you can think of. That being said, please do not forget to review the concept of Stereochemistry, characteristics of specific reactions and acid/bases. I solved Chad's Video's quizzes twice, Bootcamp 3 times and Destroyer twice.
RC(21): Bootcamp
This was my worst section and much of it is because I'm a slow reader and I couldn't figure out which technique to use. Search and Destroy didn't really fit me because I just personally felt more comfortable reading though the whole passage first and then start on solving problems. I tried the mapping method few times but I didn't really utilize my roadmaps well so that didn't work either. So, I used the Vanilla method, which is just reading through the passages carefully and then tackling the problems. I spent least amount of time practicing for this section but I also feel like this section can be improved the most if you spend some time practicing and figuring out which technique fits you the best!
PAT(23): Bootcamp, Crack the PAT
Bootcamp PAT practice exams are really close to the actual DAT PAT section. Bootcamp's angle ranking generators and extra key hole problems are amazing resources that everyone should utilize. I spent at least 30-45 minutes everyday practicing these sections until the exam day to keep my brain conditioned. Crack the PAT was also a good resource but I personally felt like some of its' angle ranking problems were impossible and some of other sections were too easy. If you are debating on which of these two resources to invest on, I recommend Bootcamp!
QR(25): Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer
Please please do not underestimate this section because some of the questions on QR section can be confusing or difficult without practice and this section gets included in your AA score. Bootcamp is most representative of the actual QR because it has the newly added quantitative comparison questions in each practice exam. Destroyer problems were also fantastic in terms of tackling hard problems and learning how to approach easy but time-consuming questions. I solved one practice exam everyday and made my own review notes.
One final study strategy that really helped me study the science sections was the "Error book". I made 3 separate notebooks for Bio, GC and OC and wrote down every question that I got wrong or any random information that I couldn't easily memorize. I started my day off with reading through the notebooks and making sure that I knew what I got wrong so I wouldn't miss these questions on the actual DAT. These notebooks will become your own invaluable studying guide throughout your study-time. On the day before exam, I just read through these notebooks.
Last thing I want to say is that everyone can conquer the DAT if given the effort! Also, if you think you can do better with more time, don't feel ashamed postponing the exam! I know a lot of people who have postponed the exam(including myself) and it was undoubtedly the best decision I've made because I felt much more comfortable going into the exam.
I hope this post helps your studies!
I recently took the DAT(8/16/17) and just wanted to share my study strategies as I also got tremendous amount of help from similar SDN threads.
I initially planned on studying for 2 months but as I was also researching full-time, I decided to postpone my exam. As a result, it took me about 2.5 months to prepare for the exam.
BIO(26): CliffNotes 3rd, Feralis notes, Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer, Qvault
I spent most of my time studying for this section because there were a lot of information to memorize and review. My approach to this section was reading through the book/notes quickly and solving practice problems early in my preparation period. This allowed me to figure out my weak areas to focus on studying those topics. Also, the reason why I used so many resources was because I thought getting exposed to different types of questions was crucial for preparing for this section.
GC(30): Chad's Videos, Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer
I really really think these 3 resources prepare you well for both GC and OC sections of the DAT. I started off by watching Chad's videos and started solving Bootcamp and Destroyer problems. I felt comfortable solving calculation problems, so I spent much of my time tackling the conceptual problems (ex. factors that affect bp, mp, osmolarity, acid/base and etc). I did Chad's Video's quizzes twice, Bootcamp 3 times and Destroyer twice.
OC(26): Chad's Videos, Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer, Ty Jacob's Notes
If you fully understand the roadmaps and lab techniques on Destroyer, I would say you are prepared for this section. A good practice method is to draw a benzene ring in the middle of a blank paper and start drawing out all the reactions that you can think of. That being said, please do not forget to review the concept of Stereochemistry, characteristics of specific reactions and acid/bases. I solved Chad's Video's quizzes twice, Bootcamp 3 times and Destroyer twice.
RC(21): Bootcamp
This was my worst section and much of it is because I'm a slow reader and I couldn't figure out which technique to use. Search and Destroy didn't really fit me because I just personally felt more comfortable reading though the whole passage first and then start on solving problems. I tried the mapping method few times but I didn't really utilize my roadmaps well so that didn't work either. So, I used the Vanilla method, which is just reading through the passages carefully and then tackling the problems. I spent least amount of time practicing for this section but I also feel like this section can be improved the most if you spend some time practicing and figuring out which technique fits you the best!
PAT(23): Bootcamp, Crack the PAT
Bootcamp PAT practice exams are really close to the actual DAT PAT section. Bootcamp's angle ranking generators and extra key hole problems are amazing resources that everyone should utilize. I spent at least 30-45 minutes everyday practicing these sections until the exam day to keep my brain conditioned. Crack the PAT was also a good resource but I personally felt like some of its' angle ranking problems were impossible and some of other sections were too easy. If you are debating on which of these two resources to invest on, I recommend Bootcamp!
QR(25): Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer
Please please do not underestimate this section because some of the questions on QR section can be confusing or difficult without practice and this section gets included in your AA score. Bootcamp is most representative of the actual QR because it has the newly added quantitative comparison questions in each practice exam. Destroyer problems were also fantastic in terms of tackling hard problems and learning how to approach easy but time-consuming questions. I solved one practice exam everyday and made my own review notes.
One final study strategy that really helped me study the science sections was the "Error book". I made 3 separate notebooks for Bio, GC and OC and wrote down every question that I got wrong or any random information that I couldn't easily memorize. I started my day off with reading through the notebooks and making sure that I knew what I got wrong so I wouldn't miss these questions on the actual DAT. These notebooks will become your own invaluable studying guide throughout your study-time. On the day before exam, I just read through these notebooks.
Last thing I want to say is that everyone can conquer the DAT if given the effort! Also, if you think you can do better with more time, don't feel ashamed postponing the exam! I know a lot of people who have postponed the exam(including myself) and it was undoubtedly the best decision I've made because I felt much more comfortable going into the exam.
I hope this post helps your studies!
