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Hey SDNers! I finally took my DAT yesterday and I'm happy with my results. My scores are not as high as many people here on SDN and personally I was hoping and aiming for higher scores, but I'm still happy with the scores I got. Most importantly I have some tips and suggestions that could help you score even better!
First Tip: Breathe! If you are reading this and you are stressed out, BREATHE. Trust me you are not alone! Most people (if not all) including the ones that get the highest of scores get stressed out and nervous about this test, it is normal. At some point I was so stressed out that I got some panic attacks! I posted a thread here and people were very nice giving suggestions. I know it is easier said than done, but TRY not to let stress consume you.
No doubt it is a hard test, but if you are reading this then you know SDN and you must know that you are at the right place! There are soooooo many great tips here and people are very helpful and supportive of one another.
Before I start with the breakdown I'd like to thank:
God for helping me go through this and go through all the struggles that I face.
My parents and friends for the support and encouragement.
@orgoman22 , Nancy you are an amazing person! Thank you so much for the great advice you give me all the time and for your support and encouragement I could not have done it without you. Dr.Romano ,aka the genius, thank you for writing DAT Destroyer it is by far the BEST resource I have used and could be used for the DAT.
Chad from coursesaver, best teacher I've ever witnessed. He makes restudying GenChem and Ochem much less painful.
@Ari Rezaei, Great customer service! I have read so many times here on SDN that Ari genuinely cares about the students and does not consider them as customers, and that is true. Thank you for creating bootcamp one of best tools out there for practice.
@FeralisExtremum for sharing with us your bio notes and answering my questions!
@w4nt2baDDS for the advice you have given me, it helped a lot.
@Summertime01 I don't know if this girl is still active on SDN, but out of all the breakdowns I read, hers was very inspiring and calming! I highly suggest reading it:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/anyone-can-do-it-dat-breakdown-7-9-14.1084708/
and lastly the SDN community that help and support each other
Now let's get it to it!
Scores: I'm no @FeralisExtremum so do not judge, jk lol!
Bio 20 🙂
GenChem 20 🙂
Ochem 21 🙂
PAT 17
RC 22
(especially happy about this I'll explain why later)
QR 16 
(I know, HORRIBLE)
AA 20🙂
TS 20 🙂
Materials Used
To be honest, at first I got overwhelmed with all the materials out there! But, I found this amazing forum and read so many breakdowns to have an idea of what resources to use. So, I ended up getting these:
DAT DESTROYER (MUST MUST MUST): By far the best of the best, it includes everything you need and more. It teaches you the material and prepares you for the worst. It is hard, but NOT over kill like some people say! You just need to know that this is NOT a practice material! It is a learning tool. Do NOT use it as an assessment tool, use it as a learning tool.
Math DESTROYER (MUST): Again it includes everything you need and more. The questions here are very similar to what you will see on the real thing.
Chad's Videos + Quizzes (MUST): I have read tons of breakdowns here on SDN and never anyone had written something bad about Chad. Chad is indeed the man! If it has been a long time since you took Ochem and GenChem fear not, Chad will teach you. He will teach you chemistry FOR the DAT. He knows what is needed for the DAT and what must be learnt to do well in the DAT.
GOOGLE: This should be a given!
Bozeman Science and Khan Academy: I love them both. They are simply AMAZING. Bozeman's videos are concise, while Khan's are detailed.
DatBootcamp (10/10): Essential for practice AFTER using destroyer and Ari provides detailed explinations and great PAT practice (although my PAT score does not show it :*( (it is still an amazing tool for PAT).
Cliff AP Bio (8/10): best for starters, but not sufficient.
Feralis Notes (8/10): they are great but INTENSE! Imo best to be used as a reference and paired with Cliff.
DATQvault (bio only): If used for practice AFTER going through destroyer (10/10) if used alone to learn the material
STOP not going to help you.
It helps mimics the randomness of the bio section. 10 bio tests
KBB (2/10): just horrible and boring, there are much better resources out there.
Now after I have taken the DAT these are the materials that I think are key for DAT success:
DAT Destroyer (atleast 2x) + Math Destroyer (atleast 2x) + Chad's Videos + DATBootacmp + Google.
I used a modified and elongated version of Ari's 10 weeks study schedule. I started studying in February. I reschedueld the test two times! First time, because I was not ready and a SAVIOR persuaded me to go over bio section in destroyer since I didn't (so glad I did). The reason why I did not go over dat destroyer Bio was because after going over cliff and feralis I started doing destroyer and OH MY GOD I felt that I did not know anything in there. After I decided to delay my test I went over the basics in Cliff and then attacked Destroyer. I did flash cards on everything and googled everything that I did not know.
After doing destroyer for all the subjects and practiced using bootcamp. I felt ready but then a family emergency happened so I decided to postpone my test a second time. After that I couldn't even focus on studying. I was emotionally and physically worn out that's why I got lower scores than I anticipated. However, I'm still happy with my scores.
Second Tip: Remember that every test is different! It is rare that you would come along EXACT questions from practice materials! It is better to LEARN as much as possible and expose your self to different resources.
Third Tip: Do not freak out when you get low scores on your practice tests! These practice tests are designed to be harder than the real thing. I got really low scores on practice tests, my DAT is much higher! That doesn't mean you do not need to study, you MUST study the areas where you are weak at.
Fourth Tip: Try to read a scientific article at least twice a week. I am a very SLOW reader, especially because English is my second language. My highest score is RC when I saw this I said to myself "Started from the bottom now we're here" lol. The passages were very interesting I read them all except for the last one I S&D half of it because I was running out of time. The questions were much more easier than Bootcamp. The highest I got in BC was 18 😳. However there were some questions that had fancy words I didn't know their meaning.
Fifth Tip: Practice PAT every day no matter what! I slacked off some days and look what I got. Same goes for QR! I only went over 1-7 in MATH Destroyer at the begining of my studies no no no don't do that. DO NOT underestimate this section. After almost 4 hours of sciences, PAT and RC your brain will be tired and you will become less efficient solving QR. So, you need to practice everyday to make sure you know how to solve problems fast. I wish that I at least got a 17 🙁 Oh well I'm trying to not let it bother me.
Lastly, I'm glad this nightmare is over! It felt SOOOOO GOOOOOD to wake up in the morning and realizing that I don't have to study today
Good luck on your studies and do not hesitate to ask me or pm me.
First Tip: Breathe! If you are reading this and you are stressed out, BREATHE. Trust me you are not alone! Most people (if not all) including the ones that get the highest of scores get stressed out and nervous about this test, it is normal. At some point I was so stressed out that I got some panic attacks! I posted a thread here and people were very nice giving suggestions. I know it is easier said than done, but TRY not to let stress consume you.
No doubt it is a hard test, but if you are reading this then you know SDN and you must know that you are at the right place! There are soooooo many great tips here and people are very helpful and supportive of one another.
Before I start with the breakdown I'd like to thank:
God for helping me go through this and go through all the struggles that I face.
My parents and friends for the support and encouragement.
@orgoman22 , Nancy you are an amazing person! Thank you so much for the great advice you give me all the time and for your support and encouragement I could not have done it without you. Dr.Romano ,aka the genius, thank you for writing DAT Destroyer it is by far the BEST resource I have used and could be used for the DAT.
Chad from coursesaver, best teacher I've ever witnessed. He makes restudying GenChem and Ochem much less painful.
@Ari Rezaei, Great customer service! I have read so many times here on SDN that Ari genuinely cares about the students and does not consider them as customers, and that is true. Thank you for creating bootcamp one of best tools out there for practice.
@FeralisExtremum for sharing with us your bio notes and answering my questions!
@w4nt2baDDS for the advice you have given me, it helped a lot.
@Summertime01 I don't know if this girl is still active on SDN, but out of all the breakdowns I read, hers was very inspiring and calming! I highly suggest reading it:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/anyone-can-do-it-dat-breakdown-7-9-14.1084708/
and lastly the SDN community that help and support each other
Now let's get it to it!
Scores: I'm no @FeralisExtremum so do not judge, jk lol!
Bio 20 🙂
GenChem 20 🙂
Ochem 21 🙂
PAT 17
RC 22
(especially happy about this I'll explain why later) QR 16
(I know, HORRIBLE) AA 20🙂
TS 20 🙂
Materials Used
To be honest, at first I got overwhelmed with all the materials out there! But, I found this amazing forum and read so many breakdowns to have an idea of what resources to use. So, I ended up getting these:
DAT DESTROYER (MUST MUST MUST): By far the best of the best, it includes everything you need and more. It teaches you the material and prepares you for the worst. It is hard, but NOT over kill like some people say! You just need to know that this is NOT a practice material! It is a learning tool. Do NOT use it as an assessment tool, use it as a learning tool.
Math DESTROYER (MUST): Again it includes everything you need and more. The questions here are very similar to what you will see on the real thing.
Chad's Videos + Quizzes (MUST): I have read tons of breakdowns here on SDN and never anyone had written something bad about Chad. Chad is indeed the man! If it has been a long time since you took Ochem and GenChem fear not, Chad will teach you. He will teach you chemistry FOR the DAT. He knows what is needed for the DAT and what must be learnt to do well in the DAT.
GOOGLE: This should be a given!
Bozeman Science and Khan Academy: I love them both. They are simply AMAZING. Bozeman's videos are concise, while Khan's are detailed.
DatBootcamp (10/10): Essential for practice AFTER using destroyer and Ari provides detailed explinations and great PAT practice (although my PAT score does not show it :*( (it is still an amazing tool for PAT).
Cliff AP Bio (8/10): best for starters, but not sufficient.
Feralis Notes (8/10): they are great but INTENSE! Imo best to be used as a reference and paired with Cliff.
DATQvault (bio only): If used for practice AFTER going through destroyer (10/10) if used alone to learn the material
STOP not going to help you. It helps mimics the randomness of the bio section. 10 bio tests
KBB (2/10): just horrible and boring, there are much better resources out there.
Now after I have taken the DAT these are the materials that I think are key for DAT success:
DAT Destroyer (atleast 2x) + Math Destroyer (atleast 2x) + Chad's Videos + DATBootacmp + Google.
I used a modified and elongated version of Ari's 10 weeks study schedule. I started studying in February. I reschedueld the test two times! First time, because I was not ready and a SAVIOR persuaded me to go over bio section in destroyer since I didn't (so glad I did). The reason why I did not go over dat destroyer Bio was because after going over cliff and feralis I started doing destroyer and OH MY GOD I felt that I did not know anything in there. After I decided to delay my test I went over the basics in Cliff and then attacked Destroyer. I did flash cards on everything and googled everything that I did not know.
After doing destroyer for all the subjects and practiced using bootcamp. I felt ready but then a family emergency happened so I decided to postpone my test a second time. After that I couldn't even focus on studying. I was emotionally and physically worn out that's why I got lower scores than I anticipated. However, I'm still happy with my scores.
Second Tip: Remember that every test is different! It is rare that you would come along EXACT questions from practice materials! It is better to LEARN as much as possible and expose your self to different resources.
Third Tip: Do not freak out when you get low scores on your practice tests! These practice tests are designed to be harder than the real thing. I got really low scores on practice tests, my DAT is much higher! That doesn't mean you do not need to study, you MUST study the areas where you are weak at.
Fourth Tip: Try to read a scientific article at least twice a week. I am a very SLOW reader, especially because English is my second language. My highest score is RC when I saw this I said to myself "Started from the bottom now we're here" lol. The passages were very interesting I read them all except for the last one I S&D half of it because I was running out of time. The questions were much more easier than Bootcamp. The highest I got in BC was 18 😳. However there were some questions that had fancy words I didn't know their meaning.
Fifth Tip: Practice PAT every day no matter what! I slacked off some days and look what I got. Same goes for QR! I only went over 1-7 in MATH Destroyer at the begining of my studies
no no no don't do that. DO NOT underestimate this section. After almost 4 hours of sciences, PAT and RC your brain will be tired and you will become less efficient solving QR. So, you need to practice everyday to make sure you know how to solve problems fast. I wish that I at least got a 17 🙁 Oh well I'm trying to not let it bother me. Lastly, I'm glad this nightmare is over! It felt SOOOOO GOOOOOD to wake up in the morning and realizing that I don't have to study today
Good luck on your studies and do not hesitate to ask me or pm me.
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