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Hey, everyone:
I've been a longtime SDN lurker and haven't posted anything before- I figured this would be the best time to do one! I just took my DAT today. I'll try to explain everything I did in as much detail as possible. Note: there are tons of hyperlinks in the breakdown below. Have fun clicking them.
NOTE: I decided to focus a lot on "test day" stuff because I found that most breakdowns just post practice tests compared to DAT scores. I thought it would be helpful to illustrate my thought processes during the exam and before/after. I didn't feel like I had an accurate idea of how the test would "feel" going in. Hope this helps!
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Breakdown:
BIO: 22 / GC: 30 / OC: 21 / PAT: 19 / RC: 23 / QR: 19
AA: 23
TS: 22
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Background:
I'm a biology major and a rising senior in college- my original plan was to take the test this previous summer, but I ended up taking physics instead. I had a month to knock stuff out back then, but I was too unmotivated to do anything about it. I probably could have taken the DAT before I went back to school, but I told myself that I wanted to get a year of anatomy/physiology in before I took the test. I had one shot to take this thing... I couldn't screw it up. Retaking it would mean screwing myself over admissions-wise.
I'd say that I have a strong-ish biology background, but I'm the type to cram to get the grades that I do. So I have a great GPA on paper, but a LOT of the information I learn just drains out of my brain right after the course is over. Not a great thing when you have to take a test that's so fact-based.
I'm fine at chemistry. I got A's in general/inorganic, but didn't do as well in Orgo (B's). You don't need two semesters of OC... it doesn't really help you. Honestly. You can learn in a couple days what I learned in a semester if you focus enough (and listen to Chad: see below). I just got smacked in the face with synthesis problems for a semester. Bad memories- not my thing.
Study Time:
A little under 3 weeks.
As soon as I finished finals, I came back home and hit the books- hard. Judge me all you want. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Honestly. I studied about 10 hours a day and didn't see my friends until a couple of days before the test. I cracked and had to go have some fun. Schedule breaks for yourself and be realistic, otherwise you'll get a little wacky...
Realistically, you should give yourself a month's time to cover everything at the very minimum if you already feel pretty confident about things. Two months can't hurt. Three might be pushing it... but if you want a great score or don't feel confident, go for it! You do you.
Study Materials:
BIO: Feralis' Notes/Cliffs AP/Bootcamp/Destroyer/Qvault/Kaplan Blue Book (not really)
GC/OC: Chad's Videos/Destroyer
QR: Math Destroyer/Bootcamp
PAT: Bootcamp/Crack the DAT (PAT)
RC: N/A
Morning of the DAT: I drove out to my testing center (two hours... smh) and got there early. I made sure I was in the right place and that it existed, and then left. I had an hour and a half to eat lunch, and I chose Chipotle, because it's always amazing. Eat something that you like the morning of. If you're worried about getting sick, I wouldn't choose that restaurant. I've built up a tolerance, you know. It's like drinking. I tried to review notes and such while eating, but I was getting really upset because I was messing up orgo reactions. I gave up and enjoyed my burrito in peace. I rolled into the test center (with two forms of ID, of course) 15 minutes early. I'd recommend 20 or so. My center was pretty busy. The people there are pretty stressed out- they have to fingerprint you, sign you in, put you through a metal detector. Be nice to them. I'm sure they get yelled at all the time by hardcore people who are rude to them for no particular reason. Med students, doctors taking boards, what have you- what goes around comes around.
Specifics:
BIO: I actually focused on GC and OC really hard from the get-go. I didn't really study the material as much as I initially planned. My Bio Bootcamp scores were 24/18/20/19/18/19. They were all over the place. Because I'm a bio major, I just gave up halfway through studying and figured I could wing it. I just studied genetics and developmental stuff in-depth because I felt really weak about those and would always miss those questions. I also went over respiration and photosynthesis more specifically (reactants/products/locations) because those seemed to pop up a lot when I was studying. I figured I shouldn't rely on 9th grade biology and freshman year facts I wouldn't remember. I ended up doing about 250 Destroyer questions pretty casually and all the Qvault questions (you have to buy the 10 tests). Qvault was a mess. More random than the real DAT, in my opinion. They ask you stupidly specific questions that I don't think are representative of the real thing. That's just my opinion- although some people will swear by Qvault. Bootcamp was most helpful for me. Because I didn't have a lot of time left to study after doing the other sciences, I learned what I got wrong on those tests, and then tried to memorize surface-level material surrounding those questions. When I listed those resources, I should clarify that I used them to just supplement problem areas. Bootcamp resurrected my bio knowledge and subsequent score.
Test Day: I thought that I bombed the biology section. I was feeling great until I got about 20 questions in. I got really oddly worded questions after that- I understood the content, but I swear that a non-native English speaker wrote a chunk of the test because the first test-writer quit halfway through... there were grammar and tense mistakes, and occasionally a missing word in the question (I vented in the after-test survey, lol). I felt upset for the latter part of Bio and marked about 6 or 7 of the problems. I went back to them after finishing in GC/OC with 15 minutes left and tried to just reason through them as best as I could. It threw me off for perceptual ability because all I could think about was how adcoms would look at my file and see "bio major" and then a mediocre bio score (I thought I'd get below an 18, honestly). I guess I ended up figuring them out correctly! I wouldn't call this section "random"... I would call it "weird". Result: 22
GC: I went through Chad's Videos in a week, taking extensive notes and taking the associated quizzes. My advice is to not take them directly after you watch the videos, because you won't learn as much in the long run. The outlines that he provides are great. Make sure to either fill those out or take good notes. You'll want to refer to those later... you'll forget things, I promise. I definitely did. Chad is great at explaining everything in a down-to-earth way and omits a lot of things that are useless. Don't neglect lab techniques! I also did Bootcamp... those tests CRUSHED it. My test ended up being far easier than the ones I practiced with. Know those answer explanations inside and out- you won't regret it.
Test Day: I have no clue how I got a perfect score on this. I marked at least 3 questions and was confused on a couple. I think think that they just didn't ask me any in-depth questions... I might've gotten an easier copy. My calculations were all remarkably simple. I'm not just saying that... I looked up and realized that I was starting the OC section because an annoying little pop-up flashed on my screen (hate those). Time flies when you have noise-cancelling headphones on, I guess. Just pray to the deity of your choice and hope you don't get nailed with stuff you're not good at. Some questions you can't prepare for, and will require you to synthesize knowledge and make some weird conceptual jumps. Enjoy the ride. Result: 30
OC: I repeated the same Chad's Videos process for OC, blocking out a week to learn everything and test myself. He really nails it. Especially on the outline. Learn that and then test yourself with Bootcamp, and know those answers too. Try to actually learn why you got questions wrong, rather than get frustrated and give up. It's easy to re-take tests and just click answers based on recognition. I found that I was doing that a lot. I went over Dr. Romano's roadmaps right before the test, and they definitely helped. Know those and cover your bases! My test was more heavy on concepts than anything else. Know common solvents. I liked Chad's advice for this section- if you encounter something you've never seen before solvent-wise, just compare it to something you already know. Does it have chromium in it? Probably some form of oxidation. Don't recognize the compound? Maybe it attaches to something- try to guess where it would break off and attach. Maybe it's a base you haven't seen. What kind of base is it? What kind of solvent are you in? What kind of nucleophile is it? How stable is the compound? Sometimes you just have to go through as many possibilities as you can in your head. I had to guess on a couple. Destroyer would come in handy for those extra ones- I remembered a specific problem that ended up being on my test, and I was pissed at myself for not remembering exactly what happened. I debated between two options and just clicked one.
Test Day: I thought this section was really simple and straightforward, give or take 4 questions. I marked these questions and came back. I actually second-guessed myself on a lot of them- Bootcamp was pretty hard, so I figured that the DAT would be up to that level. I remember thinking, "How can the answer be this simple? What am I missing? What the heck!" for about 10 questions. Just trust your gut and roll with it. I had a decent orgo background (B+ in both semesters), so it helped a little bit. Sometimes you can "feel" your way through questions if you don't know the answer. I had to do that a couple of times. The very last problem of the test I found mind-numbingly hard. I felt like I was on the cusp of getting it right, but messed up what solvent did what. Whatever. People apparently nail this section (especially you SDNers...) so there's not a lot of leeway to do badly. Try not to miss more than 5. I think I missed 4 or so. I think I marked the same number of questions on OC that I did for GC, actually- I think I just ended up guessing wrong on a couple. Oh well. It ended up working out! Result: 21
PAT: Oh, Lord. I was banging out consistent 18s (ugh) on Bootcamp and was freaking out for the entirety of the time that I studied. I had done some practice in the past, but always would get wrecked by pattern folding. The time limit would destroy me and then I'd have to guess on that last section. I was decent at keyholes (usually ~11/15), okay at TFE (~9-10/15), and angles were a toss-up (~11/15). I found hole punching to be pretty hard. Usually that was my best section (~13/15). I'm not going to tell you my typical pattern folding score, because it's embarrassing. I really wasn't as diligent in preparing for this as I was for the sciences, and that was evidenced by my scores. My advice- practice, practice, practice. I saw improvement, but it wasn't dramatic because I wasn't able to put in the proper time. If you can practice a target area with a generator on Bootcamp before you go to bed each night, it'll definitely pay off... I promise you that. I'd call myself good with normal visuals and spatial reasoning, but this section is more about learning how to take their test rather than testing your innate abilities. Use that to your advantage.
Test Day: I let the clock run down for the last 3 minutes of the science sections and breathed deeply a couple of times. I knew this section wasn't going to be great for me since I neglected it. The way I viewed things was that it's far, far easier to improve your science scores (especially GC/OC) than your perceptual ability. Bootcamp had a pretty steep learning curve. If you're smashing Bootcamp, you are definitely ready. Don't doubt yourself, and trust that your eyes won't deceive you. I went into this section thinking that I had a break (the lady told me incorrect info at Prometric- make sure you know the DAT rules better than I did), so I was ready to get up and go to the bathroom. Nope. You have to pee? Too bad. Sit back down and count those cubes and try to not think about H2O. I was really upset about biology, so I think that it affected my score. I found that I wasn't thinking as quickly as I usually was, and was getting tripped up on questions that were objectively easier than I was used to. Make sure to pace yourself and allocate enough time to sections you aren't as good at. For me, that was pattern folding. However, my section ended up being a joke, basically... which made me regret guessing on a couple for the sake of time and not marking as many questions as I should have. That probably contributed to my score. Bootcamp was horrifyingly hard for me, but I found that pattern folding was simple. Which was great! I must've screwed up angles or something. I swear that there wasn't a difference on a couple of those. I just guessed and moved on. Hole punching was my best section but it was annoyingly hard. I got punches I didn't even know could exist. Be familiar with harder problems so you aren't caught off-guard. Honestly, just believe in yourself and pump yourself up before you start the section so you're off with a bang. I did a bit of Crack the DAT (PAT), and I think that was more comparable in some parts- especially in TFE. I didn't really have any "rocks" on my test (or did I?) I was hoping to not bomb this section, so I was pretty satisfied with the score. I truly think that nerves killed me more than lack of practice. Hopefully my score doesn't make adcoms cringe. I'm not a fan of the juxtaposition. Result: 19
RC: I don't have much to say about this section. I never prepared for it, apart from taking the first Bootcamp test (like... last year) and scoring a 20. I never did any other tests. I found the 1st-2nd statement questions on Bootcamp to be maddening. I figured I could wing it, because I consider myself a good reader. I also read very quickly... I can scan passages for buzzwords and decipher stuff faster than most people, I think. I was least worried for this section.
Test Day: I used search-and-destroy exclusively, and it worked out for me. That's always been my strategy. I had embarrassingly easy questions compared to Bootcamp. Not exaggerating. Almost every single question had an answer that was stated directly in the passage. You didn't have to make inferences, or connect a lot of dots. The test-makers didn't even bother to do next-level questions. I think tone questions are pretty easy in general, at least for me, and I didn't find them hard on the test.
I finished all my sections with 35 minutes left. I went back through all the questions and fixed stupid mistakes I made. Some of the questions were just worded really oddly- I didn't know what the question-makers were really getting at. I guessed and moved on. I felt great about this section after I submitted it... which is a rarity for me standardized test-wise. I actually was predicting a higher score for this section. I think the margin for error on the test is pretty steep for this section. I can't imagine not being good at reading... I don't know how I would improve on this section. Bootcamp, maybe? I'm not a fan of "reading scientific articles" to improve. I think reading is just something you're good at or not good at by this point in your life, unfortunately. Result: 23
QR: Hahahahahahaha. Math. I hate math. I looked through Math Destroyer and got frustrated about 4 test in. I would never get the statistics questions right. What's a permutation again? Why are the numbers so big? Shoot... what was that circle formula again? Even if I were to remember the formulas, it would take too long anyway. The only studying I did for this was memorizing a couple of the key Destroyer formulas.
Test Day: I've read a lot of SDN posts about people getting ridiculous math sections (getting bombarded by advanced trig, crazy stats problems, difficult graphs), but I don't think mine was very hard. Honestly. I think that all the questions were very straightforward, and easier than the 3 Bootcamp tests I suffered through. The majority of the questions are "gimme" ones, and there are more difficult, time-consuming ones here and there. I think the best strategy for this test mimics my PAT strategy- if you can't figure it out, just move on. Swallow your pride, mark it, and come back. You'll hate yourself later if you don't, because every single question is worth the same amount of points. Just knock out the easy ones, establish some type of artificial difficulty gradient, and go for it. I never took AP math (apart from stats, which didn't help me 4 years removed from high school), and would definitely not consider myself a math person. I was pleasantly pleased with my score. Some of the questions I know that Destroyer covered and could be done quickly- I just ran out of time to figure them out. I'm horrendous with certain problems. I got really simple trig. I am good at geometry and algebra, though, so that helped me a lot. Review Algebra II stuff especially if you're unfamiliar with them. I don't think I would've done as well if not for that. For me, I think the difference between my score and a higher one are those last 5-6 questions that people can figure out immediately because they recognize the format. That's where Destroyer comes in. If you want to be one of those people, by all means, buy Math Destroyer (or the regular one... I had both but only used the math one) and nail those problems. Or, if you think you are a "math person," save yourself the time and stress and memorize key formulas and wing it. You're better off practicing Perceptual Ability or improving OC/GC (or Bio). I think I had the potential to do better, but I must have made some silly mistakes or read problems wrong because I was flying through a lot of them. Know yourself.
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After the Test: I heard from friends who took the test before that you hit the "submit" button for math and your scores pop up. Wrong. A bubble pops up and then you have to complete a survey. I almost had a heart attack when I clicked the button and that popped up. It said "15-minute survey" and I thought I got a 15 in Bio. SMH, PROMETRIC. I was MAD for a second or two.
My scores popped up after the survey and I was shocked. I wasn't too thrilled about the lower PAT, but I saw my 30 for gen-chem and freaked out. I couldn't believe it. Same for biology. Things just worked out, I guess. I wish I wouldn't have been as upset as I was during Perceptual Ability, because I think I could've done a lot better. It was pretty straightforward. Some kids who took it that same day probably tore that thing apart. The nice lady printed out my score report and I ran out of there before she could take it back and say that they made a mistake. I met a nice dentist from down the hall when I walked out the door (the testing center is in a big building). He asked me how my test went and then proceeded to gush about how much he loved what he did, and how much my decision to do dentistry was awesome. That was validating! I was exhausted, but I'm energized by people, so I was feeling pretty amped after. I walked to my car, closed the door, and started sobbing. It was a blend of pent-up nervousness, stress, and relief combined into one moment. I'm not usually that emotional, so that was surprising. Good thing it didn't happen halfway through a section.
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Acknowledgements:
DAT Bootcamp/Ari (@Ari Rezaei): DAT Bootcamp was the reason for my 30 in GC. I had a decent foundation, but there were a couple of questions that mimicked the real test so well that I thought my eyes were deceiving me. It was crazy. The last couple of questions were tougher for me, but Bootcamp helped me out. Same for OC, although I made some mistakes I shouldn't have. Their Perceptual Ability generators are brilliant practice. Even if you can't afford it, use the angle generator, because it's free. They're close to the real test. Just treat Bootcamp like the real thing and you'll be good to go if you put the time in.
CHAD: Chad is the man. Honestly. Those videos saved my butt. I remember taking a test on Bootcamp for GC right after finals week and it gave me a "less than 15(?)" score. Two weeks later, I'm a new man. I'm changed. All because of Chad. ASU Students, you are very, very lucky to have that guy around. He condenses the material into a form you can understand, doesn't give you unnecessary detail, and is a great teacher. I would 100% recommend his videos to anyone. They're very affordable (relative to the cost you pay to take the DAT...)
@FeralisExtremum: This guy (girl?) is also the man. He revamped Cliffs Bio and added things that are critical for you to understand for the test. I think I would've gotten a perfect score on bio if I would've had those 70+ pages down better. I didn't read through it completely, and I regret it. Although the sections I did read deserve an A+ (or a 30?).
Destroyer/Dr. Romano (@orgoman22): I also regret not using this resource more. His roadmaps were great, and his review for OC really drills the information into your head. Some people might call it overkill... but if you want to get those last 3-4 questions correct that I didn't, learn that thing and get ready to kill the real DAT. I used his resources sporadically. The time I did put in paid off, but I think I got lucky and absorbed a couple of things that ended up benefiting me.
SDN: I can't even tell you how helpful this website is. Shout-out to every person who's ever posted a breakdown. You guys are amazing. Hopefully this helps someone out down the road like everyone else helped me.
Kaplan: Just wanted to say for the record that Kaplan sucks and that you should give your money to Chad, Bootcamp, Destroyer, or some combination of the three. Don't even buy the blue book. Some will argue that it's a good foundation for bio... but I took a practice test a couple days before the real thing and got an 18. I got a 19 on GC, and a 17 on OC. It was a joke. The book made me angry. It destroyed my confidence. I don't think it's "hard"... it's just not representative. I'm away from my home state right now, but I'm definitely burning that bad boy when I get home to cleanse myself of the bad mojo. The questions are in no way comparable to the real thing, and I believe that their testing resources should fall on deaf ears. If you're reading this and debating what to buy, do NOT give them your hard-earned money. Buy Chad's- he's all the review you need to score 20+. Add Bootcamp, Destroyer, and Feralis' Notes/Cliffs into the mix and you're all set.
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Final Notes / Misc.
I wouldn't call myself a "science person" or a "math person". I'm just a person. Actually, I was almost an English major. That's more my of my "thing". I believe that regardless of your educational background, if you put in the time, you can totally do well. If I can swing the scores I did in 3-ish weeks, you can totally do it if you give yourself two months or more. I also firmly believe that the test is random- I happened to get things that I knew on my test. That may not be the case for you. Cover your bases! Figure out what you're good at and not good at, and focus on things. Be realistic. I think I studied about 180-200 hours in 3 weeks. I thought it was insanity. Save yourself the trouble and pace yourself. There are advantages to cramming (you don't forget a lot)- I won't remember a large chunk of the material I learned in a month. Additionally, if you're not used to cramming really hard I would definitely not recommend what I did. Honestly, what I did was reckless and really stupid in hindsight. I won't be telling adcoms how long I studied- although I am very serious about pursuing dentistry, I'm sure that I come off as wishy-washy and such because of what I did.
If I had to go back and do things over, I'd focus on Perceptual Ability more. I didn't practice it because I was a little scared of it if I'm being honest. By the time I went to actually put in the time, it was too late to really improve a ton. Get over your nerves and chill out before your test. Get a good night's sleep before. I was at a heavy advantage over other test-takers because I had an afternoon testing time. I can't imagine taking that test at 8 in the morning. No... just no. *shivers* I wish my scores weren't as lopsided as they were. Someone out there will look at my PAT and think "red flag, not great with visual stuff". I don't think that section is really an accurate indicator of my ability- at least at this point in time.
Another thing: I was stressed out about running out of space on scratch paper. I had unerasable, laminated two-sided sheets and two fine-tip markers to use. They worked out fine. I prepared for hole punching and cube counting during the tutorial at the beginning of the test and saved that sheet specifically for the PAT. I didn't have any problems doing this- although I've heard that some test proctors will freak out if you do this. Do it at your own risk. I didn't have any problems with the sheets or markers I had. Additionally, my calculator was extremely quick and didn't lag at all. If you have a keyboard in front of you, turn off the num lock and try to use the keyboard to boost your speed. If you're slow at math, this might help.
I guess that's it. If you're reading this, all's not lost. If you're on SDN reading this, chances are that you're pretty smart, dedicated, and hoping to pull out 20s. I believe anyone can do it. Be diligent and walk into that test like you're ready to own it. Because you should own it- you paid $415 to take it, didn't you?
xoxo, gossip girl
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P.S. - Feel free to ask questions below. I'm sure I forgot something. I'll probably come back and edit this thread when I figure out more things I can insert (Bootcamp scores, if I can find them/more tips/etc). Time to nail down revisions to my personal statement! Also, you can find my score report below. Pics or it didn't happen, right?
I've been a longtime SDN lurker and haven't posted anything before- I figured this would be the best time to do one! I just took my DAT today. I'll try to explain everything I did in as much detail as possible. Note: there are tons of hyperlinks in the breakdown below. Have fun clicking them.
NOTE: I decided to focus a lot on "test day" stuff because I found that most breakdowns just post practice tests compared to DAT scores. I thought it would be helpful to illustrate my thought processes during the exam and before/after. I didn't feel like I had an accurate idea of how the test would "feel" going in. Hope this helps!
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Breakdown:
BIO: 22 / GC: 30 / OC: 21 / PAT: 19 / RC: 23 / QR: 19
AA: 23
TS: 22
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Background:
I'm a biology major and a rising senior in college- my original plan was to take the test this previous summer, but I ended up taking physics instead. I had a month to knock stuff out back then, but I was too unmotivated to do anything about it. I probably could have taken the DAT before I went back to school, but I told myself that I wanted to get a year of anatomy/physiology in before I took the test. I had one shot to take this thing... I couldn't screw it up. Retaking it would mean screwing myself over admissions-wise.
I'd say that I have a strong-ish biology background, but I'm the type to cram to get the grades that I do. So I have a great GPA on paper, but a LOT of the information I learn just drains out of my brain right after the course is over. Not a great thing when you have to take a test that's so fact-based.
I'm fine at chemistry. I got A's in general/inorganic, but didn't do as well in Orgo (B's). You don't need two semesters of OC... it doesn't really help you. Honestly. You can learn in a couple days what I learned in a semester if you focus enough (and listen to Chad: see below). I just got smacked in the face with synthesis problems for a semester. Bad memories- not my thing.
Study Time:
A little under 3 weeks.
As soon as I finished finals, I came back home and hit the books- hard. Judge me all you want. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Honestly. I studied about 10 hours a day and didn't see my friends until a couple of days before the test. I cracked and had to go have some fun. Schedule breaks for yourself and be realistic, otherwise you'll get a little wacky...Realistically, you should give yourself a month's time to cover everything at the very minimum if you already feel pretty confident about things. Two months can't hurt. Three might be pushing it... but if you want a great score or don't feel confident, go for it! You do you.
Study Materials:
BIO: Feralis' Notes/Cliffs AP/Bootcamp/Destroyer/Qvault/Kaplan Blue Book (not really)
GC/OC: Chad's Videos/Destroyer
QR: Math Destroyer/Bootcamp
PAT: Bootcamp/Crack the DAT (PAT)
RC: N/A
Morning of the DAT: I drove out to my testing center (two hours... smh) and got there early. I made sure I was in the right place and that it existed, and then left. I had an hour and a half to eat lunch, and I chose Chipotle, because it's always amazing. Eat something that you like the morning of. If you're worried about getting sick, I wouldn't choose that restaurant. I've built up a tolerance, you know. It's like drinking. I tried to review notes and such while eating, but I was getting really upset because I was messing up orgo reactions. I gave up and enjoyed my burrito in peace. I rolled into the test center (with two forms of ID, of course) 15 minutes early. I'd recommend 20 or so. My center was pretty busy. The people there are pretty stressed out- they have to fingerprint you, sign you in, put you through a metal detector. Be nice to them. I'm sure they get yelled at all the time by hardcore people who are rude to them for no particular reason. Med students, doctors taking boards, what have you- what goes around comes around.
Specifics:
BIO: I actually focused on GC and OC really hard from the get-go. I didn't really study the material as much as I initially planned. My Bio Bootcamp scores were 24/18/20/19/18/19. They were all over the place. Because I'm a bio major, I just gave up halfway through studying and figured I could wing it. I just studied genetics and developmental stuff in-depth because I felt really weak about those and would always miss those questions. I also went over respiration and photosynthesis more specifically (reactants/products/locations) because those seemed to pop up a lot when I was studying. I figured I shouldn't rely on 9th grade biology and freshman year facts I wouldn't remember. I ended up doing about 250 Destroyer questions pretty casually and all the Qvault questions (you have to buy the 10 tests). Qvault was a mess. More random than the real DAT, in my opinion. They ask you stupidly specific questions that I don't think are representative of the real thing. That's just my opinion- although some people will swear by Qvault. Bootcamp was most helpful for me. Because I didn't have a lot of time left to study after doing the other sciences, I learned what I got wrong on those tests, and then tried to memorize surface-level material surrounding those questions. When I listed those resources, I should clarify that I used them to just supplement problem areas. Bootcamp resurrected my bio knowledge and subsequent score.
Test Day: I thought that I bombed the biology section. I was feeling great until I got about 20 questions in. I got really oddly worded questions after that- I understood the content, but I swear that a non-native English speaker wrote a chunk of the test because the first test-writer quit halfway through... there were grammar and tense mistakes, and occasionally a missing word in the question (I vented in the after-test survey, lol). I felt upset for the latter part of Bio and marked about 6 or 7 of the problems. I went back to them after finishing in GC/OC with 15 minutes left and tried to just reason through them as best as I could. It threw me off for perceptual ability because all I could think about was how adcoms would look at my file and see "bio major" and then a mediocre bio score (I thought I'd get below an 18, honestly). I guess I ended up figuring them out correctly! I wouldn't call this section "random"... I would call it "weird". Result: 22
GC: I went through Chad's Videos in a week, taking extensive notes and taking the associated quizzes. My advice is to not take them directly after you watch the videos, because you won't learn as much in the long run. The outlines that he provides are great. Make sure to either fill those out or take good notes. You'll want to refer to those later... you'll forget things, I promise. I definitely did. Chad is great at explaining everything in a down-to-earth way and omits a lot of things that are useless. Don't neglect lab techniques! I also did Bootcamp... those tests CRUSHED it. My test ended up being far easier than the ones I practiced with. Know those answer explanations inside and out- you won't regret it.
Test Day: I have no clue how I got a perfect score on this. I marked at least 3 questions and was confused on a couple. I think think that they just didn't ask me any in-depth questions... I might've gotten an easier copy. My calculations were all remarkably simple. I'm not just saying that... I looked up and realized that I was starting the OC section because an annoying little pop-up flashed on my screen (hate those). Time flies when you have noise-cancelling headphones on, I guess. Just pray to the deity of your choice and hope you don't get nailed with stuff you're not good at. Some questions you can't prepare for, and will require you to synthesize knowledge and make some weird conceptual jumps. Enjoy the ride. Result: 30
OC: I repeated the same Chad's Videos process for OC, blocking out a week to learn everything and test myself. He really nails it. Especially on the outline. Learn that and then test yourself with Bootcamp, and know those answers too. Try to actually learn why you got questions wrong, rather than get frustrated and give up. It's easy to re-take tests and just click answers based on recognition. I found that I was doing that a lot. I went over Dr. Romano's roadmaps right before the test, and they definitely helped. Know those and cover your bases! My test was more heavy on concepts than anything else. Know common solvents. I liked Chad's advice for this section- if you encounter something you've never seen before solvent-wise, just compare it to something you already know. Does it have chromium in it? Probably some form of oxidation. Don't recognize the compound? Maybe it attaches to something- try to guess where it would break off and attach. Maybe it's a base you haven't seen. What kind of base is it? What kind of solvent are you in? What kind of nucleophile is it? How stable is the compound? Sometimes you just have to go through as many possibilities as you can in your head. I had to guess on a couple. Destroyer would come in handy for those extra ones- I remembered a specific problem that ended up being on my test, and I was pissed at myself for not remembering exactly what happened. I debated between two options and just clicked one.
Test Day: I thought this section was really simple and straightforward, give or take 4 questions. I marked these questions and came back. I actually second-guessed myself on a lot of them- Bootcamp was pretty hard, so I figured that the DAT would be up to that level. I remember thinking, "How can the answer be this simple? What am I missing? What the heck!" for about 10 questions. Just trust your gut and roll with it. I had a decent orgo background (B+ in both semesters), so it helped a little bit. Sometimes you can "feel" your way through questions if you don't know the answer. I had to do that a couple of times. The very last problem of the test I found mind-numbingly hard. I felt like I was on the cusp of getting it right, but messed up what solvent did what. Whatever. People apparently nail this section (especially you SDNers...) so there's not a lot of leeway to do badly. Try not to miss more than 5. I think I missed 4 or so. I think I marked the same number of questions on OC that I did for GC, actually- I think I just ended up guessing wrong on a couple. Oh well. It ended up working out! Result: 21
PAT: Oh, Lord. I was banging out consistent 18s (ugh) on Bootcamp and was freaking out for the entirety of the time that I studied. I had done some practice in the past, but always would get wrecked by pattern folding. The time limit would destroy me and then I'd have to guess on that last section. I was decent at keyholes (usually ~11/15), okay at TFE (~9-10/15), and angles were a toss-up (~11/15). I found hole punching to be pretty hard. Usually that was my best section (~13/15). I'm not going to tell you my typical pattern folding score, because it's embarrassing. I really wasn't as diligent in preparing for this as I was for the sciences, and that was evidenced by my scores. My advice- practice, practice, practice. I saw improvement, but it wasn't dramatic because I wasn't able to put in the proper time. If you can practice a target area with a generator on Bootcamp before you go to bed each night, it'll definitely pay off... I promise you that. I'd call myself good with normal visuals and spatial reasoning, but this section is more about learning how to take their test rather than testing your innate abilities. Use that to your advantage.
Test Day: I let the clock run down for the last 3 minutes of the science sections and breathed deeply a couple of times. I knew this section wasn't going to be great for me since I neglected it. The way I viewed things was that it's far, far easier to improve your science scores (especially GC/OC) than your perceptual ability. Bootcamp had a pretty steep learning curve. If you're smashing Bootcamp, you are definitely ready. Don't doubt yourself, and trust that your eyes won't deceive you. I went into this section thinking that I had a break (the lady told me incorrect info at Prometric- make sure you know the DAT rules better than I did), so I was ready to get up and go to the bathroom. Nope. You have to pee? Too bad. Sit back down and count those cubes and try to not think about H2O. I was really upset about biology, so I think that it affected my score. I found that I wasn't thinking as quickly as I usually was, and was getting tripped up on questions that were objectively easier than I was used to. Make sure to pace yourself and allocate enough time to sections you aren't as good at. For me, that was pattern folding. However, my section ended up being a joke, basically... which made me regret guessing on a couple for the sake of time and not marking as many questions as I should have. That probably contributed to my score. Bootcamp was horrifyingly hard for me, but I found that pattern folding was simple. Which was great! I must've screwed up angles or something. I swear that there wasn't a difference on a couple of those. I just guessed and moved on. Hole punching was my best section but it was annoyingly hard. I got punches I didn't even know could exist. Be familiar with harder problems so you aren't caught off-guard. Honestly, just believe in yourself and pump yourself up before you start the section so you're off with a bang. I did a bit of Crack the DAT (PAT), and I think that was more comparable in some parts- especially in TFE. I didn't really have any "rocks" on my test (or did I?) I was hoping to not bomb this section, so I was pretty satisfied with the score. I truly think that nerves killed me more than lack of practice. Hopefully my score doesn't make adcoms cringe. I'm not a fan of the juxtaposition. Result: 19
RC: I don't have much to say about this section. I never prepared for it, apart from taking the first Bootcamp test (like... last year) and scoring a 20. I never did any other tests. I found the 1st-2nd statement questions on Bootcamp to be maddening. I figured I could wing it, because I consider myself a good reader. I also read very quickly... I can scan passages for buzzwords and decipher stuff faster than most people, I think. I was least worried for this section.
Test Day: I used search-and-destroy exclusively, and it worked out for me. That's always been my strategy. I had embarrassingly easy questions compared to Bootcamp. Not exaggerating. Almost every single question had an answer that was stated directly in the passage. You didn't have to make inferences, or connect a lot of dots. The test-makers didn't even bother to do next-level questions. I think tone questions are pretty easy in general, at least for me, and I didn't find them hard on the test.
I finished all my sections with 35 minutes left. I went back through all the questions and fixed stupid mistakes I made. Some of the questions were just worded really oddly- I didn't know what the question-makers were really getting at. I guessed and moved on. I felt great about this section after I submitted it... which is a rarity for me standardized test-wise. I actually was predicting a higher score for this section. I think the margin for error on the test is pretty steep for this section. I can't imagine not being good at reading... I don't know how I would improve on this section. Bootcamp, maybe? I'm not a fan of "reading scientific articles" to improve. I think reading is just something you're good at or not good at by this point in your life, unfortunately. Result: 23
QR: Hahahahahahaha. Math. I hate math. I looked through Math Destroyer and got frustrated about 4 test in. I would never get the statistics questions right. What's a permutation again? Why are the numbers so big? Shoot... what was that circle formula again? Even if I were to remember the formulas, it would take too long anyway. The only studying I did for this was memorizing a couple of the key Destroyer formulas.
Test Day: I've read a lot of SDN posts about people getting ridiculous math sections (getting bombarded by advanced trig, crazy stats problems, difficult graphs), but I don't think mine was very hard. Honestly. I think that all the questions were very straightforward, and easier than the 3 Bootcamp tests I suffered through. The majority of the questions are "gimme" ones, and there are more difficult, time-consuming ones here and there. I think the best strategy for this test mimics my PAT strategy- if you can't figure it out, just move on. Swallow your pride, mark it, and come back. You'll hate yourself later if you don't, because every single question is worth the same amount of points. Just knock out the easy ones, establish some type of artificial difficulty gradient, and go for it. I never took AP math (apart from stats, which didn't help me 4 years removed from high school), and would definitely not consider myself a math person. I was pleasantly pleased with my score. Some of the questions I know that Destroyer covered and could be done quickly- I just ran out of time to figure them out. I'm horrendous with certain problems. I got really simple trig. I am good at geometry and algebra, though, so that helped me a lot. Review Algebra II stuff especially if you're unfamiliar with them. I don't think I would've done as well if not for that. For me, I think the difference between my score and a higher one are those last 5-6 questions that people can figure out immediately because they recognize the format. That's where Destroyer comes in. If you want to be one of those people, by all means, buy Math Destroyer (or the regular one... I had both but only used the math one) and nail those problems. Or, if you think you are a "math person," save yourself the time and stress and memorize key formulas and wing it. You're better off practicing Perceptual Ability or improving OC/GC (or Bio). I think I had the potential to do better, but I must have made some silly mistakes or read problems wrong because I was flying through a lot of them. Know yourself.
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After the Test: I heard from friends who took the test before that you hit the "submit" button for math and your scores pop up. Wrong. A bubble pops up and then you have to complete a survey. I almost had a heart attack when I clicked the button and that popped up. It said "15-minute survey" and I thought I got a 15 in Bio. SMH, PROMETRIC. I was MAD for a second or two.
My scores popped up after the survey and I was shocked. I wasn't too thrilled about the lower PAT, but I saw my 30 for gen-chem and freaked out. I couldn't believe it. Same for biology. Things just worked out, I guess. I wish I wouldn't have been as upset as I was during Perceptual Ability, because I think I could've done a lot better. It was pretty straightforward. Some kids who took it that same day probably tore that thing apart. The nice lady printed out my score report and I ran out of there before she could take it back and say that they made a mistake. I met a nice dentist from down the hall when I walked out the door (the testing center is in a big building). He asked me how my test went and then proceeded to gush about how much he loved what he did, and how much my decision to do dentistry was awesome. That was validating! I was exhausted, but I'm energized by people, so I was feeling pretty amped after. I walked to my car, closed the door, and started sobbing. It was a blend of pent-up nervousness, stress, and relief combined into one moment. I'm not usually that emotional, so that was surprising. Good thing it didn't happen halfway through a section.
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Acknowledgements:
DAT Bootcamp/Ari (@Ari Rezaei): DAT Bootcamp was the reason for my 30 in GC. I had a decent foundation, but there were a couple of questions that mimicked the real test so well that I thought my eyes were deceiving me. It was crazy. The last couple of questions were tougher for me, but Bootcamp helped me out. Same for OC, although I made some mistakes I shouldn't have. Their Perceptual Ability generators are brilliant practice. Even if you can't afford it, use the angle generator, because it's free. They're close to the real test. Just treat Bootcamp like the real thing and you'll be good to go if you put the time in.
CHAD: Chad is the man. Honestly. Those videos saved my butt. I remember taking a test on Bootcamp for GC right after finals week and it gave me a "less than 15(?)" score. Two weeks later, I'm a new man. I'm changed. All because of Chad. ASU Students, you are very, very lucky to have that guy around. He condenses the material into a form you can understand, doesn't give you unnecessary detail, and is a great teacher. I would 100% recommend his videos to anyone. They're very affordable (relative to the cost you pay to take the DAT...)
@FeralisExtremum: This guy (girl?) is also the man. He revamped Cliffs Bio and added things that are critical for you to understand for the test. I think I would've gotten a perfect score on bio if I would've had those 70+ pages down better. I didn't read through it completely, and I regret it. Although the sections I did read deserve an A+ (or a 30?).
Destroyer/Dr. Romano (@orgoman22): I also regret not using this resource more. His roadmaps were great, and his review for OC really drills the information into your head. Some people might call it overkill... but if you want to get those last 3-4 questions correct that I didn't, learn that thing and get ready to kill the real DAT. I used his resources sporadically. The time I did put in paid off, but I think I got lucky and absorbed a couple of things that ended up benefiting me.
SDN: I can't even tell you how helpful this website is. Shout-out to every person who's ever posted a breakdown. You guys are amazing. Hopefully this helps someone out down the road like everyone else helped me.
Kaplan: Just wanted to say for the record that Kaplan sucks and that you should give your money to Chad, Bootcamp, Destroyer, or some combination of the three. Don't even buy the blue book. Some will argue that it's a good foundation for bio... but I took a practice test a couple days before the real thing and got an 18. I got a 19 on GC, and a 17 on OC. It was a joke. The book made me angry. It destroyed my confidence. I don't think it's "hard"... it's just not representative. I'm away from my home state right now, but I'm definitely burning that bad boy when I get home to cleanse myself of the bad mojo. The questions are in no way comparable to the real thing, and I believe that their testing resources should fall on deaf ears. If you're reading this and debating what to buy, do NOT give them your hard-earned money. Buy Chad's- he's all the review you need to score 20+. Add Bootcamp, Destroyer, and Feralis' Notes/Cliffs into the mix and you're all set.
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Final Notes / Misc.
I wouldn't call myself a "science person" or a "math person". I'm just a person. Actually, I was almost an English major. That's more my of my "thing". I believe that regardless of your educational background, if you put in the time, you can totally do well. If I can swing the scores I did in 3-ish weeks, you can totally do it if you give yourself two months or more. I also firmly believe that the test is random- I happened to get things that I knew on my test. That may not be the case for you. Cover your bases! Figure out what you're good at and not good at, and focus on things. Be realistic. I think I studied about 180-200 hours in 3 weeks. I thought it was insanity. Save yourself the trouble and pace yourself. There are advantages to cramming (you don't forget a lot)- I won't remember a large chunk of the material I learned in a month. Additionally, if you're not used to cramming really hard I would definitely not recommend what I did. Honestly, what I did was reckless and really stupid in hindsight. I won't be telling adcoms how long I studied- although I am very serious about pursuing dentistry, I'm sure that I come off as wishy-washy and such because of what I did.
If I had to go back and do things over, I'd focus on Perceptual Ability more. I didn't practice it because I was a little scared of it if I'm being honest. By the time I went to actually put in the time, it was too late to really improve a ton. Get over your nerves and chill out before your test. Get a good night's sleep before. I was at a heavy advantage over other test-takers because I had an afternoon testing time. I can't imagine taking that test at 8 in the morning. No... just no. *shivers* I wish my scores weren't as lopsided as they were. Someone out there will look at my PAT and think "red flag, not great with visual stuff". I don't think that section is really an accurate indicator of my ability- at least at this point in time.
Another thing: I was stressed out about running out of space on scratch paper. I had unerasable, laminated two-sided sheets and two fine-tip markers to use. They worked out fine. I prepared for hole punching and cube counting during the tutorial at the beginning of the test and saved that sheet specifically for the PAT. I didn't have any problems doing this- although I've heard that some test proctors will freak out if you do this. Do it at your own risk. I didn't have any problems with the sheets or markers I had. Additionally, my calculator was extremely quick and didn't lag at all. If you have a keyboard in front of you, turn off the num lock and try to use the keyboard to boost your speed. If you're slow at math, this might help.
I guess that's it. If you're reading this, all's not lost. If you're on SDN reading this, chances are that you're pretty smart, dedicated, and hoping to pull out 20s. I believe anyone can do it. Be diligent and walk into that test like you're ready to own it. Because you should own it- you paid $415 to take it, didn't you?
xoxo, gossip girl
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P.S. - Feel free to ask questions below. I'm sure I forgot something. I'll probably come back and edit this thread when I figure out more things I can insert (Bootcamp scores, if I can find them/more tips/etc). Time to nail down revisions to my personal statement! Also, you can find my score report below. Pics or it didn't happen, right?
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Super stoked for you!!
