I took the test yesterday and am glad to have peace of mind again when doing just about anything other than studying. Especially in the weeks leading up to the test date, I read plenty of breakdowns so I hope posting my experience would be a good way to give back. I am happy with my scores and reading about others' success boosted my confidence heading towards test day.
Scores
Perceptual Ability 22
Quantitative Reasoning 20
Reading Comprehension 25
Biology 22
General Chemistry 24
Organic Chemistry 23
Total Science 23
Academic Average 23
Study Plan and Materials
I studied for 6 straight weeks, from the end of the spring semester until June 28th, the date of the exam. I loosely followed the 10 Week plan that is stickied on the main DAT discussions page. I mostly used it as a condensed timeline as when to begin what stages, pertaining to the KBB schedule.
I read through the Kaplan Blue Book, 1 chapter per section per day, to finish all the review in about 2 and 1/2 weeks. I also read Cliffs 4th edition biology. Personally I dreaded Cliffs, I thought it was boring and oversimplified in some areas while convoluted in others. The exposure to the material may certainly have helped but I did not put much emphasis on it.
I used DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer, Kaplan Blue Book and Online, Crack the DAT PAT, Topscore, Ty Jacobs Organic Chemistry Notes and Bootcamp.
Section By Section
Perceptual Ability 22
I used Crack the DAT PAT and took 5 full PAT tests. 18/18/18/21/22
I enjoyed PAT practice but after I got the 22 I felt confident in my ability on this section and directed my attention elsewhere. The more practice the better, but in my case I had to prioritize weaker areas.
Quantitative Reasoning 20
Math Destroyer, starting at untimed and then moving on to timed. I would usually get 29 or 30 out of 40 on the timed tests. I worked through test 10. On the actual test there were several problems that were not terribly difficult but required more than a simple calculation. I was disappointed that this was my lowest, but I think time management is the most important skill on this section. Pick the low hanging fruit, mark and guess the difficult ones and then go back to them.
Reading Comprehension 25
Besides the sections that I completed in the full length tests I took, I did not emphasize this section. I read very quickly and used the highlighter tool to identify the words or phrases I thought may be important. I was fortunate that one of the passages was on a topic I was very familiar with, and not having to search through the text on several questions allowed for more time on others. You don't really need to understand the passage as long as you remember which words were where.
Biology 22
There is a hugely vast amount of information that can be tested and trying to memorize everything is probably a waste of time. I found that certain topics appeared in all the different programs in various question forms, and for these I made sure to have a very solid grasp on the concepts. Some examples were kidneys, oxidative phosphorylation, and the reproductive cycle. Biochemistry provided a great foundation and eliminating answer choices that you know are wrong helps when you aren't familiar with the question topic.
General Chemistry 24
I would say the DAT Destroyer really prepared me well. I thought this would be my best category, DAT destroyer brought me back down to earth and then sharpened the skills I would need to succeed. While technically separate sections, as I became more comfortable with Organic chemistry I started to do better in Gen Chem. Think about the big picture if you are stuck, and remember that the periodic table encompasses plenty of information.
Organic Chemistry 23
Again DAT destroyer crushed all of my confidence in this section, but by reviewing the solutions and continuing to do problems I grew quite comfortable. I did utilize Bootcamp a lot for this section, the video solutions were very helpful.
Takeaways
-Get a comfortable chair! It was the first thing I did since I knew I would be spending a lot of time in it.
-Try to get better every day. If you are not, go back and review material or make flashcards. Consistent progress was imperative to my motivation.
-Don't get Topscore. There are plenty of other resources and I found that the program itself caused more frustration than anything.
-While Bootcamp gives estimates, make sure you are taking each test seriously. I found that I was so eager to see what I "would" get on a certain section that I rushed through the problems and didn't focus as much as I should.
-Confidence is key! There is always uncertainty until you actually get your scores, but a positive attitude goes a long way
These are just some ideas that were important to me during my preparation. Everyone is different but if you are focused and motivated there are few things between you and a great DAT Score!
Scores
Perceptual Ability 22
Quantitative Reasoning 20
Reading Comprehension 25
Biology 22
General Chemistry 24
Organic Chemistry 23
Total Science 23
Academic Average 23
Study Plan and Materials
I studied for 6 straight weeks, from the end of the spring semester until June 28th, the date of the exam. I loosely followed the 10 Week plan that is stickied on the main DAT discussions page. I mostly used it as a condensed timeline as when to begin what stages, pertaining to the KBB schedule.
I read through the Kaplan Blue Book, 1 chapter per section per day, to finish all the review in about 2 and 1/2 weeks. I also read Cliffs 4th edition biology. Personally I dreaded Cliffs, I thought it was boring and oversimplified in some areas while convoluted in others. The exposure to the material may certainly have helped but I did not put much emphasis on it.
I used DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer, Kaplan Blue Book and Online, Crack the DAT PAT, Topscore, Ty Jacobs Organic Chemistry Notes and Bootcamp.
Section By Section
Perceptual Ability 22
I used Crack the DAT PAT and took 5 full PAT tests. 18/18/18/21/22
I enjoyed PAT practice but after I got the 22 I felt confident in my ability on this section and directed my attention elsewhere. The more practice the better, but in my case I had to prioritize weaker areas.
Quantitative Reasoning 20
Math Destroyer, starting at untimed and then moving on to timed. I would usually get 29 or 30 out of 40 on the timed tests. I worked through test 10. On the actual test there were several problems that were not terribly difficult but required more than a simple calculation. I was disappointed that this was my lowest, but I think time management is the most important skill on this section. Pick the low hanging fruit, mark and guess the difficult ones and then go back to them.
Reading Comprehension 25
Besides the sections that I completed in the full length tests I took, I did not emphasize this section. I read very quickly and used the highlighter tool to identify the words or phrases I thought may be important. I was fortunate that one of the passages was on a topic I was very familiar with, and not having to search through the text on several questions allowed for more time on others. You don't really need to understand the passage as long as you remember which words were where.
Biology 22
There is a hugely vast amount of information that can be tested and trying to memorize everything is probably a waste of time. I found that certain topics appeared in all the different programs in various question forms, and for these I made sure to have a very solid grasp on the concepts. Some examples were kidneys, oxidative phosphorylation, and the reproductive cycle. Biochemistry provided a great foundation and eliminating answer choices that you know are wrong helps when you aren't familiar with the question topic.
General Chemistry 24
I would say the DAT Destroyer really prepared me well. I thought this would be my best category, DAT destroyer brought me back down to earth and then sharpened the skills I would need to succeed. While technically separate sections, as I became more comfortable with Organic chemistry I started to do better in Gen Chem. Think about the big picture if you are stuck, and remember that the periodic table encompasses plenty of information.
Organic Chemistry 23
Again DAT destroyer crushed all of my confidence in this section, but by reviewing the solutions and continuing to do problems I grew quite comfortable. I did utilize Bootcamp a lot for this section, the video solutions were very helpful.
Takeaways
-Get a comfortable chair! It was the first thing I did since I knew I would be spending a lot of time in it.
-Try to get better every day. If you are not, go back and review material or make flashcards. Consistent progress was imperative to my motivation.
-Don't get Topscore. There are plenty of other resources and I found that the program itself caused more frustration than anything.
-While Bootcamp gives estimates, make sure you are taking each test seriously. I found that I was so eager to see what I "would" get on a certain section that I rushed through the problems and didn't focus as much as I should.
-Confidence is key! There is always uncertainty until you actually get your scores, but a positive attitude goes a long way
These are just some ideas that were important to me during my preparation. Everyone is different but if you are focused and motivated there are few things between you and a great DAT Score!
