- Joined
- Dec 24, 2016
- Messages
- 47
- Reaction score
- 73
Hi SDN! I took the DAT July 26 2017 and I'm finally done with the beast. I scored a 22 TS, 21 AA and my full breakdown is (see attachment for paper copy):
Organic Chemistry: 22
General Chemistry: 22
Biology: 21
Reading: 20
Quantitative: 21
Perceptual: 20
TS: 22
AA: 21
I know my scores aren't necessarily insane but I wanted to write a breakdown because SDN helped me a lot and I wanted to give back! Furthermore, I used a unique DAT prep method in that I used DAT Bootcamp, Feralis, & Cliffs (3rd Edition) only. I didn't watch a single video from Chad and barely opened the Destroyer books (I'm talking like doing 15 questions from each section of DAT Destroyer and not even opening my Math Destroyer). If I could go back I wouldn't have bought the DAT Destroyer or Math Destroyer at all. Here's why:
DAT Bootcamp has evolved A LOT (thank you so much Bootcamp, I really see the work you have put in). They have added Mike's Videos and these videos are very concise and contain just enough information and practice. Furthermore, there's so much content, practice questions, and tests on bootcamp that I really didn't need any resource outside Bootcamp to succeed. Bootcamp has done a great job to bring all the resources for the DAT to one place! Sure it's a bit more pricey now but it's way better than buying several different resources and it all adding up to way more $$$$. I live in Canada and buying USD content can break my wallet and thankfully bootcamp is starting to help pre-dents save some money.
In terms of test content it's basically exactly like what most DAT breakdowns say the exam is like. Easier than bootcamp but still a beast that you need practice to tame. Do as many practice exams as you can and do them timed. Doing timed exams really helped me on DAT bootcamp as I struggle with managing my time.
An important thing to note, you can skip to any question at anytime during the DAT as the review button was there for me throughout the entire test. I read some breakdowns saying the review button only appears at the end of each section and that wasn't the case for me. It was there the entire time at the bottom of every question.
Section by section personal (short) analysis:
Bio (21): Broad, random, and can be time consuming if you dwell on it too much. Just cover as much as you can and do as much practice as you can. READ THE DAT BOOTCAMP TEST SOLUTIONS WORD BY WORD. I read Cliffs and Feralis and these helped me a lot but the solutions on DAT BOOTCAMP are so detailed that they really help you realize how to pick out certain options on multiple choice based on your bio knowledge. Do as many DAT Bootcamp tests on bio that you can so you cover a lot of material. Remember for bio: breadth > depth.
General & Organic Chemistry (Both 22): Used Mike's Videos on DAT Bootcamp. These videos were amazing. Thanks Dr. Mike! Your smile got me through most days of studying haha. Watch these and then do as many DAT bootcamp tests as you can also do the quizzes after each video.
Perceptual Ability (20): Wish I did better here but DAT bootcamp is obviously the only place to go for this section to study. Couldn't have been prepped better for this section and I have only Bootcamp to thank for that.
Quantitative (21): Much easier than Bootcamp but this is a good thing. I would score 15s and 17s on Bootcamp when I first did practice exams but the questions on Bootcamp were much harder and prepped you for the real DAT quantitative section.
Reading (20): I ran out of time on this section so do as many tests again for this section to just make you a faster reader and know what to look for in each reading.
Oh and for most bootcamp tests I would score 19s and 20s near the end. By this point I felt ready. I didn't do the 2009 or 2007 DAT as many said they either had errors or weren't representative for some sections (ie reading for 2009 DAT). But if you really want to do them they're free and can be found online.
I know this breakdown is short but ask me anything and I'll try my best to answer! Once again thanks SDN!
Organic Chemistry: 22
General Chemistry: 22
Biology: 21
Reading: 20
Quantitative: 21
Perceptual: 20
TS: 22
AA: 21
I know my scores aren't necessarily insane but I wanted to write a breakdown because SDN helped me a lot and I wanted to give back! Furthermore, I used a unique DAT prep method in that I used DAT Bootcamp, Feralis, & Cliffs (3rd Edition) only. I didn't watch a single video from Chad and barely opened the Destroyer books (I'm talking like doing 15 questions from each section of DAT Destroyer and not even opening my Math Destroyer). If I could go back I wouldn't have bought the DAT Destroyer or Math Destroyer at all. Here's why:
DAT Bootcamp has evolved A LOT (thank you so much Bootcamp, I really see the work you have put in). They have added Mike's Videos and these videos are very concise and contain just enough information and practice. Furthermore, there's so much content, practice questions, and tests on bootcamp that I really didn't need any resource outside Bootcamp to succeed. Bootcamp has done a great job to bring all the resources for the DAT to one place! Sure it's a bit more pricey now but it's way better than buying several different resources and it all adding up to way more $$$$. I live in Canada and buying USD content can break my wallet and thankfully bootcamp is starting to help pre-dents save some money.
In terms of test content it's basically exactly like what most DAT breakdowns say the exam is like. Easier than bootcamp but still a beast that you need practice to tame. Do as many practice exams as you can and do them timed. Doing timed exams really helped me on DAT bootcamp as I struggle with managing my time.
An important thing to note, you can skip to any question at anytime during the DAT as the review button was there for me throughout the entire test. I read some breakdowns saying the review button only appears at the end of each section and that wasn't the case for me. It was there the entire time at the bottom of every question.
Section by section personal (short) analysis:
Bio (21): Broad, random, and can be time consuming if you dwell on it too much. Just cover as much as you can and do as much practice as you can. READ THE DAT BOOTCAMP TEST SOLUTIONS WORD BY WORD. I read Cliffs and Feralis and these helped me a lot but the solutions on DAT BOOTCAMP are so detailed that they really help you realize how to pick out certain options on multiple choice based on your bio knowledge. Do as many DAT Bootcamp tests on bio that you can so you cover a lot of material. Remember for bio: breadth > depth.
General & Organic Chemistry (Both 22): Used Mike's Videos on DAT Bootcamp. These videos were amazing. Thanks Dr. Mike! Your smile got me through most days of studying haha. Watch these and then do as many DAT bootcamp tests as you can also do the quizzes after each video.
Perceptual Ability (20): Wish I did better here but DAT bootcamp is obviously the only place to go for this section to study. Couldn't have been prepped better for this section and I have only Bootcamp to thank for that.
Quantitative (21): Much easier than Bootcamp but this is a good thing. I would score 15s and 17s on Bootcamp when I first did practice exams but the questions on Bootcamp were much harder and prepped you for the real DAT quantitative section.
Reading (20): I ran out of time on this section so do as many tests again for this section to just make you a faster reader and know what to look for in each reading.
Oh and for most bootcamp tests I would score 19s and 20s near the end. By this point I felt ready. I didn't do the 2009 or 2007 DAT as many said they either had errors or weren't representative for some sections (ie reading for 2009 DAT). But if you really want to do them they're free and can be found online.
I know this breakdown is short but ask me anything and I'll try my best to answer! Once again thanks SDN!
