- Joined
- Aug 11, 2018
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction score
- 21
Hello I just took DAT last Friday and thought I would make a breakdown to give back to the sdn community. I've been on sdn without an account for a month and finally created the account 
I used the breakdown from @artist2022 as a template, thank you artist!
Scores:
PAT: 23
QR: 25
RC: 20
BIO: 22
GC: 26
OC: 29
TS: 24
AA: 24
Some background: UC, GPA 3.67, sGPA: 3.68, BCP GPA: 3.68 (wow they are similar)
Rising senior, microbiology major, prereqs taken that might be helpful: genbio, genchem, ochem, genetics, biochem, statistics, anatomy, algae bio (weirdly helped me with taxonomy)
School ended in May but I was focusing on another exam to get a license. I started studying on 6/12 and the test was scheduled on 8/10.
Total study time: ~8 weeks. I would consider my test prep as full time but I also volunteered and did research. In the first 5 weeks I mainly focused on learning bio and chem. I didn't get Bootcamp until my 6th week (BAD DECISION). In the last week leading up to test day, I did a BC full-length test every other day. The day before test day was just reviewing problems on Destroyer and doing some extra PAT.
DAT Breakdown:
BIO: 22
Very straightforward. 1 reproductive system, 1-2 embryology
How I studied: Kaplan blue book, BC, Destroyer
I read 1 chapter each day since first week and make some notecards. On my 6th week I started to do ~30Q on destroyer per day. I found the solutions very helpful so I would review every question even if I got it right. This is really helpful because you could get a question right for the wrong reason. There were ~700+ destroyer Bio questions and I did ~500.
GC: 26
Very straightforward. I don't think I got any titration. 1 rate law
How I studied: Chad's videos, DAT Destroyer, and BC
Chad's videos are sooo helpful! I took very detailed notes, and whenever I see a challenging question on destroyer, I would go back to my notes and review the whole concept. I started to do destroyer on my 6th week and did ~30 Q per day, but I didn't finish all GC problems.
OC: 29
Also very straightforward. Make sure you know if the reaction is syn or anti addition. Know to rank acidity and basicity. Know your reducing and oxidizing reagents. There was a IR spec on terminal alkyne which was pretty tricky (can someone let me know if I can share this info, if not I'll delete).
How I studied: Chad's videos, DAT Destroyer, and BC
I love Destroyer, thank you Dr. Romano! Don't be discouraged by those difficult problems but see this as an opportunity to learn. I finished all the OC questions on Destroyer and went through roadmaps.
PAT: 23
Easier than BC except for angle ranking. I used the review button and jumped to Q31 to start on angle ranking first. Got one rock keyhole but the rest are doable. I think I got 6 cubes! There were some time left in the science section, so I made grids for hole punching and tables for cubes. I asked the proctor about writing on laminated paper during tutorial and he said it's not allowed.
How I studied: Bootcamp test and angle/keyhole generators
I only studied PAT for 3 weeks so if anyone who's prepping for DAT sees my post plz plz plz get BC and use it ASAP!!! Don't wait til the last minute like I did. Practice your speed. I had a hard time with angle ranking and keyhole so I used the angle generator and practiced extra keyhole problems everyday.
-------------------------------30 mins break. Ate some chocolate and drank water.
Went back to test room 5 min early to draw my reading map ------------------------------------------
RC: 20
Passages are much easier than BC. The first passage had ~22 questions somehow.
I'm not a native speaker But I'm actually really happy with my score. I used mapping strategies for RC, but on the test day I found the highlight feature great that I kept highlighting keywords and transition. It really helped me when I go back to the passage to find details. I finished RC on time and even had 5 minutes to review.
How I studied: 1-2 Scientific American articles per day, BC
I did 4 RC practice on BC but it was quite discouraging. I could barely get to Q43 and kept getting 19, so I kind of gave up and hoped for the best.
QR: 25
I think it's not bad, but I was stuck on a probability question for a while (drawing cards from a deck kind of problem). There were 3 data sufficiency problems, 1-2 trig, 1 water leaking from tank problem.
How I studied: Math Destroyer and some Khan Academy videos (playlist from Ari's schedule)
Please give advice
I am applying this cycle because I really don't know what I'm gonna do in my gap year. I've sent my transcript, requested rec letters (not in yet), and put in my EC stuffs but I'm still working on my personal statement.
How late is too late to submit application? I wonder if someone who have or had the same situation would give me some advice. Much appreciated!
I used the breakdown from @artist2022 as a template, thank you artist!
Scores:
PAT: 23
QR: 25
RC: 20
BIO: 22
GC: 26
OC: 29
TS: 24
AA: 24
Some background: UC, GPA 3.67, sGPA: 3.68, BCP GPA: 3.68 (wow they are similar)
Rising senior, microbiology major, prereqs taken that might be helpful: genbio, genchem, ochem, genetics, biochem, statistics, anatomy, algae bio (weirdly helped me with taxonomy)
School ended in May but I was focusing on another exam to get a license. I started studying on 6/12 and the test was scheduled on 8/10.
Total study time: ~8 weeks. I would consider my test prep as full time but I also volunteered and did research. In the first 5 weeks I mainly focused on learning bio and chem. I didn't get Bootcamp until my 6th week (BAD DECISION). In the last week leading up to test day, I did a BC full-length test every other day. The day before test day was just reviewing problems on Destroyer and doing some extra PAT.
DAT Breakdown:
BIO: 22
Very straightforward. 1 reproductive system, 1-2 embryology
How I studied: Kaplan blue book, BC, Destroyer
I read 1 chapter each day since first week and make some notecards. On my 6th week I started to do ~30Q on destroyer per day. I found the solutions very helpful so I would review every question even if I got it right. This is really helpful because you could get a question right for the wrong reason. There were ~700+ destroyer Bio questions and I did ~500.
GC: 26
Very straightforward. I don't think I got any titration. 1 rate law
How I studied: Chad's videos, DAT Destroyer, and BC
Chad's videos are sooo helpful! I took very detailed notes, and whenever I see a challenging question on destroyer, I would go back to my notes and review the whole concept. I started to do destroyer on my 6th week and did ~30 Q per day, but I didn't finish all GC problems.
OC: 29
Also very straightforward. Make sure you know if the reaction is syn or anti addition. Know to rank acidity and basicity. Know your reducing and oxidizing reagents. There was a IR spec on terminal alkyne which was pretty tricky (can someone let me know if I can share this info, if not I'll delete).
How I studied: Chad's videos, DAT Destroyer, and BC
I love Destroyer, thank you Dr. Romano! Don't be discouraged by those difficult problems but see this as an opportunity to learn. I finished all the OC questions on Destroyer and went through roadmaps.
PAT: 23
Easier than BC except for angle ranking. I used the review button and jumped to Q31 to start on angle ranking first. Got one rock keyhole but the rest are doable. I think I got 6 cubes! There were some time left in the science section, so I made grids for hole punching and tables for cubes. I asked the proctor about writing on laminated paper during tutorial and he said it's not allowed.
How I studied: Bootcamp test and angle/keyhole generators
I only studied PAT for 3 weeks so if anyone who's prepping for DAT sees my post plz plz plz get BC and use it ASAP!!! Don't wait til the last minute like I did. Practice your speed. I had a hard time with angle ranking and keyhole so I used the angle generator and practiced extra keyhole problems everyday.
-------------------------------30 mins break. Ate some chocolate and drank water.
Went back to test room 5 min early to draw my reading map ------------------------------------------
RC: 20
Passages are much easier than BC. The first passage had ~22 questions somehow.
I'm not a native speaker
But I'm actually really happy with my score. I used mapping strategies for RC, but on the test day I found the highlight feature great that I kept highlighting keywords and transition. It really helped me when I go back to the passage to find details. I finished RC on time and even had 5 minutes to review.How I studied: 1-2 Scientific American articles per day, BC
I did 4 RC practice on BC but it was quite discouraging. I could barely get to Q43 and kept getting 19, so I kind of gave up and hoped for the best.
QR: 25
I think it's not bad, but I was stuck on a probability question for a while (drawing cards from a deck kind of problem). There were 3 data sufficiency problems, 1-2 trig, 1 water leaking from tank problem.
How I studied: Math Destroyer and some Khan Academy videos (playlist from Ari's schedule)
Please give advice
I am applying this cycle because I really don't know what I'm gonna do in my gap year. I've sent my transcript, requested rec letters (not in yet), and put in my EC stuffs but I'm still working on my personal statement.
How late is too late to submit application? I wonder if someone who have or had the same situation would give me some advice. Much appreciated!
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Last edited:
) so basically it was 12. The only difference between you and I is that your letters are still being written (I guess?), so then they might be uploaded later (mine had been uploaded in June-July, I just never submitted until after my DAT scores came in). I think as long as you submit by the end of the month, and to maybe 8-12 schools, you should be fine and not have to take a gap year. Applying is a total crapshoot though, so you just gotta hope for the best. Good luck!
