A bit of background on me: I am going into my junior year at Wash U. in St. Louis and headed abroad next spring so I wanted to get this test out of the way! Just typing up my thoughts post-exam today in case this is of help to anyone.
PAT: 19
QR: 22
RC: 22
Bio: 21
OC: 22
GC: 22
TS: 22
AA:22
Thoughts about the actual test:
- I was surprised to see scores on the lower end for the general chemistry and QR sections because I was most prepped for them. I had taken Bootcamp scores for GC and QR, consistently scoring 24/25 in both these areas. If anything I was taken aback by how simple the GC questions were (one of the questions asked which of the following bonds was the most ionic). So I would recommend building a very strong foundation on the principles of these subjects when you're learning them.
- SO happy about how I performed on the Bio and Orgo sections... Not going to lie, did not prepare a lot for these at all. As in just tried to cram in as many DAT Destroyer problems as possible in a 1-2 week time span before the actual test.
- Performed as expected in both RC and PAT. I had been studying for the PAT somewhat diligently this summer but I feel that the time crunch on the PAT was very noticeable, even though I'd taken many practice tests on Bootcamp before. If I had to study for this again I would make sure I could get the angle ranking down because I know I missed out on some easy points there.
How I studied:
- Watched Chad's videos for both GC and OC just to review main concepts.
- DAT Destroyer: An excellent resource that I probably should have used better. I probably only completed 1/3 of Bio/OC problems and 2/3 of GC problems, but I did all the QR problems.
- Bootcamp: Just to get an idea of where I was at for each section. DEFINITELY helpful for the PAT. Even though I ended up with a mediocre score in this section, I would've scored less than a 15 for sure had I not prepared for it.
- Originally, I wanted to follow the study schedule that was laid out in Bootcamp, but this summer I TA'ed a class, worked part time on campus, and also started working at the med school doing research. Sooo that just didn't happen. I would say I probably studied 5 hours a week on average starting in June and just straight up hit the books ~1 week before the actual test day, living and breathing this test basically.
Final Thoughts:
So happy that it's over, but I might retake it just because I know I can do better in so many sections - GC/QR scores I feel I'd been snubbed today, and OC/Bio/PAT scores I know I can definitely raise had I spent more time preparing. If the opportunity arises where I feel like I can adequately dedicate time to taking this beast on another time, I would definitely take it again, but I honestly don't see that happening before next cycle. I'm originally from the Bay Area so I'm looking at schools nearby, mainly UCSF and UoP. Might contact some of their reps to see where this score would put me.
Any comments/questions appreciated!! And a thank you to this community for being so friendly and helpful. Y'all were a huge help during one week study session.
PAT: 19
QR: 22
RC: 22
Bio: 21
OC: 22
GC: 22
TS: 22
AA:22
Thoughts about the actual test:
- I was surprised to see scores on the lower end for the general chemistry and QR sections because I was most prepped for them. I had taken Bootcamp scores for GC and QR, consistently scoring 24/25 in both these areas. If anything I was taken aback by how simple the GC questions were (one of the questions asked which of the following bonds was the most ionic). So I would recommend building a very strong foundation on the principles of these subjects when you're learning them.
- SO happy about how I performed on the Bio and Orgo sections... Not going to lie, did not prepare a lot for these at all. As in just tried to cram in as many DAT Destroyer problems as possible in a 1-2 week time span before the actual test.
- Performed as expected in both RC and PAT. I had been studying for the PAT somewhat diligently this summer but I feel that the time crunch on the PAT was very noticeable, even though I'd taken many practice tests on Bootcamp before. If I had to study for this again I would make sure I could get the angle ranking down because I know I missed out on some easy points there.
How I studied:
- Watched Chad's videos for both GC and OC just to review main concepts.
- DAT Destroyer: An excellent resource that I probably should have used better. I probably only completed 1/3 of Bio/OC problems and 2/3 of GC problems, but I did all the QR problems.
- Bootcamp: Just to get an idea of where I was at for each section. DEFINITELY helpful for the PAT. Even though I ended up with a mediocre score in this section, I would've scored less than a 15 for sure had I not prepared for it.
- Originally, I wanted to follow the study schedule that was laid out in Bootcamp, but this summer I TA'ed a class, worked part time on campus, and also started working at the med school doing research. Sooo that just didn't happen. I would say I probably studied 5 hours a week on average starting in June and just straight up hit the books ~1 week before the actual test day, living and breathing this test basically.
Final Thoughts:
So happy that it's over, but I might retake it just because I know I can do better in so many sections - GC/QR scores I feel I'd been snubbed today, and OC/Bio/PAT scores I know I can definitely raise had I spent more time preparing. If the opportunity arises where I feel like I can adequately dedicate time to taking this beast on another time, I would definitely take it again, but I honestly don't see that happening before next cycle. I'm originally from the Bay Area so I'm looking at schools nearby, mainly UCSF and UoP. Might contact some of their reps to see where this score would put me.
Any comments/questions appreciated!! And a thank you to this community for being so friendly and helpful. Y'all were a huge help during one week study session.
