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Hi everyone just took the DAT yesterday and want to share my experience and give back to this forum. My scores were:
BIO 21
GC 21
OC 30
PAT 22
RC 22
QR 20
AA 23
TS 22
BIO: Russell's notes, DAT Qvault, Cliffs 3rd, Cambell's powerpoint, Bootcamp,Destroyer
I actually loved Russell's notes. After reading Cliffs, I converted his notes into a word document and removed everything I was strong in. I then turned them into an incomplete outline by deleting anything in bold. Dat Qvault was pretty good but I never managed anything past an 18-19. For the physio stuff I used the powerpoints provided by Cambell's. I liked the Genius exams (6-10) more than exams 1-5 on BC because they had GREAT explanations. A couple days before test day I did all of Destroyer's questions and was studying stuff even on the way there!
Test:
Don't neglect any subject! I got some very low yield questions on my test, and 5-6 questions about the same subject. I remember contemplating whether it would be worth the time to cover it in depth and am glad I did, if not I would have been screwed and probably thrown off for the rest of the exam.
CHEM/OCHEM: Chad, Destroyer, Bootcamp, ACS study guide
I took chemistry and biology what feels like ages ago! But Chad and Destroyer is all I needed. On the harder stuff, I memorized my notes and recorded myself on the whiteboard teaching it and watched everything as a final review. If you can talk about thermodynamics in a conversational way, you can answer any concept question they throw at you. I also converted Chad's ochem lectures to an audio file and listened to them while I went running and tried to visualize his whiteboard.
Test:
Bootcamp was pretty close to the real thing for sure. I finished all three sections with 30 minutes to spare, and really believed I aced the gchem section too! If you're comfortable with Destroyer the official is cake.
PAT: CDP, BC
The reason people complain about CDP being too easy is because they use it wrong. For their TFE don't use the line counting method. CDP does give bad advice though. BC is great also but way too clean. Overall, each subject for PAT just takes a lot of practice until the light bulb turn on.
Test:
The official really threw me off because the quality was so poor (like CDP). It was hard to figure out whether a side was shaded and the proportions were off. I thought rocks were a myth, so when I saw them on my test I immediately... skipped them. The keyhole circles were super large. Also don't make the same mistake as I did and drink too much water...
RC: BC
I read scientific articles kind of on a regular basis, so that helped. If you use the map method practice with those crappy, fat expo markers.
Test:
I just did a couple practice tests and got lucky with two easy articles. I almost ruined this section though because I left my ID in my truck and had to run to the parking lot. But it turned out it was not in my messy truck, so I ran back and discovered that it was right by the computer... I got back just in time!
QR: Both Destroyers, BC, GRE QC, Chad
When I started doing my research on SDN about which resources to use, I was a little skeptical about Orgoman. It just seemed like they were using this forum for extensive marketing. But what I realized is that this product is pretty special, and I believe the guy that made it is very smart and deeply cares about its reputation. I'm a slow poke, and without this product my score would have looked like my first BC test (15).
Test:
Every question that was not QC was drilled in my muscle memory thanks to Math Destroyer. I'm sure the next editions will have a lot of QC problems so will still be a MUST BUY ITEM. Also, while you practice, get good at quickly recognizing the type of question that's being asked.
Overall this summer was pretty difficult. It's a really good idea to save money way in advance to cover bills and fees because this will make your life so much easier! Also sleep is very important. During the first month I pulled all nighters and my sleep schedule was very inconsistent. Melatonin and banning electronic devices in bed changed all this rather quickly.
What helped me with time efficiency was only reviewing stuff I was weak in after my initial review. Reviewing everything again is like cutting grass and restarting the whole job because you missed one spot lol I did not follow Ari's schedule, but did a little bit of everything every day.
Thank you so much guys, and if you have any questions please ask me!
BIO 21
GC 21
OC 30
PAT 22
RC 22
QR 20
AA 23
TS 22
BIO: Russell's notes, DAT Qvault, Cliffs 3rd, Cambell's powerpoint, Bootcamp,Destroyer
I actually loved Russell's notes. After reading Cliffs, I converted his notes into a word document and removed everything I was strong in. I then turned them into an incomplete outline by deleting anything in bold. Dat Qvault was pretty good but I never managed anything past an 18-19. For the physio stuff I used the powerpoints provided by Cambell's. I liked the Genius exams (6-10) more than exams 1-5 on BC because they had GREAT explanations. A couple days before test day I did all of Destroyer's questions and was studying stuff even on the way there!
Test:
Don't neglect any subject! I got some very low yield questions on my test, and 5-6 questions about the same subject. I remember contemplating whether it would be worth the time to cover it in depth and am glad I did, if not I would have been screwed and probably thrown off for the rest of the exam.
CHEM/OCHEM: Chad, Destroyer, Bootcamp, ACS study guide
I took chemistry and biology what feels like ages ago! But Chad and Destroyer is all I needed. On the harder stuff, I memorized my notes and recorded myself on the whiteboard teaching it and watched everything as a final review. If you can talk about thermodynamics in a conversational way, you can answer any concept question they throw at you. I also converted Chad's ochem lectures to an audio file and listened to them while I went running and tried to visualize his whiteboard.
Test:
Bootcamp was pretty close to the real thing for sure. I finished all three sections with 30 minutes to spare, and really believed I aced the gchem section too! If you're comfortable with Destroyer the official is cake.
PAT: CDP, BC
The reason people complain about CDP being too easy is because they use it wrong. For their TFE don't use the line counting method. CDP does give bad advice though. BC is great also but way too clean. Overall, each subject for PAT just takes a lot of practice until the light bulb turn on.
Test:
The official really threw me off because the quality was so poor (like CDP). It was hard to figure out whether a side was shaded and the proportions were off. I thought rocks were a myth, so when I saw them on my test I immediately... skipped them. The keyhole circles were super large. Also don't make the same mistake as I did and drink too much water...
RC: BC
I read scientific articles kind of on a regular basis, so that helped. If you use the map method practice with those crappy, fat expo markers.
Test:
I just did a couple practice tests and got lucky with two easy articles. I almost ruined this section though because I left my ID in my truck and had to run to the parking lot. But it turned out it was not in my messy truck, so I ran back and discovered that it was right by the computer... I got back just in time!
QR: Both Destroyers, BC, GRE QC, Chad
When I started doing my research on SDN about which resources to use, I was a little skeptical about Orgoman. It just seemed like they were using this forum for extensive marketing. But what I realized is that this product is pretty special, and I believe the guy that made it is very smart and deeply cares about its reputation. I'm a slow poke, and without this product my score would have looked like my first BC test (15).
Test:
Every question that was not QC was drilled in my muscle memory thanks to Math Destroyer. I'm sure the next editions will have a lot of QC problems so will still be a MUST BUY ITEM. Also, while you practice, get good at quickly recognizing the type of question that's being asked.
Overall this summer was pretty difficult. It's a really good idea to save money way in advance to cover bills and fees because this will make your life so much easier! Also sleep is very important. During the first month I pulled all nighters and my sleep schedule was very inconsistent. Melatonin and banning electronic devices in bed changed all this rather quickly.
What helped me with time efficiency was only reviewing stuff I was weak in after my initial review. Reviewing everything again is like cutting grass and restarting the whole job because you missed one spot lol I did not follow Ari's schedule, but did a little bit of everything every day.
Thank you so much guys, and if you have any questions please ask me!
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