- Joined
- Aug 12, 2016
- Messages
- 819
- Reaction score
- 860
First off, I would like to thank Ari from DAT Bootcamp(@Ari Rezaei) and Dr. Jim Romano and Nancy Steen of DAT Destroyer (@orgoman22), and God. I could not have gotten my scores without them. God Bless you all.
Official Scores (see the pdf of the score report below):
23 AA
21 TS
19 Bio
22 GC
26 OC
24 PAT
25 RC
23 QR
Practice Exam Scores:
Kaplan (I did these after I thought I was done with studying, I studied more and pushed my exam back. I still believe these are very hard and DO NOT accurately represent the DAT)
Bio 17/15
GC 17/19
OC 17/17
PAT 18/21
RC 19/19
QR 10 (lol)/15
DAT Bootcamp
Bio 24/17/15/17/24 (the first one is high b/c I had taken it before the full-length exam)
GC 25/26/30/24/19 (the first 3 are high b/c I had already done them before the full-length exams)
OC 27/30/27/26/23
PAT 20/22/23/21/20/21/20/21/20/20
RC 19/18/21/23/20
QR 18/19/19/19/19/19/19/19/20/20
2007 DAT
Bio 19
GC 20
OC 28
PAT 20
RC 19
QR 21
2009 DAT
Bio 24
GC 20
OC 22
PAT 21
RC 19
QR 21
CRACKDAT: PAT
Attempt 1: 18/20/20/21/23/25/21/23/24/22
Attempt 2: 23/24/23/23/23/25/24/23/25/25
The big question: How did the real DAT compare to the practice exams?
KEY: Follow Ari's study guide for the practice exams (the last 10 days?)
First off my Kaplan scores were terrible but I feel these 2 exams were inherently difficult and DID NOT represent the real DAT. I think they were hard so I would freak out and pay $$$ for their class. I had a mental breakdown after seeing my Kaplan scores.
I found DAT Bootcamp EXTREMELY similar to the real dat and as you can see, my real DAT scores were SIMILAR or HIGHER than my DAT Bootcamp scores. DAT Bootcamp is a must, that is all I will say.
I found the 2007/2009 exams similar or more difficult in comparison to the real DAT, especially the RC and those weird ones in the '09 OC section. Both have a lot of errors in the exam so go on SDN to find the solutions and look at Ari's 2007 DAT solutions.
I feel the bio section on my DAT was very difficult in comparison to any practice exams I did. Bio is my weak spot and a lot of questions were new to me on the real exam. I feel that the DAT biology has gotten much more difficult and conceptual compared to the 2007/2009 dat.
Do not do full-length practice exams until you feel you are ready so you can simulate the real DAT and get accurate scores.
Materials:
DAT QVAULT Bio
Kaplan Blue Book (Bought but did not use)
Cliffs AP Biology
Ferali's Notes
CRACKDAT: PAT (Royal Flush w/ 10 exams)
DAT Destroyer (CRUCIAL: you have to buy this!)
Math Destroyer
DAT Bootcamp (CRUCIAL: you have to buy this!)
Chad's Videos
Mastering Organic Chemistry Study Sheets
Biology
I started taking notes on Cliffs but it was time consuming and I didn't get much from it. So I read the book and did the questions. I also read Feralis Notes and referenced it when I got stuff wrong on DAT Destroyer. I used the DAT Destroyer bio section and did the section TWICE. The DAT destroyer bio was hard but my second time around, i tried to understand the questions better and make sense of it. I felt pretty good on bio, at least the main stuff but the real DAT caught me by surprise. I also used DAT QVAULT but it did not help me much. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. learn the concepts.
GC
I used Chad's Videos and the associated quizzes and then did the GC section on DAT Destroyer for GC THREE TIMES. I got most of the questions wrong on my first attempt so I had to work on my general chemistry abilities. The formula sheet from DAT Bootcamp is very helpful and soon you will not need to look at the formula sheet. DAT destroyer is key.
OC
I am very lucky that I am sophomore in college and just took Orgo 1/2 so I did not really review for orgo much. I studied extremely hard for both courses and got As in both, which allowed me to not have to review orgo at all. I did learn the lab tests for OC from DAT bootcamp and watched the videos on NMR/IR spectroscopy from Chad's Videos but that was it. I did DAT destroyer for OC THREE TIMES. Again, DAT destroyer is key. Just do the entire DAT Destroyer book, not much more to say on that.
PAT
I watched the PAT videos provided with CRACK DAT: PAT and used the DAT Bootcamp PAT generators. PAT is all about practice. I did a total of 32 PAT exams. Doing a ton practice exams helped me get my timing just right and have time to check over some marked questions. I feel that Keyholes and TFE take the longest and i made sure to finish both w/in 20 minutes. After that, angles, hole punch, cubes, and folding were all pretty straightforward and did not take long. After you do the generators (do them everyday whenever you are on the computer), you begin to get the hang of PAT. Practice!
I felt CrackDAT PAT was right on the money, the real DAT looked more like CrackDAT PAT. DAT Bootcamp PAT was much more difficult than the real DAT, especially the Keyholes. I recommend purchasing BOTH. The more practice you have, the better. Using both will allow you to handle whatever the DAT throws at you.
RC
I followed Ari's advice and would read 1-3 Scientific American articles a day. I didn't do real reading practice until my first full-length exams, the Kaplan full-length exams.
I also used search and destroy and would read the questions first, then read half of the passage and answer questions until I was forced to read the rest of the passage. I adapted this strategy from this fellow, Andrew Wood (watch his video here: )
Contrary to andrew, i did not take any notes during the DAT, i wanted to save time and my sheets by not using them and waiting for new ones. I write slow and i felt taking notes was not a good use of my time on the dat. but thats just me and every point on the dat is worth it so you may want to listen to him!
QR
Chad's videos are a great place to start, especially for those probability questions. I first started using the QR section in DAT destroyer and then transitioned to Math destroyer. Math destroyer is EXTREMELY difficult and I only did 14 of the 17 exams. I feel you shouldn't time yourself on these and instead should focus on getting the right answers and learning the strategies from the solutions in the back of the book.
DAT Bootcamp has 5 extra QR exams and I did these the week before my exam. I found these very representative of the real DAT and i thought they were much harder than the real dat. My 23 on the real QR was higher than i got on any practice exam. Knowing the unit circle from DAT Bootcamp's QR formula sheet is a must.
do the math destroyer exams and all 10 bootcamp qr exams and youll be fine. do not spend time on hard questions. if you cant get it, mark an answer and move on. there are always easy questions at the end of the exam. Dont miss easy questions bc you spent too much time on harder ones you would have gotten wrong anyway. QR is all about managing time and crunching numbers as fast as possible.
The Day(s) before the DAT:
Cut down your studying and relax. if you cant do this yet, you're not ready. Memorizing minute bio details will not help you. Do not touch anything the day before your DAT. RELAX! catch up on some tv and eat some good food. also exercise is key. getting some O2 to your brain is better than wallowing in self-pity and trying to a few more bio problems. relax! Get a good night's sleep and be confident in yourself.
Thank you to everyone on SDN for their breakdowns. they helped a lot and I could not have done it without you.
Interviews:
I interviewed at the following schools:
UConn
Michigan
Stony Brook
Harvard
Penn
BU
Tufts
VCU
CWRU
USC (did not attend)
Buffalo (did not attend)
Official Scores (see the pdf of the score report below):
23 AA
21 TS
19 Bio
22 GC
26 OC
24 PAT
25 RC
23 QR
Practice Exam Scores:
Kaplan (I did these after I thought I was done with studying, I studied more and pushed my exam back. I still believe these are very hard and DO NOT accurately represent the DAT)
Bio 17/15
GC 17/19
OC 17/17
PAT 18/21
RC 19/19
QR 10 (lol)/15
DAT Bootcamp
Bio 24/17/15/17/24 (the first one is high b/c I had taken it before the full-length exam)
GC 25/26/30/24/19 (the first 3 are high b/c I had already done them before the full-length exams)
OC 27/30/27/26/23
PAT 20/22/23/21/20/21/20/21/20/20
RC 19/18/21/23/20
QR 18/19/19/19/19/19/19/19/20/20
2007 DAT
Bio 19
GC 20
OC 28
PAT 20
RC 19
QR 21
2009 DAT
Bio 24
GC 20
OC 22
PAT 21
RC 19
QR 21
CRACKDAT: PAT
Attempt 1: 18/20/20/21/23/25/21/23/24/22
Attempt 2: 23/24/23/23/23/25/24/23/25/25
The big question: How did the real DAT compare to the practice exams?
KEY: Follow Ari's study guide for the practice exams (the last 10 days?)
First off my Kaplan scores were terrible but I feel these 2 exams were inherently difficult and DID NOT represent the real DAT. I think they were hard so I would freak out and pay $$$ for their class. I had a mental breakdown after seeing my Kaplan scores.
I found DAT Bootcamp EXTREMELY similar to the real dat and as you can see, my real DAT scores were SIMILAR or HIGHER than my DAT Bootcamp scores. DAT Bootcamp is a must, that is all I will say.
I found the 2007/2009 exams similar or more difficult in comparison to the real DAT, especially the RC and those weird ones in the '09 OC section. Both have a lot of errors in the exam so go on SDN to find the solutions and look at Ari's 2007 DAT solutions.
I feel the bio section on my DAT was very difficult in comparison to any practice exams I did. Bio is my weak spot and a lot of questions were new to me on the real exam. I feel that the DAT biology has gotten much more difficult and conceptual compared to the 2007/2009 dat.
Do not do full-length practice exams until you feel you are ready so you can simulate the real DAT and get accurate scores.
Materials:
DAT QVAULT Bio
Kaplan Blue Book (Bought but did not use)
Cliffs AP Biology
Ferali's Notes
CRACKDAT: PAT (Royal Flush w/ 10 exams)
DAT Destroyer (CRUCIAL: you have to buy this!)
Math Destroyer
DAT Bootcamp (CRUCIAL: you have to buy this!)
Chad's Videos
Mastering Organic Chemistry Study Sheets
Biology
I started taking notes on Cliffs but it was time consuming and I didn't get much from it. So I read the book and did the questions. I also read Feralis Notes and referenced it when I got stuff wrong on DAT Destroyer. I used the DAT Destroyer bio section and did the section TWICE. The DAT destroyer bio was hard but my second time around, i tried to understand the questions better and make sense of it. I felt pretty good on bio, at least the main stuff but the real DAT caught me by surprise. I also used DAT QVAULT but it did not help me much. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. learn the concepts.
GC
I used Chad's Videos and the associated quizzes and then did the GC section on DAT Destroyer for GC THREE TIMES. I got most of the questions wrong on my first attempt so I had to work on my general chemistry abilities. The formula sheet from DAT Bootcamp is very helpful and soon you will not need to look at the formula sheet. DAT destroyer is key.
OC
I am very lucky that I am sophomore in college and just took Orgo 1/2 so I did not really review for orgo much. I studied extremely hard for both courses and got As in both, which allowed me to not have to review orgo at all. I did learn the lab tests for OC from DAT bootcamp and watched the videos on NMR/IR spectroscopy from Chad's Videos but that was it. I did DAT destroyer for OC THREE TIMES. Again, DAT destroyer is key. Just do the entire DAT Destroyer book, not much more to say on that.
PAT
I watched the PAT videos provided with CRACK DAT: PAT and used the DAT Bootcamp PAT generators. PAT is all about practice. I did a total of 32 PAT exams. Doing a ton practice exams helped me get my timing just right and have time to check over some marked questions. I feel that Keyholes and TFE take the longest and i made sure to finish both w/in 20 minutes. After that, angles, hole punch, cubes, and folding were all pretty straightforward and did not take long. After you do the generators (do them everyday whenever you are on the computer), you begin to get the hang of PAT. Practice!
I felt CrackDAT PAT was right on the money, the real DAT looked more like CrackDAT PAT. DAT Bootcamp PAT was much more difficult than the real DAT, especially the Keyholes. I recommend purchasing BOTH. The more practice you have, the better. Using both will allow you to handle whatever the DAT throws at you.
RC
I followed Ari's advice and would read 1-3 Scientific American articles a day. I didn't do real reading practice until my first full-length exams, the Kaplan full-length exams.
I also used search and destroy and would read the questions first, then read half of the passage and answer questions until I was forced to read the rest of the passage. I adapted this strategy from this fellow, Andrew Wood (watch his video here: )
Contrary to andrew, i did not take any notes during the DAT, i wanted to save time and my sheets by not using them and waiting for new ones. I write slow and i felt taking notes was not a good use of my time on the dat. but thats just me and every point on the dat is worth it so you may want to listen to him!
QR
Chad's videos are a great place to start, especially for those probability questions. I first started using the QR section in DAT destroyer and then transitioned to Math destroyer. Math destroyer is EXTREMELY difficult and I only did 14 of the 17 exams. I feel you shouldn't time yourself on these and instead should focus on getting the right answers and learning the strategies from the solutions in the back of the book.
DAT Bootcamp has 5 extra QR exams and I did these the week before my exam. I found these very representative of the real DAT and i thought they were much harder than the real dat. My 23 on the real QR was higher than i got on any practice exam. Knowing the unit circle from DAT Bootcamp's QR formula sheet is a must.
do the math destroyer exams and all 10 bootcamp qr exams and youll be fine. do not spend time on hard questions. if you cant get it, mark an answer and move on. there are always easy questions at the end of the exam. Dont miss easy questions bc you spent too much time on harder ones you would have gotten wrong anyway. QR is all about managing time and crunching numbers as fast as possible.
The Day(s) before the DAT:
Cut down your studying and relax. if you cant do this yet, you're not ready. Memorizing minute bio details will not help you. Do not touch anything the day before your DAT. RELAX! catch up on some tv and eat some good food. also exercise is key. getting some O2 to your brain is better than wallowing in self-pity and trying to a few more bio problems. relax! Get a good night's sleep and be confident in yourself.
Thank you to everyone on SDN for their breakdowns. they helped a lot and I could not have done it without you.
Interviews:
I interviewed at the following schools:
UConn
Michigan
Stony Brook
Harvard
Penn
BU
Tufts
VCU
CWRU
USC (did not attend)
Buffalo (did not attend)
Attachments
Last edited:
Congratulations! I thought I had posted a congrats before and guess it didn't not go through. You Destroyed the DAT Beast! Excellent scores and you should be very proud of this accomplishment. Thanks for the shout out and very detailed breakdown. You proved there is no secret to a high DAT score it takes a lot of hard work!
