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- Dec 25, 2016
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Hello again, SDN!
As I was typing that title thread just now, I still couldn't believe it. Brace yourself, this will be long.
Here are my scores:
PAT:22
QR:25
RC:25
Bio:25
GC:26
OC:22
TS:24
AA:25
First, how test day was, then how I prepared!
But first, some background: oGPA= 3.88, sGPA=3.99, BCP GPA:3.99
Prereqs taken/helpful classes: Bio series, Chem series, Ochem series, Biochem series, Genetics, Cell Molec, Anatomy, Cell Physio, Plant Physio (lots of Upper Div classes like Virology, Immunology, and Evolution as well)
So, school ended early/mid June, and I gave myself from then until the 2nd to study, but because I went on vacation I postponed by a week (so glad I did!).
Total Study Time: About 8 weeks, First couple weeks: Learning stuff; Mid weeks: Des: Last week everyday was 9am-2am. Just tests, tests, tests. However! I did not take any "full-lengths". I did sign up for a free Kaplan test (was only 3 hrs), and it was okay. I did not take the 2007/2009, so :/. Only used BC for testing purposes (and 1 Kap test that was included when I bought KBB but yeah). Even last night I was up until 2 studying ochem, woke up at 6 to study some more. I am crazy.
DAT Breakdown:
Bio: 25!
Pretty straight forward for the most part. Some questions were kind of tricky. I did not get any plant questions, but remember that you still might. Know your hormones, know Hardy-Weinberg, know Mendelian genetics, etc. Also, specifics about microfilaments, microtubules, etc. The questions were very similar to BC, maybe slightly easier.
How I studied: Kaplan Blue Book (yes!), Des, BC
I took notes from Kaplan religiously. I think it's a really good source for those that need somewhere to start. After I finished the chapters, I made pretty colored pictures of things I didn't remember/know very well (cell res, photosynthesis, etc). I reviewed them periodically. After finishing Kap, I went to Des. I got about 85% right the first time through (and I really think it's due to Kap!! This goes out to all the people that bash Kap!! It's a good source to start with!!), and I made an Excel spreadsheet that I used to monitor my progress (pic attached). I went through Des twice. After the first time, I went to BC and did both continuously (~100/day 2nd time thru). BC is realllllly good to cement your knowledge with. For both Des and BC! READ ALL SOLUTIONS AND CONNECT CONCEPTS
GC: 26!
Also straight forward. Know how to find rate laws, how to use rate constants, how to use equilibrium constants, how to use the Ideal Gas Law, know your lab techniques. I didn't get any straight up calculations of pKa, just some questions related to the concepts of acid/base chemistry (like which of these wouldn't make a buffer?).
How I studied: Mike's Videos, BC, Des
Mike's videos are the beesssssst. I didn't want to spend the money for Chad's, and I didn't want to spend the time searching his free ones. They're already included with a BC subscription, so why not? I didn't use his outlines, I made my own pretty color coded notes lolol. I showed my friend and he said it looked like a rainbow exploded. Color really helps me remember things, but if flashcards are your thing, go for that! (Applies to Bio too). I did do some Des (100 problems, 77% right), but ochem was my weakness so I spent more time on that than gc.
OC: 22!
Eh, I can't say much for this section. I spent so much time on bio because of what I read on here/friends, and not so much on this. Still, I'm relieved with this score. Know your basic reactions, halogenations, hydrohalogenations, reductions, oxidations, know NMR and HNMR!!!. Honestly, BC tests are extremely representative of what you'll get on the real thing (but this is my opinion lol).
How I studied: Mike's Videos, BC, Des
Again, amazing videos with excellent practice problems and solutions. Take great notes, review them regularly, dream about them (I really did). I did some Des but focused way more on working out problems with Mike!
PAT: 22!
Relieved with this. Practice your timing! I tried to as I took practice tests, but on the real thing, it was really hard to skip through keyhole and TFE to get to the rest. I hate angles, so I did them first to get them out of the way. The BC generators prepare you well. Hole punching, loved them. No crazy weird folds. Cubes, BC tests are good. Pattern- I'm really good at visualizing these patterns, and I think these last three helped bring my scores up, but unfortunately I spent too much time on them, and had to speed through Keyholes and TFE
I can't stress this enough! Practice timing!
How I studied: Just BC practice tests (didn't do the generators very much, except angle maybe 40 questions of that). I also watched some of the PAT Academy videos.
RC: 25!
I honestly have no advice for this, I only took 1 BC test and scored a 20. I was so focused on the sciences and math. My strategy was like a mix between S&D and mapping. BUT! I got two hella interesting articles that I absolutely loved reading about! The other was so dense and dry
QR: 25!
Some questions were worded very poorly. No joke. It makes you go back and overthink things, and the part that sucks is you never know if you got it right or wrong (what if you got it right if it was worded better?!). Straight forward applications, very little trig (like know 30-60-90 stuff). I only got about 4-5 QC and like 1-2 Data sufficiency. Maybe 2 probability.
How I studied: Math Des, BC
I love math. It's like tied with bio and general chem. But, I was so mentally drained and sleepy by this section that I really spaced out, so make sure you stay focused!!! If you go through each of the Math des tests (I got through the first 17), you should be very well prepared to tackle anything that comes your way. Take BC tests, and you'll cement that knowledge!
*Tips:
- You can highlight everywhere on the DAT (Sciences, Math, RC) so this might help some of you wondering!
- Stay calm and focused. Don't spend too much time on a problem if you can't answer it in the first 30 seconds (for bio and angles, stuff like that)
- I was so sad after every section, and felt really bummed during the next section. I let the survey at the end go on as long as it possibly could, and then started tearing up at seeing the scores. Believe in yourself!! I checked out, got in the car, called my mom and started crying- it was such a relief to get it over with. Trust yourself. I was so worried about this, and kept cramming and cramming and I was so relieved. You will make it through!
- Take your break! I used 15/30 cause I got bored lol but you should definitely use it! I was allowed to access everything, phone, notes (yes I brought those), food, etc.
THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT: I got super lame markers. Do you guys remember overheads? You remember how your teacher wrote on those? Yeah, that's exactly how it was, except the tip wasn't even sharp anymore so it was extreeeeeeeeemely difficult to write legibly with it. I personally write super small (look at my gc notes), and I had to write kinda/sorta big just to understand what I was writing/solving for. Use all the room you need for bio/gc/oc and swap at break!
- EDIT: They were dry erase markers, but very hard to wipe away, so I used my nails to scrape it off when I really needed to. Also, for my center, most of it was free open space to write on, but the top 1/8 of both sides contained writing! The grids were really distracting to work on too- they were "bolded". They're good for hole punch and maybe cube, but that's about it.
- Wear long sleeves and pants cause it might get cold in there and they might not let you bring a jacket/cardigan/anything (that's how my center was).
BC scores: (I did all of the test 1's a long time ago, and I tend to easily memorize things- hence they're not included.)
BIO: 22/x/21/23/22/24/22/24/23 (didn't do test 3) = avg 22.6
GC: 24/22/22 (tests 6, 7, 8 only) = avg 22.7
OC: 16/20/17/19 (tests 2, 3, 4, 9- used to find weaknesses) = avg 18 (didn't take this too seriously)
PAT: 18/20/21 (tests 6, 7, 8) = avg 19.7
RC: 20 (test 2)
QR: 24/20/x/30 (tests 6, 7, 9; tests 7 & 8 I was tired and gave up on- hence not included/low score lol) = avg 24.7
I know they're all over the place, and I apologize. I didn't take them very seriously (except for bio- I was so sad with this average), and just used them to learn more each day.
I did one Kap FL for Bio only, and got a 26. Pretty accurate to what I got, but that might've just been chance.
Anyways! That's how I did it Hope I can be of some help to someone Shoutouts to Kaplan, orgoman and Ari + Joel + Mike/Bootcamp. Let me know if you have questions I'm freeee! 
Time to sleep for the next two days!
As I was typing that title thread just now, I still couldn't believe it. Brace yourself, this will be long.
Here are my scores:
PAT:22
QR:25
RC:25
Bio:25
GC:26
OC:22
TS:24
AA:25
First, how test day was, then how I prepared!
But first, some background: oGPA= 3.88, sGPA=3.99, BCP GPA:3.99
Prereqs taken/helpful classes: Bio series, Chem series, Ochem series, Biochem series, Genetics, Cell Molec, Anatomy, Cell Physio, Plant Physio (lots of Upper Div classes like Virology, Immunology, and Evolution as well)
So, school ended early/mid June, and I gave myself from then until the 2nd to study, but because I went on vacation I postponed by a week (so glad I did!).
Total Study Time: About 8 weeks, First couple weeks: Learning stuff; Mid weeks: Des: Last week everyday was 9am-2am. Just tests, tests, tests. However! I did not take any "full-lengths". I did sign up for a free Kaplan test (was only 3 hrs), and it was okay. I did not take the 2007/2009, so :/. Only used BC for testing purposes (and 1 Kap test that was included when I bought KBB but yeah). Even last night I was up until 2 studying ochem, woke up at 6 to study some more. I am crazy.
DAT Breakdown:
Bio: 25!
Pretty straight forward for the most part. Some questions were kind of tricky. I did not get any plant questions, but remember that you still might. Know your hormones, know Hardy-Weinberg, know Mendelian genetics, etc. Also, specifics about microfilaments, microtubules, etc. The questions were very similar to BC, maybe slightly easier.
How I studied: Kaplan Blue Book (yes!), Des, BC
I took notes from Kaplan religiously. I think it's a really good source for those that need somewhere to start. After I finished the chapters, I made pretty colored pictures of things I didn't remember/know very well (cell res, photosynthesis, etc). I reviewed them periodically. After finishing Kap, I went to Des. I got about 85% right the first time through (and I really think it's due to Kap!! This goes out to all the people that bash Kap!! It's a good source to start with!!), and I made an Excel spreadsheet that I used to monitor my progress (pic attached). I went through Des twice. After the first time, I went to BC and did both continuously (~100/day 2nd time thru). BC is realllllly good to cement your knowledge with. For both Des and BC! READ ALL SOLUTIONS AND CONNECT CONCEPTS
GC: 26!
Also straight forward. Know how to find rate laws, how to use rate constants, how to use equilibrium constants, how to use the Ideal Gas Law, know your lab techniques. I didn't get any straight up calculations of pKa, just some questions related to the concepts of acid/base chemistry (like which of these wouldn't make a buffer?).
How I studied: Mike's Videos, BC, Des
Mike's videos are the beesssssst. I didn't want to spend the money for Chad's, and I didn't want to spend the time searching his free ones. They're already included with a BC subscription, so why not? I didn't use his outlines, I made my own pretty color coded notes lolol. I showed my friend and he said it looked like a rainbow exploded. Color really helps me remember things, but if flashcards are your thing, go for that! (Applies to Bio too). I did do some Des (100 problems, 77% right), but ochem was my weakness so I spent more time on that than gc.
OC: 22!
Eh, I can't say much for this section. I spent so much time on bio because of what I read on here/friends, and not so much on this. Still, I'm relieved with this score. Know your basic reactions, halogenations, hydrohalogenations, reductions, oxidations, know NMR and HNMR!!!. Honestly, BC tests are extremely representative of what you'll get on the real thing (but this is my opinion lol).
How I studied: Mike's Videos, BC, Des
Again, amazing videos with excellent practice problems and solutions. Take great notes, review them regularly, dream about them (I really did). I did some Des but focused way more on working out problems with Mike!
PAT: 22!
Relieved with this. Practice your timing! I tried to as I took practice tests, but on the real thing, it was really hard to skip through keyhole and TFE to get to the rest. I hate angles, so I did them first to get them out of the way. The BC generators prepare you well. Hole punching, loved them. No crazy weird folds. Cubes, BC tests are good. Pattern- I'm really good at visualizing these patterns, and I think these last three helped bring my scores up, but unfortunately I spent too much time on them, and had to speed through Keyholes and TFE
I can't stress this enough! Practice timing!How I studied: Just BC practice tests (didn't do the generators very much, except angle maybe 40 questions of that). I also watched some of the PAT Academy videos.
RC: 25!
I honestly have no advice for this, I only took 1 BC test and scored a 20. I was so focused on the sciences and math. My strategy was like a mix between S&D and mapping. BUT! I got two hella interesting articles that I absolutely loved reading about! The other was so dense and dry
QR: 25!
Some questions were worded very poorly. No joke. It makes you go back and overthink things, and the part that sucks is you never know if you got it right or wrong (what if you got it right if it was worded better?!). Straight forward applications, very little trig (like know 30-60-90 stuff). I only got about 4-5 QC and like 1-2 Data sufficiency. Maybe 2 probability.
How I studied: Math Des, BC
I love math. It's like tied with bio and general chem. But, I was so mentally drained and sleepy by this section that I really spaced out, so make sure you stay focused!!! If you go through each of the Math des tests (I got through the first 17), you should be very well prepared to tackle anything that comes your way. Take BC tests, and you'll cement that knowledge!
*Tips:
- You can highlight everywhere on the DAT (Sciences, Math, RC) so this might help some of you wondering!
- Stay calm and focused. Don't spend too much time on a problem if you can't answer it in the first 30 seconds (for bio and angles, stuff like that)
- I was so sad after every section, and felt really bummed during the next section. I let the survey at the end go on as long as it possibly could, and then started tearing up at seeing the scores. Believe in yourself!! I checked out, got in the car, called my mom and started crying- it was such a relief to get it over with. Trust yourself. I was so worried about this, and kept cramming and cramming and I was so relieved. You will make it through!
- Take your break! I used 15/30 cause I got bored lol but you should definitely use it! I was allowed to access everything, phone, notes (yes I brought those), food, etc.
THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT: I got super lame markers. Do you guys remember overheads? You remember how your teacher wrote on those? Yeah, that's exactly how it was, except the tip wasn't even sharp anymore so it was extreeeeeeeeemely difficult to write legibly with it. I personally write super small (look at my gc notes), and I had to write kinda/sorta big just to understand what I was writing/solving for. Use all the room you need for bio/gc/oc and swap at break!
- EDIT: They were dry erase markers, but very hard to wipe away, so I used my nails to scrape it off when I really needed to. Also, for my center, most of it was free open space to write on, but the top 1/8 of both sides contained writing! The grids were really distracting to work on too- they were "bolded". They're good for hole punch and maybe cube, but that's about it.
- Wear long sleeves and pants cause it might get cold in there and they might not let you bring a jacket/cardigan/anything (that's how my center was).
BC scores: (I did all of the test 1's a long time ago, and I tend to easily memorize things- hence they're not included.)
BIO: 22/x/21/23/22/24/22/24/23 (didn't do test 3) = avg 22.6
GC: 24/22/22 (tests 6, 7, 8 only) = avg 22.7
OC: 16/20/17/19 (tests 2, 3, 4, 9- used to find weaknesses) = avg 18 (didn't take this too seriously)
PAT: 18/20/21 (tests 6, 7, 8) = avg 19.7
RC: 20 (test 2)
QR: 24/20/x/30 (tests 6, 7, 9; tests 7 & 8 I was tired and gave up on- hence not included/low score lol) = avg 24.7
I know they're all over the place, and I apologize. I didn't take them very seriously (except for bio- I was so sad with this average), and just used them to learn more each day.
I did one Kap FL for Bio only, and got a 26. Pretty accurate to what I got, but that might've just been chance.
Anyways! That's how I did it
Hope I can be of some help to someone Shoutouts to Kaplan, orgoman and Ari + Joel + Mike/Bootcamp. Let me know if you have questions I'm freeee! Time to sleep for the next two days!
