PurpleSails
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- Mar 19, 2022
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Hello! I thought I’ll make a DAT breakdown; I’ve read so many of these while I was studying and they were really helpful, so I’ll add mine to the mix!
I just took my DAT this morning (sorry if there are typos, my brain is still really fried).
Scores:: AA: 24, TS:22
Resources used: DATBooster (YESSS), Anki(DOUBLE YESSS), DAT Destroyer(Egh), MATH Destroyer
c)
Background info: I’m a bio major, graduated May 2021 (so I took all the required classes + upper-level bio classes)
Study Schedule: I studied for around three months. For the first ~50 days, I followed Phase 1 DAT booster’s study schedule, checking everything off in order. I worked part-time as a dental assistant from 8 AM- 12 PM, and then I’ll study for 2-3 hours. On weekends, I’ll park myself at a coffee shop and study 6+ hours a day.
Biology (23): Feralis notes is all you need. Every question I had on my DAT was somewhere in Feralis. If someone were to memorize everything on there, they’ll probably ace the Bio section. Feralis notes on Booster also has pictures along with explanations, which made the notes seem a lot less dense. Problem is remembering all the information in there. For the first 1-2 months, I read over the notes and watched the videos on DAT booster. However, when I was doing practice tests in the 3rd month of studying, I realize I retained very little of the information. Anki really saved me here. I downloaded all the Anki questions from Booster and did all of them. There is like 4000+ cards for biology, but if you start doing cards every time you want use your phone (waiting rooms, bathroom lines, laying on your bed) it goes fast. I only wish I started earlier, I’m sure I would have gotten a much higher score. I did about 100 biology questions on DAT destroyer. These are overkill. I thought using such an overkill resource would help me learn more and maybe get me a better score, but questions on Destroyer were so far off the left field, I would have wasted so much time if I kept on doing those questions. DATBooster Biology is also overkill, but just barely enough to help you for the harder questions you might see, not so much that it would be a waste of time. DATbooster’s tests was harder than the real test. I got about 19-20 on practice tests. DATBooster’s bio videos are also fantastic, I just wish there were more of them. But the small parts of the information that they do cover is a gold mine. I watched them multiple times while running on my treadmill to the point that I basically memorized the words, and I’m so glad I did, there were many questions on my DAT that I wouldn’t have been able to answer without the videos.
Gen Chem (25): When I started studying, this was my worst section. I was scoring 16 on practice tests. But after doing practice questions on DATbooster, I realized that there are only few types of calculation questions that they might ask, and if you know how to do them, you’re set. Know how to do all the questions on the Extra Questions on DATBooster, and you’ll do fine. It was incredibly hard for me initially (I didn’t even know how to calculate molality), but after recognizing the repetitiveness of the questions, it was relatively easy. The harder part were the conceptual questions. But all the conceptual questions I got on my DAT were addressed in DATbooster videos.
Organic Chemistry (21): I never really got organic chemistry. I never learned it from my Prof during the pandemic, so I just brute forced it by making Anki cards for all the reactions. DAT Destroyer was helpful for the reaction Roadmaps. I memorized the roadmaps by drawing a blank with all the products missing on my Ipad and filling them in before I started studying every other morning. At first, doing all 6 roadmaps and mini maps took me 30 mins, but near the test, it took me only 10 minutes. My DAT also had so many IR spectra questions. I should have memorized the associated wavelengths and functional groups, it might have earned me couple more points, so I highly suggest you look over it before your test. I really, really regret not memorizing them. DAT destroyer had many conceptual questions, and since I never really understood Orgo, I knew it would be a waste of time, so I just blindly memorized the reactions and mechanisms, since I knew it would be the easiest way to maximize my score in the time I had.
Reading Comprehension (26): I did few practice tests on Booster, but my scores were so scattered depending on how hard the passage was, but my scores averaged around 20. I realized that doing practice questions was a complete waste of time. For first few weeks, I did the recommended readings, but I stopped that too. Once you get a technique down (mine was to first scan all the questions before I start reading so I know what to look out for), there is no reason to keep doing practice tests.
PAT (21) : I was surprised at this score, because I was averaging around 24 on practice tests on Booster. Remember Prometric has a lag between questions (1-2 seconds), and when you jump to a question while on the “reviewed marked questions” window, the lag time increases to 5 seconds. My strategy during practice test was to mark harder questions to come back later, and I’m sure I lost previous time skipping around while it lagged. (The blue bar of death on top of the screen still counted my time down while the page loaded with nothing else on the screen). I also spent way too much time on the beginning of the PAT section with Rock keyholes and TFE. I hindsight, I should have guessed on those rock keyholes. I ran out of time during pattern folding and had to guess on the last few questions. (I clicked B for all the guesses)
QR (23): The questions on DATBooster are much harder, so if you can do those, you are set for these sections. Every single question I got on this section had a similar counterpart on DATbooster. My only problem was time management; I kept redoing my problems to check my answer. I think if I didn’t rework the problems to make sure they were right, I would have finished with time left. DAT/MATH Destroyer has similar questions to the real DAT as well, but Booster was much more simplified and relevant. It separates each type of questions into different sections so I could review concepts that I was having trouble on, which was very helpful. MATH Destroyer sometimes felt like it was more about quantity over quality. Booster has much fewer questions, much they were more like the actual DAT
That’s it everyone! If I could do it, so could you! I had to cancel my DAT last year because I wasn’t ready ( I literally decided the morning of the test to not take it). So take your time, study hard, use Anki, and bring a carb-rich snack to the test!
I just took my DAT this morning (sorry if there are typos, my brain is still really fried).
Scores:: AA: 24, TS:22
Resources used: DATBooster (YESSS), Anki(DOUBLE YESSS), DAT Destroyer(Egh), MATH Destroyer
c)Background info: I’m a bio major, graduated May 2021 (so I took all the required classes + upper-level bio classes)
Study Schedule: I studied for around three months. For the first ~50 days, I followed Phase 1 DAT booster’s study schedule, checking everything off in order. I worked part-time as a dental assistant from 8 AM- 12 PM, and then I’ll study for 2-3 hours. On weekends, I’ll park myself at a coffee shop and study 6+ hours a day.
Biology (23): Feralis notes is all you need. Every question I had on my DAT was somewhere in Feralis. If someone were to memorize everything on there, they’ll probably ace the Bio section. Feralis notes on Booster also has pictures along with explanations, which made the notes seem a lot less dense. Problem is remembering all the information in there. For the first 1-2 months, I read over the notes and watched the videos on DAT booster. However, when I was doing practice tests in the 3rd month of studying, I realize I retained very little of the information. Anki really saved me here. I downloaded all the Anki questions from Booster and did all of them. There is like 4000+ cards for biology, but if you start doing cards every time you want use your phone (waiting rooms, bathroom lines, laying on your bed) it goes fast. I only wish I started earlier, I’m sure I would have gotten a much higher score. I did about 100 biology questions on DAT destroyer. These are overkill. I thought using such an overkill resource would help me learn more and maybe get me a better score, but questions on Destroyer were so far off the left field, I would have wasted so much time if I kept on doing those questions. DATBooster Biology is also overkill, but just barely enough to help you for the harder questions you might see, not so much that it would be a waste of time. DATbooster’s tests was harder than the real test. I got about 19-20 on practice tests. DATBooster’s bio videos are also fantastic, I just wish there were more of them. But the small parts of the information that they do cover is a gold mine. I watched them multiple times while running on my treadmill to the point that I basically memorized the words, and I’m so glad I did, there were many questions on my DAT that I wouldn’t have been able to answer without the videos.
Gen Chem (25): When I started studying, this was my worst section. I was scoring 16 on practice tests. But after doing practice questions on DATbooster, I realized that there are only few types of calculation questions that they might ask, and if you know how to do them, you’re set. Know how to do all the questions on the Extra Questions on DATBooster, and you’ll do fine. It was incredibly hard for me initially (I didn’t even know how to calculate molality), but after recognizing the repetitiveness of the questions, it was relatively easy. The harder part were the conceptual questions. But all the conceptual questions I got on my DAT were addressed in DATbooster videos.
Organic Chemistry (21): I never really got organic chemistry. I never learned it from my Prof during the pandemic, so I just brute forced it by making Anki cards for all the reactions. DAT Destroyer was helpful for the reaction Roadmaps. I memorized the roadmaps by drawing a blank with all the products missing on my Ipad and filling them in before I started studying every other morning. At first, doing all 6 roadmaps and mini maps took me 30 mins, but near the test, it took me only 10 minutes. My DAT also had so many IR spectra questions. I should have memorized the associated wavelengths and functional groups, it might have earned me couple more points, so I highly suggest you look over it before your test. I really, really regret not memorizing them. DAT destroyer had many conceptual questions, and since I never really understood Orgo, I knew it would be a waste of time, so I just blindly memorized the reactions and mechanisms, since I knew it would be the easiest way to maximize my score in the time I had.
Reading Comprehension (26): I did few practice tests on Booster, but my scores were so scattered depending on how hard the passage was, but my scores averaged around 20. I realized that doing practice questions was a complete waste of time. For first few weeks, I did the recommended readings, but I stopped that too. Once you get a technique down (mine was to first scan all the questions before I start reading so I know what to look out for), there is no reason to keep doing practice tests.
PAT (21) : I was surprised at this score, because I was averaging around 24 on practice tests on Booster. Remember Prometric has a lag between questions (1-2 seconds), and when you jump to a question while on the “reviewed marked questions” window, the lag time increases to 5 seconds. My strategy during practice test was to mark harder questions to come back later, and I’m sure I lost previous time skipping around while it lagged. (The blue bar of death on top of the screen still counted my time down while the page loaded with nothing else on the screen). I also spent way too much time on the beginning of the PAT section with Rock keyholes and TFE. I hindsight, I should have guessed on those rock keyholes. I ran out of time during pattern folding and had to guess on the last few questions. (I clicked B for all the guesses)
QR (23): The questions on DATBooster are much harder, so if you can do those, you are set for these sections. Every single question I got on this section had a similar counterpart on DATbooster. My only problem was time management; I kept redoing my problems to check my answer. I think if I didn’t rework the problems to make sure they were right, I would have finished with time left. DAT/MATH Destroyer has similar questions to the real DAT as well, but Booster was much more simplified and relevant. It separates each type of questions into different sections so I could review concepts that I was having trouble on, which was very helpful. MATH Destroyer sometimes felt like it was more about quantity over quality. Booster has much fewer questions, much they were more like the actual DAT
That’s it everyone! If I could do it, so could you! I had to cancel my DAT last year because I wasn’t ready ( I literally decided the morning of the test to not take it). So take your time, study hard, use Anki, and bring a carb-rich snack to the test!
