thankful_turkey1
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Hi everyone, I read hundreds of these posts while studying for the DAT so I thought it was only fair to post mine as I just got my score back, these posts helped me get started studying and kept me going when I was anxious right before the exam so feel free to ask any questions! It took about two weeks to get my score back which is fairly quicker than what they write on the paper which is 3-4 weeks.
Score breakdown:
Reading: 460 (22)
QR: 490 (25)
Bio: 490 (25)
Gen chem: 580 (29)
Organic chem: 600 (30)
TS: 560 (28)
AA: 520 (26)
Studying Info:
I studied for about 3 months using DAT Booster as my main resource and added Bootcamp for the last two weeks because I was nervous and wanted extra practice exams. Initially, I chose Booster because it was more cost-effective, but after taking the exam, I honestly think it felt the most representative of the real DAT overall.
I started light content review in late April, but June was when I really ramped things up and got into a solid routine.
Biology:
The Booster Feralis Notes and Quizlet decks were my holy grail. That combination was everything. I did not use Anki because I could not stand the interface, but Quizlet worked perfectly for me. Every day, I spent 2+ hours doing a mix of:
• Reading and reviewing Feralis Notes
• Repeating Booster’s Bio Bites
• Cycling through Quizlet decks for the topics I hit that day
This was the only way I felt confident walking into Bio.
Gen Chem:
I have always liked Gen Chem, so it was not as intimidating for me. My strategy was simple: practice as much as possible. I mostly used Booster question banks, which felt very on point. In the last week, I hand-wrote and memorized all the key formulas. Both Bootcamp and Booster were helpful for Gen Chem, but Booster’s structured review flow made it easier to stay consistent for me.
Organic Chem:
This was trickier for me. SN1, SN2, E1, E2, and acid-base problems were my weak spots. I did three question banks a day plus the corresponding Booster “Reaction Bites” (I highly recommend these because they solidify the topic without overwhelming you with super complex questions). Bootcamp had some great videos for explaining incorrect answers, but since I only bought it in the last two weeks, most of my practice came from Booster. After the real exam, I’m pretty sure Booster was more representative. The actual questions were much simpler. They focused on identifying reagents, products, and hybridization rather than complex mechanisms.
Reading:
This section was a rollercoaster during practice. Some weeks I was on fire, other weeks my scores dropped for no reason. Honestly, I think RC is luck of the draw with your passages. Bootcamp’s practice tests had really long passages, often 13 to 15 paragraphs, which always slowed me down and made me panic about timing. Booster’s were shorter, usually 10 to 13, and the real exam was even closer to Booster. My passages were 8 to 10 paragraphs each, and the questions were much more straightforward. One of my passages was heavy on computer science jargon, which threw me a bit, but the other two were fine.
Quantitative Reasoning:
Math was my biggest fear going in because I am not a math person at all. But I cannot stress this enough: practice is everything. Every day, I picked a topic and worked through Booster’s question banks for it. If I really struggled, I would even pull random PDFs online for extra problems, not necessarily DAT-specific, just for concept mastery. After every practice test, I spent at least 30 minutes reviewing my wrong answers. My first Booster practice score was a 19, and I ended up with a 25 on the real thing. If I can do that, anyone can.
PAT:
I'm going to be honest, I barely focused on PAT because I knew it did not factor into AA, so my score reflected that. My energy went toward the sciences instead.
Actual Test Summary:
• Biology: Slightly harder than expected, not because the content was unfamiliar but because the answer choices were tricky to narrow down.
• Gen Chem and Orgo: These were much easier than any practice I did, and they felt very similar to Booster questions, if anything a little simpler.
• QR: Very manageable. Bootcamp had much harder word problems, which can be great for extra practice, but during my prep they really shook my confidence and made me feel like I would not finish on time. On the actual exam, QR was a breeze and I finished with plenty of time to review.
• Reading: Reflected Booster more in terms of passage length and question style. Bootcamp was harder and had longer passages, which is fine if you want to push yourself, but the real exam was much closer to Booster.
If I had to do it again, I would still stick with Booster as my main resource because the content felt closest to the real exam, the practice tests prepared me without overwhelming me, and it was a better value overall in my opinion but it is different for everyone! Bootcamp definitely has strong points and I can see why people like it, especially if you want more challenging problems to feel extra prepared. For me personally, Booster just aligned more with what I saw on test day.
Score breakdown:
Reading: 460 (22)
QR: 490 (25)
Bio: 490 (25)
Gen chem: 580 (29)
Organic chem: 600 (30)
TS: 560 (28)
AA: 520 (26)
Studying Info:
I studied for about 3 months using DAT Booster as my main resource and added Bootcamp for the last two weeks because I was nervous and wanted extra practice exams. Initially, I chose Booster because it was more cost-effective, but after taking the exam, I honestly think it felt the most representative of the real DAT overall.
I started light content review in late April, but June was when I really ramped things up and got into a solid routine.
Biology:
The Booster Feralis Notes and Quizlet decks were my holy grail. That combination was everything. I did not use Anki because I could not stand the interface, but Quizlet worked perfectly for me. Every day, I spent 2+ hours doing a mix of:
• Reading and reviewing Feralis Notes
• Repeating Booster’s Bio Bites
• Cycling through Quizlet decks for the topics I hit that day
This was the only way I felt confident walking into Bio.
Gen Chem:
I have always liked Gen Chem, so it was not as intimidating for me. My strategy was simple: practice as much as possible. I mostly used Booster question banks, which felt very on point. In the last week, I hand-wrote and memorized all the key formulas. Both Bootcamp and Booster were helpful for Gen Chem, but Booster’s structured review flow made it easier to stay consistent for me.
Organic Chem:
This was trickier for me. SN1, SN2, E1, E2, and acid-base problems were my weak spots. I did three question banks a day plus the corresponding Booster “Reaction Bites” (I highly recommend these because they solidify the topic without overwhelming you with super complex questions). Bootcamp had some great videos for explaining incorrect answers, but since I only bought it in the last two weeks, most of my practice came from Booster. After the real exam, I’m pretty sure Booster was more representative. The actual questions were much simpler. They focused on identifying reagents, products, and hybridization rather than complex mechanisms.
Reading:
This section was a rollercoaster during practice. Some weeks I was on fire, other weeks my scores dropped for no reason. Honestly, I think RC is luck of the draw with your passages. Bootcamp’s practice tests had really long passages, often 13 to 15 paragraphs, which always slowed me down and made me panic about timing. Booster’s were shorter, usually 10 to 13, and the real exam was even closer to Booster. My passages were 8 to 10 paragraphs each, and the questions were much more straightforward. One of my passages was heavy on computer science jargon, which threw me a bit, but the other two were fine.
Quantitative Reasoning:
Math was my biggest fear going in because I am not a math person at all. But I cannot stress this enough: practice is everything. Every day, I picked a topic and worked through Booster’s question banks for it. If I really struggled, I would even pull random PDFs online for extra problems, not necessarily DAT-specific, just for concept mastery. After every practice test, I spent at least 30 minutes reviewing my wrong answers. My first Booster practice score was a 19, and I ended up with a 25 on the real thing. If I can do that, anyone can.
PAT:
I'm going to be honest, I barely focused on PAT because I knew it did not factor into AA, so my score reflected that. My energy went toward the sciences instead.
Actual Test Summary:
• Biology: Slightly harder than expected, not because the content was unfamiliar but because the answer choices were tricky to narrow down.
• Gen Chem and Orgo: These were much easier than any practice I did, and they felt very similar to Booster questions, if anything a little simpler.
• QR: Very manageable. Bootcamp had much harder word problems, which can be great for extra practice, but during my prep they really shook my confidence and made me feel like I would not finish on time. On the actual exam, QR was a breeze and I finished with plenty of time to review.
• Reading: Reflected Booster more in terms of passage length and question style. Bootcamp was harder and had longer passages, which is fine if you want to push yourself, but the real exam was much closer to Booster.
If I had to do it again, I would still stick with Booster as my main resource because the content felt closest to the real exam, the practice tests prepared me without overwhelming me, and it was a better value overall in my opinion but it is different for everyone! Bootcamp definitely has strong points and I can see why people like it, especially if you want more challenging problems to feel extra prepared. For me personally, Booster just aligned more with what I saw on test day.
