Sheabutter
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2022
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 2
Hi everyone!
I took the DAT last on January 26th and I wanted to share with you how I studied. I understand how overwhelming it could be to plan and study for a huge test like DAT.
Overall, I studied for 3 months consistently. Before then, I used to review some bio and chem materials, but I started studying seriously sometime in late October. I studied for an average of 5-7 hours a day and during the last month, I tried to study 8+ hours a day. Personally, I needed this many hours of studying to feel prepared and kind of ready for the exam. I scored 24AA, 27TS, and 26PAT.
Biology (27):
I started biology early because I knew as a psychology bachelor this was the section I needed to study the most. I was slow at reading Bootcamp Bio Academy, but I managed to review it 2-3 times. I didn’t make flashcards because I thought it would be time consuming and I would never have the time to go over all of it. Instead, I downloaded the pdf format of the notes and highlighted the important parts. I strongly recommend Bio Academy over the condensed note. 30 days before my exam, I realized I needed to practice the bio content more because I was scoring 18-19. So I purchased the Booster and took their bio tests along with reviewing Bootcamp Bio notes for the second time and taking their practice tests as well. I didn’t have the time to go over Feralis notes, but I took a look at the topics I wasn’t very confident with.
Gen chem (28):
For this section, I printed Bootcamp’s Genchem handout and watched all Dr.Mike’s videos, and added my own notes to the printed handout. I really wanted to watch Chad’s videos as well, but I didn’t have the time and thought it would be a waste of time to watch two series of gen chem videos. Instead, I spent that time doing more practice questions from both Bootcamp and Booster. In general, I think this section on the actual exam was easier than Bootcamp and Booster.
Ochem (26):
Again, I followed the same habit with ochem. I printed the handout, watched the videos, and did lots of practice questions.
Quantitative Reasoning (21):
I think the questions of this section had the same level of difficulty as Bootcamp QR, however, the answers were a bit trickier in my opinion, so you have to be careful when choosing the answer cause they can sometimes be similar. For this section, I watched Bootcamps’s videos and did all practice questions as well as Bootcamp and Booster’s practice tests.
Reading Comprehension (19):
This is the section I hated the most. As a non-native English speaker, this section was draining for me. I honestly have no tips to give for this section other than sticking to one method and practice.
Perceptual Ability (26):
I practiced a lot with this section. I tried to find the best trick to deal with each section of the PAT and stick to that. Also, If I didn’t know the answer, I would choose the best option and move on because it’s very easy to fall behind on this section and sometimes you’ll never be sure about your answer (like Rock Keyhole questions). I believe the actual PAT was easier than the Bootcamp because I always scored lower than 26 on the Bootcamp.
In general, I believe it’s very important to practice lots and lots of questions. It is important to know the contents but it is more important to know how to apply them in a question especially for the chem section! I know how frustrating preparing for the DAT can be, but you have to stay motivated. You can do it! Study, schedule your test, and take it when you feel ready. Postpone your test if you need extra days studying, but don’t postpone it too many times because you’ll forget the material, and honestly you’ll never feel completely ready.
Good luck everyone!
I took the DAT last on January 26th and I wanted to share with you how I studied. I understand how overwhelming it could be to plan and study for a huge test like DAT.
Overall, I studied for 3 months consistently. Before then, I used to review some bio and chem materials, but I started studying seriously sometime in late October. I studied for an average of 5-7 hours a day and during the last month, I tried to study 8+ hours a day. Personally, I needed this many hours of studying to feel prepared and kind of ready for the exam. I scored 24AA, 27TS, and 26PAT.
Biology (27):
I started biology early because I knew as a psychology bachelor this was the section I needed to study the most. I was slow at reading Bootcamp Bio Academy, but I managed to review it 2-3 times. I didn’t make flashcards because I thought it would be time consuming and I would never have the time to go over all of it. Instead, I downloaded the pdf format of the notes and highlighted the important parts. I strongly recommend Bio Academy over the condensed note. 30 days before my exam, I realized I needed to practice the bio content more because I was scoring 18-19. So I purchased the Booster and took their bio tests along with reviewing Bootcamp Bio notes for the second time and taking their practice tests as well. I didn’t have the time to go over Feralis notes, but I took a look at the topics I wasn’t very confident with.
Gen chem (28):
For this section, I printed Bootcamp’s Genchem handout and watched all Dr.Mike’s videos, and added my own notes to the printed handout. I really wanted to watch Chad’s videos as well, but I didn’t have the time and thought it would be a waste of time to watch two series of gen chem videos. Instead, I spent that time doing more practice questions from both Bootcamp and Booster. In general, I think this section on the actual exam was easier than Bootcamp and Booster.
Ochem (26):
Again, I followed the same habit with ochem. I printed the handout, watched the videos, and did lots of practice questions.
Quantitative Reasoning (21):
I think the questions of this section had the same level of difficulty as Bootcamp QR, however, the answers were a bit trickier in my opinion, so you have to be careful when choosing the answer cause they can sometimes be similar. For this section, I watched Bootcamps’s videos and did all practice questions as well as Bootcamp and Booster’s practice tests.
Reading Comprehension (19):
This is the section I hated the most. As a non-native English speaker, this section was draining for me. I honestly have no tips to give for this section other than sticking to one method and practice.
Perceptual Ability (26):
I practiced a lot with this section. I tried to find the best trick to deal with each section of the PAT and stick to that. Also, If I didn’t know the answer, I would choose the best option and move on because it’s very easy to fall behind on this section and sometimes you’ll never be sure about your answer (like Rock Keyhole questions). I believe the actual PAT was easier than the Bootcamp because I always scored lower than 26 on the Bootcamp.
In general, I believe it’s very important to practice lots and lots of questions. It is important to know the contents but it is more important to know how to apply them in a question especially for the chem section! I know how frustrating preparing for the DAT can be, but you have to stay motivated. You can do it! Study, schedule your test, and take it when you feel ready. Postpone your test if you need extra days studying, but don’t postpone it too many times because you’ll forget the material, and honestly you’ll never feel completely ready.
Good luck everyone!