- Joined
- Jul 1, 2015
- Messages
- 103
- Reaction score
- 101
Hey guys, first order of business: Thank you, without this community I would have never found the advice or resources to score well on this exam.
Took the DAT this morning and still recovering, it takes a lot out of you.
Scores:
RC: 25
PAT: 20
QR: 25
OC: 23
GC: 23
Bio: 21
TS: 23
AA: 24
The Breakdown!
I had about two and a half weeks to study for the exam mainly due to me putting it off while taking summer physics. I spent an average of 6 hrs a day for those two and a half weeks with about 2 days off studying using Kaplan, DAT Bootcamp and DAT Destroyer. My philosophy for studying was to spend almost all of my time on the sciences, as I felt those would be the most looked at sections by adcoms and with how little time I had to study I knew I wanted to do well in at least these sections.
Bio: To study for Bio I did all of the DAT Bootcamp biology tests and drilled what I did not know. The explanations are the best thing about Bootcamp. Instead of simply looking at the correct answer, look at the rest of the answers to see why they were incorrect as well as the explanation for why the correct answer was the correct answer. There will be many times that you want to just move on after seeing that you missed a question, DON'T do it. I also used the first 200 or so questions from Destroyer to figure out where I needed to focus, from there I would just wiki stuff... Honestly Bio was just drilling the basics until you knew them in your sleep and then drilling the not so basics and knowing that the odds were in your favor the more you studied. It's not a test of understanding, rather than a test of rote memorization.
OC: My first two exams on Bootcamp were a 14 and 16 if I remember correctly, which was the wakeup call I needed. It's been years since I have taken O. Chem and I definitely needed a refresher. After seeing those scores, I realized that I needed to spend a couple days drilling O. Chem non-stop and so I did. I used Bootcamp to see what I missed, watch the explanation, and then redo the problem methodically until I had it. In addition to Bootcamp I used Professor Dave's video's on youtube, they are invaluable and one of your greatest and best of all FREE resources. After drilling for two days my subsequent OC Bootcamp scores were 29, 27 and 24. I didn't spend much time after these two days on OC, which is why my scores dropped over time and even more so on the actual exam. I didn't actually do any of the Destroyer problems past #50 after realizing how ridiculously difficult and time consuming they were, however the must know rxns. at the beginning of Destroyer were invaluable and I made sure to brush up on them everyday.
GC: Purely Bootcamp, and honestly I didn't study for gen. chem until the day or two before the exam for a couple of hours. Gen. Chem has always been my strong point throughout undergrad and I fell back on that for better or for worse. If you're not a wiz at Gen. Chem. I would suggest repetition, that is drill Bootcamp and Destroyer until you know it inside out. The beautiful thing about Gen. Chem is that there isn't that much they can ask you about, so just review what you miss and repeat.
PAT: I took 2-3 Bootcamp exams and got two 19s and and 18. I didn't spend much time on it, because I had heard that Bootcamp is more difficult than the real thing. When I was taking the real thing, I was sure I was going to get an 18 or so, not the case.
RC: Did one or two practice exams, the biggest thing here is to get your timing down. I found it helpful to read the whole passage quickly and answer what you can, then comeback at the end to nitpick for what you couldn't pick up in your initial reading of the passage.
QR: I've always heard that this is the least important section, so I didn't bother studying for it. I also just came off of physics, so plenty of formulas, algebra and trig. are still fresh in my mind.
Ratings:
DAT Bootcamp: This is the holy grail of DAT preparation, I can't stress this enough. 1000/10
Destroyer: I didn't realize what I was getting myself into here. With only two weeks to study, Destroyer was literally the worst piece of study material. Had I had a couple months to study, it likely would have been up there with Bootcamp. The breadth is simply too much and there are too many specifics that prevent you from attacking the basics. **Destroyer is for the already proficient, those who have mastered the basics, use it as your final preparation** For me: 4/10; for those with more time: 10/10. Now proficient, I feel like I could study with Destroyer for a month and fill the gaps between my 22s and the more elusive 25-27. Destroyer is intense, respect it, the disclaimer behind the cover is there for a reason.
Kaplan: Spent a day with it, took a practice exam, felt depressed and put it in the corner. 0/10
Finally, take breaks from studying! Even if I only spent 6 hours a day studying, I still felt mental fatigue by the end of the day. Take breaks every hour or two, otherwise you'll find yourself going through the motions while thinking about something completely unrelated. Maybe that's just me...
Note to Ari: Sorry I never replied to your emails! I was so busy cramming all of this studying into the past two weeks that I forgot to check my emails. Thank you so much for Bootcamp, I can't begin to express how amazing of a study tool it is. The videos included with the GC and OC sections were perhaps the greatest chemistry study aid OF ALL TIME. Thanks again!
If anyone wants a full history of my Bootcamp scores, let me know. I'd be happy to dig them up and post them for you.
Best of Luck!
Took the DAT this morning and still recovering, it takes a lot out of you.
Scores:
RC: 25
PAT: 20
QR: 25
OC: 23
GC: 23
Bio: 21
TS: 23
AA: 24
The Breakdown!
I had about two and a half weeks to study for the exam mainly due to me putting it off while taking summer physics. I spent an average of 6 hrs a day for those two and a half weeks with about 2 days off studying using Kaplan, DAT Bootcamp and DAT Destroyer. My philosophy for studying was to spend almost all of my time on the sciences, as I felt those would be the most looked at sections by adcoms and with how little time I had to study I knew I wanted to do well in at least these sections.
Bio: To study for Bio I did all of the DAT Bootcamp biology tests and drilled what I did not know. The explanations are the best thing about Bootcamp. Instead of simply looking at the correct answer, look at the rest of the answers to see why they were incorrect as well as the explanation for why the correct answer was the correct answer. There will be many times that you want to just move on after seeing that you missed a question, DON'T do it. I also used the first 200 or so questions from Destroyer to figure out where I needed to focus, from there I would just wiki stuff... Honestly Bio was just drilling the basics until you knew them in your sleep and then drilling the not so basics and knowing that the odds were in your favor the more you studied. It's not a test of understanding, rather than a test of rote memorization.
OC: My first two exams on Bootcamp were a 14 and 16 if I remember correctly, which was the wakeup call I needed. It's been years since I have taken O. Chem and I definitely needed a refresher. After seeing those scores, I realized that I needed to spend a couple days drilling O. Chem non-stop and so I did. I used Bootcamp to see what I missed, watch the explanation, and then redo the problem methodically until I had it. In addition to Bootcamp I used Professor Dave's video's on youtube, they are invaluable and one of your greatest and best of all FREE resources. After drilling for two days my subsequent OC Bootcamp scores were 29, 27 and 24. I didn't spend much time after these two days on OC, which is why my scores dropped over time and even more so on the actual exam. I didn't actually do any of the Destroyer problems past #50 after realizing how ridiculously difficult and time consuming they were, however the must know rxns. at the beginning of Destroyer were invaluable and I made sure to brush up on them everyday.
GC: Purely Bootcamp, and honestly I didn't study for gen. chem until the day or two before the exam for a couple of hours. Gen. Chem has always been my strong point throughout undergrad and I fell back on that for better or for worse. If you're not a wiz at Gen. Chem. I would suggest repetition, that is drill Bootcamp and Destroyer until you know it inside out. The beautiful thing about Gen. Chem is that there isn't that much they can ask you about, so just review what you miss and repeat.
PAT: I took 2-3 Bootcamp exams and got two 19s and and 18. I didn't spend much time on it, because I had heard that Bootcamp is more difficult than the real thing. When I was taking the real thing, I was sure I was going to get an 18 or so, not the case.
RC: Did one or two practice exams, the biggest thing here is to get your timing down. I found it helpful to read the whole passage quickly and answer what you can, then comeback at the end to nitpick for what you couldn't pick up in your initial reading of the passage.
QR: I've always heard that this is the least important section, so I didn't bother studying for it. I also just came off of physics, so plenty of formulas, algebra and trig. are still fresh in my mind.
Ratings:
DAT Bootcamp: This is the holy grail of DAT preparation, I can't stress this enough. 1000/10
Destroyer: I didn't realize what I was getting myself into here. With only two weeks to study, Destroyer was literally the worst piece of study material. Had I had a couple months to study, it likely would have been up there with Bootcamp. The breadth is simply too much and there are too many specifics that prevent you from attacking the basics. **Destroyer is for the already proficient, those who have mastered the basics, use it as your final preparation** For me: 4/10; for those with more time: 10/10. Now proficient, I feel like I could study with Destroyer for a month and fill the gaps between my 22s and the more elusive 25-27. Destroyer is intense, respect it, the disclaimer behind the cover is there for a reason.
Kaplan: Spent a day with it, took a practice exam, felt depressed and put it in the corner. 0/10
Finally, take breaks from studying! Even if I only spent 6 hours a day studying, I still felt mental fatigue by the end of the day. Take breaks every hour or two, otherwise you'll find yourself going through the motions while thinking about something completely unrelated. Maybe that's just me...
Note to Ari: Sorry I never replied to your emails! I was so busy cramming all of this studying into the past two weeks that I forgot to check my emails. Thank you so much for Bootcamp, I can't begin to express how amazing of a study tool it is. The videos included with the GC and OC sections were perhaps the greatest chemistry study aid OF ALL TIME. Thanks again!
If anyone wants a full history of my Bootcamp scores, let me know. I'd be happy to dig them up and post them for you.
Best of Luck!
Last edited:
. Confidence is key. I always feel like an idiot xD. Just yolo 
but thank you for the moral support, I will try to kick the DAT's butt
