predental128
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2021
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 2
Hey guys, I just took the DAT last week and I thought these breakdowns were extremely helpful while I was studying. Before anything, I would just like to say this test is daunting and took a big toll on me. I consistently prayed and I had an army of people praying for me and I genuinely believe that is the only reason I got through these past three months. It is really important to prioritize your mental health and do things that make you happy. There is more to life than the DAT. The resources I used were DAT Bootcamp and DAT Booster. I started studying at the beginning of May and took my exam beginning of August so roughly 3 months.
Bio - 26
GC - 21
OC - 26
QR - 18
RC - 23
PAT - 18
BIO (26)
Bio - 26
GC - 21
OC - 26
QR - 18
RC - 23
PAT - 18
BIO (26)
- This section was something I was nervous about just because of the vast amount of information that I was expected to know. I started by following Ari’s schedule on Bootcamp and read the academy notes the first day I was learning the material and then read the condensed notes the second day. I would also complete the bio bites and question bank for each chapter. After going through all the chapters I watched all the anatomy videos on Bootcamp that I needed better clarification on. After taking every bio test I would have an excel sheet with all of the questions I got wrong and the questions I was not 100% sure about. However, after going through the first five tests on Bootcamp and the first five tests on booster, I realized my scores were really low and I needed to go over the content once again. This time I used the Feralis notes and they were a game-changer for me. Feralis notes were a little more comprehensive than the DAT but it helped me identify all my weak topics (the different hormones, cycles, etc). I took notes on all six chapters and then I did the remaining 5 tests on booster and Bootcamp. My score went up a few points and I started to notice things I consistently kept getting wrong so I focused more on that. The videos on booster were extremely concise and to the point. The taxonomy videos especially were so great and I am so glad I came across them. They were so helpful and I recommend them if you can. The actual test was just like booster, if not a bit easier. I got a few similar questions to booster on my actual exam which was relieving. For bio the biggest thing like everyone says is breadth over depth. I did not have any questions on my DAT that were asking for anything specific, it was all big picture stuff. DAT booster is a must for the section, the questions were so on par with my exam and I feel like booster was the most representative of the test.
- For orgo, Mike’s videos on Bootcamp were really helpful. I did all the question banks and all 10 exams on both booster and Bootcamp. Then I put all my wrong answers into the excel sheet and would review what I was getting wrong. I did not memorize all the reactions, I just had a general overview of what each reaction did for ex: Na2Cr2O7 oxidizes. After going through all of the exams I did the extra questions on booster which helped me identify anything I was still confused about. My exam was conceptual and asked about different trends. I only had a few reactions. Orgo on my exam was much easier than anything I saw on booster or Bootcamp.
- I also watched all of Mike’s videos for this section and some of Chad’s videos. I had a few calculation questions but most of them were conceptual. I would recommend knowing all the periodic table trends. I did all the question banks on Bootcamp and all the question banks on booster. I liked that for all of the exams on Bootcamp there was a video explanation. It helped me understand why each answer choice was wrong/right. I thought the extra questions on booster were really useful in helping me solidify any topics and I did them all two days before my test.
- I am so happy I at least got an 18 on this section. My QR section was so hard. The last 7 questions I had to guess on. I watched all of the Bootcamp videos and was scoring inconsistently on booster and Bootcamp. If I were to retake this exam I would do some QR every day and practice every type of question. Booster was harder than my exam. Bootcamp was more comparable to QR on the actual exam.
- This section was extremely easier than booster and more on par with Bootcamp. I had one passage that had graphs which were a little confusing but other than that most of my questions were factual and a few inference questions. During the beginning of my studies, I read a few science articles here and there but I stopped the last month of studying. I used passage mapping and abused the highlighting feature which was so clutch.
- I was disappointed with this section because for some reason I ran out of time which never happened during the practice exams. I think for this section pacing yourself is key. I feel like every section was harder than anything I saw on booster or Bootcamp. However, if I were to pick a resource most similar to my exam, I would say booster. My biggest advice would be not to spend so much time on one question, The first 20 mins I was overanalyzing keyholes so when it came to cube counting and pattern folding which were my best sections, I was rushing and almost guessing. For the last three weeks of studying, I did not do any additional practice other than my practice exams. If I were to go back I would try to squeeze in some PAT every day.
