DAT breakdown

[arasadeghi]

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Hi guys, I know my RC and QR score aren't the best but I wanted to post a breakdown of how I studied since reading everyone's breakdown while I was studying was very helpful. I used bootcamp to study and only got booster a month before my test for more practice problems. In my opinion bootcamp is more than enough unless money is not an issue. I also want to mention that bootcamps estimate scores were very accurate so if you're averaging within the score that you want then you will most likely get around the same score on the DAT.

PAT: I did not struggle as much with PAT and I think it's because I tried to understand it instead of doing a lot of practice problems and hoping to get better with enough practice. Obviously the more you practice the better you get but I think it's more important to understand what you're looking at and how to approach each problem. This was very frustrating at first but once it clicks it's honestly not that bad. What helped me the most were the explanation videos under each question and making sure that I was able to follow along with what she was saying even if I had to rewatch the videos. I recommend that you get as fast as you can in the sections that you're good at so you have more time to work on the harder sections.

QR: I definitely recommend that you start practicing right away and doing at least 20 problems every single day (Do not skip a day). I did not do this and I regret it a lot because QR can easily improve your AA, especially because the questions are so repetitive so make sure you're practicing this section everyday.

RC: I don't have much to say about this section. When I started studying for the DAT I was not worried about this section so I didn't do anything to prepare for it. Then kinda close to my test I took a practice test and did horrible. I think doing practice tests is the best way to improve your score because it will help you manage your time better and allows you to figure out the best method that works for you. My mistake on the actual DAT was that I wasted too much time on one passage because it was easy and I wanted to get all the questions right which made me run out of time and I had to guess on a lot of questions.

BIO: I used the Academy notes to take handwritten notes on the condensed notes that I printed out and made sure that it was complete and included everything that I needed to know. Doing this was important to me because I wanted to have a complete set of notes that I could use for reviewing before my test. I know that this might take a while so if you don't want to read the academy notes then make sure that you read all the explanations under each test problem at least a few times. It's important to consistently review bio so I recommend doing a chapter of bio bites or anki every night. Another way to review bio before your test is to retake all the individual tests and read all the explanations even if you know the topic well.

GC: I watched all of dr.mike's videos and did the question bank for each chapter before taking my first practice test. I was pretty confident and thought that I knew everything but ended up getting a 14. GC was the first practice test that I ever took so after seeing my score I wasn't able to take another practice test for a while. I definitely did not handle the low score well but now I know that it really did not mean anything so don't be so hard on yourself. I used chad's videos to restudy everything and did as many problems as I could. What I recommend for this section is to not worry about time. I was so focused on being fast that I would end up getting a lot of questions wrong. It is more important that you learn and know how to do each problem because your speed will automatically improve with practice.

OC: I used dr.mike’s videos and chad's videos then used bootcamps reactions sheet and reaction bites to memorize all the reactions. Make sure you understand stereochemistry and SN1/SN2 E1/E2 reactions well. After that I mainly focused on the individual tests and the question bank to figure out which sections I needed to study more.