Ogchopsticks
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- Jun 27, 2022
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I wanted to share my DAT experience with everyone and hopefully receive/give helpful insight! I have no idea if my DAT score is considered "good" as it is heavily lopsided.
Perceptual Ability: 18
Quantitative Reasoning: 17
Reading Comprehension: 28
Biology: 30
General Chemistry: 19
Organic Chemistry: 22
Total Science: 22
Academic Average: 23
I used Bootcamp.com almost exclusively for DAT preparation. Being a cheap person, I was a nonpaying user and didn't pay for their subscription. Rather than studying a month or so before the DAT, I spaced out my studying throughout undergrad. I started with topics that I could tackle first and introduced new material as I took courses. I took advantage of Bootcamp's various materials such as notes, question banks, practice tests, etc. The practice DAT is the ultimate benchmark for the real DAT. On the practice DAT, I scored a 20 AA. In my opinion, Bootcamp's material is pretty representative of the real deal.
Perceptual Ability: I did not do particularly well in this section; I ran out of time. This section is quite the challenge. There are specific techniques for each subsection in PA. The videos and explanations on Bootcamp were very useful. I used PA generators to test my accuracy and speed. The PA section on the DAT is very fast-paced; you are not expected to spend much time on each question or really get everything correct. Different PA questions require differing amounts of time to complete. For example, you should not spend more than 15-20 seconds each on angle ranking. More complicated things such as pattern folding, top-front-end, and keyhole can take 30-60 seconds. It may be beneficial to tackle the easier/quicker ones first.
Quantitative Reasoning: I did not do particularly well in this section; I ran out of time. The material would be considered college algebra with some practical applications. Speed is your friend. If you feel like you need to spend more than 30 seconds on a question, tag and skip the problem for later. If you're already mathematically inclined, you'll do a lot better than me!
Reading Comprehension: Pretty decent! Seemingly, there's two common ways to tackle this section. Some people read the passage first before looking at the questions. My approach involved reading the question first before skimming through the passage for the answer. My thought process is that this method is efficient; each time you skim through the passage for the answer, you effectively "read" the passage each time. Look for "key" words to become more accurate and quick.
Biology: Honestly, I'm shocked that I received a perfect score on this section. Biology on the DAT can be a bear; there are immense varieties of topics along with attention to detail. Many questions are straightforward and have little background information. In my opinion, there's two halves to biology: memorization and understanding. Memorization only gets you so far; having a deep understanding of biology (ecological, plant/animal physiology, etc.) allows you draw connections between various topics within biology. In other words, understanding means you don't have to "memorize" as much. Additionally, studying biology is mainly reading. It kinda makes sense why my RC and biology scores are higher.
General Chemistry/Organic Chemistry: Studying for chemistry is similar to studying biology (with some math, of course). Having some level of biochemistry knowledge benefits you here.
The DAT is no easy obstacle. There is A LOT of information to tackle. It's like taking the final exam of final exams. It helps to study bit by bit. It can seem very overwhelming. It can be very discouraging to see that you didn't do as well as you wanted during practice questions and tests. However, it is about gradual progress. As long you're progressing (even an inch), you're doing well. A question answered incorrectly is an opportunity to learn. At the end of the day, you get to see your score immediately after the DAT ends. You'll sigh in relief as another obstacle is tackled.
Perceptual Ability: 18
Quantitative Reasoning: 17
Reading Comprehension: 28
Biology: 30
General Chemistry: 19
Organic Chemistry: 22
Total Science: 22
Academic Average: 23
I used Bootcamp.com almost exclusively for DAT preparation. Being a cheap person, I was a nonpaying user and didn't pay for their subscription. Rather than studying a month or so before the DAT, I spaced out my studying throughout undergrad. I started with topics that I could tackle first and introduced new material as I took courses. I took advantage of Bootcamp's various materials such as notes, question banks, practice tests, etc. The practice DAT is the ultimate benchmark for the real DAT. On the practice DAT, I scored a 20 AA. In my opinion, Bootcamp's material is pretty representative of the real deal.
Perceptual Ability: I did not do particularly well in this section; I ran out of time. This section is quite the challenge. There are specific techniques for each subsection in PA. The videos and explanations on Bootcamp were very useful. I used PA generators to test my accuracy and speed. The PA section on the DAT is very fast-paced; you are not expected to spend much time on each question or really get everything correct. Different PA questions require differing amounts of time to complete. For example, you should not spend more than 15-20 seconds each on angle ranking. More complicated things such as pattern folding, top-front-end, and keyhole can take 30-60 seconds. It may be beneficial to tackle the easier/quicker ones first.
Quantitative Reasoning: I did not do particularly well in this section; I ran out of time. The material would be considered college algebra with some practical applications. Speed is your friend. If you feel like you need to spend more than 30 seconds on a question, tag and skip the problem for later. If you're already mathematically inclined, you'll do a lot better than me!
Reading Comprehension: Pretty decent! Seemingly, there's two common ways to tackle this section. Some people read the passage first before looking at the questions. My approach involved reading the question first before skimming through the passage for the answer. My thought process is that this method is efficient; each time you skim through the passage for the answer, you effectively "read" the passage each time. Look for "key" words to become more accurate and quick.
Biology: Honestly, I'm shocked that I received a perfect score on this section. Biology on the DAT can be a bear; there are immense varieties of topics along with attention to detail. Many questions are straightforward and have little background information. In my opinion, there's two halves to biology: memorization and understanding. Memorization only gets you so far; having a deep understanding of biology (ecological, plant/animal physiology, etc.) allows you draw connections between various topics within biology. In other words, understanding means you don't have to "memorize" as much. Additionally, studying biology is mainly reading. It kinda makes sense why my RC and biology scores are higher.
General Chemistry/Organic Chemistry: Studying for chemistry is similar to studying biology (with some math, of course). Having some level of biochemistry knowledge benefits you here.
The DAT is no easy obstacle. There is A LOT of information to tackle. It's like taking the final exam of final exams. It helps to study bit by bit. It can seem very overwhelming. It can be very discouraging to see that you didn't do as well as you wanted during practice questions and tests. However, it is about gradual progress. As long you're progressing (even an inch), you're doing well. A question answered incorrectly is an opportunity to learn. At the end of the day, you get to see your score immediately after the DAT ends. You'll sigh in relief as another obstacle is tackled.
