DAT Clueless!

[coffinhaed]

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Hey guys,

I am currently a junior well I will be in the fall at ASU. I have taken gen bio gen chem and OCHEM 1 & 2 . I am planning on taking the DAT in august and I will start as soon as i get preparation stuff. But that is what i need help with.

What should I get that is good preparation. I am definitely gonna get Destroyer and other Tests. But I want to be able to review everything first or how do you think I should do it.

Also is 2 months or 3 months enough time to give DAT . I am a tutor for GEn CHem n Biology so I kind of review it all the time. But still I would like to hear from people that are preparing and have done good and prepared well obviously

Thank you to anyone who replies to this. your replies are greatly Appreciated 😀

Need Desperate Help.

 

[ohdearhopeipass]

hey there,the best all round base is the kaplan bb. it covers the essentials and is what you should look over before starting destroyer. after destroyer, look over grey areas in textbooks, wiki and cliffs (its best to do this while going through destroyer..... very time consuming but do it!) and its great that you tutor, it will help immensely!! try CDM for the QR section, its great. good luck!!

 

[nze82]

Alright, I'll simply post the way I prepared for this hellish exam:

1-If $$$ is not a problem, sign up for the KAPLAN course. Personally, I think the classroom course is a waste of time, but I think they charge the same amount for the classroom and the online course. Nevertheless, try to sign up for one of them, so you'll have access to their online resources, which include:
a)Bunch of quizzes
b)Lots of workshops to reinforce some of the more challenging concepts.
c)Three full-length exams (That alone will cost ~50$).
Anyways, you get the idea. You'll benefit from what they have to offer online, plus you'll get their review book, which although not sufficient on its own, it's a great way to review some of the general concepts.

I must say that the bio and o-chem sections on the actual DAT are more detailed than what KAPLAN teaches you:

For Bio, try to purchase Cliff's AP Biology in addition to your KAPLAN book. It's not expensive. I got mine for 11$ on amazon.com. It's easy to read and it covers each topic in depth and provides you with the details you need to know for the exam.
For O-chem, you need to know more reactions than what's mentioned in KAPLAN. Hopefully, you've kept your textbooks and/or notes from your O-chem classes. Go back to those and try to memorize as many reactions as possible.

For G-chem, try to get comfortable with the idea of solving problems using that stupid dry-erase board. Remember, NO CALCULATORS ARE ALLOWED, so try to get into the habbit of solving problems without using a calculator, while you're practicing. Destroyer should provide you with enough examples, so that you'll master the topics.

Personally, I started by reading the KAPLAN book. It took me roughly 1 month to finish it. After finishing that, move on to the following to get additional practice:

**Purchase Destroyer and do every single problem in that book. The problems tend to be more challenging than the real test, but you'll thank yourself for purchasing that book later.

**Purchase TopScore and/or Destroyer. Each will provide you with 3 additional full-length exams, so you can test your knowledge after you're done reviewing your material. They also help you with your time management skills, and give you a general idea of how the actual test would look like.

Many people are talking about CDP for the PAT section. It's not a cheap software. I bought it for ~ 99$ if I remember correctly, but I believe there's a cheaper version (provides you with fewer questions) available. Despite the fact that the PAT section of my DAT was much more challenging than what I saw on KAPLAN and CDP, but CDP is a great way to practice for PAT.

I'm not in a position to give out any advice for the QR section, since I did horrible on this section. So, I'll save you headache.

For RC, it simply a matter of practice. You need to find the appropriate paste that works for you. Read too fast and you'll miss many of the info you need to answer the questions; read too slow and you'll run out of time before you know it. There are two major different kinds of strategies out there:
1)The KAPLAN method...You'll hear about this, should you sign up for a KAPLAN course.
2)Seek and destroy...Search this formu to learn more about this technique.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck and have fun studying for the DAT👍

 

[coffinhaed]

Thanks for the quick replies wow this forum is live 😀

I was just going through many threads Nze82 no wonder u are a senior member 😀 great info everywhere from you.

I am going to purchase my cliffs note and Kaplan BB and destroyer as soon as I can.

I am really broke right now kind of I am running on my grant money. but I did save lots of money for something else that I can use for this.,

Kaplan course are way too much lol I couldnt even ask my dad he had been out of work for like 6 months. now finally he got hired again but yeah long story with that lol.

Anyways. I am tutoring Gen Chem and Gen bio to summer classes in the summer too and its always good practice as well.

I think im ok with PAT it always seems real easy for sum reason i took the practice DAT from kaplan and got a 19 on it without even knowing what was gonna be on it..

Also I got the Kaplan blue book from the library. for 07-08. It seems like a long ways to an end lol..

I plan on doing one chapter from that for each science section lets say first day:
1 Bio 1 G chem and 1 Ochem chapters. for mon-thursday. and then Friday and SAturday do Perceptual Ability, and Math.

Reading has always been quite bad for me. I moved to the country like 5 years ago lol but whatever hopefully I can do good on it.

OhdearhopeIpass. Thank you very much for ur reply as well !

I am going to register for my DAT tmrw. im kinda nervous lol but hopefully its enough time I plan on taking it 4 days before college starts again.

I am taking physics, biochem , and organic Evolution, so I know there is not time then for it.

If I score good on DAT, your guys think i should apply to schools already? i have a 2.9 GPA science and 3.27 GPA . I have my volunteering interview tuesday at a childrens dental clinic that does dental work for underpriv kids under 18 also plan on an internship next semester and shadowing a dentist! so I can have good experience.

My top picks are

Midwestern University in Glendale and A T stills University in ARizona because they are here.

I plan on applying for UNLV, Loma Linda maybe and Western College of health sciences.

And again 2 months is good time to give DAT? right? I was raeding someone started may 15th took it 9th or something and had mindblowing scores!

Thank you again guys for both your input. 😀

 

[panda22]

I ordered the Kaplan book, AP Cliffs Bio, and DAT Destroyer.

I really need to start studying hardcore...