DAT done! 11 June 2012

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

zackc19

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
184
Reaction score
0
Well these were very helpful for me in preparation for the DAT, so I guess I'll help some other people out.

Here's my scores:

PAT: 19
QR: 17
RC: 22
Bio:19
GC: 18
OC: 25
TS: 19
AA: 20

Overall I am pretty happy with my scores. The test sucks, but it is doable.

Bio: Biology sucks to learn, but for me, it was probably the easiest part of the test. Really, either you know it or you don't. I flew threw this section. There's no calculation, really just a regurgitation of facts... I used the KBB more than anything else. I also used Barron's. KBB covered pretty much everything, but it is good to use a couple sources I think. Also, keep in mind that the last Bio class I took was five years ago and 6 months ago I literally didn't know the difference between a prokaryotic and a eukaryotic cell, or that there even was two types of cells! Seriously! But I studied Bio like 5 times more than anything else and ended up doing pretty well considering... So I am happy with my 19. As has been said before, it's really not that in depth, but it covers A LOT of topics.

Gen Chem: I was surprised at how low my score was in GC... I did QVault and had a higher average... 19/17/21/22/20/19/19 Who knows though, I guess I just screwed up. The questions were actually pretty basic. There weren't as many calculations and formulas needed as I thought there would be. Since that was the main focus of my studies I think that might have been what set me back... Who knows I guess.

Ochem: This was my best section by far. I did not study for this at all... Ironic eh? I was in the 96.6% for this one. This was the class I had finished most recently. Here's a tidbit for you people working on Qvault: 20/19/19/16/19 Yep, that is a 16 from three days ago! Ochem was pretty rudimentary... Nothing too crazy. I hated Qvault Ochem and basically said "screw you Qvault, I don't think that random crap will be on there", and I was right.

RC: I had taken one of the Qvault practice tests and got a 22. I started another one a couple days ago but decided it was too hard and just decided to focus on other subjects. I ran out of time on the Qvault practice test. I also did one out of the Barron book and ran out of time. Well on the actual DAT I finished with almost 15 minutes!!! I had time to go back and completely review the first essay. I knew I didn't have it perfect, but I'm pleased with my score. It was about half and half factual and tone-type questions. I skimmed the essay then did search and destroy... I mean really, can anyone actually remember all of the random details and facts? If so then kudos to you.

PAT: I did very little studying for this one. The hardest part was time management. I never did a timed test for this section... I actually ended up just completely guessing on about the last 10 because I was out of time. Angle ranking which I heard was supposed to be the hardest was difficult, but not impossible. I feel I did pretty well on that part. Keyhole was probably the most difficult for me (I don't know if that is what it is actually called, but that's what I call it) I wasted too much time on this section. I was very pleased with a 19 since I literally just guess on the last 10.

QR: My worst section by far. I simply ran out of time and didn't have time to finish at all or go back and review the ones I marked. I guess I am just slow at math or something, but it seemed impossible. I guessed, marked, and moved on with about 7 questions, then had only about a minute and a half left with 6 problems to go, so I just clicked on random ones for those too. So I'd say that I took blind guesses for at least 10 to 12 on this section. I was relieved that the damage was only a 17 and not worse.

My Qvault scores for QR: 19/19/22/20 I DID run out of time on these too, but I just finished them anyways... Oops.


Overall I would say that time was the biggest factor for me. I could have done all but one of the QR questions if I had had more time... So keep this in mind in your studying! Same with PAT. The PAT questions are not that hard, you just have to fly through them!

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope all of this helps someone...

Oh yeah! One more thing. Khan Academy was a great resource. I used www.khanacademy.com for tons of concepts in Bio and gen chem. Its free and definitely worth a visit. The only draw back I found is that they are taught at a very slow pace. If you stick it out though, you will definitely understand it.
 
Last edited:
Well these were very helpful for me in preparation for the DAT, so I guess I'll help some other people out.

Here's my scores:

PAT: 19
QR: 17
RC: 22
Bio:19
GC: 18
OC: 25
TS: 19
AA: 20

👍 How long did and how often did you study? Is barron's + KBB enough for Bio?
 
I studied Bio about 8 hours a day for about a month and a half. I based it all on KBB. The things I didn't understand from that, I either looked up on youtube or Khan Academy. Khan Academy was a major help for clarifying details. I used Barron's as easy reading... It just seemed to be lighter reading. Also, for the price you can't beat it. If nothing else Barron's is worth it for the practice tests.

Overall, I would say Barron's and KBB are enough to get around a 20 in Bio. If you know everything in there you will do well.
 
Top