- Joined
- Jan 19, 2008
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First off, I wanna thank SDN for being a great resource. I got lots of advice and help just by reading threads alone... 😉 it's my turn to give back!
Finished DAT on 3/7/08. The test center was quiet and clean. I was not allowed to bring in anything but two forms of ID (they provide locker for your personal belongings). No scratch papers. No water bottle. They gave me two black markers, two laminated blue sheets, and a marker eraser.
breakdown of the exam:
Biology- It was more about memorization. I'd say the difficuty was as same as topscore but required more "thinking." Some problems had long description but the concepts were basic. So don't spend too much time studying for tiny details, but do focus on the big picture. Make sure you know the basics very well. I would memorize the kaplan book front to back and refer to Schaum's or Campbell for your weak spots. No plants. Basic classification.
Chemisry- It was a little more difficult than practice tests. Lewis structure problems were tricky. Lots of calculations so time control is very important. DAT does not give you enough time to think so the best way to study is doing lots of pratice problems so on the real thing you can solve problems fast. Lots of equilibrium concepts and calculations.
Orgo- Kaplan book is enough for it. Simply you-know-it-or-not problems. I got one experiment problem. One NMR.
PAT- Some of the angles were like 2 degrees apart, for 3~4 problems. Answer eliminating is a good way to save you time. Find the larest angle and and the smallest first. Sometimes after this step your possible choice is down to one. Hole punching was harder than kaplan or topscore, almost as difficult as Crack PAT. The other sections were okay, more like the official sample test.
RC: I can't give any advice on this. I am not a fast reader and I couldn't find anything to improve my reading speed effectively so decided to give up eventually 😛 All I can say is the three passages I got were not hard to read but they were indeed very long...
QR: Do lots of practice problems. Doing lots of them does enhance your problem-solving speed. They give you just enough time to finish every problem that means you are not allowed to take time to think or dig out your old memory from high school math classes. So do know everything before you take the real DAT. It was harder than kaplan.
Most useful studying tools: KAPLAN, DESTROYER, and CAMPBELL for graphical explanation. I would not memorize the whole campbell book. It gives much more than you need to know. Schuam's did a good job on charts so I used those charts for review purposes. No need to read the whole thing. The book is way too verbose.
Scores: 20TS 22AA 28PA
Good luck to everyone!! 🙂
ps, I'm getting rid of my books so PM if you're looking to buy prep books!
Finished DAT on 3/7/08. The test center was quiet and clean. I was not allowed to bring in anything but two forms of ID (they provide locker for your personal belongings). No scratch papers. No water bottle. They gave me two black markers, two laminated blue sheets, and a marker eraser.
breakdown of the exam:
Biology- It was more about memorization. I'd say the difficuty was as same as topscore but required more "thinking." Some problems had long description but the concepts were basic. So don't spend too much time studying for tiny details, but do focus on the big picture. Make sure you know the basics very well. I would memorize the kaplan book front to back and refer to Schaum's or Campbell for your weak spots. No plants. Basic classification.
Chemisry- It was a little more difficult than practice tests. Lewis structure problems were tricky. Lots of calculations so time control is very important. DAT does not give you enough time to think so the best way to study is doing lots of pratice problems so on the real thing you can solve problems fast. Lots of equilibrium concepts and calculations.
Orgo- Kaplan book is enough for it. Simply you-know-it-or-not problems. I got one experiment problem. One NMR.
PAT- Some of the angles were like 2 degrees apart, for 3~4 problems. Answer eliminating is a good way to save you time. Find the larest angle and and the smallest first. Sometimes after this step your possible choice is down to one. Hole punching was harder than kaplan or topscore, almost as difficult as Crack PAT. The other sections were okay, more like the official sample test.
RC: I can't give any advice on this. I am not a fast reader and I couldn't find anything to improve my reading speed effectively so decided to give up eventually 😛 All I can say is the three passages I got were not hard to read but they were indeed very long...
QR: Do lots of practice problems. Doing lots of them does enhance your problem-solving speed. They give you just enough time to finish every problem that means you are not allowed to take time to think or dig out your old memory from high school math classes. So do know everything before you take the real DAT. It was harder than kaplan.
Most useful studying tools: KAPLAN, DESTROYER, and CAMPBELL for graphical explanation. I would not memorize the whole campbell book. It gives much more than you need to know. Schuam's did a good job on charts so I used those charts for review purposes. No need to read the whole thing. The book is way too verbose.
Scores: 20TS 22AA 28PA
Good luck to everyone!! 🙂
ps, I'm getting rid of my books so PM if you're looking to buy prep books!
