- Joined
- Nov 7, 2007
- Messages
- 79
- Reaction score
- 4
The first time I took this exam I was very unfamiliar with standardized tests. I spent too much time reviewing concepts instead of working on practice problems. The second time I took the exam I was just as prepared as I was for the final September exam. The only reason I scored a 19 AA again was because I did not fall asleep the night before. I drank coffee the day before while I was studying and was nervous on top of that. Bad combo. Before the third exam I stopped studying at 5pm, had two glasses of wine, ate an enormous Mexican dinner, drank a large margarita, took 9 mgs of melatonin, and topped it all off with a Tylenol PM. Whala. I fell asleep just fine and killed DAT.
January 2011
Perceptual Ability 19
Quantitative Reasoning 16
Reading Comprehension 15
Biology 20
General Chemistry 20
Organic Chemistry 22
Total Science 20
Academic Average 19
August 2011
Perceptual Ability 20
Quantitative Reasoning 18
Reading Comprehension 19
Biology 19
General Chemistry 17
Organic Chemistry 21
Total Science 19
Academic Average 19
September 2012
Perceptual Ability 23 94.7%
Quantitative Reasoning 17 😱
Reading Comprehension 20
Biology 23
General Chemistry 21
Organic Chemistry 22
Total Science 22 94.8%
Academic Average 21 91.3%
Study material:
DAT Destroyer
Math Destroyer
Kaplan DAT Book
Cliffs AP Biology
Cliffs AP Biology 5 Exam booklet
Wikipedia
Organic, Gen Chem, and Biology textbooks
Crack DAT PAT
**Top Score Pro**
Other various practice tests
My best advice is to TAKE NOTES AS YOU DO PRACTICE PROBLEMS. Do not make the mistake of doing months of background review and note taking before you ever start looking at problem sets. If you take notes as you go through the problem sets, you will end up having a priceless catalog of information that is SPECIFIC TO THE TEST. You will maximize your study time, because you will only learn what you NEED TO KNOW. Your notes will seem unorganized, but after you add to them and read through them over and over again you will get to know the concepts quite well. Here is a simple step-by-step example of how I trudged through the DAT/MATH Destroyer problem sets, which are extremely challenging
Step 1: Read the question; answer the problem to your best ability.
Step 2: Check answer and read entire solution (Which covers every right and wrong answer)
Step 3: If concept is unfamiliar, research it in a couple of sources.
-Ex. If the question required you to know the difference between endocrine and exocrine organs, simply Google these organ systems and memorize the 4-8 organs or glands in each system before you move on, and maybe take a few notes. (Repeat on future problems covering similar concept)
Step 4: Do the next problem the same way, and take the notes on the next problem right after the notes from the last problem.
Step 5: If a similar concept comes up later in the problem set, go back and add to the notes that you took on a previous problem to try your best to keep notes covering identical concepts together (Sometimes the same concept is spread out in different areas throughout your pages of notes ).
2 weeks before my exam I started taking practice tests. I took one practice test every other day and did review and practice problems that covered my weak areas on the days in between. The last 2 weeks were VITAL. It was my chance to get close to perfect in every section day-after-day. Top Score Pro is almost identical to the exam in difficulty and format, but it is only useful if you treat it exactly like the exam by staying true to the clock.
I drank a lot of coffee
January 2011
Perceptual Ability 19
Quantitative Reasoning 16
Reading Comprehension 15
Biology 20
General Chemistry 20
Organic Chemistry 22
Total Science 20
Academic Average 19
August 2011
Perceptual Ability 20
Quantitative Reasoning 18
Reading Comprehension 19
Biology 19
General Chemistry 17
Organic Chemistry 21
Total Science 19
Academic Average 19
September 2012
Perceptual Ability 23 94.7%
Quantitative Reasoning 17 😱
Reading Comprehension 20
Biology 23
General Chemistry 21
Organic Chemistry 22
Total Science 22 94.8%
Academic Average 21 91.3%
Study material:
DAT Destroyer
Math Destroyer
Kaplan DAT Book
Cliffs AP Biology
Cliffs AP Biology 5 Exam booklet
Wikipedia
Organic, Gen Chem, and Biology textbooks
Crack DAT PAT
**Top Score Pro**
Other various practice tests
My best advice is to TAKE NOTES AS YOU DO PRACTICE PROBLEMS. Do not make the mistake of doing months of background review and note taking before you ever start looking at problem sets. If you take notes as you go through the problem sets, you will end up having a priceless catalog of information that is SPECIFIC TO THE TEST. You will maximize your study time, because you will only learn what you NEED TO KNOW. Your notes will seem unorganized, but after you add to them and read through them over and over again you will get to know the concepts quite well. Here is a simple step-by-step example of how I trudged through the DAT/MATH Destroyer problem sets, which are extremely challenging
Step 1: Read the question; answer the problem to your best ability.
Step 2: Check answer and read entire solution (Which covers every right and wrong answer)
Step 3: If concept is unfamiliar, research it in a couple of sources.
-Ex. If the question required you to know the difference between endocrine and exocrine organs, simply Google these organ systems and memorize the 4-8 organs or glands in each system before you move on, and maybe take a few notes. (Repeat on future problems covering similar concept)
Step 4: Do the next problem the same way, and take the notes on the next problem right after the notes from the last problem.
Step 5: If a similar concept comes up later in the problem set, go back and add to the notes that you took on a previous problem to try your best to keep notes covering identical concepts together (Sometimes the same concept is spread out in different areas throughout your pages of notes ).
2 weeks before my exam I started taking practice tests. I took one practice test every other day and did review and practice problems that covered my weak areas on the days in between. The last 2 weeks were VITAL. It was my chance to get close to perfect in every section day-after-day. Top Score Pro is almost identical to the exam in difficulty and format, but it is only useful if you treat it exactly like the exam by staying true to the clock.
I drank a lot of coffee
