DAT done 6/13 (w/ practice scores)

[Hugh Mannity]

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Well I finished the DAT today and I thought I would let you other SDN'ers get an idea of how achiever, topscore, crack pat, and kaplan related to my scores. First of all I will say a bit about the test. I thought it was very broad and really have no idea how I would have studied differently (especially for bio) except look over everything. The thing is I thought the questions were broad but specific, so a quick glance through a textbook is not sufficient. I used Campbell bio (it was my GB 1/2 book) and also Silverthorns Human Phys and Mariebs Anatomy very lightly for the broad A&P subjects, and I am glad I did because I had a anat Q not covered in GB. GChem was conceptual, like everyone said, and the only calculations were the ones where you just set up the problem, not do the calculation. OChem was also easy for me because I just finished the year with it. If its fresh in your head, don't worry. As for PAT, I thought the difficulty was exactly like Crack DAT PAT. It was easier by a little because the images were bigger, which made angles much easier. There were some clear gimmies for angles and some tougher ones, but none that were impossible. I also explicitly asked the proctors if I could touch the screen and they said go ahead then maybe they can get new monitors (they were the bubble ones, but it really didn't make that much of a difference, just make sure you move to look at each angle straight on). RC was all science based, I used search and destroy method. I thought it was easy once I got rolling. I started off taking about 5 mins on the first 2 and guessed. I was like oh crap, but eventually got things on track. QR was a blur, just do things fast and if you don't know something, skip and come back or guess and come back. This was the only section I was pressed for time, but I still finished with 3 mins extra. As for studying I started using Destroyer and Crack about 2 months ago very lightly. For the past 3 weeks I hit the books hard and during the last 2 weeks I did the acheiver, topscore, and kaplan tests. On days not doing real practice tests I would do a Crack test and destroyer. Ok so here are my practice scores. The K stands for Kaplan, A for Achiever, T for TopScore. I'll write them in the order I took them, starting with just Crack PAT scores.
Crack DAT PAT
1: 25
2: 24
3: 25
4: 23
5: 25
6: 25
7: 24
8: 25
9: 23
10: 25

Practice Tests (in order of date taken)

K(BB computer test) - PAT:21 QR:25 RC:21 Bio:17 GC:19 OC:28 TS:20 AA:22
A1 - PAT:22 QR:22 RC:22 Bio:19 GC:21 OC:20 TS:20 AA:21
T1 - PAT:22 QR:23 RC:25 Bio:21 GC:20 OC:25 TS:22 AA:23
A2 - PAT:21 QR:24 RC:23 Bio:18 GC:20 OC:23 TS:20 AA:22
T2 - PAT:29 QR:21 RC:21 Bio:19 GC:23 OC:30 TS:24 AA:23
A3 - PAT:22 QR:23 RC:26 Bio:19 GC:20 OC:21 TS:20 AA:22
K(BB book test) - PAT:23 QR:26 RC:20 Bio:21 GC:23 OC:28 TS:23 AA:24
T3 - PAT:28 QR:24 RC:22 Bio:21 GC:23 OC:28 TS:23 AA:24

Ok and now is what I actually got:
PAT: 26
QR: 23
RC: 22
Bio: 26
GC: 30
OC: 26
TS: 27
AA: 25 (actually 25.4 but I'm not complaining by any means)

So if anybody has questions that do not specifically pertain to test questions please ask. It is late and I am really tired so I'm sure I have left things out as for studying and other things. Also, I'm applying to the U of MN EDP program. That's it for tonight, for those test takers still to go, just stay calm and it's not as bad as you think it is.

 

[osimsDDS]

howd you study for bio and gchem? and how long did you study for thanks

 

[wkawk2416]

great scores, congrats!

i just have a few question regarding chem.

you said conceptual meaning if you know how to calculate the problem,

then you know the answer to that question? or other

also how did you study orgo section

Thanks!

 

[doc3232]

Great job.
Why is your practice Kaplan online test low? and which test was it?
Was it because you took it before you finished studying?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Well I'll start with osimsDDS. Well like I said I just mainly read a few books and did destroyer once and then reviewed it once closer to the test. I think being a bio major was best though because a lot of the questions were common knowledge after many biology classes. I was also a biology TA this year so I had a brush up on that. I studied most for this section by far followed by PAT just because of all the Crack exams. For GC I didn't really do too much. I am really good in bio and all chem so I studied very little for the chem sections, especially GC. I was a TA and tutor for chemistry also which was probably the best way I kept my knowledge after a year of being out of the class. For the sciences I mainly did practice tests, and when I didn't know a question I would look it up in my books.

wkawk2416: I meant most were conceptual with few actual math problems. The math problems were not ones calculated to a final answer, just set up, like (24)(5)/(45) and stuff like that. As for OC, I just got out of organic and we had the comprehensive ACS standardized test so I barely looked at anything for this. The only question I got wrong in this section was a IR one I think. I had it down to 2 but those less common functional groups are still important!

doc3232: The Kaplan online test is "low" (although some people would love these scores) because it was my first practice test and I hadn't really started going over any books or destroyer.

I'll add a little more about the DAT too. The QR section had very simple probability, which is something I was not looking forward to. Also the math was very fair, but you have to move quickly. There was something else I was going to say but forgot. Anyways if you guys have any more questions feel free to ask or PM.

 

[War Eagle]

I also explicitly asked the proctors if I could thought the screen and they said go ahead then maybe they can get new monitors (they were the bubble ones, but it really didn't make that much of a difference, just make sure you move to look at each angle straight on).

What do you mean by this? Did you mean touch the screen? Btw, nice scores. Those are awesome. How did the RC, QR, and PAT compare with the Achiever?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Yes thanks for the error. And also thanks for the compliment. Acheiver was a waste as for the PAT. Crack is the best hands down. For QR and RC I would say it is comparable, but the RC is a little tougher on the real deal. I think with the testing environment and everything those 2 sections are tough because you really need to use awesome time management. I thought I could have done better with more time but everyone says that. The math was straightforward as well as the RC. It's all about keeping your cool for those in my opinion.

 

[PSU SHC 414]

Phenomenal scores!... it's amazing how well everyone has been doing recently 😱

You're not seriously just applying to your state school are you?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

If I do not get into that program then I plan to apply to more schools. As for now though I just want to get in there.

 

[PSU SHC 414]

If I do not get into that program then I plan to apply to more schools. As for now though I just want to get in there.

I think there's a better chance of a meteor hitting Earth than you not getting accepted there 🙂 . Again... awesome job!

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Thanks. Nice score yourself. It's just that here in the northern midwest, there aren't that many schools, and many are far away. I like MN's D school and its close to home. The next closest is over 10 hours away driving for me.

 

[PSU SHC 414]

Thanks. Nice score yourself. It's just that here in the northern midwest, there aren't that many schools, and many are far away. I like MN's D school and its close to home. The next closest is over 10 hours away driving for me.

Would you even entertain the thought of making a trek to the Northeast to go to Harvard? Your DAT score is jaw-dropping, your GPA is perfect, and I'm sure you have a nice list of ECs. Unless you're completely socially inept (which I'm sensing is 150% NOT the case), I think any school in the nation would be wetting their pants at the thought of having you at their school just based on your numbers alone!

 

[PSU SHC 414]

Thanks. Nice score yourself. It's just that here in the northern midwest, there aren't that many schools, and many are far away. I like MN's D school and its close to home. The next closest is over 10 hours away driving for me.

Definitely appreciate the compliment, but I'm still kicking myself over my "low" GC and BIO scores 🙁... especially because of my major(s), haha.

 

[War Eagle]

When you say Achiever PAT is a waste, why is that so? Is it not representative at all of the real test? Is it too easy, too hard, or what?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Would you even entertain the thought of making a trek to the Northeast to go to Harvard? Your DAT score is jaw-dropping, your GPA is perfect, and I'm sure you have a nice list of ECs. Unless you're completely socially inept (which I'm sensing is 150% NOT the case), I think any school in the nation would be wetting their pants at the thought of having you at their school just based on your numbers alone!

lol thanks. I haven't ever been to the northeast. Closest I've been out there is Ohio, and Florida but thats still far away. I've thought about applying out there but I am unfamiliar with all the schools. I have no idea what is good or not and such.

Definitely appreciate the compliment, but I'm still kicking myself over my "low" GC and BIO scores 🙁... especially because of my major(s), haha.

20's aren't bad at all. Being at or above 20 in every category is great. You will have no problem getting in I would imagine. Sometimes those upper bio's can make you forget about the general stuff. I think having a major like that with a good GPA like yours will be very competitive.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

When you say Achiever PAT is a waste, why is that so? Is it not representative at all of the real test? Is it too easy, too hard, or what?

I meant the achiever PAT is a waste. It is nothing like the real test. Angles are crap and and resolution is also crap. The other sections are good to give you a wake up call to know everything out there. I recommend every product I used for preparation, just know that the real DAT is like a hybrid of all these sources.

 

[CUDental]

Holy ****! Nice job... you'll have no problem getting in EDP at the U. See you there if that's where I end up!

 

[jigabodo]

Kids this year are really scary!

Congrats!

 

[STACM]

which edition of crack DAT PAT did you use?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

The one with 10 tests. I think this version is Ace, which was very helpful. If you can somehow get it to be bigger on the screen that would be better. My only criticism of it was that it was reduced to about half the size, if not more, than the real DAT.

 

[STACM]

If your not quick to answer TFE questions, even though you can get some correct given more time...would you suggest skipping the whole section to give more time on other parts of the PAT?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

I usually can do keyhole in under 10, and I spend probably the most time on TFE. I would not be scared to spend 15 minutes on this section. If you can fly through others you may be able to get it up to 20. Make sure you so quick through angles and pattern folding, and cubes if you're good at that too. I found the line counting the best way to do this on crack and it worked even better on the DAT. I'm not going to explain that strategy here because there are many very good explanations already on SDN. Just looking at a couple parts of one aperture, you can sometimes get to the right answer in 10 secs, which is such a good feeling.

 

[STACM]

10 seconds? sounds superhuman fast. I'm sure a lucky one can come along and be done in 10s, but you average 10s per keyhole? do you only look at each one one time and never compare between two that look similar?

does anyone else do them this fast?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

No not every TFE question. I meant sometimes (like 2 questions tops) can sometimes be done in 10 seconds since they are huge gimmies. You should also get confident enough with your answers so that when you find the right answer in your head, you do not need to go through the rest to make sure your answer is right. This is especially helpful in hole punching and pattern folding. I always look at each TFE and Keyhole no matter if I think one is right immediately because another one may seem better. Make sure you do many TIMED PAT tests and try to push yourself to go faster. You will have extra time at the end to go over the hard ones longer. Just make sure you get all of them done.

 

[113zami]

, I thought the difficulty was exactly like Crack DAT PAT. .

but don't you think the key hole section on crack pat is too easy for the real dat? on crack I think it mearly tests your ability to match the shape of the projection, no rotation, proportion, or size judging abilities are tested on crack pat keyholes...is the real deal like that??

 

[DentalDeac]

Your scores are simply awesome. I just (like 5 minutes ago) purchased crack dat pat and I am currently taking the Kaplan course and I also bought 3 topscore tests. Now I just have to find the time to actually study and take all these practice tests. I'm taking mine on July 22nd. Anyone want to help me come up with a good schedule that I can keep myself on?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

but don't you think the key hole section on crack pat is too easy for the real dat? on crack I think it mearly tests your ability to match the shape of the projection, no rotation, proportion, or size judging abilities are tested on crack pat keyholes...is the real deal like that??

I found the keyholes easy on the DAT. There were a few with complex rotations but those were the simple images. The ones with many lines and shapes often had slightly different pieces scattered in the aperture. Like I said, I think Crack is best for PAT, and my scores seem to back that up. Many other people on here say the same thing so check out some other posts also to get more than just my opinion.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Your scores are simply awesome. I just (like 5 minutes ago) purchased crack dat pat and I am currently taking the Kaplan course and I also bought 3 topscore tests. Now I just have to find the time to actually study and take all these practice tests. I'm taking mine on July 22nd. Anyone want to help me come up with a good schedule that I can keep myself on?

It was very hard for me to sit down and do 8 full length tests in 2 weeks. I usually do not spend more than 2 days studying for a test in college so studying for 3 weeks for the DAT was exhausting. I was more anxious to be done more than nervous by test day. Just make sure you actually do sit down and take the test with testing conditions (no water, snacks, etc). Just hit it hard and you will happy you did. I know it can be tough to stay focused but it can be done.

 

[STACM]

for cube counting, would you advise using the "count all, mark down how many of each" method, or the "count only the type of box they are looking for" method? I heard that the DAT varies up the figures more rapidly than practice tests ...so I was thinking it might be faster to use the 2nd method. Although, when I try using the 2nd method I'm alot less accurate (more prone to make a mistake or miscount) because my counting isn't as organized as it would be with the first method

 

[Azadeh]

Are you willing to sell you practice materials? 🙂

 

[eldirty]

wow ... unbelievable scores!!! you might be the perfect applicant. congrats

 

[Hugh Mannity]

for cube counting, would you advise using the "count all, mark down how many of each" method, or the "count only the type of box they are looking for" method? I heard that the DAT varies up the figures more rapidly than practice tests ...so I was thinking it might be faster to use the 2nd method. Although, when I try using the 2nd method I'm alot less accurate (more prone to make a mistake or miscount) because my counting isn't as organized as it would be with the first method

I did the count all method. If you can get down the pattern of what the blocks are you can count the stack very quickly. I also tried to do about 2-3 blocks at a time and then mark down what they were for time management.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Are you willing to sell you practice materials? 🙂

Yeah I have destroyer and kaplan blue book. PM me if interested.

 

[herkulis]

<< I found the line counting the best way to do this on crack>>
Could you please explain what you meant by that? Thanks. Awesome score, BTW!

 

[Azadeh]

tried to pm you didn't work! how do i do that? i am new 🙂

Yeah I have destroyer and kaplan blue book. PM me if interested.

 

[jaypea65]

I am in trouble on the hole punching on Crack the PAT. Any suggestions? Is the hole punching section on the actual DAT very similar to Crack the PAT, or did you find it somewhat easier?

 

[Shunwei]

Great scores, congrats.

Is it just me, or does it seem like every other person in this cycle is getting 24+ nowdays? Last year, there were only a handful of folks who did that. Must be a very competitive cycle this time around.

 

[osimsDDS]

haha SDN counts for a very very small percentage of all those who are applying and taking the DAT...

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Hole Punching: It was similar I thought, maybe a little easier. The DAT did have 1 of those odd foldings where it would be in the middle of a hole or whatever. So be prepared for that as well.

Line Counting: Please do a forum search, I know of a couple posts that are very informative with diagrams and everything. I think one is called sick pat tutorial or something like that.

 

[Dotoday]

Wow congrads man, great scores. You are almost definitely in Dental School.

 

[harrygt]

First of all, congrats on your scores.
Second, I have a few questions. Can you please explain your method on RC? Did you read the questions first and then find the answers?
Also, were the bio questions clear? I mean not vage?

Thanks.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Bio was fair, nothing too surprising. RC I just went straight for the questions, no reading the passage for me.

 

[harrygt]

Hugh, Can you please explain a lil bit more in details about RC? I mean do you read all the questions first, then look for the answers in the passage? or you read a couple of the questions, find the answers, and then read the other couple? Do you take notes of the keywords in the questions, to look them up in the text?
On practice tests, I barely miss one or two questions on Gchem and Ochem [just like you did]. I miss a couple or three on Bio, I usually get all 40 questions on the QR if there is no mistake in any of the questions or solutions, get a 20-22 range on PAT, but I'm not good at RC at all. I get around 18 on practice exams just because of bad time managing [I read the text first, without taking any notes]. I would really appreciate it if you could share your method with me and others.
Thanks
Also, what did you get for doing your calculations on the test? scratch paper or one of those boards?

 

[Hugh Mannity]

I go one question at a time, unless it's a tone/inferring question, which I skip until the I do the rest of the passage's questions. I didn't study much for this section, just dod practice tests with my method. I would just do what you feel most comfortable with. I got 3 laminated sheets with a grid on them, 2 markers, and an eraser. I did not write anything for the RC section.

 

[theedaddy77]

confused why u would say achiever is a waste for PAT? too hard to easy? is it like topscore or is it too easy to hard?

 

[harrygt]

Going one question at a time sounds a good way of doing it, but what if the questions are not sequential? I mean is not it possible to encounter a question from the 4th paragraph and then get the next question from the 3rd paragraph? Were the RC questions on DAT sequential?
THX

 

[Hugh Mannity]

confused why u would say achiever is a waste for PAT? too hard to easy? is it like topscore or is it too easy to hard?

It is too hard, and doesn't resemble the real deal that well. Like I've posted before, Crack is the best prep software out there. It is indicative of your scores and lots of practice.

Going one question at a time sounds a good way of doing it, but what if the questions are not sequential? I mean is not it possible to encounter a question from the 4th paragraph and then get the next question from the 3rd paragraph? Were the RC questions on DAT sequential?
THX

It could hardly be called reading comprehension if it was that easy. It is not sequential and you have to rescan the passage for each question if you use my method. Once you get 5-10 questions in, you get an idea of where everything is and the last ones are easy to find. Some paragraphs have 3-4 questions about it and some have none.

 

[STACM]

I've tried answering the questions without reading the passage first and it feels so much more laborious to find things. When I read the passage first, I feel like I can somewhat guess where to start looking first...without that it feels like a needle in a haystack.

 

[Sea of ASH]

Well I finished the DAT today and I thought I would let you other SDN'ers get an idea of how achiever, topscore, crack pat, and kaplan related to my scores. First of all I will say a bit about the test. I thought it was very broad and really have no idea how I would have studied differently (especially for bio) except look over everything. The thing is I thought the questions were broad but specific, so a quick glance through a textbook is not sufficient. I used Campbell bio (it was my GB 1/2 book) and also Silverthorns Human Phys and Mariebs Anatomy very lightly for the broad A&P subjects, and I am glad I did because I had a anat Q not covered in GB. GChem was conceptual, like everyone said, and the only calculations were the ones where you just set up the problem, not do the calculation. OChem was also easy for me because I just finished the year with it. If its fresh in your head, don't worry. As for PAT, I thought the difficulty was exactly like Crack DAT PAT. It was easier by a little because the images were bigger, which made angles much easier. There were some clear gimmies for angles and some tougher ones, but none that were impossible. I also explicitly asked the proctors if I could touch the screen and they said go ahead then maybe they can get new monitors (they were the bubble ones, but it really didn't make that much of a difference, just make sure you move to look at each angle straight on). RC was all science based, I used search and destroy method. I thought it was easy once I got rolling. I started off taking about 5 mins on the first 2 and guessed. I was like oh crap, but eventually got things on track. QR was a blur, just do things fast and if you don't know something, skip and come back or guess and come back. This was the only section I was pressed for time, but I still finished with 3 mins extra. As for studying I started using Destroyer and Crack about 2 months ago very lightly. For the past 3 weeks I hit the books hard and during the last 2 weeks I did the acheiver, topscore, and kaplan tests. On days not doing real practice tests I would do a Crack test and destroyer. Ok so here are my practice scores. The K stands for Kaplan, A for Achiever, T for TopScore. I'll write them in the order I took them, starting with just Crack PAT scores.
Crack DAT PAT
1: 25
2: 24
3: 25
4: 23
5: 25
6: 25
7: 24
8: 25
9: 23
10: 25

Practice Tests (in order of date taken)

K(BB computer test) - PAT:21 QR:25 RC:21 Bio:17 GC:19 OC:28 TS:20 AA:22
A1 - PAT:22 QR:22 RC:22 Bio:19 GC:21 OC:20 TS:20 AA:21
T1 - PAT:22 QR:23 RC:25 Bio:21 GC:20 OC:25 TS:22 AA:23
A2 - PAT:21 QR:24 RC:23 Bio:18 GC:20 OC:23 TS:20 AA:22
T2 - PAT:29 QR:21 RC:21 Bio:19 GC:23 OC:30 TS:24 AA:23
A3 - PAT:22 QR:23 RC:26 Bio:19 GC:20 OC:21 TS:20 AA:22
K(BB book test) - PAT:23 QR:26 RC:20 Bio:21 GC:23 OC:28 TS:23 AA:24
T3 - PAT:28 QR:24 RC:22 Bio:21 GC:23 OC:28 TS:23 AA:24

Ok and now is what I actually got:
PAT: 26
QR: 23
RC: 22
Bio: 26
GC: 30
OC: 26
TS: 27
AA: 25 (actually 25.4 but I'm not complaining by any means)

So if anybody has questions that do not specifically pertain to test questions please ask. It is late and I am really tired so I'm sure I have left things out as for studying and other things. Also, I'm applying to the U of MN EDP program. That's it for tonight, for those test takers still to go, just stay calm and it's not as bad as you think it is.

good job man👍
how many hours a day did u study? i feel like im still not doin enough

 

[Hugh Mannity]

On days with practice test, about 7-8. On non practice DAT days, about 5-6. I did this for about 3 weeks while working 30+ hours a week which was not fun. Just study until you get frustrated and cannot look at a book anymore. Then do the same the next day, and the next, etc.