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- Jun 2, 2012
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I am so happy and relieved!! (test was yesterday)
PAT: 24
QR: 19
RC: 22
Bio: 20
GC: 23
OC: 29 😀
TS: 23
AA: 23
I basically stalked SDN for the past month or so of my studying and although I never really posted I am thankful for such a great resource. This is my second time taking the DAT (last time I had a 20 AA and 19 PAT and my QR was a 16...I hate math and always will) When I took it last summer I basically only used Kaplan On-Demand and was not as focused. I was volunteering in two dental clinics and was preoccupied with trying to make money so I had a part time job as well.
I decided to retake first off because my scores were average (and I just graduated with a 3.7 GPA and lower science like 3.3) and I wanted a better score to balance my science GPA. I also knew that I had not put in the proper amount of effort the first time soo this summer I sat down for about 5 1/2 weeks and took advice from SDN and here I am. I just hope that I can help someone reading this in some way too.
I used as many resources as I could:
-huge white Kaplan book from last summer
-Chad's videos and quizzes
-Cliff's AP Bio
-Destroyer
-all subjects Qvault
-Topscore
-10 test CDP
-3 test Achiever
PAT (24): I mainly used CDP along with PAT sections in any practice tests. This stuff did not come naturally to me and I struggled a lot. I couldn't even finish the CDP tests in the time given so I took a test or two untimed just to really work with understanding the questions. The tests were frustrating and gave me crazy headaches but I stuck with it until I saw some improvement. For the past 10 days I took one full test every day, even if I had done a full length topscore or achiever in the morning. Then I would sometimes also take random 10 min section tests in areas that I was having trouble with especially in timing. I would spend time going over all of my answers and understanding why answers were wrong and why the right one was right. I started with an 18 on my first test and saw improvement until my last test I took the night before which I had a 24. I think it really helps to use other resources such as Achiever too because even though it is overkill it takes you away from the familiar CDP figures. I used the 4x4 grids for hole punches, I found it easier than keeping track of every punch mentally. I would sometimes draw the folds in too since finding symmetry on a grid is much easier. I also tallied up the cubes quickly before answering the questions. The rest just took a lot of practice and visualization.
QR (19): I can't really offer too much for this section, math has never been my strong point. Especially DAT stuff where I could care less about how long it takes two trains to meet or how old someone is in relation to other people etc. I really put off studying for this the first time, and it showed in my 16. This time I put in a little more effort and went through Chad's QR videos, reviewed whatever Kaplan had in their book, did about 5 of the qvault tests, and went through the problems in the regular DAT destroyer. I didn't purchase math destroyer because I didn't have time, but I've heard good things from people posting on here. I am happy with my 19 especially because I was rushed at the end and guessed on some throughout and I was expecting worse.
RC (22): I did a few sections on the practice tests and was doing okay so towards the end I put that hour to reviewing other material instead. I would read the passage quickly and jot down notes from each paragraph to refer back to. I think taking quick notes helped with keeping my focus and didnt let me zone off while reading. It took some practice to figure out how much to write down and how fast to read, but this is the method that worked well for me. My passages on the real DAT were okay, two of them were straightforward and pretty easy reads and one was a little harder to follow but still okay. All of them were 14 paragraphs.
Bio (20): I started off reading Cliffs my first week of studying and took good notes. I usually hate flashcards but I made flashcards of all the ridiculous classification stuff with protists, plants, animals etc. I also read the bio sections in my Kaplan book. I think the most helpful though were definitely Destroyer bio questions. They are so packed with information that I would learn a lot just by reading the questions and the explanations in the back. The explanations are great because they sometimes branch off into related topics. I would also take notes on the ones I was getting wrong and just random facts I thought were important. I really liked qVault too although questions were sometimes a little hard it helped with learning a wide range of details. I went through the 10 practice tests and then clicked on unseen questions for a good amount of even more questions. Unfortunately I freaked out a little during this section of my test. I was expecting completely random questions but I had definitely seen everything before in my studying. I think the questions were pretty similar to Topscore in my opinion. Some questions just asked very particular aspects or details that I hadnt thought of, or I was only able to narrow down to two choices and then spent time confusing myself. I spent wayy too much time on this section of my real test which was a huge mistake because I had to rush through OC, but that somehow ended up great. I think Bio is definitely doable, just dont get freaked out like me and keep moving through because you will either know it or can come back or guess.
GC (23): Chad is a lifesaver as everyone says. I referred to the notes I took from his videos way more than my Kaplan book. He just condenses the information and makes it so easy to understand. Destroyer is also great, as everyone says. It took me forever to get through the first time but I was focused on really understanding each question. The second time I went through it was definitely better, and I marked some questions to continuously refer back to throughout my studying. I went through about 5 of the qvault tests for this section, but after hearing people saying there were mistakes it made me a little nervous. The section on my real test was doable. There were some quick concepts and a few calculations but numbers were easy to work with or it was just a calculation setup. I had a lab based question I wasnt expecting from GC but overall this is definitely a section that Chad and Destroyer can help a lot with.
OC (29): I never thought I was capable of this score especially because I ended up rushing through as I mentioned. My notes from Chad were again basically all that I used. I really didnt like the way Kaplan set up their OC chapters and I found them to be all over the place and confusing. I have never been a flashcard person but I had an Orgo 2 professor that insisted that we make flashcards and I kind of got used to learning reactions that way. I made flashcards from Chad notes and looked at these whenever I could. If I came across a reaction in Destroyer problems that I wasnt familiar with I would also put it on a flashcard. Destroyer was also great for OC and I went through the problems twice. Yeah its probably a little hard and you wont come across the super long multistep reactions on the real DAT but it really prepares you for anything and drills it into your head. Chad also does a great job at explaining concepts like acidity and basicity and all of that. I think this is why I was able to rush through this section in about 20 minutes and somehow manage to do well.
I can post my topscore, achiever, CDP and qvault scores if people want. I would just like to stress the fact that during my studying I didnt let practice scores get me down and I didnt use them to judge myself too much. I REALLY focused on learning from all of my mistakes and made a notebook just for notes from questions that I had gotten wrong. On my last days of studying this notebook was all that I reviewed. Instead of being hard on myself for getting questions wrong I would always tell myself that I was glad to make the mistake now and hopefully not do it again on the real DAT. Yes the number scores can be used to get a general sense of where you stand. But at the end of the day nothing can truly predict the real test, and only you will know how confident you feel to tackle any question that is thrown at you. On test day I went in there telling myself that I would be happy as long as I improved from my first DAT results. I actually gasped from shock and relief when I saw my scores pop up on the screen. Sorry to the old guy sitting next to me taking who knows what test. And sorry this breakdown is ridiculously long but I hope it has helped in some way! Good luck to everyone!
PAT: 24
QR: 19
RC: 22
Bio: 20
GC: 23
OC: 29 😀
TS: 23
AA: 23
I basically stalked SDN for the past month or so of my studying and although I never really posted I am thankful for such a great resource. This is my second time taking the DAT (last time I had a 20 AA and 19 PAT and my QR was a 16...I hate math and always will) When I took it last summer I basically only used Kaplan On-Demand and was not as focused. I was volunteering in two dental clinics and was preoccupied with trying to make money so I had a part time job as well.
I decided to retake first off because my scores were average (and I just graduated with a 3.7 GPA and lower science like 3.3) and I wanted a better score to balance my science GPA. I also knew that I had not put in the proper amount of effort the first time soo this summer I sat down for about 5 1/2 weeks and took advice from SDN and here I am. I just hope that I can help someone reading this in some way too.
I used as many resources as I could:
-huge white Kaplan book from last summer
-Chad's videos and quizzes
-Cliff's AP Bio
-Destroyer
-all subjects Qvault
-Topscore
-10 test CDP
-3 test Achiever
PAT (24): I mainly used CDP along with PAT sections in any practice tests. This stuff did not come naturally to me and I struggled a lot. I couldn't even finish the CDP tests in the time given so I took a test or two untimed just to really work with understanding the questions. The tests were frustrating and gave me crazy headaches but I stuck with it until I saw some improvement. For the past 10 days I took one full test every day, even if I had done a full length topscore or achiever in the morning. Then I would sometimes also take random 10 min section tests in areas that I was having trouble with especially in timing. I would spend time going over all of my answers and understanding why answers were wrong and why the right one was right. I started with an 18 on my first test and saw improvement until my last test I took the night before which I had a 24. I think it really helps to use other resources such as Achiever too because even though it is overkill it takes you away from the familiar CDP figures. I used the 4x4 grids for hole punches, I found it easier than keeping track of every punch mentally. I would sometimes draw the folds in too since finding symmetry on a grid is much easier. I also tallied up the cubes quickly before answering the questions. The rest just took a lot of practice and visualization.
QR (19): I can't really offer too much for this section, math has never been my strong point. Especially DAT stuff where I could care less about how long it takes two trains to meet or how old someone is in relation to other people etc. I really put off studying for this the first time, and it showed in my 16. This time I put in a little more effort and went through Chad's QR videos, reviewed whatever Kaplan had in their book, did about 5 of the qvault tests, and went through the problems in the regular DAT destroyer. I didn't purchase math destroyer because I didn't have time, but I've heard good things from people posting on here. I am happy with my 19 especially because I was rushed at the end and guessed on some throughout and I was expecting worse.
RC (22): I did a few sections on the practice tests and was doing okay so towards the end I put that hour to reviewing other material instead. I would read the passage quickly and jot down notes from each paragraph to refer back to. I think taking quick notes helped with keeping my focus and didnt let me zone off while reading. It took some practice to figure out how much to write down and how fast to read, but this is the method that worked well for me. My passages on the real DAT were okay, two of them were straightforward and pretty easy reads and one was a little harder to follow but still okay. All of them were 14 paragraphs.
Bio (20): I started off reading Cliffs my first week of studying and took good notes. I usually hate flashcards but I made flashcards of all the ridiculous classification stuff with protists, plants, animals etc. I also read the bio sections in my Kaplan book. I think the most helpful though were definitely Destroyer bio questions. They are so packed with information that I would learn a lot just by reading the questions and the explanations in the back. The explanations are great because they sometimes branch off into related topics. I would also take notes on the ones I was getting wrong and just random facts I thought were important. I really liked qVault too although questions were sometimes a little hard it helped with learning a wide range of details. I went through the 10 practice tests and then clicked on unseen questions for a good amount of even more questions. Unfortunately I freaked out a little during this section of my test. I was expecting completely random questions but I had definitely seen everything before in my studying. I think the questions were pretty similar to Topscore in my opinion. Some questions just asked very particular aspects or details that I hadnt thought of, or I was only able to narrow down to two choices and then spent time confusing myself. I spent wayy too much time on this section of my real test which was a huge mistake because I had to rush through OC, but that somehow ended up great. I think Bio is definitely doable, just dont get freaked out like me and keep moving through because you will either know it or can come back or guess.
GC (23): Chad is a lifesaver as everyone says. I referred to the notes I took from his videos way more than my Kaplan book. He just condenses the information and makes it so easy to understand. Destroyer is also great, as everyone says. It took me forever to get through the first time but I was focused on really understanding each question. The second time I went through it was definitely better, and I marked some questions to continuously refer back to throughout my studying. I went through about 5 of the qvault tests for this section, but after hearing people saying there were mistakes it made me a little nervous. The section on my real test was doable. There were some quick concepts and a few calculations but numbers were easy to work with or it was just a calculation setup. I had a lab based question I wasnt expecting from GC but overall this is definitely a section that Chad and Destroyer can help a lot with.
OC (29): I never thought I was capable of this score especially because I ended up rushing through as I mentioned. My notes from Chad were again basically all that I used. I really didnt like the way Kaplan set up their OC chapters and I found them to be all over the place and confusing. I have never been a flashcard person but I had an Orgo 2 professor that insisted that we make flashcards and I kind of got used to learning reactions that way. I made flashcards from Chad notes and looked at these whenever I could. If I came across a reaction in Destroyer problems that I wasnt familiar with I would also put it on a flashcard. Destroyer was also great for OC and I went through the problems twice. Yeah its probably a little hard and you wont come across the super long multistep reactions on the real DAT but it really prepares you for anything and drills it into your head. Chad also does a great job at explaining concepts like acidity and basicity and all of that. I think this is why I was able to rush through this section in about 20 minutes and somehow manage to do well.
I can post my topscore, achiever, CDP and qvault scores if people want. I would just like to stress the fact that during my studying I didnt let practice scores get me down and I didnt use them to judge myself too much. I REALLY focused on learning from all of my mistakes and made a notebook just for notes from questions that I had gotten wrong. On my last days of studying this notebook was all that I reviewed. Instead of being hard on myself for getting questions wrong I would always tell myself that I was glad to make the mistake now and hopefully not do it again on the real DAT. Yes the number scores can be used to get a general sense of where you stand. But at the end of the day nothing can truly predict the real test, and only you will know how confident you feel to tackle any question that is thrown at you. On test day I went in there telling myself that I would be happy as long as I improved from my first DAT results. I actually gasped from shock and relief when I saw my scores pop up on the screen. Sorry to the old guy sitting next to me taking who knows what test. And sorry this breakdown is ridiculously long but I hope it has helped in some way! Good luck to everyone!
