First off, a huge thanks to everyone on SDN for the positive words of encouragement and just for being a really reliable resource for questions/tips/etc.
I am currently a rising senior at Columbia University with a major in Neuroscience and Behavior. I studied for the DAT starting mid-May for 5-6 hours a day. I would frequently go on Facebook or check out eBay or do some nonproductive crap, but the key is that WHILE you study and are actually doing work-related things, you have to be fully invested. I personally think it's fine to take frequent breaks - you'll need to in order to stay calm, sane, and to prevent your brain from becoming exhausted.
I woke up this morning pretty excited to take the DAT. Decided to eat a normal but not a heavy breakfast. I just relaxed a bit the night before and got a good night's sleep. THIS IS ESSENTIAL. Do NOT stress yourself out the day before test day, you will be screwed.
My scores:
PAT: 21
QR: 28
RC: 21
BIO: 24
GC: 30
OC: 27
TS: 26
AA: 26
To start off, let me first say unto all of you: YOU MOST CERTAINLY KNOW MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU KNOW. A couple of days before my exam, I found myself panicking that I did not look through concepts thoroughly and began to doubt myself. I started to think that I didn't actually really fully understand certain topics and just knew it on a shallow/surface level based on a reflex or gut feeling (which scared me). Let me tell you though, again, that this gut feeling is ENOUGH. You may think that during the exam, you will not be able to react in a reflex-like manner and thus have to know everything inside and out. However, if you have enough exposure and repetition with different topics/types of problems, taking the DAT will be second nature, thus allowing you to bypass the need to sit in front of the screen and prevent you from over-thinking some straightforward questions.
RESOURCES: BUY BOOTCAMP, COURSESAVER/CHAD'S (I was lucky enough to have a friend share his account with me, and OH MY S:LDKJGL:KDSGJ those damn quizzes were insanely helpful for the DAT), and DESTROYER.
I started off doing bootcamp tests and was scoring mostly around the low 20s for all 5 tests. PERSISTENCE is key. Same thing with destroyer. You need to know the problems by heart, and although you don't need to know the concepts in full detail, you need to have exposure to them to feel comfortable with attacking each problem.
BIO is, of course, not as systematic in terms of having a planned approach to solving the problem. There were A LOT of random questions on my exam, but if you have read through Cliff's, Barron's, Destroyer solutions, practice test solutions, etc., you will be able to at least make an educated guess. I found myself to be marking a bunch of questions on the bio... the key is to just move on and give it a shot later.
GEN CHEM was my worst subject in college. I basically slept in every class. Somehow, it became my best score. The key with gen chem is to do A LOT of practice problems. Seriously. Do destroyer one time through, get demoralized, and use that to propel you to study and do more problems so that the next time you do destroyer you will destroy it. I didn't do destroyer 2 times, more like 1.5x, since I found myself getting frustrated with some of the problems. I HIGHLY recommend chad's quizzes for GC (I didn't have access to videos). Any how, just make sure you are comfortable with each and every type of problem they can throw at you. No need to know every single formula and the history behind it, just know them reflexively. There is NO TIME to doubt yourself on the real DAT. Get all that doubt out of your system through repetition or else it will destroy you on the exam.
ORGO was one of my favorite subjects. I took OCI and II last year and did fairly well while enjoying the subject since it is SO systematic. I highly advise that you work through destroyer questions for orgo, while knowing some basic concepts regarding acidity inside and out. Chad's is also awesome for this section. All of the questions on the actual DAT were straightforward, except for a couple of tricks that made me doubt myself. Again, ORGO is all about knowing mechanisms/reactions/pathways by heart, so get all the practice possible.
RC
I personally didn't know how to study for this section. I have always considered myself a fairly decent reader. My advice for this section would be to buy bootcamp and do its practice tests to get a feel for timing. You need to be comfortable with knowing how much time you usually need to read a passage and training your eye-brain connection to quickly navigate back to excerpts that you saw the answer to a question in. It's going to suck, trust me. I hated sitting down for an hour and forcing myself to read three passages, but do it anyway. Do it, or regret it later when it brings down your score.
PAT is literally satan. I don't understand how people find this fun. Anyway, practice is key. DO NOT DELAY PRACTICING FOR THIS SECTION, OR PREPARE TO DIG A GRAVE FOR YOUR PAT SCORE. I used Crack Dat Pat, but never did all of its test (5 test version). Crack Dat Pat is truthfully WAY easier than the actual PAT, and thus outdated. I highly recommend BOOTCAMP. Bootcamp's PAT will destroy you, very much like how destroyer will destroy you on SNS, but it will train your mind's eye; you will be able to pick out fine details and edges reflexively to be efficient on the PAT. PAT is all about efficiency, you cannot spend too much time on one question. TFE was actually my worst section, but I was able to develop my mind's eye to envision the 3D object as opposed to just relying on answer choices and line counting. For Pattern folding, you need to be comfortable with folding things and viewing the object in 360 degrees. Bootcamp will teach you how to do that, I promise. Hole punching requires tictactoe or LOS, cube counting requires making a tally table. Angles just suck, period.
QR
I have always considered myself very strong with mathematics. I got a 800 on the SAT math and other SAT subject tests. However, after going to college and not taking any math courses after Calc III my freshman year, I forgot so many basics. Again, DO NOT DELAY THIS SECTION OR PREPARE FOR A LOWER-THAN-EXPECTED SCORE. QR is essential to bring up your AA, since it is really the easiest section to master. You need to do a lot of practices. Again, I recommend Bootcamp and Dat Destroyer. I didn't buy the Math Destroyer, but have heard good things about it. I highly recommend you review your trigonometry, identities, graphs/functions, and geometric formulas.
One more note: The 2009 QR is unbelievably hard. May this test forever rot in hell. Do NOT be discouraged by a low QR in the 2009 exam, I got a 18/19.
Overall, the actual DAT was a tad easier than all of the resources I've been exposed to, specifically bootcamp and Destroyer. However, I would say it was on par with the 2009 exam with the SNS (a bit harder than the 2009 PAT, easier than 2009 QR, easier than 2009 RC).
In conclusion, studying is not about just learning the material, its learning about yourself and how you function best. You need to be able to internalize everything by heart rather than have a ton of concepts swirling around in your mind and fusing into one big confusing mess that you cannot access while taking the exam. Practice makes perfect. YOU KNOW WAY MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU KNOW, JUST KEEP PUSHING FORWARD. The last week of studying was insanely difficult. It was hard mentally because I was fatigued, and I just didn't know if I was learning anything more. I felt like I was at equivalence point, fully titrated, saturated. Just keep working through it, brush up on your weak points. There's no need to overkill one particular area of a subject you know you're good at. I know, it sucks, it feels good to just get a good score on topics you are comfortable with. You need to sweat blood and tears knowing that you suck at something to make an effort to be the best you can eventually. Get in a good rhythm. I would wake up daily and go to the library with my brother who is studying for his MCAT. We would always get coffee, large mocha with milk and sugar and little ice, to get us going. We would get food around 3pm, and then a redbull, and then that would last us the rest of the day to study. It's also nice to mix things up, and go to different libraries.
All in all, good luck to those of you taking the exam. Spend time on SDN to build confidence and positive encouragement. Reading through SDN made me feel like I was well prepared or that the actual DAT will be a bit easier than I expected or on par, but never more difficult. CONFIDENCE is key. You can do it. Best of luck to all!
I am currently a rising senior at Columbia University with a major in Neuroscience and Behavior. I studied for the DAT starting mid-May for 5-6 hours a day. I would frequently go on Facebook or check out eBay or do some nonproductive crap, but the key is that WHILE you study and are actually doing work-related things, you have to be fully invested. I personally think it's fine to take frequent breaks - you'll need to in order to stay calm, sane, and to prevent your brain from becoming exhausted.
I woke up this morning pretty excited to take the DAT. Decided to eat a normal but not a heavy breakfast. I just relaxed a bit the night before and got a good night's sleep. THIS IS ESSENTIAL. Do NOT stress yourself out the day before test day, you will be screwed.
My scores:
PAT: 21
QR: 28
RC: 21
BIO: 24
GC: 30
OC: 27
TS: 26
AA: 26
To start off, let me first say unto all of you: YOU MOST CERTAINLY KNOW MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU KNOW. A couple of days before my exam, I found myself panicking that I did not look through concepts thoroughly and began to doubt myself. I started to think that I didn't actually really fully understand certain topics and just knew it on a shallow/surface level based on a reflex or gut feeling (which scared me). Let me tell you though, again, that this gut feeling is ENOUGH. You may think that during the exam, you will not be able to react in a reflex-like manner and thus have to know everything inside and out. However, if you have enough exposure and repetition with different topics/types of problems, taking the DAT will be second nature, thus allowing you to bypass the need to sit in front of the screen and prevent you from over-thinking some straightforward questions.
RESOURCES: BUY BOOTCAMP, COURSESAVER/CHAD'S (I was lucky enough to have a friend share his account with me, and OH MY S:LDKJGL:KDSGJ those damn quizzes were insanely helpful for the DAT), and DESTROYER.
I started off doing bootcamp tests and was scoring mostly around the low 20s for all 5 tests. PERSISTENCE is key. Same thing with destroyer. You need to know the problems by heart, and although you don't need to know the concepts in full detail, you need to have exposure to them to feel comfortable with attacking each problem.
BIO is, of course, not as systematic in terms of having a planned approach to solving the problem. There were A LOT of random questions on my exam, but if you have read through Cliff's, Barron's, Destroyer solutions, practice test solutions, etc., you will be able to at least make an educated guess. I found myself to be marking a bunch of questions on the bio... the key is to just move on and give it a shot later.
GEN CHEM was my worst subject in college. I basically slept in every class. Somehow, it became my best score. The key with gen chem is to do A LOT of practice problems. Seriously. Do destroyer one time through, get demoralized, and use that to propel you to study and do more problems so that the next time you do destroyer you will destroy it. I didn't do destroyer 2 times, more like 1.5x, since I found myself getting frustrated with some of the problems. I HIGHLY recommend chad's quizzes for GC (I didn't have access to videos). Any how, just make sure you are comfortable with each and every type of problem they can throw at you. No need to know every single formula and the history behind it, just know them reflexively. There is NO TIME to doubt yourself on the real DAT. Get all that doubt out of your system through repetition or else it will destroy you on the exam.
ORGO was one of my favorite subjects. I took OCI and II last year and did fairly well while enjoying the subject since it is SO systematic. I highly advise that you work through destroyer questions for orgo, while knowing some basic concepts regarding acidity inside and out. Chad's is also awesome for this section. All of the questions on the actual DAT were straightforward, except for a couple of tricks that made me doubt myself. Again, ORGO is all about knowing mechanisms/reactions/pathways by heart, so get all the practice possible.
RC
I personally didn't know how to study for this section. I have always considered myself a fairly decent reader. My advice for this section would be to buy bootcamp and do its practice tests to get a feel for timing. You need to be comfortable with knowing how much time you usually need to read a passage and training your eye-brain connection to quickly navigate back to excerpts that you saw the answer to a question in. It's going to suck, trust me. I hated sitting down for an hour and forcing myself to read three passages, but do it anyway. Do it, or regret it later when it brings down your score.
PAT is literally satan. I don't understand how people find this fun. Anyway, practice is key. DO NOT DELAY PRACTICING FOR THIS SECTION, OR PREPARE TO DIG A GRAVE FOR YOUR PAT SCORE. I used Crack Dat Pat, but never did all of its test (5 test version). Crack Dat Pat is truthfully WAY easier than the actual PAT, and thus outdated. I highly recommend BOOTCAMP. Bootcamp's PAT will destroy you, very much like how destroyer will destroy you on SNS, but it will train your mind's eye; you will be able to pick out fine details and edges reflexively to be efficient on the PAT. PAT is all about efficiency, you cannot spend too much time on one question. TFE was actually my worst section, but I was able to develop my mind's eye to envision the 3D object as opposed to just relying on answer choices and line counting. For Pattern folding, you need to be comfortable with folding things and viewing the object in 360 degrees. Bootcamp will teach you how to do that, I promise. Hole punching requires tictactoe or LOS, cube counting requires making a tally table. Angles just suck, period.
QR
I have always considered myself very strong with mathematics. I got a 800 on the SAT math and other SAT subject tests. However, after going to college and not taking any math courses after Calc III my freshman year, I forgot so many basics. Again, DO NOT DELAY THIS SECTION OR PREPARE FOR A LOWER-THAN-EXPECTED SCORE. QR is essential to bring up your AA, since it is really the easiest section to master. You need to do a lot of practices. Again, I recommend Bootcamp and Dat Destroyer. I didn't buy the Math Destroyer, but have heard good things about it. I highly recommend you review your trigonometry, identities, graphs/functions, and geometric formulas.
One more note: The 2009 QR is unbelievably hard. May this test forever rot in hell. Do NOT be discouraged by a low QR in the 2009 exam, I got a 18/19.
Overall, the actual DAT was a tad easier than all of the resources I've been exposed to, specifically bootcamp and Destroyer. However, I would say it was on par with the 2009 exam with the SNS (a bit harder than the 2009 PAT, easier than 2009 QR, easier than 2009 RC).
In conclusion, studying is not about just learning the material, its learning about yourself and how you function best. You need to be able to internalize everything by heart rather than have a ton of concepts swirling around in your mind and fusing into one big confusing mess that you cannot access while taking the exam. Practice makes perfect. YOU KNOW WAY MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU KNOW, JUST KEEP PUSHING FORWARD. The last week of studying was insanely difficult. It was hard mentally because I was fatigued, and I just didn't know if I was learning anything more. I felt like I was at equivalence point, fully titrated, saturated. Just keep working through it, brush up on your weak points. There's no need to overkill one particular area of a subject you know you're good at. I know, it sucks, it feels good to just get a good score on topics you are comfortable with. You need to sweat blood and tears knowing that you suck at something to make an effort to be the best you can eventually. Get in a good rhythm. I would wake up daily and go to the library with my brother who is studying for his MCAT. We would always get coffee, large mocha with milk and sugar and little ice, to get us going. We would get food around 3pm, and then a redbull, and then that would last us the rest of the day to study. It's also nice to mix things up, and go to different libraries.
All in all, good luck to those of you taking the exam. Spend time on SDN to build confidence and positive encouragement. Reading through SDN made me feel like I was well prepared or that the actual DAT will be a bit easier than I expected or on par, but never more difficult. CONFIDENCE is key. You can do it. Best of luck to all!
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