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- Jan 21, 2013
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Hi,
so I finished my DAT today around 5:40 PM. During 8 weeks of studying I got so much help from SDN especially breakdowns since it gave me kind of what to expect on the test day. So as a thanking back, I will post my own breakdown for future test takers.
My scores:
25AA/26TS/25PAT
Testing center experience:
They were all nice. But they told me, even though I didn't asked, that I cannot write on the laminated sheet during tutorial. Except that they were all nice, and tried to make you feel comfortable. I parked my car right in front of Prometric and studied there for about an hour before my test.
SNS:
-GB: It wasn't as random as people posted on this forum. Most of stuffs were at least once seen on some materials. Most of the questions were straight forward and were clear. I might have had one really random question but I was able to make educated guess based on what I know. So what I would recommend is to know the important things well but at the same time broaden your view by exposing yourself to as many materials as you can.
-GC: Straight forward. All the calculations were set up or it was very easy to do.
-OC: All were easy, but I had really random question on OC. I already to Organic Chem I and II and watched Chad's video but I have never heard of that specific topic. So I had to make a guess. But except that one question, it was very clear and if did good in your ochem lectures or you know what you are doing, you will be fine.
PAT:
-Key holes: Like many people said, proportion was more important than shape.
-TFE: Difficulty was on a par with achiever/top score/2009 ADA
-Angle ranking: It was not as bad as CDP and doable!
-Hole punch: Odd folds but if you practice with Achiever or 2009 ADA, you will be experienced enough.
-Cube counting: all the cubes were less than 20 so it was not bad at all.
-Pattern folding: Easier than any practice tests.
RC:
I am a international student who came to US about two or three years ago and reading was probably the toughest section for me throughout 8 weeks of studying. Though what I did was read 7 questions first, than keep important words in my head (I didn't wrote anything down since it took too long for me to write down) and read about 1/3 or 1/2 of the passage then I would go through entire question and read the rest.
The passages were very interesting and not too long. Definitely not as long as CDR practice tests or Qvault.
QR:
It was really easy and straight forward. I forgot to look over statistics and I probably got those questions wrong.
Study materials:
2007,2009 ADA, Qvault, CDP, CDR, Destroyer, Achiever, Top Score, DAT Bootcamp
ADA practice tests: I would definitely look them over at least. I would recommend actually take practice test with them. It was really helpful especially for PAT and Biology.
Qvault: Bio and RC. Bio was helpful in terms that it has some random facts that cliff doesn't cover. I took all the practice tests timed and afterwards took notes while going through solutions for any questions that I wasn't so sure of (whether I got it or not).
RC was okay. The passages were way too long. But that makes it a good practice material.
CDP: It was much easier (except angle ranking) than real DAT, but it was good enough to expose myself to what PAT is. After 10 tests, you will develop your own method or skill with any sections.
CDR: Passages were all over the place. Some of them were historical passages. But it was good practice and as a foreigner and since English is my second language, I needed something to read everyday. I took 1 CDR. After test 5 or 6, passages gets really long (maybe 20ish paragraphs sometimes) but like Qvault RC, that makes it a good practice material.
For RC, I didn't go back and find solution. I just took test and was done with them.
Destroyer:
-GB:It is a good resource. It is tough but if you use it as not a practice test but learning material. At first, I was getting maybe 25 or 30 right out of 40. But I went through just like any other bio resources, reviewed. I went bio over twice.
-GC: A lot of calculation but except that pretty good resource.
-OC: Random facts and random reactions, but thanks to repetition of important ones, it helped.
Achiever: It is a good practice test resource. Especially Science and PAT. I wouldn't give too much attention to RC, QR. QR is just too much calculation for given time and RC is way to difficult. Maybe other people disagree with me, but for me Achiever RC was just terrible. After 1st Achiever RC, I was like 'What the hell did I read?"...
Top Score: Good resource, gives you confidence and asks you what real DAT would actually ask. Bio had some random taxonomy/biological diversity stuff, but it never hurts to know more and prepare well.
DAT Bootcamp: It was very close to the real DAT. The questions it asked and what it emphasized was really on a par with the DAT. I haven't tried the PAT/RC but definitely check out Science section. For QR, like it says at the beginning of the test, it is a little harder but still a good practice.
Practice Test Scores:
2007 ADA: 37/40(GB), 29/30(GC), 28/30(OC), 75/90(PAT), 15/17(RC), 35/40(QR)
2009 ADA: 36/40(GB). 30/30(GC), 26/30(OC), 85/90(PAT), 37/50(RC), 35/40(QR)
CDP: 22/21/22/23/23/23/23/25/23/26
CDR: 21/17/18/17/18/21/17/21/22/21
Qvault:
BIO: 18/18/18/19/19/18/18/20/19/19
RC: 19/22/21/18/18/18/19
Achiever:
AA/TS/GB/GC/OC/RC/QR/PAT
Test1: 20/21/21/20/21/15/25/20
Test2: 19/19/19/18/18/16/23/22
Test3: 19/19/16/21/23/16/20/22
Test4: 17/19/18/18/19/15/15/21
Test5: x/16/15/16/16/x/x/20
Top Score:
AA/TS/GB/GC/OC/RC/QR/PAT
Test 1: 21/20/20/20/20/22/23/23
Test 2: 21/21/21/23/19/22/24/28
Test 3: 25/24/21/25/30/21/29/28
Study schedule:
I basically followed 8 weeks studying schedule for Chad's video. But I modified here and there to fit my schedule and study the way I like (or feel most comfortable). I hate dragging stuff for long time but love to finish what I have to.
As soon as I wad done watching Chad's, I started problem sets. First, I took 2007 ADA to see where I am at. Then I started off with Qvault, DatBootcamp + Destoryer + Math Destroyer, then Achiever, Top Score, 2009 ADA, then real DAT.
My last week and half was all practice tests. Everyday, one by one. It was tough, but thanks to that, when I was at Prometric, I literally felt like I was taking practice test and that helped me get rid of nervousness kicking in.
Side note:
So instead of taking 4 weeks finishing Bio, I shortened it to 2 weeks (finished Cliff's, KBB and Barron's DAT guide) and made my own note (I didn't used Ferali's or Alan's). I figured if I studied enough, I should be able to make my own note in my own words (still in English though). Then I added new stuff that I learned from practice tests to my note. If you guys want me to send you my note, I would be glad to but I would recommend making own. I basically used my note as dictionary for biology.
For GC and OC, I watched Chad's once and I just did practice problems that I have. I used my notes my lectures and notes from Chad. When I study, I like to understand why certain thing works that way so I looked up my notes from lectures a lot and it helped me a lot too.
For RC, I just did practice test sets. No review, no anything. Just read. A lot of reading help getting better in reading I guess....
For QR, Math Destroyer and practice tests were the only things.
For PAT, I used commonly known methods such as LOS for hole punching, 0,1,2,3,4,5 for cube counting. For LOS though, know where the folding line is. For angle ranking, I summed up all the methods out there. First I look at answer choices and look at the biggest or smallest. Usually their are only two angles to compare. For example, answer choices A and B say the biggest angle is 4, and C, D says 1. Then I compare 1 and 4 first to eliminate 2 out of 4 choices and so on. That helped me reduce time a lot.
Well, this is it! I am sorry the breakdown got pretty long but I hope some one out there whose studying for DAT find this helpful enough like I found other's very helpful.
If you have any questions or need advice on anything don't hesitate to PM me. I will try my best to help you guys out. Thanks! annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd let the summer BEGIN!!
so I finished my DAT today around 5:40 PM. During 8 weeks of studying I got so much help from SDN especially breakdowns since it gave me kind of what to expect on the test day. So as a thanking back, I will post my own breakdown for future test takers.
My scores:
25AA/26TS/25PAT
Testing center experience:
They were all nice. But they told me, even though I didn't asked, that I cannot write on the laminated sheet during tutorial. Except that they were all nice, and tried to make you feel comfortable. I parked my car right in front of Prometric and studied there for about an hour before my test.
SNS:
-GB: It wasn't as random as people posted on this forum. Most of stuffs were at least once seen on some materials. Most of the questions were straight forward and were clear. I might have had one really random question but I was able to make educated guess based on what I know. So what I would recommend is to know the important things well but at the same time broaden your view by exposing yourself to as many materials as you can.
-GC: Straight forward. All the calculations were set up or it was very easy to do.
-OC: All were easy, but I had really random question on OC. I already to Organic Chem I and II and watched Chad's video but I have never heard of that specific topic. So I had to make a guess. But except that one question, it was very clear and if did good in your ochem lectures or you know what you are doing, you will be fine.
PAT:
-Key holes: Like many people said, proportion was more important than shape.
-TFE: Difficulty was on a par with achiever/top score/2009 ADA
-Angle ranking: It was not as bad as CDP and doable!
-Hole punch: Odd folds but if you practice with Achiever or 2009 ADA, you will be experienced enough.
-Cube counting: all the cubes were less than 20 so it was not bad at all.
-Pattern folding: Easier than any practice tests.
RC:
I am a international student who came to US about two or three years ago and reading was probably the toughest section for me throughout 8 weeks of studying. Though what I did was read 7 questions first, than keep important words in my head (I didn't wrote anything down since it took too long for me to write down) and read about 1/3 or 1/2 of the passage then I would go through entire question and read the rest.
The passages were very interesting and not too long. Definitely not as long as CDR practice tests or Qvault.
QR:
It was really easy and straight forward. I forgot to look over statistics and I probably got those questions wrong.
Study materials:
2007,2009 ADA, Qvault, CDP, CDR, Destroyer, Achiever, Top Score, DAT Bootcamp
ADA practice tests: I would definitely look them over at least. I would recommend actually take practice test with them. It was really helpful especially for PAT and Biology.
Qvault: Bio and RC. Bio was helpful in terms that it has some random facts that cliff doesn't cover. I took all the practice tests timed and afterwards took notes while going through solutions for any questions that I wasn't so sure of (whether I got it or not).
RC was okay. The passages were way too long. But that makes it a good practice material.
CDP: It was much easier (except angle ranking) than real DAT, but it was good enough to expose myself to what PAT is. After 10 tests, you will develop your own method or skill with any sections.
CDR: Passages were all over the place. Some of them were historical passages. But it was good practice and as a foreigner and since English is my second language, I needed something to read everyday. I took 1 CDR. After test 5 or 6, passages gets really long (maybe 20ish paragraphs sometimes) but like Qvault RC, that makes it a good practice material.
For RC, I didn't go back and find solution. I just took test and was done with them.
Destroyer:
-GB:It is a good resource. It is tough but if you use it as not a practice test but learning material. At first, I was getting maybe 25 or 30 right out of 40. But I went through just like any other bio resources, reviewed. I went bio over twice.
-GC: A lot of calculation but except that pretty good resource.
-OC: Random facts and random reactions, but thanks to repetition of important ones, it helped.
Achiever: It is a good practice test resource. Especially Science and PAT. I wouldn't give too much attention to RC, QR. QR is just too much calculation for given time and RC is way to difficult. Maybe other people disagree with me, but for me Achiever RC was just terrible. After 1st Achiever RC, I was like 'What the hell did I read?"...
Top Score: Good resource, gives you confidence and asks you what real DAT would actually ask. Bio had some random taxonomy/biological diversity stuff, but it never hurts to know more and prepare well.
DAT Bootcamp: It was very close to the real DAT. The questions it asked and what it emphasized was really on a par with the DAT. I haven't tried the PAT/RC but definitely check out Science section. For QR, like it says at the beginning of the test, it is a little harder but still a good practice.
Practice Test Scores:
2007 ADA: 37/40(GB), 29/30(GC), 28/30(OC), 75/90(PAT), 15/17(RC), 35/40(QR)
2009 ADA: 36/40(GB). 30/30(GC), 26/30(OC), 85/90(PAT), 37/50(RC), 35/40(QR)
CDP: 22/21/22/23/23/23/23/25/23/26
CDR: 21/17/18/17/18/21/17/21/22/21
Qvault:
BIO: 18/18/18/19/19/18/18/20/19/19
RC: 19/22/21/18/18/18/19
Achiever:
AA/TS/GB/GC/OC/RC/QR/PAT
Test1: 20/21/21/20/21/15/25/20
Test2: 19/19/19/18/18/16/23/22
Test3: 19/19/16/21/23/16/20/22
Test4: 17/19/18/18/19/15/15/21
Test5: x/16/15/16/16/x/x/20
Top Score:
AA/TS/GB/GC/OC/RC/QR/PAT
Test 1: 21/20/20/20/20/22/23/23
Test 2: 21/21/21/23/19/22/24/28
Test 3: 25/24/21/25/30/21/29/28
Study schedule:
I basically followed 8 weeks studying schedule for Chad's video. But I modified here and there to fit my schedule and study the way I like (or feel most comfortable). I hate dragging stuff for long time but love to finish what I have to.
As soon as I wad done watching Chad's, I started problem sets. First, I took 2007 ADA to see where I am at. Then I started off with Qvault, DatBootcamp + Destoryer + Math Destroyer, then Achiever, Top Score, 2009 ADA, then real DAT.
My last week and half was all practice tests. Everyday, one by one. It was tough, but thanks to that, when I was at Prometric, I literally felt like I was taking practice test and that helped me get rid of nervousness kicking in.
Side note:
So instead of taking 4 weeks finishing Bio, I shortened it to 2 weeks (finished Cliff's, KBB and Barron's DAT guide) and made my own note (I didn't used Ferali's or Alan's). I figured if I studied enough, I should be able to make my own note in my own words (still in English though). Then I added new stuff that I learned from practice tests to my note. If you guys want me to send you my note, I would be glad to but I would recommend making own. I basically used my note as dictionary for biology.
For GC and OC, I watched Chad's once and I just did practice problems that I have. I used my notes my lectures and notes from Chad. When I study, I like to understand why certain thing works that way so I looked up my notes from lectures a lot and it helped me a lot too.
For RC, I just did practice test sets. No review, no anything. Just read. A lot of reading help getting better in reading I guess....
For QR, Math Destroyer and practice tests were the only things.
For PAT, I used commonly known methods such as LOS for hole punching, 0,1,2,3,4,5 for cube counting. For LOS though, know where the folding line is. For angle ranking, I summed up all the methods out there. First I look at answer choices and look at the biggest or smallest. Usually their are only two angles to compare. For example, answer choices A and B say the biggest angle is 4, and C, D says 1. Then I compare 1 and 4 first to eliminate 2 out of 4 choices and so on. That helped me reduce time a lot.
Well, this is it! I am sorry the breakdown got pretty long but I hope some one out there whose studying for DAT find this helpful enough like I found other's very helpful.
If you have any questions or need advice on anything don't hesitate to PM me. I will try my best to help you guys out. Thanks! annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd let the summer BEGIN!!
