DAT DONE! (8/15/2012) DATQvault Comparisons/Worst Breakdown.

[Dentalman11]

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I just finished my arduous journey, which henceforth shall be titled, “Summer 2k12.”

View attachment A0XDOutCYAE-b-H.jpg-large.jpeg

Anyway, I took my DAT today and here are my stats:

GPA: 4.00

PAT: 26--99.5% 😱
QR: 20--95.1% (I’m a math major, but I suck at math below calculus level. Go figure.)
RC: 21--88.9%
BIO: 20--91.8%
GC: 29--99.9%
OC: 25--98.4%
TS: 23--99.3%
AA: 23--99.7%

I took organic I this summer, so my DAT studying was severely lacking until 2 ½ weeks ago. Preceding the start of the summer semester, I read through Barron’s AP Biology and KBB once, and took about 2 practice PAT exams.

2 ½ weeks ago, I went insane. 15 hours of studying each day, including teaching myself organic II, because I haven’t taken it yet. Here is what I used!

PAT: CrackDAT PAT (10/10)
QR: Chad’s videos (7/10); Destroyer (7/10)
RC: I read a book? I don’t know. You can’t prepare for this.
BIO: Barron’s AP Biology (10/10); KBB (8/10); Alan’s notes (8/10)
GC: Chad’s videos(9/10); KBB (5/10)
OC: Chad’s videos (9/10); OC as a Second Language: Second Semester Topics (12/10)

I also used Destroyer and DATQvault.

In my opinion, Destroyer is overkill, which seems to be the consensus on SDN. However, I used it as a “study break” type of study tool (eating, etc.). The reaction road maps are pretty nifty, though!

DATQvault was definitely the best thing for Biology, and decent for GC and OC. For QR, I felt it was similar, but for RC it was definitely lacking.

BIO: 17/20/18/18/20/17/18/19/20/19
OC: 20/22/26/19/21/18/19/21/18
GC: 22/20/19/22/22/26
QR: 22/19/20/26
RC: 20— too short/search and destroy-esque

CrackDAT PAT: 18/21/21/20/22/25/22/22

ADA 2009: 20 TS, and I didn’t care about the other scores, because I was too upset that it charged me $37, and it didn’t even convert scores for me. Dumb.

BREAKDOWN:

Biology: Definitely easier than I was expecting, but it still had some weird questions, so all in all: easier than I was expecting, but still difficult.

General Chemistry: Super easy. Seriously. No electrochemistry questions, which was probably why I thought it was easy. Also, the math was done for you, so I didn’t have to calculate anything, just pick the correct expression.

Organic Chemistry: I love organic, so this test was kind of fun to take. I had to name a reaction, predict products, rank acidity, etc. Normal organic stuff. Easier than DATQvault OC, that’s for certain.

PAT: I have no clue how I got a 26. There was some that I would think, “Uhm, pretty sure that shape doesn’t exist.”
KH: Same level of difficulty as CDP, but in a different way. You have to distinguish between sizes and orientations rather than shape. Advice: find two that could be it, figure out what’s different between them, and choose the one you think best fits.
TFE: Same as CDP
AR: I suck at this, but these seemed a bit easier than CDP. I was getting 60% on CDP. However, there were more choices for largest/smallest, so that took a bit longer.
HP: Weird folds, but doable. I thought it was easier than CDP, mainly because there wasn’t many, “Oh, just kidding, the holes over here!” problems. Also, the 1/3 fold is not as bad as it sounds. You’ll know it when you see it. Just hop on over one line.
CC: Meh. I had to do these multiple times because I messed up, but definitely easier structures than CDP.
PF: Oh, gosh. I had to mark up this part. It was pretty odd, but definitely doable. Maybe a teenie bit more difficult than CDP.

Reading Comprehension: I was lucky enough to get passages that I was interested in, minus one. I didn’t use search and destroy. I actually read them, which was easier for me. There were some tone and inference questions, but they weren’t difficult.
Ex. What was the tone the author expressed in the last paragraph?
Anger; Hateful; Upset; Hopeful.
You can literally use process of elimination.

QR: Once again, I’m a math major. I hate arithmetic/trig/stats/algebra. I don’t know why I’m a math major. I thought this section was pretty tough. I got stuck on multiple questions and finished with 2 minutes to spare.

Well, this is probably the crappiest breakdown you’ve ever read, but I’m more of an answer-a-question guy, so if you have any, let me know! After 15-hour study days, I feel like I have an infinite amount of time.

Tip: The Prometric center won’t let you write on your boards during the tutorial. I was finished with the SNS portion and had 30 minutes to spare, so I did my PAT stuff—grids and numbers—during that time. It’s your time! Don’t waste it!

 

[Msmouth]

Wow you are one of those! You can teach yourself Orgo 2 and kill it! Amazing job! So you think destroyer is overkill? Lot's are saying that here. Is it so overkill that you could skip it and still do well or is it still worth going through it once or twice? I'm still inching my way through the first round. I am marking the ones I got wrong, reviewing them and will do those over for the 2nd round. It's slow, tedious and somewhat painful.

 

[Dotoday]

Awesome job. Your scores are great.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

 

[Dentalman11]

Wow you are one of those! You can teach yourself Orgo 2 and kill it! Amazing job! So you think destroyer is overkill? Lot's are saying that here. Is it so overkill that you could skip it and still do well or is it still worth going through it once or twice? I'm still inching my way through the first round. I am marking the ones I got wrong, reviewing them and will do those over for the 2nd round. It's slow, tedious and somewhat painful.

I seriously did not get through all of the organic section of Destroyer once. It sounds bad, especially since I paid $150 for it, but I found it just made me upset. The best resource I found for organic problems was Organic Chemistry as a Second Language and Chad's quizzes.

If you have time, then yes, definitely go through destroyer, since it'll give you some practice, but with the time constraints I was under, I only used it when I was eating or bored with studying textbooks and watching videos.

However, the roadmaps, for me at least, are GOLDEN. They put everything into perspective, but I only looked at them the night before my exam. Hah!

 

[shiftparadigm]

Great job dude! I'm super jealous of your PAT score haha.

 

[Toofly01]

Dayummmmmm good job!!!! 😱 😱

This was the funniest breakdown ever- and also helpful, so thank you! I'm freakin' out about ochem, I have no idea why, but I guess everyone has their 'freakout' sections and that one is mine. Could you get into more depth about how you prepared for it, and NOT specifics, but just in general how difficult was this section. Thanks!

And lol at "I'm pretty sure this shape doesn't exist" haha.

 

[sagarkanodiya]

Congrats! you nailed it.

 

[biomolecmed]

Very nice scores. Congratulations.

 

[Dentalman11]

Dayummmmmm good job!!!! 😱 😱

This was the funniest breakdown ever- and also helpful, so thank you! I'm freakin' out about ochem, I have no idea why, but I guess everyone has their 'freakout' sections and that one is mine. Could you get into more depth about how you prepared for it, and NOT specifics, but just in general how difficult was this section. Thanks!

And lol at "I'm pretty sure this shape doesn't exist" haha.

Haha, thank you! I feel like I should get an award or something. *holds out hand*

Anyway, on to da bizness:

I prepared by reading some chapters from my organic textbook, using Chad's videos, and using Organic Chemistry as a Second Language: Second Semester Topics (3E).

My school doesn't cover Sn1/Sn2/E1/E2 reactions until second semester, so those were the chapters I read from my textbook (along with halogenation), but everything else was basically Chad's and OCaaSL. I did a small portion of the OC Destroyer problems (around 35-40%) after I had finished all of my actual teaching. I probably spent around 3 1/2 hours each day on OC for the entire 2 1/2 weeks. On the night before my exam, I found the roadmaps in Destroyer and just studied those for 1 hour. I think this is where the OC2 reactions clicked for me--and with great timing! Also, Chad's quizzes? Magnificent! Definitely similar to the types of questions I was asked.

I had just finished organic I 2 1/2 weeks before my exam, so I only studied organic II, which was a good decision, since I felt the exam used organic I, but in an organic II way. Which will bring me to the test!

I was pretty happy when I started the test. I think I was stumped by, maybe, 3 problems. One was a "which is the more stable alkene," and I can't remember the others. The reactions were super easy, as well. I felt like they just picked them from the roadmaps in Destroyer, honestly.

All in all, the section was probably a 5/10 for me in terms of difficulty. Definitely closer to KBB organic, which I think I got a 23 on. If you can get through DATQvault organic with 20s, then you can definitely do the organic exam I had. I basically flew through the first three exams and ended up with 30 minutes to spare, which I used to wipe my sweaty hands on the chair and map out PAT stuff, as said above.

I hope I answered your question thoroughly! I just got a wisdom tooth pulled today, so I might have lost some wisdom between the test and writing this, but I hope it's to your satisfaction. Don't hesitate to ask me any other questions you have!

 

[Toofly01]

Haha, thank you! I feel like I should get an award or something. *holds out hand*

Anyway, on to da bizness:

I prepared by reading some chapters from my organic textbook, using Chad's videos, and using Organic Chemistry as a Second Language: Second Semester Topics (3E).

My school doesn't cover Sn1/Sn2/E1/E2 reactions until second semester, so those were the chapters I read from my textbook (along with halogenation), but everything else was basically Chad's and OCaaSL. I did a small portion of the OC Destroyer problems (around 35-40%) after I had finished all of my actual teaching. I probably spent around 3 1/2 hours each day on OC for the entire 2 1/2 weeks. On the night before my exam, I found the roadmaps in Destroyer and just studied those for 1 hour. I think this is where the OC2 reactions clicked for me--and with great timing! Also, Chad's quizzes? Magnificent! Definitely similar to the types of questions I was asked.

I had just finished organic I 2 1/2 weeks before my exam, so I only studied organic II, which was a good decision, since I felt the exam used organic I, but in an organic II way. Which will bring me to the test!

I was pretty happy when I started the test. I think I was stumped by, maybe, 3 problems. One was a "which is the more stable alkene," and I can't remember the others. The reactions were super easy, as well. I felt like they just picked them from the roadmaps in Destroyer, honestly.

All in all, the section was probably a 5/10 for me in terms of difficulty. Definitely closer to KBB organic, which I think I got a 23 on. If you can get through DATQvault organic with 20s, then you can definitely do the organic exam I had. I basically flew through the first three exams and ended up with 30 minutes to spare, which I used to wipe my sweaty hands on the chair and map out PAT stuff, as said above.

I hope I answered your question thoroughly! I just got a wisdom tooth pulled today, so I might have lost some wisdom between the test and writing this, but I hope it's to your satisfaction. Don't hesitate to ask me any other questions you have!

Great thorough reply, thanks! Omg- I had a couple of wisdom teeth pulled a year ago, isn't it a huge pain!!! I swelled up like a chipmunk lol. (Just remember: Nothing hot, and no straws.) 🙂

Again, lol @ "and ended up with 30 minutes to spare, which I used to wipe my sweaty hands on the chair and map out PAT stuff" really funny stuff here haha.

Thanks for the detailed answer, off to study more! These forums can get addicting. 🙂

Enjoy your painkillers! Oh... and as the toothfairy, I must collect your teeth. Sorry, no change, I'm broke.

 

[peanutmonster]

omg i take my dat in a few days and i'm so jealous of your scores. awesome job. RESPECT. what did you do the day before the test? how did you feel the day of the test...waking up, walking in, etc???

 

[Dentalman11]

omg i take my dat in a few days and i'm so jealous of your scores. awesome job. RESPECT. what did you do the day before the test? how did you feel the day of the test...waking up, walking in, etc???

The day before the test I had to sit in a classroom at school from 9:00-3:00, since I'm a freshmen mentor. After that, I visited my mom before heading an hour away from home to stay in a hotel and take my test the next morning. I got settled in, drove the the testing center, just to make sure I could find it, went and got some food (SUBWAY! Yeah, yeah!), then went back to my room and studied.

I did about 10 pages of destroyer Biology and maybe 3 of OChem. Then I found the Destroyer roadmaps and studied them for an hour. I reread Alan's Biology Notes one more time and went to sleep around 12:30.

I woke up at 6:00, showered, and went to eat some breakfast. I literally felt like I could burst into tears at any moment. A guy brought me sausage and eggs and I almost started crying. It was so odd. I ended up only eating half an apple and half a bagel.

When I got to the testing center, I was like, "Oh, god, I'm gonna do so badly.." Then I got settled in, did the "paperwork" (fingerprints, picture, locker pickin') and started the test! And the rest is history!

 

[SGStudent]

Can you please breakdown a little more specific on chemistry. As to what sources you focused on and practice test you did, I would really appreciate it and congratulations with the scores!

 

[Dentalman11]

Can you please breakdown a little more specific on chemistry. As to what sources you focused on and practice test you did, I would really appreciate it and congratulations with the scores!

For general chemistry practice, I used Chad's quizzes, DATQvault, and Destroyer (I think I did 25% of the problems). To study, I read through KBB once (eh, not very great), and watched all of Chad's videos. I had finished gen. chem. II in May, so it was still fresh in my mind. If you haven't had it in a while, I suggest reading the review points in the back of each chapter in your GC textbook before beginning. Chad's quizzes were VERY representative of the real thing.

For organic chemistry, I also used Chad's quizzes, DATQvault, and Destroyer (50% of the problems), but I also used Organic Chemistry as a Second Language. I only used the last one because I had to teach myself organic II, so if you've taken that course, you could use only chad's videos and be fine for studying. If you haven't had the course, then I HIGHLY suggest you get this book. The second semester topics one. It's fantastic. For studying, I used Chad's videos, and OCaaSS. I didn't bother reading KBB, though, because I didn't have time. Don't bother making notecards for reactions. I did them, and I never used them, so that was wasted study time. Just use the Destroyer Roadmaps, covering the "answer" with a notecard.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you'd like anything more specific! My DATQvault scores are up top, so you can see a comparison.

 

[SGStudent]

Thanks! I am so worried because I have been studying chad's non-stop until it sticks in my brain, however taking the topscore I am getting 14's across the board and I am worried that it is a portrayal of my real DAT score. I have 3 weeks left for my DAT and I am planning to study those that I get wrong and work on my weak points, I hope that is enough to get me in the averages of 20s. Any advice will be welcome.

 

[Dentalman11]

Thanks! I am so worried because I have been studying chad's non-stop until it sticks in my brain, however taking the topscore I am getting 14's across the board and I am worried that it is a portrayal of my real DAT score. I have 3 weeks left for my DAT and I am planning to study those that I get wrong and work on my weak points, I hope that is enough to get me in the averages of 20s. Any advice will be welcome.

I didn't use Topscore, so I can't really be of much help in that area, though I'm sure there are plenty of comparisons on here!

If you stick with Chad and understand most of what he's saying, you will definitely be fine. Positive thinking, as well! Use your practice test to gauge what you know and what you don't. DON'T use them as a I'll-get-this-score type of thing. Practice test are just that--practice. They are meant to show you your weaknesses, not your DAT performance.

 

[PAsda]

Hello Everyone,
I'm a new member. I realllllllllllllllllllly realyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy need HELP!
I canceled my DAT Ex. few hours ago.
If there is someone that really wants to help...... I'm here for it!

 

[SGStudent]

Your right gotta stay positive, negativity only makes situations worst. Thanks for both encouragement and advice!

 

[SGStudent]

By the way what methods did you use for your PAT? Because I am having a little trouble with TFE. And the Punching holes in CDP is very hard, specially the half holes.

 

[Dentalman11]

By the way what methods did you use for your PAT? Because I am having a little trouble with TFE. And the Punching holes in CDP is very hard, specially the half holes.

I didn't really have any methods aside from cube-tallying and grid-making.

I found CDP hole-punching to be a tiny bit harder than DAT hole-punching. However, I was getting 15/15 on CDP for hole-punching.

Practice makes perfect! I know I'm not of much help for this, but I just kind of did PAT and gradually got better, so I'm probably not the best person to ask.

 

[Anetka5326]

By the way what methods did you use for your PAT? Because I am having a little trouble with TFE. And the Punching holes in CDP is very hard, specially the half holes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ud0ZX0eEFA

do yourself a favor and WATCH THIS! seriously... I was averaging 1min+ on the hole punches... after watching this... and after like 10 min of practice (I used CDP) I was down to 30 sec or less!! Also, one variation.... in the video he's fast enough to out it all together in his head.... I actually drew out 15 separate grids (little ones) during the tutorial... which helped me stay organized. Good luck!

 

[mjzgrk]

What do you mean you did your PAT stuff "grids and stuff?"

 

[Glimmer1991]

What do you mean you did your PAT stuff "grids and stuff?"

You know, you make grids to keep track of the hole punches. It's an extremely popular method and quite helpful.

However, this thread is a year old, just FYI.

 

[mjzgrk]

You know, you make grids to keep track of the hole punches. It's an extremely popular method and quite helpful.

However, this thread is a year old, just FYI.

Really just like the video above? I feel like I don't understand what the kid in the video above is talking about. I usually do it in my head the hole punches. But does anyone else explain it better? My biggest fear is TFE/pattern folding

 

[Glimmer1991]

Really just like the video above? I feel like I don't understand what the kid in the video above is talking about. I usually do it in my head the hole punches. But does anyone else explain it better? My biggest fear is TFE/pattern folding

Just google "PAT tic tac toe method" or "PAT grid method" and I'm sure you'll get everything you need.

 

[biomolecmed]

You will do very well in Dental school. Any idea what school is your top choice?