- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
- Messages
- 8
- Reaction score
- 0
Hey guys, I've been a long time visitor of the forums, and this is my first post. First off I would like to thank SDN for all the help and encouragement during this long and grueling process. I can finally say that I survived the DAT and am extremely happy with my scores!
PAT.....19
QR.......18
RC.......22
BIO......23
GC.......23
OC.......21
TS.......22
AA.......21 😀
Before I give my breakdown, I want to say that anyone can conquer this test! All it takes is hard work and focus. The first half of my summer consisted of summer school so I only was dedicating about 2-3 hours a day until my class was finished. After that, studying jumped to 6-8 hours a day with a day off every week, including a Kaplan course twice a week. I know everyone bashes on Kaplan, but I thought that it was a great foundation for studying. It's up to you to put the time and effort into learning the material. I wouldn't solely rely on it, but it pretty much lays out what will be on the test.
PAT
People aren't lying when they say use CDP. It helps!! I was kinda disappointed when I saw that I got a 19. I was averaging about 21 on my CDP tests (10 test version). Keyholes, Pattern Folding, and Hole-Punching were harder for me on the real thing. I saw a couple of really weird folds. TFE and Angles are about the same, if not easier than CDP. Cube counting is easier just because there are less cubes on the real thing.
QR
The Kaplan online material for QR is really helpful. I also used DAT Destroyer for some practice. I didn't get Math Destroyer, but from what I hear, it's pretty good. My only advice for this section is to mark and move on if you can't figure out how to solve the problem within the first 10 seconds. I wasted too much time on the first few, and I was playing catch-up the rest of the section. Keep that mental clock in mind.
RC
So my only practice was when I took the Kaplan Midterm, Final, and Full Length tests. The passages were easier on the real thing IMO. Personally, I'm not a fan of S&D. It takes a while and doesn't really help with "non-detail" questions. I try to read each passage as quickly as possible (under 7 minutes) while jotting down a couple key words, names and dates for each paragraph. That way I know where to look for the answers. This method has never failed me. Give yourself no more than 20 minutes per passage and their respective questions. If those 20 minutes are up, MOVE ON!!
BIO
I was freaking out about this section the entire time. I marked about 15 questions! Luckily I had time in the end to go back and really analyze and think about the answers. I spent the most time studying bio, and despite that, this section was still very challenging. Like everyone says, it's random, so make sure you try your best to cover everything. I read KBB about 3 times and used DAT Destroyer for some practice. Compared to the Kaplan practice tests, the real thing is about the same.
GC and OC
DAT DESTROYER!!!! Best resource ever for these two sections! I went through it 3 times. Practice makes perfect. I didn't use Chad's videos, but everyone swears up and down by this guy so I guess he has to be good. The questions on the real thing were definitely easier than Destroyer and the Kaplan material (full-length and section tests).
SDN Advice
STAY OFF OF IT! SDN is a great resource for advice and info about the test, and it's also a great motivator for you to push to get higher scores. As you get closer and closer to test day however, it's only gonna stress you out even more. You wanna be confident and relaxed going into the test! By the time test day comes around, there's really not much more that you can cram into your head, and reading other people's scores and breakdowns all day isn't gonna help you much. There's no point in stressing. If you get stuck on a problem, close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths and continue. It helps I promise!
All in all, I'm happy with my scores. I was averaging 20AA and 20PAT on my Kaplan full-length tests, so my real score matched up pretty well. Stay focused while you're studying and always keep in mind why you're busting your a** for this test. All of your hard work will pay off!!!
PAT.....19
QR.......18
RC.......22
BIO......23
GC.......23
OC.......21
TS.......22
AA.......21 😀
Before I give my breakdown, I want to say that anyone can conquer this test! All it takes is hard work and focus. The first half of my summer consisted of summer school so I only was dedicating about 2-3 hours a day until my class was finished. After that, studying jumped to 6-8 hours a day with a day off every week, including a Kaplan course twice a week. I know everyone bashes on Kaplan, but I thought that it was a great foundation for studying. It's up to you to put the time and effort into learning the material. I wouldn't solely rely on it, but it pretty much lays out what will be on the test.
PAT
People aren't lying when they say use CDP. It helps!! I was kinda disappointed when I saw that I got a 19. I was averaging about 21 on my CDP tests (10 test version). Keyholes, Pattern Folding, and Hole-Punching were harder for me on the real thing. I saw a couple of really weird folds. TFE and Angles are about the same, if not easier than CDP. Cube counting is easier just because there are less cubes on the real thing.
QR
The Kaplan online material for QR is really helpful. I also used DAT Destroyer for some practice. I didn't get Math Destroyer, but from what I hear, it's pretty good. My only advice for this section is to mark and move on if you can't figure out how to solve the problem within the first 10 seconds. I wasted too much time on the first few, and I was playing catch-up the rest of the section. Keep that mental clock in mind.
RC
So my only practice was when I took the Kaplan Midterm, Final, and Full Length tests. The passages were easier on the real thing IMO. Personally, I'm not a fan of S&D. It takes a while and doesn't really help with "non-detail" questions. I try to read each passage as quickly as possible (under 7 minutes) while jotting down a couple key words, names and dates for each paragraph. That way I know where to look for the answers. This method has never failed me. Give yourself no more than 20 minutes per passage and their respective questions. If those 20 minutes are up, MOVE ON!!
BIO
I was freaking out about this section the entire time. I marked about 15 questions! Luckily I had time in the end to go back and really analyze and think about the answers. I spent the most time studying bio, and despite that, this section was still very challenging. Like everyone says, it's random, so make sure you try your best to cover everything. I read KBB about 3 times and used DAT Destroyer for some practice. Compared to the Kaplan practice tests, the real thing is about the same.
GC and OC
DAT DESTROYER!!!! Best resource ever for these two sections! I went through it 3 times. Practice makes perfect. I didn't use Chad's videos, but everyone swears up and down by this guy so I guess he has to be good. The questions on the real thing were definitely easier than Destroyer and the Kaplan material (full-length and section tests).
SDN Advice
STAY OFF OF IT! SDN is a great resource for advice and info about the test, and it's also a great motivator for you to push to get higher scores. As you get closer and closer to test day however, it's only gonna stress you out even more. You wanna be confident and relaxed going into the test! By the time test day comes around, there's really not much more that you can cram into your head, and reading other people's scores and breakdowns all day isn't gonna help you much. There's no point in stressing. If you get stuck on a problem, close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths and continue. It helps I promise!
All in all, I'm happy with my scores. I was averaging 20AA and 20PAT on my Kaplan full-length tests, so my real score matched up pretty well. Stay focused while you're studying and always keep in mind why you're busting your a** for this test. All of your hard work will pay off!!!
