- Joined
- May 5, 2009
- Messages
- 631
- Reaction score
- 19
Hey guys, these breakdown things helped me out quite a bit. I figured I'd do a quick one since I didn't get rock star scores like most on here. I think some will benefit from my experience though.
AA 19
TS 18
PAT 20
BIO 17
GC 18
OC 22
RC 21
QR 19
First! I'd like to say that there's a ton of hype about top score being easier than the real thing. I found Top Score to closely resemble the actual DAT. I did see an increase in my Ochem....18 to 22. GC and Biology not so much. I would highly recommend Top Score though because it's on par with the actual DAT difficulty, lets you know where you stand, gives you more confidence, and helps you get the timing down.
BIO: I've read a ton of these breakdowns and I thought everybody was being over dramatic about the randomness. I completely understand everyone's griping now. It was very random. I'm a Biology major with a decent GPA from a state school and I felt like they pulled several "below the belt" detailed questions. I can honestly say some of the stuff I saw wasn't in KBB so make sure to supplement.
GC: Not too bad, some calculations are set up for you, some aren't. Resembled Top Score GC.
OC: Destroyer helped me out a ton. The roadmaps are awesome. After gaining a foundation through studying I literally spent a day with the OC section in destroyer. I memorized the roadmaps and spent about 5 hours going through all of the problems. Towards the end of the day I was noticing patterns and it became one of my stronger areas.
PAT: Angles were exactly the same as CDP. The only difference was a couple problems had angles with different sized legs. Check out the ADA free sample exam and you'll get an idea. I skipped keyholes (one of my weaker sections) and knocked out the TFE, angles, hole punching, and cube counting. I think that was my bread and butter. The pattern folding and keyholes were hit and miss. If something looked like it was going to take too long I marked it and moved on.
QR: Destroyer QR was good, Top score seemed almost on par. The thing you have to get down is timing. You have a little over a minute for each question and it gets intimidating when you spend time on a word problem and see the timer in the corner. Just relax and remember that it's only a test.
RC: I blazed through this section and did good. I made sure to watch a video on how pianos worked just in case I got that passage. I didn't end up getting it and now I know way more than I want to about pianos. Find your strategy and stick to it. I summarized each paragraph with a couple words and this helped me find my way around.
I feel like I could have done better but I'm happy with my scores and application. Even though my scores don't hold a candle to some of the scores on here I can honestly say that just being a part of this forum and striving to reach those great scores landed me a score that should hopefully get me some interviews.
AA 19
TS 18
PAT 20
BIO 17
GC 18
OC 22
RC 21
QR 19
First! I'd like to say that there's a ton of hype about top score being easier than the real thing. I found Top Score to closely resemble the actual DAT. I did see an increase in my Ochem....18 to 22. GC and Biology not so much. I would highly recommend Top Score though because it's on par with the actual DAT difficulty, lets you know where you stand, gives you more confidence, and helps you get the timing down.
BIO: I've read a ton of these breakdowns and I thought everybody was being over dramatic about the randomness. I completely understand everyone's griping now. It was very random. I'm a Biology major with a decent GPA from a state school and I felt like they pulled several "below the belt" detailed questions. I can honestly say some of the stuff I saw wasn't in KBB so make sure to supplement.
GC: Not too bad, some calculations are set up for you, some aren't. Resembled Top Score GC.
OC: Destroyer helped me out a ton. The roadmaps are awesome. After gaining a foundation through studying I literally spent a day with the OC section in destroyer. I memorized the roadmaps and spent about 5 hours going through all of the problems. Towards the end of the day I was noticing patterns and it became one of my stronger areas.
PAT: Angles were exactly the same as CDP. The only difference was a couple problems had angles with different sized legs. Check out the ADA free sample exam and you'll get an idea. I skipped keyholes (one of my weaker sections) and knocked out the TFE, angles, hole punching, and cube counting. I think that was my bread and butter. The pattern folding and keyholes were hit and miss. If something looked like it was going to take too long I marked it and moved on.
QR: Destroyer QR was good, Top score seemed almost on par. The thing you have to get down is timing. You have a little over a minute for each question and it gets intimidating when you spend time on a word problem and see the timer in the corner. Just relax and remember that it's only a test.
RC: I blazed through this section and did good. I made sure to watch a video on how pianos worked just in case I got that passage. I didn't end up getting it and now I know way more than I want to about pianos. Find your strategy and stick to it. I summarized each paragraph with a couple words and this helped me find my way around.
I feel like I could have done better but I'm happy with my scores and application. Even though my scores don't hold a candle to some of the scores on here I can honestly say that just being a part of this forum and striving to reach those great scores landed me a score that should hopefully get me some interviews.
