Dat Done!!!! July 17th

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drgreen

drgreen

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Im pretty happy with these scores, more happy that I get my life back.

PAT 22 (96.2)
QR 18 (75.8)
RC 20 (72.4)
BIO 24 (98.7)
CHE 22 (90.1)
ORG 23 (94.3)

TS 23 (98.2)
AA 21 (93.0)

PAT: Cube counting and keyhole were pretty strait forward, Pattern folding was tough, but the hole punching was wack!!!! I'm pretty sure they were folding illegally, folds that looked life 5/8th the way over.

QR: I could see how ppl bomb this section, its filled with questions that take forever and questions that take a few seconds. I just guessed and move on for the time consuming problems, and answered the normal ones quickly, with the time left (10 mins or so) I went back to the more challenging ones. Whatever you do, don't spend 3 mins on a question that you know you can get right, its better to come back to it. I used Crack DAT Math, was extremely helpful for a whole group of questions, although I'll admit, not all.

RC: I used search and destroy. The passages were comparable to top-score, informative, 'search and destroy'-able. BUT i could have very easily gotten a passage filled with tone oriented questions. I recommend you glimpse at the questions if you see that they are for the most part specific, search and destroy, if they are tone related, read the damn article. So it takes 10 mins.

Bio: I'm pretty surprised by my score here. Destroyer is on the money. I do not however think it should be done alone. I used AP Cliffs until I felt that I had a good grasp of the concepts, and iced the cake with destroyer. Keep in mind, I didn't just read the destroyer, I had cliffs open at the same time, and jotted down/highlighted things cliffs that pertained to the destroyer. Anything that I found difficult to remember, I wrote on a Q-card, and made sure I understood it, made connections and tricks for memorization. (blue green algae=monera. green like money, Bryophyta=avascular, pictured myself strangling a guy named bryan, so onnnnn)

Gen Chem: Destroyer!!! Supliment it with Kaplans. Kaplan covers Gchem nicely. Make sure you really understand molarity/molality.

Orgo: I LOOOOVE ORGO, that probably helped. Read the DESTROYER, analyze it, GET IT!


ASK AWAY 😉
 
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wtf? u should get a 22 AA!

btw u did great. 1 pt above my gc but same bio and oc 😛 hehehe. now i am waiting to see osmsosisdsds score (duunno how to spell his name) and orgodox's
 
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sl2obel2ts said:
wtf? u should get a 22 AA!

btw u did great. 1 pt above my gc but same bio and oc 😛 hehehe. now i am waiting to see osmsosisdsds score (duunno how to spell his name) and orgodox's
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1 more point on any section and he woulda had a 22. The adcom's will see that though so hes good anyways. Great science scores with nothing very low. Hes golden.
 
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great scores! what do you suggest to do in the final 48 hours before the exam? I still have one more Topscore test to take, but I don't know if I should just go over destroyer again instead. Or is it better to go over problems missed on practice tests? I'm trying my best not to freak out lol.
 
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great job dr. green, i'm sure you were glad to see you're hard work pay off.

questions:
1) Did you feel the genchem was more conceptual based than calculations? What other recommendations do you have for this?
2) What practice exam softwares did you use besides for math and pat and what were some of your scores.
3) Do you feel the actual exam was easier than the practice tests you took?
 
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also can you post your achiever or kaplan scores if you have taken any of those full lengths plz? Thanks!
 
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Goodjob fella! And like toothlady says, can you post your topscore and achiever scores?
 
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littlebittyjk said:
great scores! what do you suggest to do in the final 48 hours before the exam? I still have one more Topscore test to take, but I don't know if I should just go over destroyer again instead. Or is it better to go over problems missed on practice tests? I'm trying my best not to freak out lol.
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dont waste your time doing another top score, the only good it serves is becoming familiar with timing and the testing system.
go over the destroyer again. totally doable in two days if you have read through it at least twice before in my opinion.
Really, doing another topscore is time consuming, you can be way more productive.
 
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drzakisadiq said:
great job dr. green, i'm sure you were glad to see you're hard work pay off.

questions:
1) Did you feel the genchem was more conceptual based than calculations? What other recommendations do you have for this?
2) What practice exam softwares did you use besides for math and pat and what were some of your scores.
3) Do you feel the actual exam was easier than the practice tests you took?
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1)genchem was a mix. don't listen to the ppl who tell you it is all conceptual. there are many tests out there, and it's in your best interest to prepare for any type of question. destroyer was great in preparing for the calcs, although solving for a final numerical answer was only required for simple calculations.
2)i used topscore, not achiever, crack dat and pat.
3)the exam was not necessarily easier, but the material i read (destroyer and AP) were more pertinent to the test than topscore so i was able to score higher.
 
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PRACTICE TESTS...
BIO/CHEM/ORGO/MATH/READING/PAT
Top Score 18 17 19 19 20 22
TopScore2 18 18 20 19 19 21
TopScore3 19 19 25 23 19 23

Crack DAT Math
19,18,23,19,18,18,20,18,20
 
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I don't understand how RC of 20 is 75th percentile... that's usually the section where people get nailed the most (after QR)
 
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Optimism Smiles said:
Nicely done!!!! About how many days and hrs/day did you study?
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I've been glancing at the stuff for a couple months, barely focusing on it. Cut a record with my band in the meantime. But the last four weeks i pulled 14 hour days, interrupted by meals of course. I dont know, kinda torture.
 
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Great Scores! You're set for dental school!!!

For the ochem section, how were the lab techniques question like? like are they similar to kaplan practice subject tests? and is the kaplan bk good enough for the ochem/Gchem? I've started on destroyer and some of its like .... hehe.
 
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Kaplan practice tests aren't that bad actually, they are probably more challenging than the actual dat. I do not however, think that Kaplan by itself is sufficient in preparing for the variety of questions that may be asked. It is always a good idea to use a bunch of different sources. But for Ochem in particular I think destroyer does the job on its own, providing that you can understand it fully and get through it. If you are having trouble fully comprehending Destroyer orgo, I would recommend Organic Chemistry as a Second Language (OSL) by David R. Klein. I have recommendid this particular resource to many people because I strongly believe that it paves a solid foundation with particular attention to mechanisms. If you can understand why a particular reaction happens, then it is no longer memorization, but application of your knowledge. OSL comes in handbook format and each book is 300 pages. Don't let this scare you, the wording is very spaced out, the pages are small, and the content is simple and to the point. A truly fast read, and highly recommended. Remember, the ultimate goal for Orgo is to understand the Destroyer, but if the foundation is not set, a great background can be found in OSL.
 
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Great work man. You are in. Congratulations. NOw just relax before the heavy schooling begins.
 
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drgreen, give me your thoughts on this:

I got 6 weeks left and this is my plan for each science section:

3 days kaplan book, 1 day kaplan online, 1 day destroyer = 5 days per science section

That would put me at ~2 weeks to go through all the sciences. Should I plan to repeat this and then do practice tests my last week?
 
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If you are set on kaplan, that plan is alright. I would highly recommend fitting AP Cliffs into that schedule. I think kaplan is good for genchem. I think a total of 3 days in 2 weeks for destroyer is not enough. It is not merely questions/answer, the information should be studied intently with a pencil in hand. 6 weeks is a long time, so by the end you will probably be doing maintanance work just to keep all the info fresh.

Also, make sure you set aside time for crack dat math and pat. they are both extremely important. And complete a couple full length practice tests, be it kaplan online, topscore, or acheiver. A stimulated test is a good idea, especially if you take it at the same day of the week as your actual test.

Good luck
 
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Hey congrats,.. thanks for giving us tips on how to study. I am using AP Cliffs with Destroyer and I was wondering how I would be able to use both effectively, but using them simultaneously is brilliant,:idea: thanks for the tip. Now this summer is yours, enjoy it!!!🙂
 
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Amazing scores!! drgreen!
I have a question for ya.
i have 5 weeks to take the DAT.
What do you think is the best plan on studying for bio and gchem?
is AP bio book sufficient for bio section? How did you study for it?
How should i be prepared for the concept part on gchem?
thank you
 
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nice, solid scores. youre golden! now get off sdn and enjoy the rest of your summer man. best of luck.
 
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Congratulations! Very nice scores. I am studying right now and I agree with you about the Destroyer...It is right on the money. Enjoy the rest of your summer, you've earned it. I have a quick questions for you. How did you manage your time in terms of studying for the sections? I have trouble doing that.
 
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Whathedat said:
Amazing scores!! drgreen!
I have a question for ya.
i have 5 weeks to take the DAT.
What do you think is the best plan on studying for bio and gchem?
is AP bio book sufficient for bio section? How did you study for it?
How should i be prepared for the concept part on gchem?
thank you
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Well, as I have mentioned before I think that destroyer is a great study guide. I do however recommend that it be supplemented with other books. AP Cliffs for bio and Kaplan for genchem sets a pretty good foundation.

Alright, since you have 5 weeks, I recommend that you take one full practice test a week at the same day and time of the actual test to get used to that schedule. I used topscore, some people like using achiever, for a good breakdown of the two check out my good friend orgodox's post... http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=546119&highlight=topscore+achiever

I think you should aim to have covered all the necessary material by the end of week four in order to dedicate the final week towards going over absolutely everything. Try to schedule in the Crack Dat programs (math and pat). Sit down with a calendar and a list of all the things you would like to accomplish, divide all the material equally and ration out your work load. This will increase efficiency tremendously.
 
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Blade8 said:
Congratulations! Very nice scores. I am studying right now and I agree with you about the Destroyer...It is right on the money. Enjoy the rest of your summer, you've earned it. I have a quick questions for you. How did you manage your time in terms of studying for the sections? I have trouble doing that.
Click to expand...

Like I have mentioned before, you need to first make a list of all the things you would like to accomplish or cover.

for example

1) Go through AP Bio twice
2) Go through Gen Chem Kaplan once
3) Go through destroyer 3 times
4) Do 3 topscore tests
5) Do 10 Crack Dat Math practice tests
6) Do 6 Crack Dat Pat practice tests
7) Read the paper for one hour each day
8) Read Organic Chemistry as a Second Language

Then divvy it all up into however many days you have left.

Let's say there are 700 destroyer questions and you want to go through it 3 times in 5 weeks (35 days) You can do 100 questions a day.

Fit it all into a calendar, and stick to it.
 
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