DAT Done!!! July 8th 2009

[Apolo]

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Hey everyone! Long-time reader but a first-time poster. I had to actually avoid these threads for the past few months because I was getting so stressed for the test and I was becoming obsessed with reading everyone's stories.

If anyone has questions about my DAT experience or prep feel free to ask.

Anyway, now that it's all over I'll go for it.

PAT: 21
QR: 19
RC: 20
CHEM: 23
OCHEM: 20
BIO: 27
TS: 23
AA: 22

PAT: pretty darn close to Crack. get it.

QR: Kaplan online. must work fast. don't worry about getting Q's wrong. manage time and get though all of them and you will be golden.

RC: I got piano. and loved it... to be honest, its the passage I felt best about. RC scared me to death going in. I'm not much of a reader plus I'm slow but I found a method that worked for me and was fine.

CHEM: not many calcs. some really simple questions. I got a few good guesses in. Kaplan is best for material but Topscore had the closest tests.

OCHEM: Kaplan and Topscore were both close. I always feel like I'm making educated guesses with ochem but I guess I was fine.

BIO: mostly straightforward. some educated guesses. I almost fainted when I saw the score. Kaplan and Cliffs AP covered it all.

 

[Sugafoot79]

Great scores!!! So what was your plan of attack for the RC? Care to elaborate...?😀

Oh yeah, how long did you study for? Days? hours per day?

 

[aar0n0polis]

how long did you prepare for the dat? what prereqs did you finish prior to taking it?

 

[jd399]

hey good job,

 

[Apolo]

Thanks guys.

Let me first say the first reading practice I took made me sick to my stomach. No joke. almost a full panic attack that resulted in a 14 which was lucky. I think it stems from the ACT days. But I found a way that made me feel comfortable- which is most important. Search and destroy made me more nervous and lost so I knew I needed more structure.

I think the first thing that anybody must realize is that with RC and QR you do not need to get every question right. In fact, you can miss a whole bunch of questions. Secondly, for RC the first few questions will be the hardest because you are not completely familiar with the passage. Don't dwell... keep moving.

I took the Kaplan course and discovered that their method was just a waste of precious time so I shortened it. At the break I numbered my sheets 1-15. When the passage popped up I read through it writing down one or two theme words that each paragraph was about. If there was a term that really stuck out I put it down too. I took no longer than 5-6 minutes to read each passage. Whatever you do, keep reading and don't worry about details. Focus on remembering which topics are in each paragraph. When you see that topic in a question, go to that paragraph.

This approach allowed me to relax and get a better head start on the first few questions of each passage. I kept on telling myself to not panic and to relax and it worked like a gem.

As for prep time, I originally planned to have 3.5 weeks to study. I took the Kaplan class before that but really didn't do the work or soak it in. Once summer started I studied for about 10 days for 5 hours a day and then really started slacking. I read the whole Kaplan book, Cliffs AP, and did some online stuff before I hit the wall. I got crack PAT and Topscore and took the first two natural science portions and scored in the 18-19 range. As test day approached I knew I wasn't in the right mindset take it so I moved it back. Unfortunately it had to be another 25 days so the torture continued. For the next 25 days I studied 5 days a week for 1-2 hours a day. I focused on building confidence in bio and gchem. I avoided practice tests even crack PAT. I went in with a clear mind today and walked out happy.

I am a Zoology major and have taken 1 yr genchem, 1 yr ochem, 1 sem biochem, gen bio, ecology, animal phys, and cell bio. all but bio had been pretty much forgotten.

 

[brightsmiles9]

Great job CONGRATS!! Your bio score is amazing! 🙂

 

[192LT192]

everyone says bio is the most random section. if i really know cliffs well then can i pull off a 20? im also casually reading kaplan but seriously studying cliffs. im so overwhelmed by bio!!

 

[Apolo]

Bio will always be random just because the amount of info is crazy. i really think each test is different so its kind of hard to say what a person can get by studying so much. I would say that Cliffs was good. If you know it all you should probably get at least a 17 just because a majority of the dat questions are basic. To get above that integrate what you know and take time with the questions. Make good educated guesses. A 20 is very attainable by knowing the basics and making good educated guesses. While Kaplan BB isn't enough for Bio they do present the material in a way that works well with the dat so learn it as well. Take practice tests and review the whole topic on the questions you miss.

 

[allstardentist]

good job on the DAT as well as the feedback