Hi everyone! Yep yep, I ended up not cancelling and I did take the DAT today at 9am. I was happy to see my scores, but dissatisfied with the fact that I knew I could have done much better. It felt great taking the exam and thinking to myself "I just might be done with this thing...", but I'm undecided at the moment. I may retake at the end of December.
PLEASE ADVISE - Should I retake at the end of December, considering my GPA is Sub-3? I just started my Informal Post-Bacc last Thursday, and I'm only taking 12 units this Quarter. I can fit DAT study-time in over these next 3 months. What do you guys think? I really need advice for this question.
Regardless, I'd like to post an extensive breakdown to aid anyone who is studying for the DAT because I'll never forget how much breakdowns have helped me in these past weeks. Without further ado, here are my half-decent scores --
PAT: 20 (79.0%)
QR: 18 (84.7%)
RC: 21 (76.7%)
Bio: 20 (88.0%) - Seriously felt like I got a 16 on this section
GC: 20 (79.8%)
OC: 19 (71.1%) - Had 16 seconds left for the last 5 🙁
TS: 20 (85.2%)
AA: 20 (87.6%)
BREAKDOWN
A bit about me first; I obtained my B.S. in Human Biology with a minor in Psychology back in 2010. I didn't begin fully pursuing the idea of Dental School until mid-May of 2011. Long story short, I began studying for the DAT around June 1st, but after only a week my study-time was cut short due to the fact that my father opened up a restaurant and needed my help. After working there for about 3 weeks my father no longer needed my assistance and told me to take all the time I need for studying. I'm blessed to have a very supportive family, both emotionally and financially. It was difficult for me to resume studying, though. I was stricken with fear of failure from day 1 and my mind was also pre-occupied with the fact that I had so much work to do prior to even applying to Dental School (i.e., informal post-bacc). I graduated with a sub-3 GPA, and I have to make up for it within the next year.
I was able to get back to studying around mid-July, and I took it VERY VERY slowly. I seriously only got about 5 days worth of work done in the next 5 weeks. From mid-July to early/mid-August, all I had truly completed was Chad's Videos, 1/4 of Cliff's AP Biology, none of Destroyer, no CDP practice exams, no QR studying AT ALL, and no RC practice. Basically, I was studying in a very lazy fashion. My study times each day at this time varied between 3-4 hours a day.
After mid-August, I fell into a depressive slump with a huge fear of failure against this exam. I would flip open Destroyer to a random page, stare at a few problems, start sweating, and throw everything in my backpack and go home. I would give up without even trying. However, once the end of August came around, I realized that I had only about 4 weeks left and that I was going to regret it immensely if I didn't light a fire under my ass somehow. So I did. The last week of August and the next 4 weeks of September (up until yesterday) consisted of anywhere between 6-10 hours of study per day (8 on average).
I'm going to list all the materials I used followed by what my experience was on the actual exam in comparison to the aforementioned material.
STUDY MATERIALS and HOW THEY COMPARED TO THE REAL DAT
PAT
What I used to study:
Crack DAT PAT (10-test version) and Ross' Premium Videos. Honestly, I only did 4 of the 10 practice exams and I never scored above an 18 on any of them. This is a section I did not put as much time into as I should have. However, THIS SECTION IS VERY CONQUERABLE! I seriously studied for the PAT for about 5 or 6 of the days total out of my entire study time. I was foolish to do this, because I realize now I could have easily obtained a 22+ on this section. If you're anything like me, you're insanely intimidated and shaking in your boots whenever you see a PAT problem. Don't fret. Trust me when I say this; it does come to you over time. Practice, PRACTICE, PRACCTTTICCEEE!!! I wish I would have followed my own advice. CDP is all you need, in my opinion. Ross' videos were a great help but unfortunately he goes over extremely simple problems. However, he explains things well and his videos are great for when you're first introducing yourself to the PAT section.
PAT on the actual DAT:
The common consensus these days seems to fall under the category of "The real DAT's PAT is harder than CDP!" However, I have to strongly disagree (at least for the exam I received). My scores for the 4 measly CDP exams I did were, respectively, 18, 16, 17, 17. But I received a 20 on the real thing. If ONLY I had done more practice for this section, I would have gotten at LEAST a 22. Unfortunately, I fail at following advice. Anywho, here's how it was. Keyholes were a JOKE. All the shapes were bland and very uniform and nothing was extraordinary. Angles were just as difficult as CDP, but that's because angle-ranking in general isn't an easy task. I'm 99% positive the majority of my missed points were on angles. Hole-punching...lmao...I started smiling when I saw my hole-punching problems. Quite possibly the most primitive and no-brainer folds I've ever seen in my life. I was able to do every single one in my head, whereas for CDP I was literally unable to do ANY in my head. For CDP, I always had to use the grid method (which works great by the way). Cube-counting was fairly straight-forward, but there were 2 sets that had illusions. However, the illusions were easy to identify and not as complicated as the ones I've dealt with on CDP. Pattern-folding was almost exactly the same as CDP, so I know this is another section that I missed too many points on. Nothing insane or extravagant, just a bit mind-twisting...as one would expect. When there were 4 problems of pattern-folding left, I only had 20 seconds remaining, which is a testament to my lack of practice. Please practice, you'll do SO much better than me, I PROMISE!
QR
What I used to study:
Chad's QR videos, DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer. You guessed it; I hardly studied for this section. I didn't watch Chad's QR videos until 3 weeks ago, but they helped me immensely. However, his videos go through very simple examples. His videos should only be used as a core/foundation for your QR studying, but they do a hell of a job building that core/foundation for you. I did 50 problems in the QR section of DAT Destroyer in which I scored a 26/40. I did a mere 2 practice exams from Math Destroyer and scored an 18/40 and 20/40, respectively. I skimmed through practice exam #3 of Math Destroyer about 1 week ago and concluded with the losing of my mind and giving up on QR. However, after taking the DAT, I realize now how on par these study materials are with the actual DAT.
QR on the actual DAT:
Math Destroyer and DAT Destroyer are definitely on par with what you'll see on the actual DAT. As you may have read before in other breakdowns, it is IMPERATIVE that you skip over problems that you are unsure about so that you can get through the easier ones and come back to the harder ones. Time is of the essence on this section, no doubt. The calculator that was provided is exactly the same as the one you have/see on a Windows operating system. It worked flawlessly with only a slight lag in between button clicks, so be weary of that. I discovered this when I was trying to multiply 145,000 by some decimal only to realize that the answer I came up with was a variant of what I saw in the answer choices. After recalculating, I realized that I clicked the "0"s too fast which caused 2 of them not to register onto the calculator. Be mindful of what you input into the calculator or you'll make silly mistakes! Also, even after watching Chad's QR videos and taking EXTENSIVE notes on them, I had not memorized ANY of the 2D or 3D geometry formulas. I'm so awful at Geometry that I was seriously hoping to just wing it since I didn't even know where to start and test day just kept creeping up so I decided to allocate my time elsewhere. My score in QR is a testament to this abomination. KNOW your Trig Functions, KNOW the Unit Circle, and KNOW Geometry. I got about 4 Geometry questions, 3 Trig questions, and the others were random (only 1 being probability, and it was a total "WTF??" question). Chad's Videos and Math Destroyer are all you need, trust me. Worry about timing after about your 3rd or 4th practice exam. Prior to that, work on problem recognition and memory recall. Practice, practice, practice! Just like the PAT.
RC
What I used to study:
The only thing I used to study for RC was the RC sections from Topscore exams #1, #2, and #3. I don't have much to say about this section besides the fact that if English is your second language, you should put more practice into reading dense science articles in your free time. I purposely didn't study for this section because my reading skills are half-decent (not extraordinary, but I wasn't intimidated by this section).
RC on the actual DAT:
I got 2 science articles and 1 article on ethics. I used the "Search and Destroy" method for every single question and it netted me a 21. Honestly, I'm not really a fan of "Search and Destroy", but I'm glad I did it because I had 10 seconds left after I finished the final question. I didn't read any of the articles fully or in-depth. Had I done so, I would have easily ran out of time. I apologize for not having much to say about this section, but I didn't really study for it. Perhaps others can provide more useful information in regards to RC.
BIOLOGY
What I used to study:
Cliff's AP Biology, DATQVault (8 of the benchmark exams), Destroyer (only 50 of the problems), Alan's Biology Notes Topscore #1, #2, #3, and ADA 2009 Practice Exam. I recommend all these materials very highly. However, I didn't study nearly as much as I should have for this section. I went through Cliff's 1.5 times, which should be gone through at least 2 times in my opinion (second time being much closer to test day). This book has everything you need, and then some. However, become familiar with what type of questions to expect so that you know what to skip in Cliff's. I have about 15 page numbers in Cliff's highlighted which indicates for me to skip that information. This book definitely does go too far in depth for a lot of the material, but I firmly believe that's a good thing. Everything bolded in the book is fair-game with the exception of a few pages as I stated earlier. DATQVault is PRICELESS. The entire layout of that site along with the question types and explanations is just flawless in every aspect. Quite possibly one of the best resources for Biology in my opinion, and all for a measly $25.00! Definitely purchase it. DAT Destroyer Bio is one of those things I wish I had more time for. Unfortunately, I simply didn't have the time to go through it all. However, I believe it's imperative to go through all of DAT Destroyer Bio at least once, but not more than twice. I only got through 50 of the questions and skimmed through all the others very quickly, but the information contained in the answer explanations is full of applicable knowledge. If you go through Bio in Destroyer more than once, do as other people have suggested to me and go through the explanations extensively during your second run-through. If I could do it all over again (which I probably will), I'd go through Cliff's 3 times, all 10 benchmark exams of DATQVault 3 times each, and Destroyer Biology twice. I seriously think that could set anyone up for a 22+. Going through DATQVault benchmark exams along with Destroyer Bio close to test day is a great strategy.
Bio on the actual DAT:
Yep, you guessed it, random as all hell. But, what do you expect? I mean, it's Biology. Biology is a huge field, so definitely expect questions picked from complete opposite sides of the spectrum. I was absolutely in shock to see I got a 20 on Bio. My Topscore practice exams yielded me a 16, 17, and 17...yet I got a 20 on the real thing. This is confusing considering the fact that the questions we see on Topscore Bio seem very primitive and very straight-forward for the most part. The Bio section on my version of the DAT was very difficult for me...much more difficult than any Topscore exam I did. However, I scored much higher on the real deal. Cool beans! The first 5 Bio questions I encountered were dense application scenarios which caused me to freak out. I ended up spending over 10 minutes on the first 5 Bio questions which ended up hurting me tremendously during O.Chem since I ran out of time. However, as are there dense, difficult application-based questions, there are also questions so STUPID easy it makes you stop and say "Wait...could it really be that easy? Are they messing with me? Because....this is just silly." Overall, I found this section to be very mind-stimulating and involved quite a bit of complex thinking. The majority of it is not regurgitation of information, but rather an application of information. Don't be scared of this section. I did 25% of the studying I wanted to do and still got a 20. Use the materials I listed and you're golden. Campbell's as a reference doesn't hurt either, just don't use it as the primary source or else your head might explode. Overall, I received 0 questions on Cellular Respiration, 0 questions on Physiology, 0 questions on Plants, 0 questions on Reproduction, and 1 question on Taxonomy. What on earth did I get asked then, if that's the case? Questions that involved a combination of various subjects. Very few of my questions were straight-forward, but the ones that were straight-forward were just pathetically easy. Overall, I think my version of Bio was quite difficult in comparison to what I've read in other breakdowns, which is why I'm pretty ecstatic I obtained a 20. I think I could have obtained a 21 or 22 on this section had I studied how I mentioned earlier.
GENERAL CHEMISTRY
What I used to study:
Chad's Videos, DAT Destroyer, Topscore #1, #2, #3, ADA 2009 Practice Exam. Honestly, Chad is horrible and I'd never use him for anything. His videos fail and so does he. Just kidding...he's amazing. I absolutely love Chad and I wish I could buy him a beer. There's not much to say about this section out of the ordinary. When I watched Chad's videos, it would take me an hour to get through a 20 minute video. I would pause and write down EVERYTHING he said and EVERYTHING he wrote. I have the most detailed and intricate notes from this amazing man's lectures. God bless him, seriously. His quizzes are awesome and his lectures prep you for Destroyer. Destroyer for Gen. Chem is key. I only went through 150 out of the problems in Gen. Chem Destroyer, and I guarantee you I would have gotten a 23 or higher on this section had I gone through Destroyer at least twice. Do Chad's, do his quizzes, and do Destroyer religiously. You can seriously get a 30 on this section by doing so.
General Chemistry on the actual DAT:
10 times easier than anything you'd see in Destroyer, but unfortunately I didn't become fully comfortable with Destroyer prior to test day. Everything I saw looked 100% familiar but I had problems recalling a lot of information. Do Chad's, take amazing notes, and go through Destroyer 2-3 times...I seriously cannot stress this enough. Had I gone through Destroyer more, I think I would have easily obtained a 23...but more likely a 25 or 26. General Chemistry is finite and there's only so much you have to know (granted, it's a lot, but it's finite!). All the calculations I saw on the exam were very simple and there was nothing complex, and I really only had about 6-7 problems that involved calculations, everything else was conceptual. Destroyer makes everything look easy. Topscore exams are on par with the real DAT, but again somehow I managed to score higher on the real thing than I ever did on a practice exam.
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
What I used to study:
Chad's Videos, DAT Destroyer, Topscore #1, #2, #3, ADA 2009 Practice Exam. Same as Gen. Chem. Watch Chad's videos and take extensive notes. Do Destroyer even though it's overkill. I only did 150 of the problems in Destroyer, and I tried to memorize as much as I could from the Roadmaps. Topscore exams are great for practice as well.
Organic Chemistry on the actual DAT:
A LOT easier than Destroyer and slightly easier than Topscore exams. I ran out of time had to literally click random answers for the last 5. I spent way too much time on the Biology section and it really hurt me. You can obtain a damn near 30 on this section if you master Chad's lectures along with Destroyer problems and the Roadmaps as well.
PRACTICE EXAM SCORES
ADA 2009 (6 days ago) - Bio (26/40), GC (24/30), OC (22/30), PAT (69/90), RC (29/50), QR (26/40)
Topscore #1 (5 days ago) - Bio(16), GC(16), OC(16), PAT(17), RC(20), QR(16)
Topscore #2 (3 days ago) - Bio(16), GC(17), OC(17), PAT(17), RC(21), QR(16)
Topscore #3 (2 days ago) - Bio(17), GC(17), OC(16), PAT(16), RC(22), QR(17)
CDP #1 - 18
CDP #2 - 16
CDP #3 - 17
CDP #4 - 17
DATQVault Benchmark #1 - 18
DATQVault Benchmark #2 - 17
DATQVault Benchmark #3 - 17
DATQVault Benchmark #4 - 17
DATQVault Benchmark #5 - 19
DATQVault Benchmark #6 - 18
DATQVault Benchmark #7 - 18
DATQVault Benchmark #8 - 17
I really liked Dusk's breakdown of the DAT so I'm going to follow his format to conclude this horrendous wall of text --
STUDY HABITS
My study habits were sub-par. Although I would normally say I studied for almost 8 weeks, it really only boiled down to about 4 weeks of intense study altogether. I took several days from the beginning of August until today. At times I even took 3-4 days consecutively because I felt so defeated and hopeless. Had I stuck to my guns, I think I could have easily surpassed a 22 on this exam. I probably will retake it considering my GPA is far from competitive, but we'll see. On the days that felt fulfilling study-wise, I would wake up anywhere between 7am to 10am (I never have been very good at sticking to an early morning schedule). On average, I wouldn't start studying until 11am or noon. I would drive 30 minutes from my house to UCSD to study at the library because I love the environment there...and also because I can never get anything done at home. Between the Playstation 3 staring me in the eye, my salt-water reef tank looking too gorgeous not to gaze at, my 42" LED, and my sister or brother coming over with their little ones....I just couldn't ever get anything done at home, and so I always removed myself...even if it meant driving half an hour to UCSD. The last 4 weeks, however, I spent a lot of time studying at my friend's house. It's almost always vacant and he was kind enough to allow me to come and go as I pleased, for which I am forever grateful. After about 3-4 hours of study, I would take a break and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or grab some fast food. My diet in these past few weeks has been just awful for the most part....buuut you have to make do. I didn't like taking longer than a 45 minute break during my study time. After lunch, I would get back into it and study for another 4-6 hours before calling it quits. When I'd come home, I'd either do some light review or I would take some time for myself and watch a movie. I tried to stay away from video games as much as possible, but still occasionally played BlackOps for an hour or so about once a week. Best stress reliever ever? Possibly.
The Day Before Test Day
Read through all of Alan's Biology Notes for the first time, and I'm really glad I did that. His notes are summarized well and provide a great form of memory refreshment. It took me about 5 hours to get through his notes in their entirety, as I had to reference a few things in Cliff's that seemed somewhat foreign to me. Afterwards, I took one more look at the Orgo Roadmaps in Destroyer.
Test Day
My exam was today at 9am. I woke up at 5am and took a 20-minute steam shower. For breakfast, I ate 2 pieces of toast covered in cream cheese and apricot jam. I honestly wanted to have 4 eggs with bacon, but I was afraid that it would have been too heavy. Not to mention, my appetite was truly non-existent. My beautiful, loving, adorable girlfriend showed up to my house at 5:45am and brought me coffee from Starbucks, 2 Tiger's Milk protein bars to eat during my 15 minute break, a small chain that is composed of icons of Catholic Saints, and a Saint Rita prayer card. She gave me a kiss on the lips and told me that I was going to get a 20. Sure enough, I got a 20. She's the most amazing woman anyone could ask for and I thank God for her every single day. She's seen me go through hell and back these past 3 months, she's seen me break down into tears, and she's seen me lose my mind...but never once did she abandon me. I'm blessed to have her in my life...and I truly believe I could have never gotten through this had it not been for her love and her prayers.
SHOUTOUTS!!!
Oh man, where do I even start? I'll do my best to name everyone that I love and adore on this site. Forgive me I forget to name you...
DentalWorks - God bless you man.
Dusk - You're quite possibly the most uplifting human being on the entire planet. I'll keep you in my prayers forever, my friend.
Gomsemari - Congratulations on doing so well on your DAT, and thank you for all the uplifting words and prayers you said for me.
2PacClone23 - I'm so happy that you beat the living crap out of the DAT my man. You deserve it, and you're a hell of a trooper to go toe-to-toe with this exam 3 times. You're the man!
FROGGBUSTER - Owner of the best DAT scores I've ever seen in my life, and one of the most realistic and helpful people on these forums. Your breakdown was great, and I wish you the best.
DrRoyal Pains - You've always been a help during my posts, and I appreciate it whole-heartedly.
Demps - Your responses always seem to be soothing, uplifting, and optimistic. I wish I knew more people like you.
LetsGo2DSchool - Monitoring your DAT studies and threads was incredibly motivational. I know how hard you busted your ass, and you deserve that amazing score you got. Wish you the best.
predental89 - My fellow UCSD'er! You're going to do amazing on Wednesday! Can't wait to read your breakdown, my friend.
God, Saint Rita, Saint Joseph of Cupertino, The Virgin Mary - 👍😍
I apologize if I forgot to name anyone. Well, that's that. Looking forward to read some input. I'm REALLY leaning towards retaking it in December because I know I can do better. What do you guys think? Sub-3 GPA and just started my informal post-bacc at UCSD. Looking forward to hearing some responses.
God Bless all of you.
PLEASE ADVISE - Should I retake at the end of December, considering my GPA is Sub-3? I just started my Informal Post-Bacc last Thursday, and I'm only taking 12 units this Quarter. I can fit DAT study-time in over these next 3 months. What do you guys think? I really need advice for this question.
Regardless, I'd like to post an extensive breakdown to aid anyone who is studying for the DAT because I'll never forget how much breakdowns have helped me in these past weeks. Without further ado, here are my half-decent scores --
PAT: 20 (79.0%)
QR: 18 (84.7%)
RC: 21 (76.7%)
Bio: 20 (88.0%) - Seriously felt like I got a 16 on this section
GC: 20 (79.8%)
OC: 19 (71.1%) - Had 16 seconds left for the last 5 🙁
TS: 20 (85.2%)
AA: 20 (87.6%)
BREAKDOWN
A bit about me first; I obtained my B.S. in Human Biology with a minor in Psychology back in 2010. I didn't begin fully pursuing the idea of Dental School until mid-May of 2011. Long story short, I began studying for the DAT around June 1st, but after only a week my study-time was cut short due to the fact that my father opened up a restaurant and needed my help. After working there for about 3 weeks my father no longer needed my assistance and told me to take all the time I need for studying. I'm blessed to have a very supportive family, both emotionally and financially. It was difficult for me to resume studying, though. I was stricken with fear of failure from day 1 and my mind was also pre-occupied with the fact that I had so much work to do prior to even applying to Dental School (i.e., informal post-bacc). I graduated with a sub-3 GPA, and I have to make up for it within the next year.
I was able to get back to studying around mid-July, and I took it VERY VERY slowly. I seriously only got about 5 days worth of work done in the next 5 weeks. From mid-July to early/mid-August, all I had truly completed was Chad's Videos, 1/4 of Cliff's AP Biology, none of Destroyer, no CDP practice exams, no QR studying AT ALL, and no RC practice. Basically, I was studying in a very lazy fashion. My study times each day at this time varied between 3-4 hours a day.
After mid-August, I fell into a depressive slump with a huge fear of failure against this exam. I would flip open Destroyer to a random page, stare at a few problems, start sweating, and throw everything in my backpack and go home. I would give up without even trying. However, once the end of August came around, I realized that I had only about 4 weeks left and that I was going to regret it immensely if I didn't light a fire under my ass somehow. So I did. The last week of August and the next 4 weeks of September (up until yesterday) consisted of anywhere between 6-10 hours of study per day (8 on average).
I'm going to list all the materials I used followed by what my experience was on the actual exam in comparison to the aforementioned material.
STUDY MATERIALS and HOW THEY COMPARED TO THE REAL DAT
PAT
What I used to study:
Crack DAT PAT (10-test version) and Ross' Premium Videos. Honestly, I only did 4 of the 10 practice exams and I never scored above an 18 on any of them. This is a section I did not put as much time into as I should have. However, THIS SECTION IS VERY CONQUERABLE! I seriously studied for the PAT for about 5 or 6 of the days total out of my entire study time. I was foolish to do this, because I realize now I could have easily obtained a 22+ on this section. If you're anything like me, you're insanely intimidated and shaking in your boots whenever you see a PAT problem. Don't fret. Trust me when I say this; it does come to you over time. Practice, PRACTICE, PRACCTTTICCEEE!!! I wish I would have followed my own advice. CDP is all you need, in my opinion. Ross' videos were a great help but unfortunately he goes over extremely simple problems. However, he explains things well and his videos are great for when you're first introducing yourself to the PAT section.
PAT on the actual DAT:
The common consensus these days seems to fall under the category of "The real DAT's PAT is harder than CDP!" However, I have to strongly disagree (at least for the exam I received). My scores for the 4 measly CDP exams I did were, respectively, 18, 16, 17, 17. But I received a 20 on the real thing. If ONLY I had done more practice for this section, I would have gotten at LEAST a 22. Unfortunately, I fail at following advice. Anywho, here's how it was. Keyholes were a JOKE. All the shapes were bland and very uniform and nothing was extraordinary. Angles were just as difficult as CDP, but that's because angle-ranking in general isn't an easy task. I'm 99% positive the majority of my missed points were on angles. Hole-punching...lmao...I started smiling when I saw my hole-punching problems. Quite possibly the most primitive and no-brainer folds I've ever seen in my life. I was able to do every single one in my head, whereas for CDP I was literally unable to do ANY in my head. For CDP, I always had to use the grid method (which works great by the way). Cube-counting was fairly straight-forward, but there were 2 sets that had illusions. However, the illusions were easy to identify and not as complicated as the ones I've dealt with on CDP. Pattern-folding was almost exactly the same as CDP, so I know this is another section that I missed too many points on. Nothing insane or extravagant, just a bit mind-twisting...as one would expect. When there were 4 problems of pattern-folding left, I only had 20 seconds remaining, which is a testament to my lack of practice. Please practice, you'll do SO much better than me, I PROMISE!
QR
What I used to study:
Chad's QR videos, DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer. You guessed it; I hardly studied for this section. I didn't watch Chad's QR videos until 3 weeks ago, but they helped me immensely. However, his videos go through very simple examples. His videos should only be used as a core/foundation for your QR studying, but they do a hell of a job building that core/foundation for you. I did 50 problems in the QR section of DAT Destroyer in which I scored a 26/40. I did a mere 2 practice exams from Math Destroyer and scored an 18/40 and 20/40, respectively. I skimmed through practice exam #3 of Math Destroyer about 1 week ago and concluded with the losing of my mind and giving up on QR. However, after taking the DAT, I realize now how on par these study materials are with the actual DAT.
QR on the actual DAT:
Math Destroyer and DAT Destroyer are definitely on par with what you'll see on the actual DAT. As you may have read before in other breakdowns, it is IMPERATIVE that you skip over problems that you are unsure about so that you can get through the easier ones and come back to the harder ones. Time is of the essence on this section, no doubt. The calculator that was provided is exactly the same as the one you have/see on a Windows operating system. It worked flawlessly with only a slight lag in between button clicks, so be weary of that. I discovered this when I was trying to multiply 145,000 by some decimal only to realize that the answer I came up with was a variant of what I saw in the answer choices. After recalculating, I realized that I clicked the "0"s too fast which caused 2 of them not to register onto the calculator. Be mindful of what you input into the calculator or you'll make silly mistakes! Also, even after watching Chad's QR videos and taking EXTENSIVE notes on them, I had not memorized ANY of the 2D or 3D geometry formulas. I'm so awful at Geometry that I was seriously hoping to just wing it since I didn't even know where to start and test day just kept creeping up so I decided to allocate my time elsewhere. My score in QR is a testament to this abomination. KNOW your Trig Functions, KNOW the Unit Circle, and KNOW Geometry. I got about 4 Geometry questions, 3 Trig questions, and the others were random (only 1 being probability, and it was a total "WTF??" question). Chad's Videos and Math Destroyer are all you need, trust me. Worry about timing after about your 3rd or 4th practice exam. Prior to that, work on problem recognition and memory recall. Practice, practice, practice! Just like the PAT.
RC
What I used to study:
The only thing I used to study for RC was the RC sections from Topscore exams #1, #2, and #3. I don't have much to say about this section besides the fact that if English is your second language, you should put more practice into reading dense science articles in your free time. I purposely didn't study for this section because my reading skills are half-decent (not extraordinary, but I wasn't intimidated by this section).
RC on the actual DAT:
I got 2 science articles and 1 article on ethics. I used the "Search and Destroy" method for every single question and it netted me a 21. Honestly, I'm not really a fan of "Search and Destroy", but I'm glad I did it because I had 10 seconds left after I finished the final question. I didn't read any of the articles fully or in-depth. Had I done so, I would have easily ran out of time. I apologize for not having much to say about this section, but I didn't really study for it. Perhaps others can provide more useful information in regards to RC.
BIOLOGY
What I used to study:
Cliff's AP Biology, DATQVault (8 of the benchmark exams), Destroyer (only 50 of the problems), Alan's Biology Notes Topscore #1, #2, #3, and ADA 2009 Practice Exam. I recommend all these materials very highly. However, I didn't study nearly as much as I should have for this section. I went through Cliff's 1.5 times, which should be gone through at least 2 times in my opinion (second time being much closer to test day). This book has everything you need, and then some. However, become familiar with what type of questions to expect so that you know what to skip in Cliff's. I have about 15 page numbers in Cliff's highlighted which indicates for me to skip that information. This book definitely does go too far in depth for a lot of the material, but I firmly believe that's a good thing. Everything bolded in the book is fair-game with the exception of a few pages as I stated earlier. DATQVault is PRICELESS. The entire layout of that site along with the question types and explanations is just flawless in every aspect. Quite possibly one of the best resources for Biology in my opinion, and all for a measly $25.00! Definitely purchase it. DAT Destroyer Bio is one of those things I wish I had more time for. Unfortunately, I simply didn't have the time to go through it all. However, I believe it's imperative to go through all of DAT Destroyer Bio at least once, but not more than twice. I only got through 50 of the questions and skimmed through all the others very quickly, but the information contained in the answer explanations is full of applicable knowledge. If you go through Bio in Destroyer more than once, do as other people have suggested to me and go through the explanations extensively during your second run-through. If I could do it all over again (which I probably will), I'd go through Cliff's 3 times, all 10 benchmark exams of DATQVault 3 times each, and Destroyer Biology twice. I seriously think that could set anyone up for a 22+. Going through DATQVault benchmark exams along with Destroyer Bio close to test day is a great strategy.
Bio on the actual DAT:
Yep, you guessed it, random as all hell. But, what do you expect? I mean, it's Biology. Biology is a huge field, so definitely expect questions picked from complete opposite sides of the spectrum. I was absolutely in shock to see I got a 20 on Bio. My Topscore practice exams yielded me a 16, 17, and 17...yet I got a 20 on the real thing. This is confusing considering the fact that the questions we see on Topscore Bio seem very primitive and very straight-forward for the most part. The Bio section on my version of the DAT was very difficult for me...much more difficult than any Topscore exam I did. However, I scored much higher on the real deal. Cool beans! The first 5 Bio questions I encountered were dense application scenarios which caused me to freak out. I ended up spending over 10 minutes on the first 5 Bio questions which ended up hurting me tremendously during O.Chem since I ran out of time. However, as are there dense, difficult application-based questions, there are also questions so STUPID easy it makes you stop and say "Wait...could it really be that easy? Are they messing with me? Because....this is just silly." Overall, I found this section to be very mind-stimulating and involved quite a bit of complex thinking. The majority of it is not regurgitation of information, but rather an application of information. Don't be scared of this section. I did 25% of the studying I wanted to do and still got a 20. Use the materials I listed and you're golden. Campbell's as a reference doesn't hurt either, just don't use it as the primary source or else your head might explode. Overall, I received 0 questions on Cellular Respiration, 0 questions on Physiology, 0 questions on Plants, 0 questions on Reproduction, and 1 question on Taxonomy. What on earth did I get asked then, if that's the case? Questions that involved a combination of various subjects. Very few of my questions were straight-forward, but the ones that were straight-forward were just pathetically easy. Overall, I think my version of Bio was quite difficult in comparison to what I've read in other breakdowns, which is why I'm pretty ecstatic I obtained a 20. I think I could have obtained a 21 or 22 on this section had I studied how I mentioned earlier.
GENERAL CHEMISTRY
What I used to study:
Chad's Videos, DAT Destroyer, Topscore #1, #2, #3, ADA 2009 Practice Exam. Honestly, Chad is horrible and I'd never use him for anything. His videos fail and so does he. Just kidding...he's amazing. I absolutely love Chad and I wish I could buy him a beer. There's not much to say about this section out of the ordinary. When I watched Chad's videos, it would take me an hour to get through a 20 minute video. I would pause and write down EVERYTHING he said and EVERYTHING he wrote. I have the most detailed and intricate notes from this amazing man's lectures. God bless him, seriously. His quizzes are awesome and his lectures prep you for Destroyer. Destroyer for Gen. Chem is key. I only went through 150 out of the problems in Gen. Chem Destroyer, and I guarantee you I would have gotten a 23 or higher on this section had I gone through Destroyer at least twice. Do Chad's, do his quizzes, and do Destroyer religiously. You can seriously get a 30 on this section by doing so.
General Chemistry on the actual DAT:
10 times easier than anything you'd see in Destroyer, but unfortunately I didn't become fully comfortable with Destroyer prior to test day. Everything I saw looked 100% familiar but I had problems recalling a lot of information. Do Chad's, take amazing notes, and go through Destroyer 2-3 times...I seriously cannot stress this enough. Had I gone through Destroyer more, I think I would have easily obtained a 23...but more likely a 25 or 26. General Chemistry is finite and there's only so much you have to know (granted, it's a lot, but it's finite!). All the calculations I saw on the exam were very simple and there was nothing complex, and I really only had about 6-7 problems that involved calculations, everything else was conceptual. Destroyer makes everything look easy. Topscore exams are on par with the real DAT, but again somehow I managed to score higher on the real thing than I ever did on a practice exam.
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
What I used to study:
Chad's Videos, DAT Destroyer, Topscore #1, #2, #3, ADA 2009 Practice Exam. Same as Gen. Chem. Watch Chad's videos and take extensive notes. Do Destroyer even though it's overkill. I only did 150 of the problems in Destroyer, and I tried to memorize as much as I could from the Roadmaps. Topscore exams are great for practice as well.
Organic Chemistry on the actual DAT:
A LOT easier than Destroyer and slightly easier than Topscore exams. I ran out of time had to literally click random answers for the last 5. I spent way too much time on the Biology section and it really hurt me. You can obtain a damn near 30 on this section if you master Chad's lectures along with Destroyer problems and the Roadmaps as well.
PRACTICE EXAM SCORES
ADA 2009 (6 days ago) - Bio (26/40), GC (24/30), OC (22/30), PAT (69/90), RC (29/50), QR (26/40)
Topscore #1 (5 days ago) - Bio(16), GC(16), OC(16), PAT(17), RC(20), QR(16)
Topscore #2 (3 days ago) - Bio(16), GC(17), OC(17), PAT(17), RC(21), QR(16)
Topscore #3 (2 days ago) - Bio(17), GC(17), OC(16), PAT(16), RC(22), QR(17)
CDP #1 - 18
CDP #2 - 16
CDP #3 - 17
CDP #4 - 17
DATQVault Benchmark #1 - 18
DATQVault Benchmark #2 - 17
DATQVault Benchmark #3 - 17
DATQVault Benchmark #4 - 17
DATQVault Benchmark #5 - 19
DATQVault Benchmark #6 - 18
DATQVault Benchmark #7 - 18
DATQVault Benchmark #8 - 17
I really liked Dusk's breakdown of the DAT so I'm going to follow his format to conclude this horrendous wall of text --
STUDY HABITS
My study habits were sub-par. Although I would normally say I studied for almost 8 weeks, it really only boiled down to about 4 weeks of intense study altogether. I took several days from the beginning of August until today. At times I even took 3-4 days consecutively because I felt so defeated and hopeless. Had I stuck to my guns, I think I could have easily surpassed a 22 on this exam. I probably will retake it considering my GPA is far from competitive, but we'll see. On the days that felt fulfilling study-wise, I would wake up anywhere between 7am to 10am (I never have been very good at sticking to an early morning schedule). On average, I wouldn't start studying until 11am or noon. I would drive 30 minutes from my house to UCSD to study at the library because I love the environment there...and also because I can never get anything done at home. Between the Playstation 3 staring me in the eye, my salt-water reef tank looking too gorgeous not to gaze at, my 42" LED, and my sister or brother coming over with their little ones....I just couldn't ever get anything done at home, and so I always removed myself...even if it meant driving half an hour to UCSD. The last 4 weeks, however, I spent a lot of time studying at my friend's house. It's almost always vacant and he was kind enough to allow me to come and go as I pleased, for which I am forever grateful. After about 3-4 hours of study, I would take a break and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or grab some fast food. My diet in these past few weeks has been just awful for the most part....buuut you have to make do. I didn't like taking longer than a 45 minute break during my study time. After lunch, I would get back into it and study for another 4-6 hours before calling it quits. When I'd come home, I'd either do some light review or I would take some time for myself and watch a movie. I tried to stay away from video games as much as possible, but still occasionally played BlackOps for an hour or so about once a week. Best stress reliever ever? Possibly.
The Day Before Test Day
Read through all of Alan's Biology Notes for the first time, and I'm really glad I did that. His notes are summarized well and provide a great form of memory refreshment. It took me about 5 hours to get through his notes in their entirety, as I had to reference a few things in Cliff's that seemed somewhat foreign to me. Afterwards, I took one more look at the Orgo Roadmaps in Destroyer.
Test Day
My exam was today at 9am. I woke up at 5am and took a 20-minute steam shower. For breakfast, I ate 2 pieces of toast covered in cream cheese and apricot jam. I honestly wanted to have 4 eggs with bacon, but I was afraid that it would have been too heavy. Not to mention, my appetite was truly non-existent. My beautiful, loving, adorable girlfriend showed up to my house at 5:45am and brought me coffee from Starbucks, 2 Tiger's Milk protein bars to eat during my 15 minute break, a small chain that is composed of icons of Catholic Saints, and a Saint Rita prayer card. She gave me a kiss on the lips and told me that I was going to get a 20. Sure enough, I got a 20. She's the most amazing woman anyone could ask for and I thank God for her every single day. She's seen me go through hell and back these past 3 months, she's seen me break down into tears, and she's seen me lose my mind...but never once did she abandon me. I'm blessed to have her in my life...and I truly believe I could have never gotten through this had it not been for her love and her prayers.
SHOUTOUTS!!!
Oh man, where do I even start? I'll do my best to name everyone that I love and adore on this site. Forgive me I forget to name you...
DentalWorks - God bless you man.
Dusk - You're quite possibly the most uplifting human being on the entire planet. I'll keep you in my prayers forever, my friend.
Gomsemari - Congratulations on doing so well on your DAT, and thank you for all the uplifting words and prayers you said for me.
2PacClone23 - I'm so happy that you beat the living crap out of the DAT my man. You deserve it, and you're a hell of a trooper to go toe-to-toe with this exam 3 times. You're the man!
FROGGBUSTER - Owner of the best DAT scores I've ever seen in my life, and one of the most realistic and helpful people on these forums. Your breakdown was great, and I wish you the best.
DrRoyal Pains - You've always been a help during my posts, and I appreciate it whole-heartedly.
Demps - Your responses always seem to be soothing, uplifting, and optimistic. I wish I knew more people like you.
LetsGo2DSchool - Monitoring your DAT studies and threads was incredibly motivational. I know how hard you busted your ass, and you deserve that amazing score you got. Wish you the best.
predental89 - My fellow UCSD'er! You're going to do amazing on Wednesday! Can't wait to read your breakdown, my friend.
God, Saint Rita, Saint Joseph of Cupertino, The Virgin Mary - 👍😍
I apologize if I forgot to name anyone. Well, that's that. Looking forward to read some input. I'm REALLY leaning towards retaking it in December because I know I can do better. What do you guys think? Sub-3 GPA and just started my informal post-bacc at UCSD. Looking forward to hearing some responses.
God Bless all of you.
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