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tweety0805

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I finally got myself to take the DAT again on Monday...

The first time I took it, I didn't study much. A week or two at the most...

I was really worried that I would do worse... funny thing was, although I took one last summer, I could not remember a thing about the test. I think that I was freaking out more this time because I knew that I had to do better. Any how, like everyone had said, it really wasn't that bad. I like to thank everyone who has given me great advises on SDN.

Just relax! Breathe! Focus! Oh, take a light snack (sneaker bar for quick ATP!) and a light jacket (it could be freezing at your location!).

Here are my scores:

BIO/CHEM/ORG/RC/QR/PAT/AA/TS
23/23/21/19/18/18/21/22
20/19/23/16/17/16/19/20-last summer's DAT

Well, I did improve little with some studying... I used to be really good at math, but I just can't believe that it's bring me down... it must be the old age... I just hope that this is good enough with my low GPA...

Here are my practice test scores :
BIO CHEM ORG PAT RC QR

Topscore 1 18 18 19 19 17 18
Kaplan CD 19 18 19 19 22
DAT Achiever 1 16 17 17 16 20
Topscore 2 18 17 18 21 21 19
Topscore 3 19 16 19 20 20 18
Kaplan SubTest 1 21 17 18
Kaplan SubTest 2 20 19 18
Kaplan SubTest 5 22 16 17

I also briefly read through High Yield Bio, AP Kaplan bio, Blue Kaplan all sections (most important study material), bought DAT audio because I was on the road a lot, but seemed waste of money... just record your own notes! I think that key was I took good notes while I was studying. I wrote down key things and organized them really well. Thought about the questions that I missed on the practice test in my head while doing house work and palying with the kids.

Bio: Very general... On most of the questions, you can narrow it down very easily. I had few questions that were straight of the topscore!!! Make sure you go over all the test!!! Even the questions that you got right!! I had the sea urchin question as well. I think that I had that question last year as well, but not the same test! Not that I remember anything from it... No embryology, no ecology, no plants... I got strong on these sections too... : ( Acutally, I was freaking out that I am going to do horrible... some questions were so general that you just don't bother studying stuff like that... )

Chem: Again, really really general. Not much calculations at all!!! Know the basics though!!! Make sure you understand osmosis!!! You may think that you do, but when they worded certain way, you will be tricked!

Org: not much synthesis at all... I didn't study much here at all... that's why myh score went down... I'm more strong on the reactions, but more on general stuff. I had questions on chiral center, E1, SN2, stereochemistry...etc... no complicated reactions...

PAT: my weak area... I did improve little... It wasn't too bad... I thought I did better though...

RC: I thought I did better here too... : (

QR: Again, I was really disappointed... I had 5minutes left too... I had really bad cold... may be I misunderstood some of the word problems... : ( Very basic math...

Put in some time, anyone can do well. I had to study with two young kids around me...

It was so hard for me to motivate myself to study... I thought about just giving up so many times!!! I just had so many bad things happening around me as well. Whenever I'm down, I would watch a movie that inspires me... someone accomplishing something impossible. Or think of someone who is really inspiring... My kids mitivote me as well!

Wow, I wrote a essay! Thanks again for all of y'all's posts!
 
I can totally relate to your situation.

I find it really hard to study with a full time job and a child at home. I keep on wanting to give up but I somehow manage to find a few minutes here and there to study.

I really hope that I do as well as you when I take the DAT. (I keep putting it off. My math and biology seem to be my weak points.)

Congrats on the solid scores!
 
tweety0805 said:
I finally got myself to take the DAT again on Monday...

The first time I took it, I didn't study much. A week or two at the most...

I was really worried that I would do worse... funny thing was, although I took one last summer, I could not remember a thing about the test. I think that I was freaking out more this time because I knew that I had to do better. Any how, like everyone had said, it really wasn't that bad. I like to thank everyone who has given me great advises on SDN.

Just relax! Breathe! Focus! Oh, take a light snack (sneaker bar for quick ATP!) and a light jacket (it could be freezing at your location!).

Here are my scores:

BIO/CHEM/ORG/RC/QR/PAT/AA/TS
23/23/21/19/18/18/21/22
20/19/23/16/17/16/19/20-last summer's DAT

Well, I did improve little with some studying... I used to be really good at math, but I just can't believe that it's bring me down... it must be the old age... I just hope that this is good enough with my low GPA...

Here are my practice test scores :
BIO CHEM ORG PAT RC QR

Topscore 1 18 18 19 19 17 18
Kaplan CD 19 18 19 19 22
DAT Achiever 1 16 17 17 16 20
Topscore 2 18 17 18 21 21 19
Topscore 3 19 16 19 20 20 18
Kaplan SubTest 1 21 17 18
Kaplan SubTest 2 20 19 18
Kaplan SubTest 5 22 16 17

I also briefly read through High Yield Bio, AP Kaplan bio, Blue Kaplan all sections (most important study material), bought DAT audio because I was on the road a lot, but seemed waste of money... just record your own notes! I think that key was I took good notes while I was studying. I wrote down key things and organized them really well. Thought about the questions that I missed on the practice test in my head while doing house work and palying with the kids.

Bio: Very general... On most of the questions, you can narrow it down very easily. I had few questions that were straight of the topscore!!! Make sure you go over all the test!!! Even the questions that you got right!! I had the sea urchin question as well. I think that I had that question last year as well, but not the same test! Not that I remember anything from it... No embryology, no ecology, no plants... I got strong on these sections too... : ( Acutally, I was freaking out that I am going to do horrible... some questions were so general that you just don't bother studying stuff like that... )

Chem: Again, really really general. Not much calculations at all!!! Know the basics though!!! Make sure you understand osmosis!!! You may think that you do, but when they worded certain way, you will be tricked!

Org: not much synthesis at all... I didn't study much here at all... that's why myh score went down... I'm more strong on the reactions, but more on general stuff. I had questions on chiral center, E1, SN2, stereochemistry...etc... no complicated reactions...

PAT: my weak area... I did improve little... It wasn't too bad... I thought I did better though...

RC: I thought I did better here too... : (

QR: Again, I was really disappointed... I had 5minutes left too... I had really bad cold... may be I misunderstood some of the word problems... : ( Very basic math...

Put in some time, anyone can do well. I had to study with two young kids around me...

It was so hard for me to motivate myself to study... I thought about just giving up so many times!!! I just had so many bad things happening around me as well. Whenever I'm down, I would watch a movie that inspires me... someone accomplishing something impossible. Or think of someone who is really inspiring... My kids mitivote me as well!

Wow, I wrote a essay! Thanks again for all of y'all's posts!


good Job!!!! my pracical test grades are about the same as yours, I wish I can have grade like you in real deal. Also can you more explain about the RC section , was that harder than topscore? Also what is the sea urichin question?
Good Luck 🙂
 
chordata said:
I can totally relate to your situation.

I find it really hard to study with a full time job and a child at home. I keep on wanting to give up but I somehow manage to find a few minutes here and there to study.

I really hope that I do as well as you when I take the DAT. (I keep putting it off. My math and biology seem to be my weak points.)

Congrats on the solid scores!


Hang in there!!!

I know the feeling... I am always stressed out... sick, or someone in my family is sick or too tired to study... so many other things to do around the house etc... I ended up rescheduling 3 times !!! and almost rescheduled again because my cold wasn't getting better... but I knew that my sickness will not go away until I'm done with the test. I've been feeling much better now! ;p I got tons of laundry and dishes, etc... to do!!!

Any ways, take it slow and take a break! Treat your self! Math was not that bad... I don't know what happened... last year, I was pregnant during the test, so I ran out to restroom twice, but this year, I had 5 minutes left and I was acutally thinking that it would be my best section, but it ended up being the worst. Review the basics and work on your speed and find short cuts to some of the equation solving problems.

Good Luck
 
lida said:
good Job!!!! my pracical test grades are about the same as yours, I wish I can have grade like you in real deal. Also can you more explain about the RC section , was that harder than topscore? Also what is the sea urichin question?
Good Luck 🙂

The RC sections were not that bad... thought I did better. RC's never been my best area... I think that they are similar to Topscore, possibly little longer. I think that it depends on what topic you get... You just have to focus and be interested. I got bore while reading one of the sections...

The sea urchin question: after fertilization, I can't remember the exact way they asked, but it has to with preventing polyspermy (allows only one sperm to fertilize the egg).

Good luck
 
just a qucik question---why'd you retake you had pretty good scores from last summer
 
SunnyD0119 said:
just a qucik question---why'd you retake you had pretty good scores from last summer

I did not get in with those scores last year. I needed to boost the scores to off set low GPA. I just hope that I don't have to take it again...

Good luck everybody!!
 
Well done!
I have similar AA, TS and PAT as yours.
I hope we both make it in.
Goodluck.
 
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