DAT Help

[april20]

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Hey guys, I was wondering if I could get some advice. I'm panicking. My DAT is in 4 weeks and I'm really worried. I finished the OCHEM section of the DAT destroyer and the GENCHEM section and I feel pretty confident! I'm just really worried about the biology section. I have no idea where to start. I feel like I don't have enough time. I've been studying the kaplan book for 3 days now 8 hours a day but nothings sticking and now I'm reading that it doesn't help. I really want a good score. I havent started PAT yet, so if ya'll could recommend some things for that, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Glimmer1991]

Hi! Check the ultimate breakdown collection--the link is in my signature.

 

[april20]

Hi! Check the ultimate breakdown collection--the link is in my signature.

Thank you so much do you think four weeks is enough time to get all this information done? I'm really worried. I also work 15 hours a week.

 

[ziggy1104]

Thank you so much do you think four weeks is enough time to get all this information done? I'm really worried. I also work 15 hours a week.

I think 4 weeks should be plenty. What I ended up doing with bio is skipping through Cliffs to those chapters I am not good in (taxonomy and plants for me). I read through one section, then re-read and highlight/write notes in the margins for important points. I do this by section, not chapter, if that makes sense. I found reading through a whole chapter without highlighting/taking notes, then going back to highlight was not productive for me, so I do this in shorter chunks.

Also, when I started bio, it was seriously taking me like 3 days to do one chapter b/c I was writing down everything. I wasn't retaining anything and it was taking me waaay too long. That's when I decided to just highlight and only write important things that I know I will forget in the margins. Remember, breadth over depth for bio. Once you go through Cliff's once and know the general concepts, then go back and focus more on details. This is just what works for me, hope it helps 🙂

 

[april20]

I think 4 weeks should be plenty. What I ended up doing with bio is skipping through Cliffs to those chapters I am not good in (taxonomy and plants for me). I read through one section, then re-read and highlight/write notes in the margins for important points. I do this by section, not chapter, if that makes sense. I found reading through a whole chapter without highlighting/taking notes, then going back to highlight was not productive for me, so I do this in shorter chunks.

Also, when I started bio, it was seriously taking me like 3 days to do one chapter b/c I was writing down everything. I wasn't retaining anything and it was taking me waaay too long. That's when I decided to just highlight and only write important things that I know I will forget in the margins. Remember, breadth over depth for bio. Once you go through Cliff's once and know the general concepts, then go back and focus more on details. This is just what works for me, hope it helps 🙂

You are an angel sent from above! Thank you so much for replying! Will do so!

 

[pinop]

As an alternative to Cliffs (because I know it can be pretty long), is to study feralis bio notes. Its a outline done by wonderful person that summarizes and outlines all of Cliffs. It has some figures which is always helpful. People claim that feralis bio notes is all you need.

I went over all of Cliffs, Kaplan's bio. I thought it was too much info for the amount of retention I got out of it. I suggest reading feralis notes: 1st time looking over the material, 2nd time going over concepts that are not fully understood - look up in bio text book if needed, and 3rd time skim if you have time

don't forget to put some time in for RC and PAT! math is ehhhh hahah

take a lot of practice test!! I devoted ~2weeks for this. I would look through @Glimmer1991 list and see what other people did for their schedule!

good luck!!!

 

[WilliamC93]

You've got plenty of time! Especially if you have that much time a day to work on it. I took my DAT a month ago. I started my Kaplan class 2 months before, but I didn't really start studying hardcore until the month before, and that was during school. I was right in your shoes-I was reading and reading and it felt I was retaining nothing. That only made me want to study harder and in the end, it worked out pretty well! The key is to take as many practice tests or subject tests that you can get a hold of. Nothing solidifies concepts better than having to use them. For PAT, Crack the PAT was great. It was very similar/harder than my DAT except for keyholes. DAT had some damn hard keyholes. And Destroyer is definitely harder that the DAT, but it does introduce a lot of smaller concepts that could be tested. Most Q's on the test were very basic, but I did get one on laboratory technique and arthropod excretory organ, and I believe those were both somewhere in Destroyer.

Good luck!

 

[april20]

You've got plenty of time! Especially if you have that much time a day to work on it. I took my DAT a month ago. I started my Kaplan class 2 months before, but I didn't really start studying hardcore until the month before, and that was during school. I was right in your shoes-I was reading and reading and it felt I was retaining nothing. That only made me want to study harder and in the end, it worked out pretty well! The key is to take as many practice tests or subject tests that you can get a hold of. Nothing solidifies concepts better than having to use them. For PAT, Crack the PAT was great. It was very similar/harder than my DAT except for keyholes. DAT had some damn hard keyholes. And Destroyer is definitely harder that the DAT, but it does introduce a lot of smaller concepts that could be tested. Most Q's on the test were very basic, but I did get one on laboratory technique and arthropod excretory organ, and I believe those were both somewhere in Destroyer.

Good luck!

THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU MADE MY DAY BETTER! I feel relieved now thank you!

 

[april20]

As an alternative to Cliffs (because I know it can be pretty long), is to study feralis bio notes. Its a outline done by wonderful person that summarizes and outlines all of Cliffs. It has some figures which is always helpful. People claim that feralis bio notes is all you need.

I went over all of Cliffs, Kaplan's bio. I thought it was too much info for the amount of retention I got out of it. I suggest reading feralis notes: 1st time looking over the material, 2nd time going over concepts that are not fully understood - look up in bio text book if needed, and 3rd time skim if you have time

don't forget to put some time in for RC and PAT! math is ehhhh hahah

take a lot of practice test!! I devoted ~2weeks for this. I would look through @Glimmer1991 list and see what other people did for their schedule!

good luck!!!

GOT IT THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[dentalWorks]

Hey guys, I was wondering if I could get some advice. I'm panicking. My DAT is in 4 weeks and I'm really worried. I finished the OCHEM section of the DAT destroyer and the GENCHEM section and I feel pretty confident! I'm just really worried about the biology section. I have no idea where to start. I feel like I don't have enough time. I've been studying the kaplan book for 3 days now 8 hours a day but nothings sticking and now I'm reading that it doesn't help. I really want a good score. I havent started PAT yet, so if ya'll could recommend some things for that, I'd appreciate it.

Honestly, there is no solid biology study guide out there.... realistically speaking, if you pick up the 1000+ page campbells and have photographic memory, you MIGHT answer every question correct.... otherwise, do what the rest of us did, use a well-known study guide (cliff's ap bio for example) and hope for the best.

Out of the 40 biology questions, I felt like 30-35 of them were easy give-aways, as in, high-school level biology knowledge is enough to answer them. The problem people face is with about 5-6 questions, where they come from left field, these are the ones that make or break your score.