Hey guys, I'm writing this in the midst of a mini-meltdown. So my DAT is in a week. I've been studying for only 3 weeks (I know, recipe for disaster). Basically, what happened was my DAT was scheduled for March, got canceled due to COVID, and I decided to just forget about it until I had a guaranteed date because it was causing me a lot of anxiety and I was taking the max credit hours, doing independent research, and creating a non-profit (I was part-time the quarter before to focus on DAT, but couldn't afford the same luxury this time around as I needed to finish up all those extra credits to graduate). Anyways, I wasn't very stressed until today. I've been scoring 21+ on all sections on bootcamp, except o chem, which I haven't been studying at all. Please don't remind me of how much of a terrible mistake this was because I am well-aware. O chem has always been my weakest section so I avoided it (I know, idiotic) and before COVID I was scoring 18-19, so I figured I'd rewatch Mike's vids and get back to that point. Well, I did, and here I am with a 14 on my first o chem test a week before the DAT. Rescheduling is not really an option as I have to move for grad school right after I take the exam and frankly, I can't think about it anymore. So, we arrive at my question. How the f*ck can I learn all the o chem reactions in a week?
DAT in a week- o chem help
- Thread starter mango4193
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I understand you don't want to reschedule your DAT, but you should never going into the the DAT exam lacking confidence in any section. The week leading up to the exam should be on reviewing, not cramming and trying to do what I think is not realistic. I know it is all overwhelming and you want to get it over with, but if you don't get the score you want it means waiting 90 days to retake. Do it right the first time.
I always give my honest opinion, and you could be different than most students I have worked with through the years, but I strongly suggest you consider rescheduling and go in to the DAT exam ready to Destroy the DAT Beast.
Wishing you the absolute best in whatever you decide.
Take care..Nancy...#think30
I always give my honest opinion, and you could be different than most students I have worked with through the years, but I strongly suggest you consider rescheduling and go in to the DAT exam ready to Destroy the DAT Beast.
Wishing you the absolute best in whatever you decide.
Take care..Nancy...#think30
Thanks for your honesty, Nancy. At this point, I'm going to see how far I can get and if worse comes to worst, I'll see if I can push back my move. However, I have most of the conceptual understanding (Sn1/2/E1/2, acid strength, NMR, lab techniques, etc.) down, it's the reactions that I got almost all wrong. I'm going to push myself as hard as I can to memorize those and see if my scores improve; I've already made pretty good progress today. Hopefully I'll have time to do some destroyer problems too 🙂
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Go for it. A week is plenty of time to get the basics of Ochem down and if your other sections are strong you should be good to go.
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Glad to hear you are making progress, but you are the only one that will know if you are ready when the time comes. You have been really busy working at max capacity with your school work, and I always say maintaining a high GPA should come first. Keep going and I do hope you are able to get to some Destroyer problems.
Keep going...Nancy and always #think30
Thanks for the motivation!! I'm already up to an 18 after memorizing half the reactions yesterday, so things are looking up. I'm finishing the other half today, and then hopefully I can get up to a 20 after some concept review!
Update: just took another practice test 2 days later and scored a 23. Just wanted to put this out there as motivation for anyone whose test date is approaching and who's feeling like their scores are lower than they'd like. I scored 14 twice in a row 2 nights ago, followed by a 23 two nights later. I spent the last 2 days immersed in o chem while brushing up on other subjects. While practice test scores are certainly not indicative of real scores, I went from 14/30 correct to 26/30 correct, which, if anything, is progress. I know a post like this would've calmed my nerves immensely two days ago, so I hope someone who needs this sees it! You can do it!
