- Joined
- Apr 9, 2010
- Messages
- 356
- Reaction score
- 1
Before I start, I wanted to thank everyone for their informative posts and constructive criticisms. Without this league of overachievers, who else would encourage pushing the limits of standardized testing. Overall, I studied for about 3.5 months at about 8-11hrs a day with a few half days on sunday. Within a month of the test date, I never took half days and I really applied myself for about 10hrs a day.
October 20th, 2010
PA - 24 (99.0)
QR - 17 (65.7)
RC - 24 (97.2)
BIO - 20 (86.9)
GC - 22 (90.1)
OC - 30 (100.0)
TS - 23 (98.2)
AA - 23 (98.3)
PAT - Materials Used: CrackdatPAT (10 test version): I've always had a natural ability to manipulate shapes in my mind so this section was the most fun for me. Don't get me wrong, I was still quite nervous about taking it because as you know, a few wrong questions here or there can really upset your score. Over the period of studying 3.5 months, I ran through each of the ten tests usually spacing them out by 3 days and then a week in time near the end. I found success in visualizing all the structures first before resorting to any techniques to ultimately solve a difficult problem. In regards to similarity, the angles were near identical to the actual DAT and the hole punching was similar but easier. If you can succeed at CDP, you can master the easier questions on the DAT. I found topscore extremely accurate regarding keyhole and pattern folding so I highly recommend mastering pattern folding on topscore. With that being said, I will say that on the DAT I received a hole punch question that had a fold I had never seen before!
--CDP: 21/21/22/22/25/28/24/26/23/25
QR - Materials Used: Math Destroyer: I was never great at math, I never had to take a math course in college other then math statistics.I graduated with a double major in Biology and Economics which neglected math. I ran through math destroyer probably 5 times and could do the majority of the problems. The problem I encountered on the actual DAT was the calculator! Almost every time I tried to use it, it wouldn't register a click and I would have to start over due to a problem in the sequence. You can imagine how frustrating that was during a timed 45min test! I am over this section!
RC - Materials Used: Only Kaplan/Topscore practice exams: Reading was my first language and subsequently always came easy to me. I can read quite fast and have a lot of experience with research based articles which I attribute to my genomic research. If I can offer any advice, become fluent with technically savvy articles that really require your full attention to grasp the concept. I was regularly scoring 22 on this section.
BIO - Materials Used: DAT Destroyer, Cliff's AP, Barron's AP, ExamKrackers Biology, multiple biology outlines, campbell's textbook: This section was a crap shoot because I studied the most for it! I have an extensive background in biology and was regularly scoring 22+ on every practice exam. There were questions that were oddly phrased and I must have just selected two wrong answers to arrive at my 20. While I am not exactly satisfied with this score, I'll take it because my score averages out in a good way.
GC - Materials Used: Kaplan Online, DAT Destroyer and Chad's videos: First and foremost, get Chad's videos! I love that guy and his odd analogies! I hated GC, it was never my strong section but I watched his video series three times while taking copious notes. I routinely reviewed the notes and ended up scoring quite well. DAT Destroyer was overkill but nonetheless it helped solidify different equations and concepts. As many wise people say on here, due to the broadness of Biology, make sure you destroy the GC/OC because it will really boost your AA/TS.
OC - Materials Used: Kaplan Online, DAT Destroyer and Chad's videos: Once again, Chad's videos really helped solidify the basic concepts that escaped my brain. Understanding all the basics of each reaction type really ensures your ability to destroy this section. I never expected to score a 30, as most of my scores were regularly 21/22. Kaplan was pretty representative of the difficulty but I would say topscore was spot on to the level of difficulty. Also, I had each reaction pathway in DAT Destroyer memorized and most all of the common reactions in chad's notes. If you want to master this section, make sure you understand the basic principles behind ranking bases because I found that information was applicable to many other problems regarding stability, intermediates and of course acid strength. (the DAT loves to drill you on those concepts)
The summary of my practice scores will come soon. I'll gladly try to answer any questions and I hope my breakdown encourages others to embrace such a rigorous study regime. I should state that this was my second attempt at the DAT a year later due to "ok" scores. I also only studied for 3 weeks the first time and solely relied on kaplan's bb.
October 20th, 2010
PA - 24 (99.0)
QR - 17 (65.7)
RC - 24 (97.2)
BIO - 20 (86.9)
GC - 22 (90.1)
OC - 30 (100.0)
TS - 23 (98.2)
AA - 23 (98.3)
PAT - Materials Used: CrackdatPAT (10 test version): I've always had a natural ability to manipulate shapes in my mind so this section was the most fun for me. Don't get me wrong, I was still quite nervous about taking it because as you know, a few wrong questions here or there can really upset your score. Over the period of studying 3.5 months, I ran through each of the ten tests usually spacing them out by 3 days and then a week in time near the end. I found success in visualizing all the structures first before resorting to any techniques to ultimately solve a difficult problem. In regards to similarity, the angles were near identical to the actual DAT and the hole punching was similar but easier. If you can succeed at CDP, you can master the easier questions on the DAT. I found topscore extremely accurate regarding keyhole and pattern folding so I highly recommend mastering pattern folding on topscore. With that being said, I will say that on the DAT I received a hole punch question that had a fold I had never seen before!
--CDP: 21/21/22/22/25/28/24/26/23/25
QR - Materials Used: Math Destroyer: I was never great at math, I never had to take a math course in college other then math statistics.I graduated with a double major in Biology and Economics which neglected math. I ran through math destroyer probably 5 times and could do the majority of the problems. The problem I encountered on the actual DAT was the calculator! Almost every time I tried to use it, it wouldn't register a click and I would have to start over due to a problem in the sequence. You can imagine how frustrating that was during a timed 45min test! I am over this section!
RC - Materials Used: Only Kaplan/Topscore practice exams: Reading was my first language and subsequently always came easy to me. I can read quite fast and have a lot of experience with research based articles which I attribute to my genomic research. If I can offer any advice, become fluent with technically savvy articles that really require your full attention to grasp the concept. I was regularly scoring 22 on this section.
BIO - Materials Used: DAT Destroyer, Cliff's AP, Barron's AP, ExamKrackers Biology, multiple biology outlines, campbell's textbook: This section was a crap shoot because I studied the most for it! I have an extensive background in biology and was regularly scoring 22+ on every practice exam. There were questions that were oddly phrased and I must have just selected two wrong answers to arrive at my 20. While I am not exactly satisfied with this score, I'll take it because my score averages out in a good way.
GC - Materials Used: Kaplan Online, DAT Destroyer and Chad's videos: First and foremost, get Chad's videos! I love that guy and his odd analogies! I hated GC, it was never my strong section but I watched his video series three times while taking copious notes. I routinely reviewed the notes and ended up scoring quite well. DAT Destroyer was overkill but nonetheless it helped solidify different equations and concepts. As many wise people say on here, due to the broadness of Biology, make sure you destroy the GC/OC because it will really boost your AA/TS.
OC - Materials Used: Kaplan Online, DAT Destroyer and Chad's videos: Once again, Chad's videos really helped solidify the basic concepts that escaped my brain. Understanding all the basics of each reaction type really ensures your ability to destroy this section. I never expected to score a 30, as most of my scores were regularly 21/22. Kaplan was pretty representative of the difficulty but I would say topscore was spot on to the level of difficulty. Also, I had each reaction pathway in DAT Destroyer memorized and most all of the common reactions in chad's notes. If you want to master this section, make sure you understand the basic principles behind ranking bases because I found that information was applicable to many other problems regarding stability, intermediates and of course acid strength. (the DAT loves to drill you on those concepts)
The summary of my practice scores will come soon. I'll gladly try to answer any questions and I hope my breakdown encourages others to embrace such a rigorous study regime. I should state that this was my second attempt at the DAT a year later due to "ok" scores. I also only studied for 3 weeks the first time and solely relied on kaplan's bb.
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