DAT Note Style

[prospectivedentist98]

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Hey guys I'm planning to start studying for my DAT next month but I'm kinda lost on how I should make my notes. I really want to avoid wasting time making notes that won't work in the end and I really want to maximize my memorization/understanding of topics. So what note taking style did you guys do when studying for your DAT? Or what did you do that ended up not working out for you? I've heard some people used excel sheets for active recall, if you did this then did it help with making sure the information stayed in your head? TIA!

 

[deleted1102497]

I found a notetaking app called RemNote that I really recommend for biology. It's sort of like if Anki and OneNote had a baby. You take notes and it turns them into flashcards so you can do spaced repetition and practice active recall. There is a slight learning curve, but if you watch their tutorials it's pretty easy to get used to. You can download it for free online. My only complaint is that I have a touch screen laptop and like to draw things out sometimes, which I can't do on RemNote. Biology is my weak subject, so I read through Cliffs AP Bio and took notes on each chapter, practicing the flashcards, then I went through DAT Bootcamp's condensed notes, referenced the full notes when I needed to, and did the bio bites and question bank for each chapter.

I do wish I started practice problems earlier. I wanted to get through all the content before I started practicing, which I think was a mistake. But this method got me from scoring 16/17 to 20, which is a huge improvement for me coming from a weak background in bio.

 

[bommer2323]

I took notes while reading things but never really looked at them. I think it's just good to take a break from reading and to put it in your own words though so I think it was helpful that way. I also plugged facts I wanted to remember into an Anki deck that included graphics from the notes or google images related to the fact on the notecard. For example, if it was the stomata of the leaf I included a picture of a leaf with stomata, when I had to recall later I had the word and picture memorized so it was easier. I highly recommend doing that for especially the bio section.

 

[ChemistryDentist]

Hey guys I'm planning to start studying for my DAT next month but I'm kinda lost on how I should make my notes. I really want to avoid wasting time making notes that won't work in the end and I really want to maximize my memorization/understanding of topics. So what note taking style did you guys do when studying for your DAT? Or what did you do that ended up not working out for you? I've heard some people used excel sheets for active recall, if you did this then did it help with making sure the information stayed in your head? TIA!

I personally took notes on the biology materials I was using (Dynamite Bio Review) in OneNote for quick references and explaining things in my own words! This really helped me recognize what was important while I was writing it out.

This same style just did not work for me with QR, OC, and GC though. For them, pratice problems were key (s/o Destroyers), but I would jot down notes on harder topics or mechanisms that I tended to forget when necessary.

I also ended up making an excel spreadsheet at the end with all of the questions I had problems with in the Destroyer after a few times through, just so they were more easily accessible and I could look over them one more time before test day.

Hope this helps! Best of luck!