2022 DAT Breakdown (25AA/24TS/23PAT)
Scores:
QR- 30
RC- 23
Bio- 26
GC- 24
OC- 22
TS- 24
AA- 25
Background
Graduated June 2021 with 3.8~ GPA. This is my second time taking the DAT. The first time I took it was in 2020 and I got a 20AA/21PAT. For my first DAT I used bootcamp as my primary study resource but I didn’t take any of the full length exams and only prepared for about a month.
Materials used
DAT Booster- Great for relearning content and practice exams.
Google- Honestly instead of reading all of the feralis notes I used google to look for textbook diagrams instead when I felt I was lacking in any biology subject.
Crash Course YouTube- I used this to get an overview of some physio topics because I never took a physio course in undergrad.
Study Timeline:
For my test I did not stick to any study schedule. I just made sure to start taking practice exams three weeks before my test. During my first DAT I did not take any full length practice exams. This time I made sure to take two full length tests and it made a big difference.
Phase 1:
My prep phase started about 8 weeks before the test. First I watched all the Dat booster biology videos at my leisure and took written notes. For Biology I also took the first 4 practice tests. I only watched the videos in the other sections that I thought would be useful. For OC I used the written notes instead of the videos in order to go faster. To prepare for the PAT, I watched the videos for refreshers on the strategies for the different types of questions. I used the generators a few times a week to get comfortable answering questions quickly.
Phase 2:
This phase was fully focused on doing practice questions. I did not want to do any full length practice exams before covering all of the content. 3 weeks before my exam I took my first full length practice exam and scored 20AA 22PAT. I went over the questions I did wrong and developed some strategies to perform better on each section. For biology especially I took notes on every question I got wrong, often using google to supplement the correct answer explanations. The biggest advice I can give for RC is to guess, mark, and move on if you feel like figuring out the question would take too long. For PAT I strongly recommend doing the sections you feel most confident in first. For me, this meant starting at question 31 and saving the keyhole and TFE for the very end. After taking my first full length exam, I took a couple section practice exams everyday in whatever section I felt motivated to do. I saved all of full length exam 10 to do two days before my exam. I spent my last day going over my incorrect answers for exam 10. To review for the PAT I used the question banks for the sections I did not do as well in. Finally, for biology, I reread and highlighted key points from all my written notes. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep well the night before my DAT so I stayed up until around 3:00am to try to memorize all of my biology notes.
Day of the Exam:
My exam was at 9:00am so I woke up around 6:45. I reviewed biology notes while I ate breakfast all the way until I had to put my belongings in a locker.
Biology (26) - Nothing too much to comment about here. The DAT Booster tests were very representative of the real exam. I was surprised I didn’t hit any questions that I had no idea what it was talking about. There was nothing that I couldn’t give an educated guess on. Be sure to memorize all of the acronyms.
GC (24) - Chem was very straight forward. The calculations were easier to do by hand than the practice material. Most of the fractions were not even reduced.
OC (22) - I have always been bad with IUPAC/common names of molecules as most of the ochem courses I took were almost purely mechanisms. I suspect most of my lost points came from questions about the reaction between two named compounds.
After finishing the science sections I had about 20 minutes left. I used this time to use the restroom, stretch a bit, and rest my eyes before starting the PAT
PAT (23) - I started at question 31 as I had practiced. In the cube counting section there were alot of floating cubes. For keyholes there were some strange shapes that were almost a combination between rock and standard. For those I guessed my gut reaction and moved on.
RC (23) - I don’t remember what this method is called but I read the first three paragraphs of every section and used search and destroy for the rest of the questions. For any tone question I just gave my gut reaction and did not look in the passage for any evidence.
QR (30) - this section was a total surprise. I did not hit any question I didn’t know how to solve instantly. Be sure to practice using the calculator quickly. I did not have to skip any questions. My best advice is plugging in the answers is sometimes the quickest solution.
Ending Advice:
The best advice I can give is to do what works best for you. I have never been the type to stick to a rigorous study schedule. I just felt my way through studying and reviewed subjects I felt like I was weak on. I know this will not work for everyone but it is what worked for me. Good luck to everyone applying this cycle
Scores:
QR- 30
RC- 23
Bio- 26
GC- 24
OC- 22
TS- 24
AA- 25
Background
Graduated June 2021 with 3.8~ GPA. This is my second time taking the DAT. The first time I took it was in 2020 and I got a 20AA/21PAT. For my first DAT I used bootcamp as my primary study resource but I didn’t take any of the full length exams and only prepared for about a month.
Materials used
DAT Booster- Great for relearning content and practice exams.
Google- Honestly instead of reading all of the feralis notes I used google to look for textbook diagrams instead when I felt I was lacking in any biology subject.
Crash Course YouTube- I used this to get an overview of some physio topics because I never took a physio course in undergrad.
Study Timeline:
For my test I did not stick to any study schedule. I just made sure to start taking practice exams three weeks before my test. During my first DAT I did not take any full length practice exams. This time I made sure to take two full length tests and it made a big difference.
Phase 1:
My prep phase started about 8 weeks before the test. First I watched all the Dat booster biology videos at my leisure and took written notes. For Biology I also took the first 4 practice tests. I only watched the videos in the other sections that I thought would be useful. For OC I used the written notes instead of the videos in order to go faster. To prepare for the PAT, I watched the videos for refreshers on the strategies for the different types of questions. I used the generators a few times a week to get comfortable answering questions quickly.
Phase 2:
This phase was fully focused on doing practice questions. I did not want to do any full length practice exams before covering all of the content. 3 weeks before my exam I took my first full length practice exam and scored 20AA 22PAT. I went over the questions I did wrong and developed some strategies to perform better on each section. For biology especially I took notes on every question I got wrong, often using google to supplement the correct answer explanations. The biggest advice I can give for RC is to guess, mark, and move on if you feel like figuring out the question would take too long. For PAT I strongly recommend doing the sections you feel most confident in first. For me, this meant starting at question 31 and saving the keyhole and TFE for the very end. After taking my first full length exam, I took a couple section practice exams everyday in whatever section I felt motivated to do. I saved all of full length exam 10 to do two days before my exam. I spent my last day going over my incorrect answers for exam 10. To review for the PAT I used the question banks for the sections I did not do as well in. Finally, for biology, I reread and highlighted key points from all my written notes. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep well the night before my DAT so I stayed up until around 3:00am to try to memorize all of my biology notes.
Day of the Exam:
My exam was at 9:00am so I woke up around 6:45. I reviewed biology notes while I ate breakfast all the way until I had to put my belongings in a locker.
Biology (26) - Nothing too much to comment about here. The DAT Booster tests were very representative of the real exam. I was surprised I didn’t hit any questions that I had no idea what it was talking about. There was nothing that I couldn’t give an educated guess on. Be sure to memorize all of the acronyms.
GC (24) - Chem was very straight forward. The calculations were easier to do by hand than the practice material. Most of the fractions were not even reduced.
OC (22) - I have always been bad with IUPAC/common names of molecules as most of the ochem courses I took were almost purely mechanisms. I suspect most of my lost points came from questions about the reaction between two named compounds.
After finishing the science sections I had about 20 minutes left. I used this time to use the restroom, stretch a bit, and rest my eyes before starting the PAT
PAT (23) - I started at question 31 as I had practiced. In the cube counting section there were alot of floating cubes. For keyholes there were some strange shapes that were almost a combination between rock and standard. For those I guessed my gut reaction and moved on.
RC (23) - I don’t remember what this method is called but I read the first three paragraphs of every section and used search and destroy for the rest of the questions. For any tone question I just gave my gut reaction and did not look in the passage for any evidence.
QR (30) - this section was a total surprise. I did not hit any question I didn’t know how to solve instantly. Be sure to practice using the calculator quickly. I did not have to skip any questions. My best advice is plugging in the answers is sometimes the quickest solution.
Ending Advice:
The best advice I can give is to do what works best for you. I have never been the type to stick to a rigorous study schedule. I just felt my way through studying and reviewed subjects I felt like I was weak on. I know this will not work for everyone but it is what worked for me. Good luck to everyone applying this cycle
