DAT retake - is 2 months enough?

[esqueleto]

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Hey SDN,

I'm 80-90% sure I'll be retaking the DAT. The first time around, I developed so much anxiety that I "studied" way too long. By sticking to a firm deadline this time around, I think I can improve my score. My goal is to do the best I can, but I'm shooting for 22+ in everything. Has anybody, 1st timer or retake, achieved such scores after studying for 2 months? I'd love to hear your stories and advice. I'm weak on PAT and OC, so I'll gladly take advice for doing well there!

 

[DC206R]

I studied for about 10 weeks and got a 21. 8 weeks is definitely doable.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

A lot of people do really well with only 2 months of studying - it just depends on how well you know the material from undergrad (or from your past DAT review). As you've previously prepared for the DAT, I think you could definitely do well with 2 more months of studying.

PAT and Ochem both come down to a lot of practice. What materials are you using and how did you study for the DAT the first time around?

 

[esqueleto]

A lot of people do really well with only 2 months of studying - it just depends on how well you know the material from undergrad (or from your past DAT review). As you've previously prepared for the DAT, I think you could definitely do well with 2 more months of studying.

PAT and Ochem both come down to a lot of practice. What materials are you using and how did you study for the DAT the first time around?

For PAT, I used CrackDAT. However, I'll admit I didn't practice as much as I should have.

For OC, I spent most of my time watching Chad's and writing notes. I didn't really apply the information though. Because of that, I think I can increase my PAT and OC scores if I simply increase my exposure to problems. What materials do you think I should use, especially for ochem? I've always struggled with it.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

For PAT, I used CrackDAT. But I'll admit I didn't practice as much as I should have. For ochem, I spent most of my time watching Chad's and writing notes. I didn't really apply the information though. I know I need to increase my practice and consistency for PAT and ochem to improve. But what materials do you think I should use especially for ochem. I've always struggled with it.

For practice (especially in PAT and the sciences) I would definitely get Bootcamp - I think it's the best resource for improving PAT by far with its answer explanations and CrackDAT is a little too easy for the PAT now. You should also expand to other resources for the sciences so you have a lot of practice problems to work with. Chad's quizzes are great to check if you've learned the material but you want to practice with a lot more questions than just those to really reinforce your learning (and expanding/modifying your notes based on how you do).

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Hi guys,

I'm like 90% sure I'll be retaking the DAT. The first time around, I developed so much anxiety about the test that I "studied" for it for way too long. I think I can improve my score by sticking to a firm deadline and studying my butt off every day. My goal is to do the best I can, but I'm shooting for 22+ in everything. Has anybody, 1st timer or retake, achieved such scores after studying for 2 months? I'd love to hear your stories and advice. I'm weak on ochem and PAT, so I'll gladly take advice there too.

What were your scores ? What is your science GPA? How long did you study? It depends on the student on how much study time is needed.How long you are going to study each day? It is not an easy question to answer because every student is not the same.

Wishing you the best..

Nancy

 

[esqueleto]

What were your scores ? What is your science GPA? How long did you study? It depends on the student on how much study time is needed.How long you are going to study each day? It is not an easy question to answer because every student is not the same.

Wishing you the best..

Nancy

Hi my scores were 18 PAT, 16 QR, 21 RC, 21 Bio, 21 GC, 18 OC, 20 TS, 19 AA. How long I studied is a tricky question. I was off and on for about 2 years - reason being I became incredibly anxious about the exam. Because I was off and on over such a long period of time, I did not have the ideal state of mind to do my best. Now, I don't have anxiety about the DAT and I am more disciplined in my studies; combined, I'm excited to see how much I can improve. I'm expecting to study 6-10 hours everyday. I'll determine exactly how long each day once I dig into my study resources. My science GPA is very low (sub 3.0). I'm currently doing a masters and doing well.

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Considering a low GPA you scores are not bad at all! It shows me you did put in a lot of hard work. Fantastic you are doing well in your masters, you are going to need that to offset the sub 3.0. Feel free to message me and I would be happy to offer some advice, etc. I have a way of making anxious students calm. Guess it is from my many years of being in this field.

Take care..Nancy

 

[esqueleto]

I'm not starting to really study until I finish my masters. However, I think it would be important to work on PAT and OC during down time until then. I will use BC for PAT as you suggested @FeralisExtremum . What would you use to to start building a strong foundation in OC? It would be great to have a decent foundation to build on once I really pick it up.

 

[Sunpainter]

For practice (especially in PAT and the sciences) I would definitely get Bootcamp - I think it's the best resource for improving PAT by far with its answer explanations and CrackDAT is a little too easy for the PAT now. You should also expand to other resources for the sciences so you have a lot of practice problems to work with. Chad's quizzes are great to check if you've learned the material but you want to practice with a lot more questions than just those to really reinforce your learning (and expanding/modifying your notes based on how you do).

Bud you're advertising for the DAT prep company that you are associated with...

 

[secretlycanadian]

For my DAT retake I studied from May to the first week of August. I used a prep company and DAT boot camp which I think prepared me very well. I know studying for 3 months is aggressive but I had SO much anxiety about the exam and wanted to be as prepared as possible, especially since my first time with the exam I was ridiculously underprepared lol. This time around, instead of rushing to cram as much info in as possible, I went at a steady pace and worked on really understanding the material. I think you'll do much better after having completed your Masters, a ton of people in my masters program slayed the bio section!


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[LuckBloodandSweat]

@FeralisExtremum senpai is active again omggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg. anyways 2 months is enough. I used 6 weeks and went from a 20 AA to 23 AA. Just study hard and focus on your weaknesses.

 

[flossit]

@FeralisExtremum senpai is active again omggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg. anyways 2 months is enough. I used 6 weeks and went from a 20 AA to 23 AA. Just study hard and focus on your weaknesses.

Hi, what is the best way to recognize weaknesses? I'm using Destroter and Bootcamp

 

[Suicidalrx]

Using Dat and Math destroyer I just did 1 full practice test, the questions I got wrong I would review the materials from a textbook/old study notes/youtube, rinse and repeat. Saved me alot of time and scored pretty well. Their material pretty much covers most of the topics.

 

[LuckBloodandSweat]

Hi, what is the best way to recognize weaknesses? I'm using Destroter and Bootcamp

Look at the topics/subcategory the questions you get wrong fall under whether that's in destroyer, BC, Qvault, etc.

 

[tyjacobs]

Hi, what is the best way to recognize weaknesses? I'm using Destroter and Bootcamp

do bootcamp at the end of your studies close to the DAT. use them as your final practice tests -- review questions and topics you got wrong

do destroyer after you did your first in depth content review of the sciences -- revie questions/topics you got wrong ALSO learn answer choices that you didnt understand what it was