DAT Sample Schedule

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sbesbesbe

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Hey there SDN,

So I just started starting for the DAT, which is in approximately 10 weeks which I think will be plenty of time. I want to make sure I do well the first time since I realized that writing the DAT is super expensive with the books/videos/online Qs to buy.

BUT how do you go through KBB AND Cliff's AP 1 chapter in just 2 days and retain all the info?
It took me the whole day just to make up notes for KBB and chads videos and couldn't even get to Cliff's AP...
Notes on chapter 1, biology on KBB is so long, how am I supposed to memorize the entire thing? Am I just taking too much unnecessary notes but I feel like if I don't write them, it might be on the DAT? *(ex. the name of specific example rxn on hydrolysis)
I am overwhelmed with all the info I gotta memorize...
any tips and tricks and how about I should take notes?

and also, is it enough to go through chad's videos on GC, QR, OC only and NOT KBB?
(According to that schedule) Thanks

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Hey there SDN,

So I just started starting for the DAT, which is in approximately 10 weeks which I think will be plenty of time. I want to make sure I do well the first time since I realized that writing the DAT is super expensive with the books/videos/online Qs to buy.

BUT how do you go through KBB AND Cliff's AP 1 chapter in just 2 days and retain all the info?
It took me the whole day just to make up notes for KBB and chads videos and couldn't even get to Cliff's AP...
Notes on chapter 1, biology on KBB is so long, how am I supposed to memorize the entire thing? Am I just taking too much unnecessary notes but I feel like if I don't write them, it might be on the DAT? *(ex. the name of specific example rxn on hydrolysis)
I am overwhelmed with all the info I gotta memorize...
any tips and tricks and how about I should take notes?

and also, is it enough to go through chad's videos on GC, QR, OC only and NOT KBB?
(According to that schedule) Thanks

I believe the sample schedule created by dentalworks tells you to skim the first day, and memorize the second day. Use the first day to "understand" what they're talking about and familiarize yourself with all the terms and concepts. On the second day, it will be easier to memorize because you will have familiarized yourself already.
Personally, I thought the 6 week schedule was too slow.
Whether you're a person who's good or bad at memorizing biology terms, I would definitely utilize flashcards. Reinforcement of materials every day will help you retain the information easily.
Also, I found it helpful to solve questions that are related to the topics that you've just learned. For example, subscribe to datQvault. After you read the materials in Cliff's and KBB, solve some qvault questions on the same topic to reinforce your learning.

I haven't taken the DAT yet, but here are my 2 cents:
Chad's videos should be enough for GC and OC, assuming that you will follow it up with DAT destroyer. I've only watched Chad's video and seem to be doing very well on DAT destroyer. QR, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be taught in detail in Chad's videos. I watched the QR videos and I would definitely go back to Math Destroyer to actually "learn" new materials. It won't hurt to watch the videos, though. They are fairly short.
 
Hey there SDN,

So I just started starting for the DAT, which is in approximately 10 weeks which I think will be plenty of time. I want to make sure I do well the first time since I realized that writing the DAT is super expensive with the books/videos/online Qs to buy.

BUT how do you go through KBB AND Cliff's AP 1 chapter in just 2 days and retain all the info?
It took me the whole day just to make up notes for KBB and chads videos and couldn't even get to Cliff's AP...
Notes on chapter 1, biology on KBB is so long, how am I supposed to memorize the entire thing? Am I just taking too much unnecessary notes but I feel like if I don't write them, it might be on the DAT? *(ex. the name of specific example rxn on hydrolysis)
I am overwhelmed with all the info I gotta memorize...
any tips and tricks and how about I should take notes?

and also, is it enough to go through chad's videos on GC, QR, OC only and NOT KBB?
(According to that schedule) Thanks

KBB and Cliff's AP should be a review of material that you already know unless it has been a while since you have taken biology. I know that some of the 'General Bio' chapters took me a while to go through because they are topics that I have forgotten about, however molecular biology and endocrinology was a lot faster because I just learned those topics last semester.


Keep pushin through and eventually it will all start to make sense! For me, when I come across a chapter that I pretty much know I have forgotten most of the material related to it from class, I mark it with a post-it and read through it. Then do some other type of studying for a while. The next day I outline that chapter and the retention seems to be pretty good, and I end up going through it pretty fast because I already read it once. I have a binder that I put all of these outlines in so that I can review my weak areas.

I tried outlining every chapter in cliffs and kbb bio early on, but then I ran into the problem that you are having with time. That is why I do it this way now. It will be tempting to take notes on stuff that you already know but trust me it is just waisting precious study time! Only take notes on stuff that you don't know and trust yourself to remember the things that you already knew. I'd say the same applies for chad's.

Remember that not every single peice of info that you read is going to be on the DAT. There is always a chance that the specific topic you are having trouble with will be on the DAT, but don't harm other study areas by spending too much time on it.

Practice exams will eventually test your weak areas and then you can go back and review them.

Good luck!
 
I read it the first day, then I try to come back the following day, highlight the important details of the chapter when I go through the second time, and then take notes after I get the chapter highlighted. I go a little faster this way, and I've found that I can type my notes faster than I can write. Also I try to do some biology questions occasionally and then when I miss a question I will make some flashcards on Anki about the topic of the question I missed. For example if I missed something about Okazaki fragments, I would make a few different flash cards with questions about DNA replication, transcription, and translation to help hammer it in my head. It gets hard for me to keep everything straight in my head, and doing practice quizzes and random bio questions helps isolate what I really need to work on the most.
I don't want to do too many Qvault quizzes/questions yet because I want to save them for practice tests the last week or two leading up to my DAT. But cliffs has 2 quizzes in the book and 4 extra if you get the CD (I haven't started doing those quizzes yet either because I'm only half way through the book). Also there is a site with free 115 multiple choice bio questions (and answers) at http://www.prep101.com/mcat/free-mcat-study-aids/
I can't remember whose breakdown it was that I saw this link in, but I do appreciate them letting other pre-dents know about it!


http://www.prep101.com/mcat/free-mcat-study-aids/
 
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I read it the first day, then I try to come back the following day, highlight the important details of the chapter when I go through the second time, and then take notes after I get the chapter highlighted. I go a little faster this way, and I've found that I can type my notes faster than I can write. Also I try to do some biology questions occasionally and then when I miss a question I will make some flashcards on Anki about the topic of the question I missed. For example if I missed something about Okazaki fragments, I would make a few different flash cards with questions about DNA replication, transcription, and translation to help hammer it in my head. It gets hard for me to keep everything straight in my head, and doing practice quizzes and random bio questions helps isolate what I really need to work on the most.
I don't want to do too many Qvault quizzes/questions yet because I want to save them for practice tests the last week or two leading up to my DAT. But cliffs has 2 quizzes in the book and 4 extra if you get the CD (I haven't started doing those quizzes yet either because I'm only half way through the book). Also there is a site with free 115 multiple choice bio questions (and answers) at http://www.prep101.com/mcat/free-mcat-study-aids/
I can't remember whose breakdown it was that I saw this link in, but I do appreciate them letting other pre-dents know about it!

:thumbup:
Yeah definitely utilize prep101; also I don't know if you guys have android as a cell phone - but on the app market there is an app called "Biology Quiz!" that has a database of 300+ questions all related to the DAT and information in KBB/Cliffs. It helped me weed out weak areas a lot and it is completely free!
 
Thanks everyone for your responses but I am having a problem...
I'm thinking of reading BOTH KBB and Cliff's AP biology and take careful notes on BOTH...
Is this too much?

Some people are saying KBB sucks and just focus on Cliff's and Alan's note...what should i do?
 
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