- Joined
- May 31, 2011
- Messages
- 101
- Reaction score
- 3
Hi everyone,
First, I want to thank you all so much for your support, kindness and patience throughout this process. I feel like I've bonded so much with everyone on this board in just a few weeks and am just so happy to have come across this forum. Please feel free to ask me any questions that may help you in the process!!
Here is my breakdown:
PAT 24
QR 23
RC 24
Bio 23
GC 25
OG 25
TS 24
AA 24
Materials Used:
DAT Destroyer (just used the sciences)
Math Destroyer
DAT Bootcamp
DAT Achiever 5 tests
Crack that PAT
Cliffs AP Bio
Chad's Videos
ADA 2009
Length of Study:
October 2-November 14: approximately 6 weeks, 3-4 hours a day for the first two weeks (had work commitments during day), then 9-10 hours a day for the last month
Given my limited timing, I broke up each subject in about 6 day of review time + 6 day of practice problems each but overlapped the materials so that I was doing all the subjects together
(This was actually very helpful as it kept everything very fresh over time)
QR: WEEK1:
I started on the math first and did MATH destroyer's first 2 tests. I did these untimed but kept my timer on my phone running just to get an idea. The first few tests took me a good 1.5-2 hours each and were very frustrating as I did not get many of the answers (I missed around 14-15), so I decided I would get Chad's 60 day subscription and watch the QR videos. Chad's videos weren't necessarily the best for the hard problems, but they were definitely wonderful in that they helped solidify some of the basics for me, especially as I had forgotten so much of them. One thing that definitely helped was that I paused the video before each problem and tried to do them myself ahead of time and then checked them as the video continued.
After watching Chad's videos and taking notes/doing the problems on the outlines he gives, I continued with taking 1 Math destroyer test every day or every other day for the first 20 days. I completed these with 1 hour time.
General Chemistry: WEEK 2
I continued doing Math Destroyer Tests during this time
I added watching Chad's Gen Chem videos for approximately 5-6 days. I watched his videos, took notes on separate computer paper, then did the quizzes after each section. After finishing the videos, I started DAT Destroyer Gen Chem on the third week doing 30 problems or so every day and checking each answer. The problems I missed or were even slightly unsure about I wrote on another paper for future review.
Organic Chemistry: Week 3
I continued doing Math Destroyer Tests each day + DAT Destroyer Gen Chem (appx. 30 a day)
Again, I watched Chad's videos for approximately 6 days, took notes, then did his quizzes. Then I started DAT Destroyer problems on the fourth week doing 30 problems a day and checking each answer. I kept notes on the problems I missed.
Biology: Week 4
I finished Math Destroyer Tests+ DAT Destroyer Gen Chem + DAT Destroyer Organic Chem (30 a day)
I read through Cliffs AP Bio for about 6 days, 1-2 chapters a day, took detailed notes and underlined each term that I wrote down as I went through. Underlying important terms/words was very helpful because I could simply test my knowledge or refer to a part in my notes by scanning for the underlined terms. Then I began DAT Destroyer Bio the week after.
PAT: Week 5
I finished DAT Destroyer Organic Chem + DAT Destroyer Bio (40 each day)
For PAT, I simply started by taking the first Crack that PAT exam. I started off with an 18. I think with this section, practice is simply key. Since I was running out of money, I went to my local Barnes and Noble and just took the Kaplan Blue book and read through the PAT section, focusing on the tips and advice on how to do these problems. I then did the practice tests for each section. I didn't really find anything in the Blue Book that I didn't already read about online so I wouldn't say it was necessary by any means. Then I continued by doing 1-2 PAT Tests each day until I was finished (I doubled up on some days as I wanted to review/take practice tests in my last week).
Two things helped me the most on improving my Crack DAT: 1) After each test, I rested for an hour, then I reviewed the test and for anything I missed I literally had myself sit in front of the computer and stare at the screen until I could mentally visualize my image, rotate it, fold it, flip it, etc... 2) Great Advice: TFE was the hardest for me, so I started imagining the TOP/FRONT/END of every object I saw around me... The street lights and posts, building, cars, the table, my chair, my water bottle... etc. This really helped train my brain to understand the the different sides of the object and visualize those solid and imaginary lines!
PAT Scores: 18, 20, 18, 19, 21, 22, 22, 21, 23, 24
Review: Week 6
I increased my DAT Destroyer Bio to 70 or so each day to finish them off in two days. I also was behind a bit on some DAT Organic Chem so I finished these off. I combined this with a few days of DAT Bootcamp and then onto full length tests:
One thing that's super important is to take every single one of your full time tests in the optimal simulated testing conditions! I reviewed all my notes in the morning, left them back in my room when I went to take the test, brought earplugs, water, snacks for my break, wore the exact same outfit as my actual exam ...etc.
IMPORTANT: I created my own laminated sheets, I had some graph paper so I laminated one graph paper and one blank computer paper (see photos), I asked my testing center what markers they used and I was able to order three of these online in advance to practice with (see attached). Here is the site I ordered them from:
http://www.artstuff.net/Staedtler-Lumocolor-Non-Permanent-Markers.html
The ones at my testing center were Black, Super-fine. However, please be wary as I do not know if all test centers use the same markers!
Nov 6: First full time Achiever practice test: 18's on all sections
After resting for an hour, I reviewed my test, took notes on all missed questions
Nov 7: I simply did Achiever's Test 4 QR and the Sciences + Bootcamp tests on the subjects, reviewed these, started redoing some Destroyer Organic Chem but only did 50 problems before I felt that it was too much as I was way too exhausted at this point
Nov 8: Second full time Achiever practice test: PAT/QR/RC/B/GC/OC: 18,17,17,18,17,19
Again, after resting for an hour, I reviewed my test, took notes on all missed questions
Nov 9: I only did Achiever test 5's PAT and QR + Bootcamp tests, reviewed answers, took notes on what I missed
Nov 10: My third Achiever Practice test: PAT/QR/RC/B/GC/OC: 18, 22, 17, 17, 19, 21
I did better on this test, but I totally freaked out in the middle of my sciences due to the time limit (so many math problems on GC!) and restarted the test, so this doesn't really count. But PAT,RC and QR were all on time
Nov 11: At this point I was very exhausted but knew I had to push through... did a few more DAT Bootcamp on all subjects (My QR was my weakest at this point so I was a bit worried) and read through parts of Cliff's I was weak on, took notes on questions I missed
Nov 12: ADA 2009
Bio 33/40
Gchem 28/30
Orgo 27/30
PAT 82/90
RC 37/50
QR 34/40
Nov 13: Reviewed my ADA 2009, Ordered datQvault as I was in a bit of a panic over Bio (a waste of money at this point really). I only did the first few tests before I realized I needed to review other sections. I skimmed over my notes from Chad's videos GC and OC from each subject (nomenclature, acid base info...etc), did the last DAT Bootcamp for OC and GC and then I believe my brain just started to shut down around 9 PM so I stopped studying and just rested, watched netflix (I miss Gossip Girl haha), and slept...
Test Day:
Unfortunately the lovely sounds from the garbage truck woke me up at 5:28 AM...
my adrenal medulla was going crazy... but then I realized that I had to keep calm and fall back asleep as I needed as much sleep as I could get at that point...
9:30 AM woke up again, took a shower, called the cab to pick me up at 12:45, started reviewing my notes, did only 5 PAT questions each from CTP on Keyhole, TFE and angles just to warm up my brain, ate some tuna with crackers
12:50 Get a call that cab has arrived.......... No cab.... I get a call from the cab saying he's at a different address that I used months ago... rescheduled the ride to my address
1:00 Cab arrives
1:15 Get to Test Center, give them my IDs along with my earplugs (my test center allowed me to bring my own), do some last minute review, get checked in, get fingerprint scanned, start test, created grids for hole punch and table for cube counting
NOTE: For cube counting, I had started doing my practice tests not counting every cube... I felt that I
was getting good enough that it was only a waste of time as I usually didn't have time to check over
the sum of cubes in my table again anyway
4:15 Took Break, brought out my laminated sheets to get exchanged for blank ones, ate a granola bar + sugar water cocktail (sugar helps with limited appetite), ran to restroom, did two handstands and jumping jacks to get the blood rushing to my brain, came back, got checked in, fingerprinted, restarted test
IMPORTANT: During your break, check the clock on your computer and then another clock as soon
as you get out to the front to get an approximate time so that you don't fall behind
6:30 Finished test.
I was honestly very surprised about my scores. The whole time I kept thinking... yeah I missed this one... and this one.... probably a 21...20...19. After the test content, I filled out a survey regarding my testing experience and before I knew it my scores were on the screen. I was so shocked I kept having to re-read the scores and waited until the print out before starting to believe them.
Overall, I did much better than I ever expected. I was hoping for 21/22's and am so lucky to have gotten the scores I got. I hope my experience and outline helps at least some of you!
Also, I have subscriptions to almost 3 months worth of BootCamp and qVault + my Destroyer books, Cliffs Bio, AP Barrons Bio (just used one chapter as I didn't have much time) that I'm reselling at a lower price so please PM me if you are interested!
Thanks again to all those who helped answer my endless number of questions and for all your support! And please feel free to ask me any questions that may help you in the process!!
First, I want to thank you all so much for your support, kindness and patience throughout this process. I feel like I've bonded so much with everyone on this board in just a few weeks and am just so happy to have come across this forum. Please feel free to ask me any questions that may help you in the process!!
Here is my breakdown:
PAT 24
QR 23
RC 24
Bio 23
GC 25
OG 25
TS 24
AA 24
Materials Used:
DAT Destroyer (just used the sciences)
Math Destroyer
DAT Bootcamp
DAT Achiever 5 tests
Crack that PAT
Cliffs AP Bio
Chad's Videos
ADA 2009
Length of Study:
October 2-November 14: approximately 6 weeks, 3-4 hours a day for the first two weeks (had work commitments during day), then 9-10 hours a day for the last month
Given my limited timing, I broke up each subject in about 6 day of review time + 6 day of practice problems each but overlapped the materials so that I was doing all the subjects together
(This was actually very helpful as it kept everything very fresh over time)
QR: WEEK1:
I started on the math first and did MATH destroyer's first 2 tests. I did these untimed but kept my timer on my phone running just to get an idea. The first few tests took me a good 1.5-2 hours each and were very frustrating as I did not get many of the answers (I missed around 14-15), so I decided I would get Chad's 60 day subscription and watch the QR videos. Chad's videos weren't necessarily the best for the hard problems, but they were definitely wonderful in that they helped solidify some of the basics for me, especially as I had forgotten so much of them. One thing that definitely helped was that I paused the video before each problem and tried to do them myself ahead of time and then checked them as the video continued.
After watching Chad's videos and taking notes/doing the problems on the outlines he gives, I continued with taking 1 Math destroyer test every day or every other day for the first 20 days. I completed these with 1 hour time.
General Chemistry: WEEK 2
I continued doing Math Destroyer Tests during this time
I added watching Chad's Gen Chem videos for approximately 5-6 days. I watched his videos, took notes on separate computer paper, then did the quizzes after each section. After finishing the videos, I started DAT Destroyer Gen Chem on the third week doing 30 problems or so every day and checking each answer. The problems I missed or were even slightly unsure about I wrote on another paper for future review.
Organic Chemistry: Week 3
I continued doing Math Destroyer Tests each day + DAT Destroyer Gen Chem (appx. 30 a day)
Again, I watched Chad's videos for approximately 6 days, took notes, then did his quizzes. Then I started DAT Destroyer problems on the fourth week doing 30 problems a day and checking each answer. I kept notes on the problems I missed.
Biology: Week 4
I finished Math Destroyer Tests+ DAT Destroyer Gen Chem + DAT Destroyer Organic Chem (30 a day)
I read through Cliffs AP Bio for about 6 days, 1-2 chapters a day, took detailed notes and underlined each term that I wrote down as I went through. Underlying important terms/words was very helpful because I could simply test my knowledge or refer to a part in my notes by scanning for the underlined terms. Then I began DAT Destroyer Bio the week after.
PAT: Week 5
I finished DAT Destroyer Organic Chem + DAT Destroyer Bio (40 each day)
For PAT, I simply started by taking the first Crack that PAT exam. I started off with an 18. I think with this section, practice is simply key. Since I was running out of money, I went to my local Barnes and Noble and just took the Kaplan Blue book and read through the PAT section, focusing on the tips and advice on how to do these problems. I then did the practice tests for each section. I didn't really find anything in the Blue Book that I didn't already read about online so I wouldn't say it was necessary by any means. Then I continued by doing 1-2 PAT Tests each day until I was finished (I doubled up on some days as I wanted to review/take practice tests in my last week).
Two things helped me the most on improving my Crack DAT: 1) After each test, I rested for an hour, then I reviewed the test and for anything I missed I literally had myself sit in front of the computer and stare at the screen until I could mentally visualize my image, rotate it, fold it, flip it, etc... 2) Great Advice: TFE was the hardest for me, so I started imagining the TOP/FRONT/END of every object I saw around me... The street lights and posts, building, cars, the table, my chair, my water bottle... etc. This really helped train my brain to understand the the different sides of the object and visualize those solid and imaginary lines!
PAT Scores: 18, 20, 18, 19, 21, 22, 22, 21, 23, 24
Review: Week 6
I increased my DAT Destroyer Bio to 70 or so each day to finish them off in two days. I also was behind a bit on some DAT Organic Chem so I finished these off. I combined this with a few days of DAT Bootcamp and then onto full length tests:
One thing that's super important is to take every single one of your full time tests in the optimal simulated testing conditions! I reviewed all my notes in the morning, left them back in my room when I went to take the test, brought earplugs, water, snacks for my break, wore the exact same outfit as my actual exam ...etc.
IMPORTANT: I created my own laminated sheets, I had some graph paper so I laminated one graph paper and one blank computer paper (see photos), I asked my testing center what markers they used and I was able to order three of these online in advance to practice with (see attached). Here is the site I ordered them from:
http://www.artstuff.net/Staedtler-Lumocolor-Non-Permanent-Markers.html
The ones at my testing center were Black, Super-fine. However, please be wary as I do not know if all test centers use the same markers!
Nov 6: First full time Achiever practice test: 18's on all sections
After resting for an hour, I reviewed my test, took notes on all missed questions
Nov 7: I simply did Achiever's Test 4 QR and the Sciences + Bootcamp tests on the subjects, reviewed these, started redoing some Destroyer Organic Chem but only did 50 problems before I felt that it was too much as I was way too exhausted at this point
Nov 8: Second full time Achiever practice test: PAT/QR/RC/B/GC/OC: 18,17,17,18,17,19
Again, after resting for an hour, I reviewed my test, took notes on all missed questions
Nov 9: I only did Achiever test 5's PAT and QR + Bootcamp tests, reviewed answers, took notes on what I missed
Nov 10: My third Achiever Practice test: PAT/QR/RC/B/GC/OC: 18, 22, 17, 17, 19, 21
I did better on this test, but I totally freaked out in the middle of my sciences due to the time limit (so many math problems on GC!) and restarted the test, so this doesn't really count. But PAT,RC and QR were all on time
Nov 11: At this point I was very exhausted but knew I had to push through... did a few more DAT Bootcamp on all subjects (My QR was my weakest at this point so I was a bit worried) and read through parts of Cliff's I was weak on, took notes on questions I missed
Nov 12: ADA 2009
Bio 33/40
Gchem 28/30
Orgo 27/30
PAT 82/90
RC 37/50
QR 34/40
Nov 13: Reviewed my ADA 2009, Ordered datQvault as I was in a bit of a panic over Bio (a waste of money at this point really). I only did the first few tests before I realized I needed to review other sections. I skimmed over my notes from Chad's videos GC and OC from each subject (nomenclature, acid base info...etc), did the last DAT Bootcamp for OC and GC and then I believe my brain just started to shut down around 9 PM so I stopped studying and just rested, watched netflix (I miss Gossip Girl haha), and slept...
Test Day:
Unfortunately the lovely sounds from the garbage truck woke me up at 5:28 AM...
my adrenal medulla was going crazy... but then I realized that I had to keep calm and fall back asleep as I needed as much sleep as I could get at that point...9:30 AM woke up again, took a shower, called the cab to pick me up at 12:45, started reviewing my notes, did only 5 PAT questions each from CTP on Keyhole, TFE and angles just to warm up my brain, ate some tuna with crackers
12:50 Get a call that cab has arrived.......... No cab.... I get a call from the cab saying he's at a different address that I used months ago... rescheduled the ride to my address
1:00 Cab arrives
1:15 Get to Test Center, give them my IDs along with my earplugs (my test center allowed me to bring my own), do some last minute review, get checked in, get fingerprint scanned, start test, created grids for hole punch and table for cube counting
NOTE: For cube counting, I had started doing my practice tests not counting every cube... I felt that I
was getting good enough that it was only a waste of time as I usually didn't have time to check over
the sum of cubes in my table again anyway
4:15 Took Break, brought out my laminated sheets to get exchanged for blank ones, ate a granola bar + sugar water cocktail (sugar helps with limited appetite), ran to restroom, did two handstands and jumping jacks to get the blood rushing to my brain, came back, got checked in, fingerprinted, restarted test
IMPORTANT: During your break, check the clock on your computer and then another clock as soon
as you get out to the front to get an approximate time so that you don't fall behind
6:30 Finished test.
I was honestly very surprised about my scores. The whole time I kept thinking... yeah I missed this one... and this one.... probably a 21...20...19. After the test content, I filled out a survey regarding my testing experience and before I knew it my scores were on the screen. I was so shocked I kept having to re-read the scores and waited until the print out before starting to believe them.
Overall, I did much better than I ever expected. I was hoping for 21/22's and am so lucky to have gotten the scores I got. I hope my experience and outline helps at least some of you!
Also, I have subscriptions to almost 3 months worth of BootCamp and qVault + my Destroyer books, Cliffs Bio, AP Barrons Bio (just used one chapter as I didn't have much time) that I'm reselling at a lower price so please PM me if you are interested!
Thanks again to all those who helped answer my endless number of questions and for all your support! And please feel free to ask me any questions that may help you in the process!!
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