Dat study - biology section

[ohohitsmagic08]

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I am hoping for a 24+ in biology, but have not taken many advanced biology courses. What are the best materials for covering everything? Should I read the entire Campbell's textbook? Or are there any chapters that can/should be avoided? Also, should I supplement reading the textbook with Cliffs AP Biology or Schaum's Biology Outline or KBB Biology Section? or something else? I feel like KBB Biology is just so poorly written.. I will also be using destroyer after reading through my materials.

Thanks.


PS: If I am going for 24+ on all sections, do you think these materials are sufficient? or even overkill? Any recommendations?

PAT - KBB, CDP Ace
RC - KBB
QR - KBB, Math destroyer
GC - Chad's videos, KBB, Schaum's Outline
OC - Chad's videos, KBB, Schaum's Outline
Bio - Campbell, Schaum?, Cliff? KBB?

TopScore, Kaplan Practice Problems/Exam

 

[americanpierg]

I am hoping for a 24+ in biology, but have not taken many advanced biology courses. What are the best materials for covering everything? Should I read the entire Campbell's textbook? Or are there any chapters that can/should be avoided? Also, should I supplement reading the textbook with Cliffs AP Biology or Schaum's Biology Outline or KBB Biology Section? or something else? I feel like KBB Biology is just so poorly written.. I will also be using destroyer after reading through my materials.

Thanks.


PS: If I am going for 24+ on all sections, do you think these materials are sufficient? or even overkill? Any recommendations?

PAT - KBB, CDP Ace
RC - KBB
QR - KBB, Math destroyer
GC - Chad's videos, KBB, Schaum's Outline
OC - Chad's videos, KBB, Schaum's Outline
Bio - Campbell, Schaum?, Cliff? KBB?

TopScore, Kaplan Practice Problems/Exam

I really think scoring very high has more to do with what kind of background you already have rather than what you can cram right before the exam. Craming before can get you like ~22 if you have a poor science background, but hanging around these forums those that get ~24+s are usually those that have a very deep science background and then studied (more like reviewed) for the DAT.

I had a great science background, but I also studied for the DAT, and I did very well. For bio, all I did was read barrons AP bio book (same book I used for my higschool bio exam) and then did all the destroyer bio section, along with the topscore, achiever tests. I breezed through the DAT bio section (VERY easy and broad questions) and there was only one question I did not know which I'm sure was the one I got wrong (and i still dont know the answer to this day and probably would have never gotten it right had i studied 500000 hours for DAT Bio). It was more of an application question combining multiple topics than a memmorization question and truely tested your knowledge of chromosomes during replication in diseased individuals. I think they put all easy questions and like 2 very hard questions which would explain why so many people get close to perfect scores in each section but hardly anyone ever gets a perfect score.

 

[ohohitsmagic08]

I have always been good at biology, scoring much higher than my peers while studying less. I am just worried because I see people on these forums who say they knew Cliffs AP bio forward and back but get like 18 on biology because they say they got super random, specific questions. That's the reason I think I should just read the entire Campbell's textbook while taking notes and continue to study/review my notes while supplementing with like Cliff or Schaum's just to make sure. WHat do you think?

I really think scoring very high has more to do with what kind of background you already have rather than what you can cram right before the exam. Craming before can get you like ~22 if you have a poor science background, but hanging around these forums those that get ~24+s are usually those that have a very deep science background and then studied (more like reviewed) for the DAT.

I had a great science background, but I also studied for the DAT, and I did very well. For bio, all I did was read barrons AP bio book (same book I used for my higschool bio exam) and then did all the destroyer bio section, along with the topscore, achiever tests. I breezed through the DAT bio section (VERY easy and broad questions) and there was only one question I did not know which I'm sure was the one I got wrong (and i still dont know the answer to this day and probably would have never gotten it right had i studied 500000 hours for DAT Bio). It was more of an application question combining multiple topics than a memmorization question and truely tested your knowledge of chromosomes during replication in diseased individuals. I think they put all easy questions and like 2 very hard questions which would explain why so many people get close to perfect scores in each section but hardly anyone ever gets a perfect score.

 

[Avery07]

I took a very hard biology route.. literally, writing my own textbook by hand. If you search through my threads, you will find pictures of this monster.

So take it from someone whose been there.. do not spend large amounts of time and energy on biology. That time is much better focused on the chemistries where you can actually (for the most part) learn everything. I have yet to take the DAT so I'm not sure how much my biology score will benefit from my 5 month adventure but it really wasn't worth it..

 

[ohohitsmagic08]

Good call. I really feel like I have to put in much more time into biology to get the scores I would get in gchem and ochem with the same amount of study. I really am scared of getting screwed with a bunch of random, specific questions though ahhhh I guess I'll just read campbell's

I took a very hard biology route.. literally, writing my own textbook by hand. If you search through my threads, you will find pictures of this monster.

So take it from someone whose been there.. do not spend large amounts of time and energy on biology. That time is much better focused on the chemistries where you can actually (for the most part) learn everything. I have yet to take the DAT so I'm not sure how much my biology score will benefit from my 5 month adventure but it really wasn't worth it..

 

[ohohitsmagic08]

anybody else help?

 

[flyingforever]

Four study sources are enough, don't over-study.

 

[americanpierg]

I have always been good at biology, scoring much higher than my peers while studying less. I am just worried because I see people on these forums who say they knew Cliffs AP bio forward and back but get like 18 on biology because they say they got super random, specific questions. That's the reason I think I should just read the entire Campbell's textbook while taking notes and continue to study/review my notes while supplementing with like Cliff or Schaum's just to make sure. WHat do you think?

I had bouth Schaum's and Barron's. Schaum's was crazy in detail, and Barron's was amost exactly the same thing as Schaum's but it cut out a bunch of the details and was an easy read. I only went through barron's and used Schaum's for the reproduction part (germ layers, etc). I ended up with a 27 on bio (i think, this was 2 years ago, only number i concretely remember now is the 24AA lol), which i assume was one question wrong as there was only one question i did not know the entire exam (something dealing with a picture relating to DNA replication in a diseased individual... something i still dont know and probably would have never gotten right if i had studied 20000000 more hours).

I've taken almost every single science elective thats recommended, physio, biochem, anatomy, histology, genetics, microbio, pharmacology, ecology, etc so i feel that has a lot to do with it. I didnt do as well as i would have liked in all of them lol, but i took them all. studying for the bio section was more like reviewing more so than learning, because i knew everything i was reading (except for reproduction) and it was just like i was refreshing my memory. This is what i mean by your science background plays a large role in how you do too, which is also probably why i found barrons sufficient for my studying. I dont think you need to KNOW everything, you just have to become FAMILIAR with everything.

Personally, I hear cliffs is much harder than schaums, and when i was looking through schaums, i found it very detailed and a very hard read, so i dont see how someone who memmorizes cliffs can get an 18 unless they were VERY unlucky becuase the DAT bio is a VERY broad and generalized exam.

 

[ohohitsmagic08]

I dont mind reading Schaum's at all but I dont like the structure of it with the question and answer format. I heard that Cliffs is easier and less detailed than Schaum's. Maybe I will just read the entire Campbell book and supplement with Cliffs.

I had bouth Schaum's and Barron's. Schaum's was crazy in detail, and Barron's was amost exactly the same thing as Schaum's but it cut out a bunch of the details and was an easy read. I only went through barron's and used Schaum's for the reproduction part (germ layers, etc). I ended up with a 27 on bio (i think, this was 2 years ago, only number i concretely remember now is the 24AA lol), which i assume was one question wrong as there was only one question i did not know the entire exam (something dealing with a picture relating to DNA replication in a diseased individual... something i still dont know and probably would have never gotten right if i had studied 20000000 more hours).

I've taken almost every single science elective thats recommended, physio, biochem, anatomy, histology, genetics, microbio, pharmacology, ecology, etc so i feel that has a lot to do with it. I didnt do as well as i would have liked in all of them lol, but i took them all. studying for the bio section was more like reviewing more so than learning, because i knew everything i was reading (except for reproduction) and it was just like i was refreshing my memory. This is what i mean by your science background plays a large role in how you do too, which is also probably why i found barrons sufficient for my studying. I dont think you need to KNOW everything, you just have to become FAMILIAR with everything.

Personally, I hear cliffs is much harder than schaums, and when i was looking through schaums, i found it very detailed and a very hard read, so i dont see how someone who memmorizes cliffs can get an 18 unless they were VERY unlucky becuase the DAT bio is a VERY broad and generalized exam.