Isabella Razmi
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Hello all,
Hope everyone is doing well and that DAT studying is going great for everyone! I took my DAT exam (for the second time) about a month ago now and received a 22AA: 22 PAT, 21 QR, 24 RC, 20 BIO, 21 GC, and 22 OC (21 TS). I would like to break down my score report and also explain how I went through the process twice, going from a 19AA to a 22AA.
My first round of studying:
I studied for the DAT for the first time during the summer before my third year of college. I used many sources including Chad’s videos, DAT bootcamp, DAT destroyer, Crack PAT, Feralis notes, etc. You name it I probably took a look at it.
For the beginning of my studying, I would split up my days by studying two subjects a day, 4 hours each. For example: Monday from 8-12pm I studied Biology and Reading, took a one hour lunch break and from 1-5pm studied Gen Chem and QR. You get the idea. I did this everyday except Sundays (rest days) for about 1 month.
Within the different subjects, I would switch between different sources and try to make the most of my time studying by hitting 2 subjects in one day very thoroughly. I did not have a great system for timing my practice tests. It is really hard to make your own schedule from scratch. I don’t recommend it. And, in my opinion, because I did not have as strict of a structure as most people, that is probably why I scored lower my first time around. I also was studying at home with my family and they were pretty distracting, which I do not blame them for but it definitely played a part lol.
While a DAT score of 19 is not bad whatsoever, I did not feel it was competitive enough for the schools I personally wanted to go to. So, I knew I had to go through the process all over again but with a stricter, more focused study plan. This is when I decided to solely use DAT Bootcamp for my studying, more specifically the 10-week study schedule.
How I went from a 19AA to a 22AA:
I would like to mention that I started all over again for my second time studying. On top of that, I was in college taking 17 units. Personally, I don’t recommend juggling school and DAT studying at the same time, BUT it is possible. If you are one of those people studying during school, I highly recommend using Ari’s 10 week study schedule, if you have the time of course. There are other options on DAT bootcamp that can meet your timing needs. I HIGHLY recommend the 10 week schedule though if you can make that work, whether you are juggling classes or not. I wish I had just used Ari’s 10 week schedule in the first place, but hey everything happens for a reason and I am super happy with my score now that I am on the other side.
To be honest, I lost so much motivation to study all over again. I was so frustrated and stressed and just didn’t want to do it anymore. Again, a 19AA is not bad. But, I was just so mad at myself because I felt that I worked harder and just wanted it all to be over. They’re not kidding when they say “trust the process” or the short-term suffering is worth the long-term success. Even though I lost about 10 pounds and half of that being my hair falling out, I am actually so happy with my end result and feel such a weight lifted off my chest. My main point here is: you will cry, you will question everything in life, you might even feel depressed BUT it is worth it in the end. Just stick with it and you will be just fine.
Now onto what you guys actually want to know: how I studied!
I am not kidding when I say I solely used the 10 week DAT bootcamp study schedule. Obviously if there were things still not clear to me I may have referenced the internet and such. USE THE STUDY SCHEDULES. SERIOUSLY. I followed that schedule as best as I could and it did me an amazing service. When I say as best as I could, I mean that life happened some days. Life happens. And when life happens, sometimes you don’t have time for everything. There were some days I had to push to the next or maybe some weeks I wouldn’t get my rest days because life and school got in the way. But guess what, I still stuck to it and here I am.
Also, I recommend getting separate notebooks Bio, Gen Chem, O Chem and QR. Just for organizations and note-taking purposes.
For BIO, I started right at Chapter 1 of the Bootcamp Biology notes. I literally started from scratch. The study schedule actually recommends that (for biology specifically) to read the chapter first and then the next day take notes. The way my brain works is I actually like to skim the chapter first, then literally copy everything in the chapter in my notebook on that first day. Actively writing things helps me the most. Obviously if I already know something and I was 100% sure about it I may not write it. But yup, I literally rewrote each chapter of Biology on the designated days we were supposed to just read it. The day after when we were supposed to take notes, I highlighted and reread what I had written the previous day. Then, I would take the question bank associated with that chapter afterwards. Biology is definitely the hardest section, so I spent the most time making sure it was ingrained in my mind. My questions banks were usually good scores, which makes sense because we are supposed to complete them after reviewing notes anyways. For the actual BIO practice tests, I was generally scoring in the 20s consistently (which if you paid attention to my real scores I actually ended up getting that for Bio). Normally, people always say to add a point or two to the score you get on the practice tests for bootcamp. This was true for me for every other section, but Bio is just Bio. It is hard and you never know what is going to be asked of you. Just try to stay on top of the study schedule, check off those boxes and you got this.
For GEN CHEM, I took each day exactly how the study schedule suggested. I would watch the designated videos, but with 2x speed. Because I was balancing school throughout the week and just wanted to be efficient with my time, I chose to watch all videos with 2x speed. Obviously if you have more time on your hands you do not have to do that, but it wasn’t really that hard to follow anyways. After watching the videos and taking thorough notes as well as interacting with the practice problems within the videos, I would get a blank scratch paper and do the question bank associated with that chapter on the correct day. For example, on day 1, you do not have to watch all the videos in Chapter 1 as it is split in half between day 1 and day 2. This means you will take thorough notes for chapter 1 on both days but not do the question bank until you are done with the chapter on day 2.
For PAT, I kind of followed the study schedule. In my case, since I had taken the DAT before, I didn’t need to go too hard on myself for PAT as it was a subject I did fairly well in. But, I still did a little bit of practice each day so I wouldn’t lose my techniques and such. If you are not very strong with the PAT section, I highly recommend that you trust the study schedule and watch all the videos on DAT bootcamp. There are really great strategies on bootcamp and I definitely did refer to some videos when I needed to. PAT is just practice practice practice. In order to be timely with this section, I would make sure to note in my head that on average I am only allowed 10 minutes for each of the 6 sections. We know there are a total of 90 questions that we have to complete in 60 minutes, which means being able to answer 15 questions (each of the 6 sections has 15 questions) in 10 minutes. I will admit I always felt a little rushed, but in a way that is a good thing because there is really no time to waste. Again, practice makes perfect!
For QR, I followed the schedule-ish. I would complete some of the question banks when I had free time but never forced myself to if I had other schoolwork to complete. When it comes to math, especially the level we need to know for the DAT, I felt confident in myself. I really practiced and paid more attention later on when the schedule wanted me to take legitimate QR practice tests. I focused the most on the style of questions. The real exam reflected the bootcamp’s QR practice almost exactly. I did not feel stumped or confused with any of the QR questions, but that is also because I made sure I knew all the special types or wordings of questions I could be asked such as word problems or comparison problems.
For O CHEM, again, I would follow the schedule. I know I am getting repetitive here but that just goes to show how much the schedule helped me. I really liked how the study schedule split up general chemistry and organic chemistry, one at a time. You didn’t start organic chemistry practice until you were done with general chemistry, which I liked because I wasn’t getting overwhelmed with relearning both at the same exact time. It was helpful for me to print out the Bootcamp organic reactions sheet as well to refer to whenever I needed. Same routine style as general chemistry.
For RC, I must admit I did not prioritize this at all. This is one of those sections you kinda just have to do and it doesn’t really take any studying. BUT, it does take the ability to manage time. I did not follow the schedule by reading a science article everyday. I just took the practice tests as they came along and made sure I was paying attention to the time.
the real test was super similar to how Bootcamp sets up their passages and questions. I personally did not spend as much time on RC as I could've, but I will say that Bootcamp does a great job at mimicking the real test. The highlighting tool was my savior (don't overdo it, but it is such a big help that should not be taken for granted). Using this tool helped me remember certain phrases and their location, allowing me to find answers quicker if I needed to. This sounds weird and also how I assume everyone reads.. I think.. but I would actively interact with the words I was reading and literally say the words in my head maybe even whisper them as I was reading to myself. It also helped me read faster because I was literally saying the words whether aloud (superrrr quietly) or in my head. Essentially, my lips would be moving during the RC section. This is how information sticks in my brain. For time management, I would highly recommend spending no more than 20-21 minutes on each passage. I personally would try to aim for 10-12 minutes to actually read/highlight and then 8-10 minutes to actually answer the questions. This system really worked for me.
I didn’t want to write this in every single section because this is more of an overall piece of advice. If you are unsure about any problem at all, READ AND WATCH THE EXPLANATIONS. Also, use the marking functions! This means to flag any questions you are unsure about so you can come back to them. I really liked this aspect of bootcamp. When you get to the full practice DAT exams, follow the schedule so you do not overwhelm yourself with back to back exams (take the test one day, review the next).
ALSO, everyone always says not to do anything the day before but I disagree. The night before (and two nights before) I went through all the biology questions banks again. I was so happy I did this because there were actually some questions I “forgot” the logic behind and GUESS WHAT. One or two of the questions I reviewed was actually on the real DAT. I was so so glad I reviewed my biology question banks because if I hadn’t I probably would’ve gotten those wrong on the actual exam.
OVERALL: You can do it. Keep pushing and you will do well. It really does take discipline and dedication to keep yourself in line with studying everyday, especially doing it all over again for a second time. If I can do it, so can you. A little bit of “suffering” is worth the lifetime of security and success. Again, it is okay to take break days or put off a day of studying if you really need to. You have to make sure to not make that a habit as it can catch up to you, but I did have some of those days and I came out just fine.
🧿
(I cannot find my first score report at the moment.. embarassing I know.. but once I find it I will upload it ASAP)
Hope everyone is doing well and that DAT studying is going great for everyone! I took my DAT exam (for the second time) about a month ago now and received a 22AA: 22 PAT, 21 QR, 24 RC, 20 BIO, 21 GC, and 22 OC (21 TS). I would like to break down my score report and also explain how I went through the process twice, going from a 19AA to a 22AA.
My first round of studying:
I studied for the DAT for the first time during the summer before my third year of college. I used many sources including Chad’s videos, DAT bootcamp, DAT destroyer, Crack PAT, Feralis notes, etc. You name it I probably took a look at it.
For the beginning of my studying, I would split up my days by studying two subjects a day, 4 hours each. For example: Monday from 8-12pm I studied Biology and Reading, took a one hour lunch break and from 1-5pm studied Gen Chem and QR. You get the idea. I did this everyday except Sundays (rest days) for about 1 month.
Within the different subjects, I would switch between different sources and try to make the most of my time studying by hitting 2 subjects in one day very thoroughly. I did not have a great system for timing my practice tests. It is really hard to make your own schedule from scratch. I don’t recommend it. And, in my opinion, because I did not have as strict of a structure as most people, that is probably why I scored lower my first time around. I also was studying at home with my family and they were pretty distracting, which I do not blame them for but it definitely played a part lol.
While a DAT score of 19 is not bad whatsoever, I did not feel it was competitive enough for the schools I personally wanted to go to. So, I knew I had to go through the process all over again but with a stricter, more focused study plan. This is when I decided to solely use DAT Bootcamp for my studying, more specifically the 10-week study schedule.
How I went from a 19AA to a 22AA:
I would like to mention that I started all over again for my second time studying. On top of that, I was in college taking 17 units. Personally, I don’t recommend juggling school and DAT studying at the same time, BUT it is possible. If you are one of those people studying during school, I highly recommend using Ari’s 10 week study schedule, if you have the time of course. There are other options on DAT bootcamp that can meet your timing needs. I HIGHLY recommend the 10 week schedule though if you can make that work, whether you are juggling classes or not. I wish I had just used Ari’s 10 week schedule in the first place, but hey everything happens for a reason and I am super happy with my score now that I am on the other side.
To be honest, I lost so much motivation to study all over again. I was so frustrated and stressed and just didn’t want to do it anymore. Again, a 19AA is not bad. But, I was just so mad at myself because I felt that I worked harder and just wanted it all to be over. They’re not kidding when they say “trust the process” or the short-term suffering is worth the long-term success. Even though I lost about 10 pounds and half of that being my hair falling out, I am actually so happy with my end result and feel such a weight lifted off my chest. My main point here is: you will cry, you will question everything in life, you might even feel depressed BUT it is worth it in the end. Just stick with it and you will be just fine.
Now onto what you guys actually want to know: how I studied!
I am not kidding when I say I solely used the 10 week DAT bootcamp study schedule. Obviously if there were things still not clear to me I may have referenced the internet and such. USE THE STUDY SCHEDULES. SERIOUSLY. I followed that schedule as best as I could and it did me an amazing service. When I say as best as I could, I mean that life happened some days. Life happens. And when life happens, sometimes you don’t have time for everything. There were some days I had to push to the next or maybe some weeks I wouldn’t get my rest days because life and school got in the way. But guess what, I still stuck to it and here I am.
Also, I recommend getting separate notebooks Bio, Gen Chem, O Chem and QR. Just for organizations and note-taking purposes.
For BIO, I started right at Chapter 1 of the Bootcamp Biology notes. I literally started from scratch. The study schedule actually recommends that (for biology specifically) to read the chapter first and then the next day take notes. The way my brain works is I actually like to skim the chapter first, then literally copy everything in the chapter in my notebook on that first day. Actively writing things helps me the most. Obviously if I already know something and I was 100% sure about it I may not write it. But yup, I literally rewrote each chapter of Biology on the designated days we were supposed to just read it. The day after when we were supposed to take notes, I highlighted and reread what I had written the previous day. Then, I would take the question bank associated with that chapter afterwards. Biology is definitely the hardest section, so I spent the most time making sure it was ingrained in my mind. My questions banks were usually good scores, which makes sense because we are supposed to complete them after reviewing notes anyways. For the actual BIO practice tests, I was generally scoring in the 20s consistently (which if you paid attention to my real scores I actually ended up getting that for Bio). Normally, people always say to add a point or two to the score you get on the practice tests for bootcamp. This was true for me for every other section, but Bio is just Bio. It is hard and you never know what is going to be asked of you. Just try to stay on top of the study schedule, check off those boxes and you got this.
For GEN CHEM, I took each day exactly how the study schedule suggested. I would watch the designated videos, but with 2x speed. Because I was balancing school throughout the week and just wanted to be efficient with my time, I chose to watch all videos with 2x speed. Obviously if you have more time on your hands you do not have to do that, but it wasn’t really that hard to follow anyways. After watching the videos and taking thorough notes as well as interacting with the practice problems within the videos, I would get a blank scratch paper and do the question bank associated with that chapter on the correct day. For example, on day 1, you do not have to watch all the videos in Chapter 1 as it is split in half between day 1 and day 2. This means you will take thorough notes for chapter 1 on both days but not do the question bank until you are done with the chapter on day 2.
For PAT, I kind of followed the study schedule. In my case, since I had taken the DAT before, I didn’t need to go too hard on myself for PAT as it was a subject I did fairly well in. But, I still did a little bit of practice each day so I wouldn’t lose my techniques and such. If you are not very strong with the PAT section, I highly recommend that you trust the study schedule and watch all the videos on DAT bootcamp. There are really great strategies on bootcamp and I definitely did refer to some videos when I needed to. PAT is just practice practice practice. In order to be timely with this section, I would make sure to note in my head that on average I am only allowed 10 minutes for each of the 6 sections. We know there are a total of 90 questions that we have to complete in 60 minutes, which means being able to answer 15 questions (each of the 6 sections has 15 questions) in 10 minutes. I will admit I always felt a little rushed, but in a way that is a good thing because there is really no time to waste. Again, practice makes perfect!
For QR, I followed the schedule-ish. I would complete some of the question banks when I had free time but never forced myself to if I had other schoolwork to complete. When it comes to math, especially the level we need to know for the DAT, I felt confident in myself. I really practiced and paid more attention later on when the schedule wanted me to take legitimate QR practice tests. I focused the most on the style of questions. The real exam reflected the bootcamp’s QR practice almost exactly. I did not feel stumped or confused with any of the QR questions, but that is also because I made sure I knew all the special types or wordings of questions I could be asked such as word problems or comparison problems.
For O CHEM, again, I would follow the schedule. I know I am getting repetitive here but that just goes to show how much the schedule helped me. I really liked how the study schedule split up general chemistry and organic chemistry, one at a time. You didn’t start organic chemistry practice until you were done with general chemistry, which I liked because I wasn’t getting overwhelmed with relearning both at the same exact time. It was helpful for me to print out the Bootcamp organic reactions sheet as well to refer to whenever I needed. Same routine style as general chemistry.
For RC, I must admit I did not prioritize this at all. This is one of those sections you kinda just have to do and it doesn’t really take any studying. BUT, it does take the ability to manage time. I did not follow the schedule by reading a science article everyday. I just took the practice tests as they came along and made sure I was paying attention to the time.
the real test was super similar to how Bootcamp sets up their passages and questions. I personally did not spend as much time on RC as I could've, but I will say that Bootcamp does a great job at mimicking the real test. The highlighting tool was my savior (don't overdo it, but it is such a big help that should not be taken for granted). Using this tool helped me remember certain phrases and their location, allowing me to find answers quicker if I needed to. This sounds weird and also how I assume everyone reads.. I think.. but I would actively interact with the words I was reading and literally say the words in my head maybe even whisper them as I was reading to myself. It also helped me read faster because I was literally saying the words whether aloud (superrrr quietly) or in my head. Essentially, my lips would be moving during the RC section. This is how information sticks in my brain. For time management, I would highly recommend spending no more than 20-21 minutes on each passage. I personally would try to aim for 10-12 minutes to actually read/highlight and then 8-10 minutes to actually answer the questions. This system really worked for me.
I didn’t want to write this in every single section because this is more of an overall piece of advice. If you are unsure about any problem at all, READ AND WATCH THE EXPLANATIONS. Also, use the marking functions! This means to flag any questions you are unsure about so you can come back to them. I really liked this aspect of bootcamp. When you get to the full practice DAT exams, follow the schedule so you do not overwhelm yourself with back to back exams (take the test one day, review the next).
ALSO, everyone always says not to do anything the day before but I disagree. The night before (and two nights before) I went through all the biology questions banks again. I was so happy I did this because there were actually some questions I “forgot” the logic behind and GUESS WHAT. One or two of the questions I reviewed was actually on the real DAT. I was so so glad I reviewed my biology question banks because if I hadn’t I probably would’ve gotten those wrong on the actual exam.
OVERALL: You can do it. Keep pushing and you will do well. It really does take discipline and dedication to keep yourself in line with studying everyday, especially doing it all over again for a second time. If I can do it, so can you. A little bit of “suffering” is worth the lifetime of security and success. Again, it is okay to take break days or put off a day of studying if you really need to. You have to make sure to not make that a habit as it can catch up to you, but I did have some of those days and I came out just fine.
🧿
(I cannot find my first score report at the moment.. embarassing I know.. but once I find it I will upload it ASAP)
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