DAT, Take 2: Study materials?

[amaghsou]

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Happy New Years Guys!

So during my first try, I got 18 in every section expect Bio (19) and math (16) using Bootcamp, Destroyer(s), Chad's, and AP Bio. Though (in my opinion) I had every material to succeed, I think my downfall was the extraneous amount of time I spent studying (3 months + 2 weeks, 7 days a week, 6-8 hours a day), which lead me to forgetting a lot of the material I studied initially and excess stress built up.

With that being said, Im planning on taking the DAT late February/Early March and want to know what I should do and what new material should I use for a better score like 22+. Im definitely planning on using Destroyer, Chads, and AP Bio, but the only thing I am not sure about is using Bootcamp again. Though I loved the software, would it really be beneficial since Im using the same previous test questions?

Thank you for any help!

 

[BrightTeeth]

Hi Amagshou,

If I were you I would follow Ari’s 10 Week Study Schedule from bootcamp. The 1st 5 weeks of the 10 Week plan you learn all the material and during the 2nd 5 weeks you are doing tests after tests. I got 22 QR; 20 RC; 20 Bio; 22 GC; 30 OC; 17 PA; 22 TS; 23 AA

Resources I used to study:

Bio: Cliffs 3rd Edition; AP Barrons; practiced with Destroyer, Bootcamp, and Qvault

GChem: Chad’s Videos only followed by practicing with Destroyer, Bootcamp, and Qvault

OChem: Chad’s Videos only followed by practicing with Destroyer, Bootcamp, and Qvault

Reading: practiced with DAT bootcamp and Qvault

PAT: bootcamp only

QR: math destroyer (tests 1-8 only); Destroyer; also used bootcamp tests and Qvault tests

To answer your question about what new material you could use I strongly suggest purchasing Qvault which gives you access to practice tests for all the sections on the DAT. I used it for all sections excluding the PAT and thought it was very helpful and representative of the real DAT.

Here is my advice on how to improve your scores in each section:

My GChem background was pretty weak (poor grades in undergrad) but using Chad’s videos to learn the material really helped improve my confidence. I honestly believe this is the only study material you need (same with OChem). I had a notebook for Chad’s videos on both the GChem and OChem sections. As I watched the GChem videos I would take detailed notes of everything he said (I printed out his study guide for the GChem videos as I took the my notes). I would then complete the quizzes at the end of each video to see if I understood the material.

Once I finished all of Chad’s GChem videos and quizzes I then condensed all my notebook notes and problems I had trouble on in the quizzes into flashcards (this takes some time but was totally worth it for me).

I did the same exact process when studying for OChem.

I got a 30 on OChem primarily due to my strong understanding of the two study packets Chad has for this section. The packet listing all the reagents and products I had memorized 100%. I made flashcards from my notebook notes as well as any quiz question I missed or didn’t understand fully.

GChem and OChem practice material: using Ari’s 10 Week Study Plan it has you use Destroyer for practice problems on both of these sections. I did all the GChem problems which I found very helpful (although the problems are much harder than the real test they help you understand the concepts and odd reactions that weren’t covered in Chads). I only did 80+ OChem problems from destroyer and thought it was ok.

I would focus the majority of my time using the Bootcamp and Qvault practice tests to test your knowledge and take notes on problems that you got wrong versus memorizing all of the destroyer problems you got wrong. Bootcamp and Qvault are the closest to the real test I believe.

Bio: you got a 19 in Bio which is good so I would recommend re-learning all the material the same way you did but also use Cliffs 3rd edition if you haven’t coupled with Barrons and take very good notecards.

I would also use Feralis notes which are printable notes available on SDN for free that are very helpful at summarizing Cliffs 3rd edition and they also have stuff note covered in Cliffs 3rd Eddition or AP Barrons such as anatomy/integument system/bone anatomy etc. Feralis is very helpful. If you understand the basics of Feralis you are in good shape.

Don’t get discouraged when studying Feralis because it can be very detailed. I personally studied Cliffs and Barrons and then went over Feralis while avoiding excess details especially on the sections about plants. Breadth over depth when it comes to bio 😀.

Qvault; Bootcamp; and Destroyer are all great resources for testing your knowledge. I would focus the majority of my time on Qvault and Bootcamp.

Reading: only used Bootcamp and Qvault practice tests to learn how to time myself and take good notes. I used the 10/10 method. 10 mins reading passage/10 mins answering questions.

PAT: got a 17 :/ only used Bootcamp. If I had to take the test again I wouldn’t change anything because my other scores would’ve suffered if I spent too much more time on studying this section.

QR: never was good at math failed 1 undegrad math class. I watched Chad’s QR videos which were decent especially on the log properties. I wrote down all the Math destroyer equations and other equations I picked up as I did practice tests in Bootcamp, Qvault, Math Destroyer, and Destroyer.

Math just comes down to timing and learning basic equations. I didn’t know how to do any of the crazy geometry problems on the real test I knew the basics and was able to use logic to solve the more time involved problems which just required plug and chug.

Hope this breakdown helped you!

 

[amaghsou]

Awesome! Thank you so much for your breakdown. I know you spent a lot of time writing it out! Honestly, I had a very similar plan to yours when I had done it initially. Like you, I only did 80 or so problems on destroyer Orgo. So would you suggest getting boot camp again and adding q vault to it? Thanks again!

 

[BrightTeeth]

I am glad to help.

I personally would get bootcamp again because I wouldn't remember all the answers to the problems so it would still be helpful to learn from my mistakes. Plus my bootcamp scores were very close to my actual scores so it is an accurate representation of how well you are doing.

I would definitely use both Qvault and bootcamp when studying. Qvault was very helpful and has nice explanations for each problem.

 

[amaghsou]

I am glad to help.

I personally would get bootcamp again because I wouldn't remember all the answers to the problems so it would still be helpful to learn from my mistakes. Plus my bootcamp scores were very close to my actual scores so it is an accurate representation of how well you are doing.

I would definitely use both Qvault and bootcamp when studying. Qvault was very helpful and has nice explanations for each problem.

Thanks again. I think I will do that though it'll be slightly expensive; Bootcamps PAT software was awesome.

Do you remember how much Qvault was and where you bought it from? Thank you

 

[Teeth10]

Happy New Years Guys!

So during my first try, I got 18 in every section expect Bio (19) and math (16) using Bootcamp, Destroyer(s), Chad's, and AP Bio. Though (in my opinion) I had every material to succeed, I think my downfall was the extraneous amount of time I spent studying (3 months + 2 weeks, 7 days a week, 6-8 hours a day), which lead me to forgetting a lot of the material I studied initially and excess stress built up.

With that being said, Im planning on taking the DAT late February/Early March and want to know what I should do and what new material should I use for a better score like 22+. Im definitely planning on using Destroyer, Chads, and AP Bio, but the only thing I am not sure about is using Bootcamp again. Though I loved the software, would it really be beneficial since Im using the same previous test questions?

Thank you for any help!

We are on the same boat! Good luck to you and hopefully you nail it.

 

[amaghsou]

We are on the same boat! Good luck to you and hopefully you nail it.

Same to you buddy!

 

[BrightTeeth]

Thanks again. I think I will do that though it'll be slightly expensive; Bootcamps PAT software was awesome.

Do you remember how much Qvault was and where you bought it from? Thank you

You can purchase the Qvault software here: http://datqvault.com/purchase

I personally suggest buying the $199.00 bundle. All the sections were very representative of the real exam in my opinion.

I didn't use it for the PAT section though I only used bootcamp.

 

[amaghsou]

You can purchase the Qvault software here: http://datqvault.com/purchase

I personally suggest buying the $199.00 bundle. All the sections were very representative of the real exam in my opinion.

I didn't use it for the PAT section though I only used bootcamp.

Thank you man! I appreciate your help. Have a great night.

 

[BrightTeeth]

Thank you man! I appreciate your help. Have a great night.

You're welcome amaghsou! Best of luck with your studies 😀.