DAT tips! Taken on 12/30/13 (24 AA and TS)

[ECDental]

Hey guys! I took my DAT this past December 30th 2013

Breakdown:
General Chemistry: 30
Organic Chemistry: 25
Biology: 22
Reading Comprehension: 24
Quantitative Reasoning: 20
PAT: 19
AA: 24
TS: 24


I'm here to give you a few tips and a breakdown of how to succeed! I know initially the journey may seem overwhelming but take a deep breath! As soon as you decide that you are ready to commit yourself to some intense hours of studying you are on your way to conquering the DAT exam.

Over the summer I took the Kaplan DAT course (on the go) but barely dedicated anytime to it. My exam was 6 months away and summer was a time to relax so the course merely introduced me to what I would see on the DAT exam. After this course I took a few months off and began intense studying the weekend before Halloween so sometime in late October. (two months before my exam date)

I began by watching Chad's videos and simultaneously reading Cliff's AP biology. As for Chad, he is absolutely incredible, general chemistry was actually my weakest subject an I ended up scoring a 30. Chad's videos for organic chemistry and math were also very helpful. Cliff's AP biology covers in broader terms everything you will need to know but I definitely had some detail questions on my exam that I needed to either infer or eliminate options I knew were clearly incorrect. Additionally prior to my exam I took Biochemistry and Cell Biology (these were extremely useful for understanding different cellular processes, cell functions/organelles, and hormones.)

For PAT I completed all of the 10 crack dat pat tests (some of them twice) until all of my scores were above 20. The PAT portion of the DAT is completely based on practice. You should youtube different tricks for each section and continue learning key patterns. I'll explain later how the actual DAT PAT section really was.

After going through Chads videos and taking lengthy notes on both the videos and the Cliff book I began DAT destroyer for the sciences and for math. I would say destroyer is definitely harder than the DAT but it teaches you concepts that are truly useful when taking the exam. It's also best to expose yourself to as many questions as possible before the exam. After Destroyer I did Bootcamp.

I started bootcamp on the Monday two weeks before my exam. I would stimulate testing conditions and take 5 tests a day for each subject, then go through solutions which would usually take as long as the actual test itself. My scores ranged from 19-27 in all of the different subjects. I was never very consistent but this helped me pinpoint my weaknesses.

The weekend after bootcamp I did the practice ADA test 2007 and 2009. 2007 was way too easy and 2009 had several errors so I didn't find either test extremely useful or representative of the actual DAT.

The week before my exam I took the 5 Kaplan full length tests that I did not get a chance to complete over the summer (Full length midterm and final as well as Exam 1, 2, and 3.) Only the midterm and final were graded on a 1-30 scale and I scored about 19-21 on each section. I was slightly discouraged that I was not well into the 20's days before my exam. (not to worry… continue reading!)

Two days before my exam I went through ALL of my Chad's notes for both orgo and gen chemistry! I think that was huge for remembering all the minor details and I attribute my successes in these sections for going through everything thoroughly just days before my exam.

The day before my exam I spent getting lunch and relaxing with my sister. I am definitely not a person who crams so I knew that everything I could have put into that exam I had already done in the months prior. I just tried to get my mind off things.

That night I could not sleep for a minute! I was more tired than ever because I had been waking up around 7/8 am for the past two weeks hoping I would get my mind and body into that sleeping routine but my anxiety was taking over! (I'm a very anxious test taker so I should have guessed this would be the case!)

I got to the exam early around 7 15 a.m. and they started me right away. They gave me two dry erase boards and head phones which i recommend wearing during the whole exam because there is definitely disturbances throughout the test. Also be sure to take the break and clear your mind. Take deep breaths. If you studied all the material mentioned above well, then you can truly surprise yourself! HARD WORK PAYS OFF!!

The actual exam was easier than any practice test I had taken. And writing this blog it reminds me of how much time and work I put into everything but I wouldn't change a thing! The feeling you have after getting back scores you could only dream of is incredible! Keep pushing!! I had many break downs and sacrificed a lot but in the long run it is really nothing compared to what you are doing for your future.

Feel free to ask me more questions. I apologize for making this post so long I just wanted to be thorough and I still feel like I am leaving some details out.

Here are my scores

Best of luck everyone )

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[ECDental]

I forgot to explain that I thought the PAT portion of the DAT was very similar to CRACK the DAT PAT and I was somewhat disappointed to see that I only scored a 19. With sections such as angle ranking it really depends on how lucky your guesses are. The angles were sometimes only a couple degrees apart and with the anxiety I felt during the exam I relied on my first instinct which may not have always been right. The PAT portion is also the section I felt the most time crunch but still got to entirely complete. PRACTICE TIMING that is key!! stimulate testing conditions such as testing in a quiet library and time yourself

 

[Minion]

You should retake the picture and cover up your name!

 

[Glimmer1991]

Fantastic scores, and a fantastic breakdown! (And pretty nails!)
I'm adding you to the breakdown collection. However, I agree you might want to at least blank out your DENTPIN.

 

[ECDental]

Thank you so much I didn't realize what personal information I posted! I will repost my score report now!!

 

[mimachu]

Congrats! Those are awesome scores! How did you prepare for the QR section? Did you find the Kaplan course to be helpful?

 

[ECDental]

Thank you! For the QR section I completed all 14 tests that math destroyer provides. I am usually very math oriented and I was shocked to see that math was my weakest section. I think I may have scored lower because I focused on math about a month before my exam and then completely left it untouched weeks before the exam because I spent all my time on the sciences! So I definitely recommend doing all of the Math destroyer tests and maybe doing one or two a couple days before the exam to get yourself into that mindset. As for Kaplan, I'm quite ambivalent on the course itself. It is definitely pricey and I don't know if it's entirely worth the money, but if you can get a good discount (they regularly offer promotions and if it is affordable for you) then I'd say go for it. They introduce you to some quality test material and they give detailed score reports. I didn't really use Kaplan for anything more than practice tests, which I went through in great detail a week before the exam.

 

[ASOT]

Solid scores, congrats! Question, did you study for this exam on semester while taking classes?

 

[ECDental]

Yes I was studying for the exam during fall term of my junior year. My bio courses were so helpful and the intense work load kept me on track between classes and my DAT I ended up also getting my first 4.0! I took the exam during winter break after fall term

 

[Ari Rezaei]

Great scores! Congratulations and thanks for posting a breakdown!

 

[ASOT]

Yes I was studying for the exam during fall term of my junior year. My bio courses were so helpful and the intense work load kept me on track between classes and my DAT I ended up also getting my first 4.0! I took the exam during winter break after fall term

Wow congrats! that's awesome good job, any advice on managing time while studying for the DAT on semester? I'm taking the DAT over spring break and am worried I'm going to be overwhelmed with the workload from both

 

[ECDental]

Be familiar with the fact that you are going to give up your social life for a bit! I had a study partner and we kept each other on track, we reminded ourselves of how excited we would be after it was all over with and that's how I made it. For those two months I really didn't do much else on my weekends besides study. Additionally I would recommend taking classes that will help you study for the DAT like upper level bio courses. If you learn to tweak your sleeping schedule and give up your freedom for a few short months then time management shouldn't be an issue!

 

[Dotoday]

Great job. Congratulations.

 

[kiki23]

Did you review though notecards any throughout your studies?

 

[dian11]

Fantastic scores, and a fantastic breakdown, well done
_______________

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[customx]

Awesome scores!

 

[ECDental]

No, notecards are actually something that I never utilized. I thought there was too much information to be able to really make good notecards.

 

[SISTERPOWER2018]

Hi, congratulation , amazing score!!!
Ur partner was also studied for dat ? Pls tell me more how do u study with partner . Thank you !!!

 

[biomolecmed]

Very good scores. Congratulations on a job well done.

 

[ECDental]

My partner was actually studying for the MCAT, but we spent many long hours together at the library just to keep each other on track. The science sections between the DAT and MCAT can be similar so if we had any questions in bio/gchem/ochem we usually discussed it with each other. The partner experience was more for motivation and to see someone else dedicating a lot of time to studying so I felt obligated to do the same! But if you can find someone also taking the DAT that could be really helpful. For me personally, talking things out can be the number one way to learn things and really make them stick!

 

[wcf21]

Great work! More about your scheduling... How many hours a day did you spend studying for the DAT?


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[ECDental]

The first month that I started studying I would do about 3-5 hours depending on how busy my schedule was for the rest of the day! The second month (the month prior to my exam) I did about 7-10 hours also depending on how much I bad planned for the day! But keep in mind I had classes during these months so I was somewhat simultaneously studying for classes and my DAT in some of my upper level bio and math courses!


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[Futdents]

any advice??
I have taken the DAT before, scored
bio - 15
gchem -19
ochem-18
RC- 18
QR-16
PAT 19
I have been studying for the last three weeks to retake but i just started with practice tests and i am doing horrible:
I did 2009 ADA and score
bio-20
gchem-21
ochem-15
took crack dat pat scored 19,20,21
should i cancel my test? if not any advice on what to cram this week?
i have an interview with Loma LInda University in two weeks

 

[SISTERPOWER2018]

Thank you !!!

 

[ECDental]

any advice??
I have taken the DAT before, scored
bio - 15
gchem -19
ochem-18
RC- 18
QR-16
PAT 19
I have been studying for the last three weeks to retake but i just started with practice tests and i am doing horrible:
I did 2009 ADA and score
bio-20
gchem-21
ochem-15
took crack dat pat scored 19,20,21
should i cancel my test? if not any advice on what to cram this week?
i have an interview with Loma LInda University in two weeks

you seem to be fine for bio and gen chem according to your 2009 dat scores.. if you are struggling with either organic chem or gen chem chad's videos are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. if you don't want to cancel your exam dedicate a few days (if you can cram a lot) or a couple weeks to watch all of his videos, take notes, and do the quizzes. if you understand his material you will be golden. for bio i recommend taking a few bio section tests from bootcamp or qvault, noting your weaknesses, and learning what you didn't know by reading cliff's AP bio book or youtubing anything you have trouble visualizing or understanding! for QR i recommend math destroyer (do as many tests as you can before your exam) and for RC just read articles... read carefully on exam day, the questions for me at least were majority search and destroy so as long as you read carefully everything will go well!

 

[Futdents]

you seem to be fine for bio and gen chem according to your 2009 dat scores.. if you are struggling with either organic chem or gen chem chad's videos are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. if you don't want to cancel your exam dedicate a few days (if you can cram a lot) or a couple weeks to watch all of his videos, take notes, and do the quizzes. if you understand his material you will be golden. for bio i recommend taking a few bio section tests from bootcamp or qvault, noting your weaknesses, and learning what you didn't know by reading cliff's AP bio book or youtubing anything you have trouble visualizing or understanding! for QR i recommend math destroyer (do as many tests as you can before your exam) and for RC just read articles... read carefully on exam day, the questions for me at least were majority search and destroy so as long as you read carefully everything will go well!

I have already watched chad videos and done the quizzes, i went over destroyer sciences once, and read ap cliff once. My previous scores for the first real DAT test were 15 bio, 19 gchem, 18 ochem, 16QR, 18RC, 19PAT. since my scores in the practice tests are never the same while taking tests i am terrified i might drop my previous real test scores. Thank you for your advice

 

[Member 6236]

Most people do BETTER on the real thing! Cramming can do wonders haha.

 

[ECDental]

I have already watched chad videos and done the quizzes, i went over destroyer sciences once, and read ap cliff once. My previous scores for the first real DAT test were 15 bio, 19 gchem, 18 ochem, 16QR, 18RC, 19PAT. since my scores in the practice tests are never the same while taking tests i am terrified i might drop my previous real test scores. Thank you for your advice

Just because you went through it once, once is not enough!! I had to go through my notes for chads videos 3 times before everything stuck. I also read cliffs twice, one time just reading it and another time reading and high lighting. Many times you'll see it takes a while for things to stick! Best of luck

 

[Futdents]

Just because you went through it once, once is not enough!! I had to go through my notes for chads videos 3 times before everything stuck. I also read cliffs twice, one time just reading it and another time reading and high lighting. Many times you'll see it takes a while for things to stick! Best of luck

you are absolutely right! thank you for the advice, i think i will cancel this test and wait and see my chances to get in with 17! one bad DAT grade is better than two :'(

 

[Dotoday]

Do you think doing Kaplan or Destroyer problems gives you more confidence? The more you do the more confident you become?

 

[Futdents]

Do you think doing Kaplan or Destroyer problems gives you more confidence? The more you do the more confident you become?

i am doing topscore tests and scoring 19s mostly, it is giving me some confidence but i am just scared that i will still not score above 17 in the real test. before taking the first DAT test all my practice tests were in the 18s and 19s range and never lower yet i managed to score 17

 

[biomolecmed]

What Bio topics do you think it is best to concentrate on?

 

[LydiaUWilliams]

I am currently studying for the DAT. During college I studied for the MCAT using ExamKrackers and I was wondering if that would be better than the Cliffs AP Biology Book? I have all my notes from studying for the MCAT, but there are a lot of things that differ from both. For instance, the AP Bio book goes into plants, animal behavior, animal form and function and lab investigations, whereas the ExamKrackers book did not. Which should I put down? Should I use both? I don't want to overwhelm myself with more knowledge than I need. Biology is my weakest section, probably because I was a chemistry major in college and only needed a few biology classes. I also have Chad's videos.

 

[ECDental]

I am currently studying for the DAT. During college I studied for the MCAT using ExamKrackers and I was wondering if that would be better than the Cliffs AP Biology Book? I have all my notes from studying for the MCAT, but there are a lot of things that differ from both. For instance, the AP Bio book goes into plants, animal behavior, animal form and function and lab investigations, whereas the ExamKrackers book did not. Which should I put down? Should I use both? I don't want to overwhelm myself with more knowledge than I need. Biology is my weakest section, probably because I was a chemistry major in college and only needed a few biology classes. I also have Chad's videos.

I would use the Cliffs AP biology book because plants do show up on the DAT while they do not show up on the MCAT. Also the Cliffs AP biology book is very simple, clear, and to the point so I would definitely recommend reading it twice from cover to cover, understanding everything, and you should bet set! Best of luck

 

[ECDental]

What Bio topics do you think it is best to concentrate on?

I would concentrate on different systems such as digestive, respiratory, excretory etc, along with different processes such as respiration, krebs cycle, calvin cycle etc… also know your hormones! Know different parts of the cell/functions! Most of what you need to know is covered in the Cliffs AP biology book… I also recommend taking molecular bio, cell bio, and biochem prior to your exam. Best of luck!

 

[ECDental]

i am doing topscore tests and scoring 19s mostly, it is giving me some confidence but i am just scared that i will still not score above 17 in the real test. before taking the first DAT test all my practice tests were in the 18s and 19s range and never lower yet i managed to score 17

Confidence is key, if you are making the same mistakes be sure to go over what you are getting wrong and full understand why you are making those mistakes so you don't make them again on test day. If you feel like you need to read up on anything I also highly recommend Khan's academy for awesome video explanations.

 

[blcopp]

Im going to base my DAT study schedule off this since it seems to work best for my schedule. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[ECDental]

Im going to base my DAT study schedule off this since it seems to work best for my schedule. Thanks for sharing it.

I'm glad I could help!

 

[LydiaUWilliams]

Another question, I was watching Chad's videos and I heard the the Bio section is lacking. Should I even bother watching? Also, he said during the GC video that, for the DAT, we do not need to know about "Gas in a Piston." I remember this slightly from Physical Chemistry but should I study it again? It is the isobaric, isochoric, isothermal and adiabatic systems.

 

[youngy]

Another solid set of score. Pwned it.

 

[biomolecmed]

I would concentrate on different systems such as digestive, respiratory, excretory etc, along with different processes such as respiration, krebs cycle, calvin cycle etc… also know your hormones! Know different parts of the cell/functions! Most of what you need to know is covered in the Cliffs AP biology book… I also recommend taking molecular bio, cell bio, and biochem prior to your exam. Best of luck!

Thank you. So you really think that taking biochem before DAT will help you in bio section?

 

[ToBeDDSS]

Nicely done.
Congrats

 

[Slade S.]

Hi, great job on the scores! What kind of articles have you been reading? What websites and what kind of practice tests do you recommend for the reading section and math sections??

 

[ECDental]

Hi, great job on the scores! What kind of articles have you been reading? What websites and what kind of practice tests do you recommend for the reading section and math sections??

Thank you! I read several science articles from scientific american and got my reading comprehension tests from dat bootcamp which was very representative of the actual exam. for math i would recommend math destroyer! the problems may be a bit tougher than the actual exam but they prepare you very well.

 

[xhuggablemeex]

How did you prepare for RC?

 

[[DDS] Samer]

Excellent scores! I aspire to be like you. I was wondering if it was possible to write down all the resources you used and for which subjects. I am in the process of purchasing my DAT study materials. Also, where did you buy your materials? Much appreciated!

Hey guys! I took my DAT this past December 30th 2013

Breakdown:
General Chemistry: 30
Organic Chemistry: 25
Biology: 22
Reading Comprehension: 24
Quantitative Reasoning: 20
PAT: 19
AA: 24
TS: 24


I'm here to give you a few tips and a breakdown of how to succeed! I know initially the journey may seem overwhelming but take a deep breath! As soon as you decide that you are ready to commit yourself to some intense hours of studying you are on your way to conquering the DAT exam.

Over the summer I took the Kaplan DAT course (on the go) but barely dedicated anytime to it. My exam was 6 months away and summer was a time to relax so the course merely introduced me to what I would see on the DAT exam. After this course I took a few months off and began intense studying the weekend before Halloween so sometime in late October. (two months before my exam date)

I began by watching Chad's videos and simultaneously reading Cliff's AP biology. As for Chad, he is absolutely incredible, general chemistry was actually my weakest subject an I ended up scoring a 30. Chad's videos for organic chemistry and math were also very helpful. Cliff's AP biology covers in broader terms everything you will need to know but I definitely had some detail questions on my exam that I needed to either infer or eliminate options I knew were clearly incorrect. Additionally prior to my exam I took Biochemistry and Cell Biology (these were extremely useful for understanding different cellular processes, cell functions/organelles, and hormones.)

For PAT I completed all of the 10 crack dat pat tests (some of them twice) until all of my scores were above 20. The PAT portion of the DAT is completely based on practice. You should youtube different tricks for each section and continue learning key patterns. I'll explain later how the actual DAT PAT section really was.

After going through Chads videos and taking lengthy notes on both the videos and the Cliff book I began DAT destroyer for the sciences and for math. I would say destroyer is definitely harder than the DAT but it teaches you concepts that are truly useful when taking the exam. It's also best to expose yourself to as many questions as possible before the exam. After Destroyer I did Bootcamp.

I started bootcamp on the Monday two weeks before my exam. I would stimulate testing conditions and take 5 tests a day for each subject, then go through solutions which would usually take as long as the actual test itself. My scores ranged from 19-27 in all of the different subjects. I was never very consistent but this helped me pinpoint my weaknesses.

The weekend after bootcamp I did the practice ADA test 2007 and 2009. 2007 was way too easy and 2009 had several errors so I didn't find either test extremely useful or representative of the actual DAT.

The week before my exam I took the 5 Kaplan full length tests that I did not get a chance to complete over the summer (Full length midterm and final as well as Exam 1, 2, and 3.) Only the midterm and final were graded on a 1-30 scale and I scored about 19-21 on each section. I was slightly discouraged that I was not well into the 20's days before my exam. (not to worry… continue reading!)

Two days before my exam I went through ALL of my Chad's notes for both orgo and gen chemistry! I think that was huge for remembering all the minor details and I attribute my successes in these sections for going through everything thoroughly just days before my exam.

The day before my exam I spent getting lunch and relaxing with my sister. I am definitely not a person who crams so I knew that everything I could have put into that exam I had already done in the months prior. I just tried to get my mind off things.

That night I could not sleep for a minute! I was more tired than ever because I had been waking up around 7/8 am for the past two weeks hoping I would get my mind and body into that sleeping routine but my anxiety was taking over! (I'm a very anxious test taker so I should have guessed this would be the case!)

I got to the exam early around 7 15 a.m. and they started me right away. They gave me two dry erase boards and head phones which i recommend wearing during the whole exam because there is definitely disturbances throughout the test. Also be sure to take the break and clear your mind. Take deep breaths. If you studied all the material mentioned above well, then you can truly surprise yourself! HARD WORK PAYS OFF!!

The actual exam was easier than any practice test I had taken. And writing this blog it reminds me of how much time and work I put into everything but I wouldn't change a thing! The feeling you have after getting back scores you could only dream of is incredible! Keep pushing!! I had many break downs and sacrificed a lot but in the long run it is really nothing compared to what you are doing for your future.

Feel free to ask me more questions. I apologize for making this post so long I just wanted to be thorough and I still feel like I am leaving some details out.

Here are my scores
View attachment 177473


Best of luck everyone )