does non-human biology appear on DAT???

[hunterx2]

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Hi guys,

I'm using Cliff's bio as my sole source. I noticed that many topics in the book address non-human biology like flame cells, gills, open circulatory systems (found in insects and mollusks), not to mention plants, photosynthesis, evolution, and ecology.

Do these irrelevant topics actually appear on the real test? If so, how many questions can I expect, and can I get away without studying for them? I am looking to get at least a 24.

Thanks.

 

[pfg459]

I have not taken the DAT yet. I have been studying for the past two months, but I can say with confidence that pretty much everything in cliffs AP bio is fair game. So yes, those 'irrelevant' topics will be on the DAT in number.

I have definitely ran into several questions regarding flame cells, taxonomy and other subjects. You really need to go over and understand the processes involved in photosynthesis etc...

Hope that helps

 

[free99]

Getting a 24 in biology likely means you only get 1 or 2 questions, out of the 40, incorrect. You'll most definitely need to know the "irrelevant" information, and probably more, to do that. From what I've read in this forum, those who study from Campbells tend to have high scores, but obviously learning an entire textbook is very time consuming.

 

[mcoope44]

On my DAT I had a bunch of questions about plants, maybe like 4 out of the 40. I also had a couple questions about the different phyla of animals. Make sure you're strong in every topic if you want to do well. It seems daunting at first when you go through it, but after you go through it enough times it becomes obvious, and kind of easy.

 

[hunterx2]

Whaaaaat ????? This is not what I wanted to hear. 4 questions on plants out of 40? That's a friggin' 10 PERCENT WTF???

Getting a 24 in biology likely means you only get 1 or 2 questions, out of the 40, incorrect

Isn't a perfect score a 30? So if I miss a single question out of 40 I get 6 points deducted from a 30?!

Damn guys, sorry for complaining, but my day just got ruined Do you think it's really worth it to go back and read Campbell's? I estimate it would take me 3 weeks to read the whole thing, but every minute I spend on it is a minute of my life I'll never get back. And it's the seventh edition from 2005, not even current anymore. Do it or no? Need a 24.

Thanks again.

 

[IsaacYankem]

I no longer have Campbell, but for something I need more info on, or to clarify a question, I use this: http://www.course-notes.org/Biology/Slides/Campbells_Biology_7th_Edition

It's the PPT for each chapter of Campbells

 

[free99]

Isn't a perfect score a 30? So if I miss a single question out of 40 I get 6 points deducted from a 30?!

The grading scale is not linear. I suspect the rubric changes slightly test to test, so it may not be a 39/40 = 24, but every question is not worth 1.33 pts (40/30). Check out the 2007 grading rubric, or the rubric in the back of KBB to get an idea.

 

[hunterx2]

hey thanks for the notes man that's way better than reading the whole book.

 

[ekephant]

If you want a 24 you definitely should know taxonomy. Just FYI, a 24 is something like 99-100th percentile depending on your test. Biology is a broad subject and you really shouldn't be memorizing all of the nitty-gritty details. You should however definitely know general trends and features as well as some common examples. There isn't really one study guide that tells you everything you should know (except for the Campbell textbook, which is what I think the biology section is based on), but for general trends on taxonomy you should take a look at the exhibits at the DAT qVault website. From there you could always crack open the Campbell textbook and read up on more details. Hopefully that helps and as always, good luck with your studies!

PS. If you do decide to use the textbook, the 7th edition should be fine. I believe I had the 4th and 5th editions when I was studying and they were pretty much the same thing.

 

[hunterx2]

I have a good history on standardized tests, but I owe that to my critical thinking skills. I'm concerned about the heavy duty memorization that is required on the DAT. Check out the chapter on biological diversity in Cliffs:

One to two tissue layers called integuments surround the megasporangium. The integuments, nucellus, and megaspore daughter cells are collectively called the ovule.

WTF??? Learning this is like memorizing a phone book. That sentence might as well state

One to two tissue layers called qweitklci surround the vcldsieamkd. The bfmldknkr, eilzuefdlekl, and bcmlknkqlkjedflm are collectively called the bcmldsefghfd.

How do you remember all this stuff (which has nothing to do with teeth or even human biology) ???

 

[free99]

I have a good history on standardized tests, but I owe that to my critical thinking skills. I'm concerned about the heavy duty memorization that is required on the DAT. Check out the chapter on biological diversity in Cliffs:



WTF??? Learning this is like memorizing a phone book. That sentence might as well state



How do you remember all this stuff (which has nothing to do with teeth or even human biology) ???

hahaha, I feel your pain. Just memorize then dump all you knowledge of phyla, plants, etc etc, the day after your test. It's highly unlikely you'll ever need it again, except maybe for bar trivia. Even then, bar trivia isn't that lame. I'm just memorizing the taxonomy charts on qvault and hoping I only get a few simple questions on the topic. Luck is definitely a component of the DAT.

 

[baseness]

I have a good history on standardized tests, but I owe that to my critical thinking skills. I'm concerned about the heavy duty memorization that is required on the DAT. Check out the chapter on biological diversity in Cliffs:



WTF??? Learning this is like memorizing a phone book. That sentence might as well state



How do you remember all this stuff (which has nothing to do with teeth or even human biology) ???

Repetition. Read those flash cards until it sounds like gobldegook. It's been a while since I took the test, but I remember having to identify the function of metanephridia in worms.

 

[mcoope44]

For a question like identifying the function of metanephridia, you can solve the problem just by reasoning that the nephron (which sounds like metanephridia) is the functional unit in the kidney and therefore is responsible for filtering metabolic waste. From this you can reason that metanephridia most likely perform a similar function in worms.

 

[Troyvdg]

This thread is funny.

To break it down, do you need to study from Campbells to get a high score
-->hell no

Should you study from Campbells
--> hell no

Would it hurt to study from Campbells
--> obviously not.

Study as many high yield (major topics) as your time limit affords. you could spend time memorizing all of campbells and still only be tested on three major topics. With that said, there's a good chance you may never come across a non-human bio question/taxonomy question. I certainly didn't, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I knew everything cliffs told me about it. It definitely helped me get rid of answers that were blatantly wrong when I had to guess on a question