DONE! - 7/23/14

[shaidester]

First off, this test is not as bad as you think it will be! The test obviously results play a key role in the application process, but it is very possible to score high with some effort. Like someone else said on this forum a few days ago, this test is 51% confidence and 49% knowledge (sorry I can't credit who said this, I forgot your name).

Biology - 20

This section was rough for me. I honestly went into the test and marked 15 questions by the time I got to question 25 or something. I actually thought I did really bad here after I moved onto gen chem. For most of the questions, I narrowed the answers to two and let the guessing game take over from there. Like everyone else says here, the biology section is really random. The only section you really need for this is, imo, Feralis notes/Cliffs, youtube, and Bootcamp. I suppose DAT Destroyer wouldn't be bad, but I only had the chance to do about 30 questions from there.

General Chemistry - 23

Chad is the MAN! Let me just say that if you can do chad's quizzes, you'll be set! I would strongly discourage using DAT Destroyer for this section. If I could go back in time and change my studying habits, I would definitely not use Destroyer for this. Bootcamp sets you up for the harder questions you will see, so if you're doing well in Bootcamp you'll be set.

Organic Chemistry - 27

Yeah so... I was a learning assistant for the coolest professor of my undergrad. His passion for this subject rubbed off on me, as shown by my score. This is the section that I also had the highest results for Bootcamp. For instance, I received a 26 on the 3rd test of BC. Study your reactions and know the basics behind spectroscopy! I did not have any questions that were completely out of left field in this section.

Perceptual Ability - 21

I performed terribly in this section starting out for the first few days. Eventually, through practice and some frustration, things started to make sense. I owe it solely to Ari and his amazing service. Do not be discouraged by low scores in this section on Bootcamp. Bootcamp is definitely a tad bit more challenging than the real thing. I would not recommend CDP at all. I feel like I wasted my money with it. CDP is just too easy and outdated.

• Keyholes - Actually I thought this wasn't too bad. About 5 questions were iffy though. On Bootcamp, I would get about 5-7/15 correct.
• TFE - I generally do well in this section, but I did struggle on a few on the actual test.
• Angles - All I have to say is... I think everyone hates this section and for good reason. About half of the questions had answer choices that were probably within 3 degrees apart. Just yesterday, before I took my DAT, I was getting a little more than 50% correct of the 50 questions on the generator. After taking the DAT, I definitely recommend using Bootcamp's generator to help you on this!
• Hole Punching - Surprisingly easy compared to Bootcamp. Only 1 question made me think a bit.
• Cube Counting - Easy, if you can do bootcamp you're set. They were about the same difficulty as Bootcamp.
• Pattern Folding - It was not as complex with the shading as Bootcamp! This was one of my worst sections, but with practice I began minimizing my errors and things started to click. I don't think anyone has better explanations than Bootcamp.

Reading Comprehension - 21

S&D all the way. I had two really cool passages, which really helped my motivation in finishing the test strong. The last passage made me want to cry because it was pretty hard to read. I had eight minutes left to go with ten questions remaining. Most of the questions in this section were not as tricky as Bootcamp. For instance, I did not have any all statements are true yadayada. Bootcamp is really good practice for building up your speed.

Quantitative Reasoning - 20

I loved math when I was in high school, but my SAT score was terrible in this section lol. Having taken Calculus 1 and 2 in college, I literally forgot all of my basics. The best resource for a refresher would be Chad and youtube. For practice, DAT Destroyer and Math Destroyer. Math, like the biology section, is one of those sections you just need to expose yourself to many question varieties.

TS - 22
AA - 22

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[TheDanger]

Great scores! Thanks for the breakdown!

 

[Dotoday]

Good job. Although you weren't able to put more time into Bio, you still did well.

 

[tooth knockn]

NICE DAT break down very colorful.

would you recommend this math study material ?

this is the link:
http://www.cram.com/flashcards/dat-quantitative-reasoning-questions-486295

 

[shaidester]

NICE DAT break down very colorful.

would you recommend this math study material ?

this is the link:
http://www.cram.com/flashcards/dat-quantitative-reasoning-questions-486295

I went through the first few pages and it looks great. These questions are definitely reflective of the level of difficulty of the actual DAT. I spent about a week covering math from the DAT QR section and Math Destroyer only though. Do as many problems as you can until you start to become more comfortable. On Math Destroyer, I was getting about 27/28 correct timed the first time through for the first five tests. I never went through it again though.

 

[tooth knockn]

ok cool thank you

 

[emminent]

Hey shaidester what scores did you get throughout your bootcamp PAT?

 

[Sharon914]

Wonderful!Congratulations!!

 

[baywatch123]

Good job m8. I was wondering how similar the DAT destroyer math is to the actual exam? because I find that as I go along, I am able to finish off the questions without looking at the answers

Thanks

 

[shaidester]

I got a 20, 20, 18, 18, 19, 19, 20, 19, 19, and 19. On test 8 or 9, one of those 19s may be an 18 for PAT. Bootcamp PAT is a bit harder than the real thing.

 

[emminent]

I got a 20, 20, 18, 18, 19, 19, 20, 19, 19, and 19. On test 8 or 9, one of those 19s may be an 18 for PAT. Bootcamp PAT is a bit harder than the real thing.

I've been getting around 20 average and I want to get at least same score like you did. A bit relieved though after seeing your BC scores. Angle seriously piss me off... Just gets frustrating even with all these methods.

 

[shaidester]

Yup, angles was my worse too apart from keyholes on bootcamp. On the angle generator I averaged around a little more than 50% correct out of 50 for most of my attempts.

 

[emminent]

Hey shaidester what's your BC scores if you still have them

 

[shaidester]

Bio - 19, 19, 18, 19, and 19
G Chem - 19, 19, 19, 19, and 19 (I think test 3 was actually 18, I forgot)
O Chem - 20, 21, 26, 22, 21
RC - 19, 16, 23, 24, 21

Never did QR on Bootcamp. I gave up halfway through the first test. Bootcamp's QR is just way beyond the scope of the actual DAT.

 

[emminent]

Thanks dude, Kinda hovering around that score too for GC. Did you just keep doing them to improve your score until test day? and for S&D on RC I think it's best for me but sometimes I'm still slow and miss words as I speed thru it. If I slow down then I won't finish in time. What do you do to improve and catch up on your RC?

Also what would you recommend for the 3 days on QR? math destroyer or dat destroyer questions?

 

[shaidester]

I only used Bootcamp for RC. I didn't read any articles like Ari suggested. Just stick with a strategy that works and keep perfecting it with practice. If you can keep up with Bootcamp's reading, then you're more than prepared for the actual thing imo.

Bootcamp's G Chem was a little harder than the real thing. Like everyone else says, all you really need is chad's videos.

I was naturally good at math so I just needed a quick review. DAT Destroyer and Math Destroyer are the best sources. My weakness was probability (permutation and combinations ), and I was very lucky I had very few questions on this on the actual test.