Feeling lost and anxious about studying for the DAT

[kg2021]

Hi, I'm feeling utterly lost and stressed over studying for the DAT and would like some advice on how to use the approximately 18 weeks (as of 9/3 when I posted this) I have before my exam to study. My exam is scheduled for Jan 9.

Just to give some background, I'm currently in my 5th semester of undergrad with a major in biology. I'm taking 16 credits this semester and am working 15 hours every weekend. I'm also shadowing a dentist about 4 hours a week, with whom I have a week long mission trip to Guatemala in mid-October.

I plan on purchasing the 90 day subscription to DAT Bootcamp in October and will hopefully be able to follow Ari's 10 week schedule. So far I've watched Chad's GC videos and took notes on them, and am still trying to get through his OC videos. With the new semester having started, it's been a little more difficult to squeeze in time to watch and take notes on the rest of them., but I do plan on finishing. I've started the 2019 DAT Destroyer GC and OC sections and those are going pretty well. I take notes on what I missed and the explanations on the ones I guessed or used a different method for.

I haven't done any review for the bio or QR sections and was wondering what should I do for those? I don't know if I should just power through Destroyer and take notes on what I missed (which has been a lot out of the 60 questions I've done so far for bio) or if I should read Feralis' notes or the DAT Bootcamp Biology Notes.

I really wanted to be able to finish DAT Destroyer (and Math Destroyer) by the time I leave for Guatemala, but with the time it's taking me to do the 20 questions GC and OC and 30 bio in one day (QR was going to come later), I don't know if I'll be able to.

And for RC and the PAT, what can I do right now that will help me get an edge on it before I start Bootcamp and the semester inevitably gets harder?

Any advice is much appreciated. Sorry for such a long post, this the first time I've posted here.

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[doctor-strange]

Hi, I'm feeling utterly lost and stressed over studying for the DAT and would like some advice on how to use the approximately 18 weeks (as of 9/3 when I posted this) I have before my exam to study. My exam is scheduled for Jan 9.

Just to give some background, I'm currently in my 5th semester of undergrad with a major in biology. I'm taking 16 credits this semester and am working 15 hours every weekend. I'm also shadowing a dentist about 4 hours a week, with whom I have a week long mission trip to Guatemala in mid-October.

I plan on purchasing the 90 day subscription to DAT Bootcamp in October and will hopefully be able to follow Ari's 10 week schedule. So far I've watched Chad's GC videos and took notes on them, and am still trying to get through his OC videos. With the new semester having started, it's been a little more difficult to squeeze in time to watch and take notes on the rest of them., but I do plan on finishing. I've started the 2019 DAT Destroyer GC and OC sections and those are going pretty well. I take notes on what I missed and the explanations on the ones I guessed or used a different method for.

I haven't done any review for the bio or QR sections and was wondering what should I do for those? I don't know if I should just power through Destroyer and take notes on what I missed (which has been a lot out of the 60 questions I've done so far for bio) or if I should read Feralis' notes or the DAT Bootcamp Biology Notes.

I really wanted to be able to finish DAT Destroyer (and Math Destroyer) by the time I leave for Guatemala, but with the time it's taking me to do the 20 questions GC and OC and 30 bio in one day (QC was going to come later), I don't know if I'll be able to.

And for RC and the PAT, what can I do right now that will help me get an edge on it before I start Bootcamp and the semester inevitably gets harder?

Any advice is much appreciated. Sorry for such a long post, this the first time I've posted here.

Everybody has different ways of doing things, but I would recommend reviewing bio before powering through Destroyer. What you've mentioned (Feralis and Bootcamp notes) as well as orgoman's notes are great resources. QR just takes a lot of practice. Destroyer is a great resource for review before you dive into Bootcamp questions.

For RC, just get used to reading science articles! Maybe read at least one every day. Shouldn't take you more than 5-7 minutes! And for PAT, definitely start with Bootcamp generators! They're free, and personally I found them easier than Bootcamp's actual PAT practice tests, so they're a great place to start. Start by doing just 15 minutes of generators every day. That should give you a good head start before you dive into your 10-week schedule. Good luck!

 

[kg2021]

Everybody has different ways of doing things, but I would recommend reviewing bio before powering through Destroyer. What you've mentioned (Feralis and Bootcamp notes) as well as orgoman's notes are great resources. QR just takes a lot of practice. Destroyer is a great resource for review before you dive into Bootcamp questions.

For RC, just get used to reading science articles! Maybe read at least one every day. Shouldn't take you more than 5-7 minutes! And for PAT, definitely start with Bootcamp generators! They're free, and personally I found them easier than Bootcamp's actual PAT practice tests, so they're a great place to start. Start by doing just 15 minutes of generators every day. That should give you a good head start before you dive into your 10-week schedule. Good luck!

Thank you so so much for replying so quickly. Your suggestions are definitely more effective than what I’m doing now, and I’ll make sure to change my methods. Should I continue what I’m doing for GC and OC?

 

[doctor-strange]

Thank you so so much for replying so quickly. Your suggestions are definitely more effective than what I’m doing now, and I’ll make sure to change my methods. Should I continue what I’m doing for GC and OC?

Yes! Ari's 10-week schedule also includes watching Mike's videos so you'll have double the review which is great. Or you could even choose to skip his videos and just do the practice questions. You're well on your way for GC and OC!

 

[kg2021]

Yes! Ari's 10-week schedule also includes watching Mike's videos so you'll have double the review which is great. Or you could even choose to skip his videos and just do the practice questions. You're well on your way for GC and OC!

Thank you!

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Hi, I am not sure what path you are going to take, but I always advise students to make their own study schedule. It is impossible for 1 study schedule to fit all students because all students have different areas of strength and weakness. You might be a wiz at Math and need very little time in that section, where another student who struggles with Math will have to dedicate a lot more time. Following a schedule not created by you, can often cause anxiety if you feel you can not follow it. I noticed you are using the DAT and Math Destroyer, my advice to you is if you have to abandon something don't let it be the Destroyers, after many many years of working with students, it is best to finish ALL the work in both books.

We also have a free youtube channel that has free Science and Math Videos and even a playlist for the PAT. There are several study groups in fact we have one too, that we post daily problems, videos reading and more.

Wishing you the best on your journey and if you have any more questions I will do my best to answer them.

#think30

Just my 2 cents

Nancy, co\owner, DAT Destroyer, Orgoman

 

[kg2021]

Hi, I am not sure what path you are going to take, but I always advise students to make their own study schedule. It is impossible for 1 study schedule to fit all students because all students have different areas of strength and weakness. You might be a wiz at Math and need very little time in that section, where another student who struggles with Math will have to dedicate a lot more time. Following a schedule not created by you, can often cause anxiety if you feel you can not follow it. I noticed you are using the DAT and Math Destroyer, my advice to you is if you have to abandon something don't let it be the Destroyers, after many many years of working with students, it is best to finish ALL the work in both books.

We also have a free youtube channel that has free Science and Math Videos and even a playlist for the PAT. There are several study groups in fact we have one too, that we post daily problems, videos reading and more.

Wishing you the best on your journey and if you have any more questions I will do my best to answer them.

#think30

Just my 2 cents

Nancy, co\owner, DAT Destroyer, Orgoman

Thank you for the information! I will join the study group.

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Thank you for the information! I will join the study group.

You are quite welcome...With hard work and dedication, you can do it! Always #think30, never think of anything less!

Nancy

 

[ChemistryDentist]

Hi, I'm feeling utterly lost and stressed over studying for the DAT and would like some advice on how to use the approximately 18 weeks (as of 9/3 when I posted this) I have before my exam to study. My exam is scheduled for Jan 9.

Just to give some background, I'm currently in my 5th semester of undergrad with a major in biology. I'm taking 16 credits this semester and am working 15 hours every weekend. I'm also shadowing a dentist about 4 hours a week, with whom I have a week long mission trip to Guatemala in mid-October.

I plan on purchasing the 90 day subscription to DAT Bootcamp in October and will hopefully be able to follow Ari's 10 week schedule. So far I've watched Chad's GC videos and took notes on them, and am still trying to get through his OC videos. With the new semester having started, it's been a little more difficult to squeeze in time to watch and take notes on the rest of them., but I do plan on finishing. I've started the 2019 DAT Destroyer GC and OC sections and those are going pretty well. I take notes on what I missed and the explanations on the ones I guessed or used a different method for.

I haven't done any review for the bio or QR sections and was wondering what should I do for those? I don't know if I should just power through Destroyer and take notes on what I missed (which has been a lot out of the 60 questions I've done so far for bio) or if I should read Feralis' notes or the DAT Bootcamp Biology Notes.

I really wanted to be able to finish DAT Destroyer (and Math Destroyer) by the time I leave for Guatemala, but with the time it's taking me to do the 20 questions GC and OC and 30 bio in one day (QR was going to come later), I don't know if I'll be able to.

And for RC and the PAT, what can I do right now that will help me get an edge on it before I start Bootcamp and the semester inevitably gets harder?

Any advice is much appreciated. Sorry for such a long post, this the first time I've posted here.

Welcome to the forums! I personally did not like Bootcamp much from the little bit that I used it before hauling myself into the Destroyers. It was too expensive and seemingly outdated, and I think that's what a lot of people are thinking nowadays. I felt the Destroyers prepared me significantly more for the DAT, both the math and general. Make sure to check out the Dynamite Biology Destroyer notes in the Facebook group as well - awesome resource that helped a ton in BIO. Regardless, I would advise you to slow down a bit, because you still have three months to go for the exam! Don't rush through the Destroyers just to get them done - you won't learn much from them that way. You need to work through them systematically and at your own pace. I wouldn't rush to get them done before your trip.

Like others have mentioned, make a schedule that's best suited for you. There's no point in cramming material because it won't stick in your head now. The DAT isn't your college tests where you can cram a couple nights before and pull out with a good score. No amount of practice tests will help either. You need to be comfortable with the information and concepts tested to really score as high as possible.

Hopefully this post doesn't overwhelm you too much. These were just my thoughts when I was going to prepare for the DAT, and I did okay. Best of luck!

 

[rafacena]

Welcome to the forums! I personally did not like Bootcamp much from the little bit that I used it before hauling myself into the Destroyers. It was too expensive and seemingly outdated, and I think that's what a lot of people are thinking nowadays. I felt the Destroyers prepared me significantly more for the DAT, both the math and general. Make sure to check out the Dynamite Biology Destroyer notes in the Facebook group as well - awesome resource that helped a ton in BIO. Regardless, I would advise you to slow down a bit, because you still have three months to go for the exam! Don't rush through the Destroyers just to get them done - you won't learn much from them that way. You need to work through them systematically and at your own pace. I wouldn't rush to get them done before your trip.

Like others have mentioned, make a schedule that's best suited for you. There's no point in cramming material because it won't stick in your head now. The DAT isn't your college tests where you can cram a couple nights before and pull out with a good score. No amount of practice tests will help either. You need to be comfortable with the information and concepts tested to really score as high as possible.

Hopefully this post doesn't overwhelm you too much. These were just my thoughts when I was going to prepare for the DAT, and I did okay. Best of luck!

Did the DEstroyer have practice tests in it like Bootcamp? I took the DAT and used BC lightly to study for it and I didn't get good scores. That's why I was thinking about getting Destroyer but wasn't sure if it had full length tests like BC.

 

[ChemistryDentist]

Did the DEstroyer have practice tests in it like Bootcamp? I took the DAT and used BC lightly to study for it and I didn't get good scores. That's why I was thinking about getting Destroyer but wasn't sure if it had full length tests like BC.

If I'm being honest, full-length practice tests are not going to help you score better on the DAT. If you have the stamina to study and learn the material, you will have the stamina to make it through that test (especially with your catecholamines all the way up). The Destroyers do not have full-length exams - they are designed to teach you the information you need to know (although I did see some questions from it more or less verbatim on my DAT). There's an absolute ton of questions though in each section (I imagine nearing 2000 in the main Destroyer alone). Last I checked, the Orgoman website has a few section tests (biology, OC, and GC) that can help you with time if you are worried about that. Besides that, I don't think timed tests are useful, though, from my experience.

 

[rafacena]

If I'm being honest, full-length practice tests are not going to help you score better on the DAT. If you have the stamina to study and learn the material, you will have the stamina to make it through that test (especially with your catecholamines all the way up). The Destroyers do not have full-length exams - they are designed to teach you the information you need to know (although I did see some questions from it more or less verbatim on my DAT). There's an absolute ton of questions though in each section (I imagine nearing 2000 in the main Destroyer alone). Last I checked, the Orgoman website has a few section tests (biology, OC, and GC) that can help you with time if you are worried about that. Besides that, I don't think timed tests are useful, though, from my experience.

My main concern is actually understanding the material well and time management. It was hard for me with the biology section because the sheer volume of material was a lot. So did you not take the official practice test from ADA either? Did you just take the section tests from Orgoman site? What kind of scores were you getting on those?

 

[deleted945327]

If I'm being honest, full-length practice tests are not going to help you score better on the DAT. If you have the stamina to study and learn the material, you will have the stamina to make it through that test (especially with your catecholamines all the way up). The Destroyers do not have full-length exams - they are designed to teach you the information you need to know (although I did see some questions from it more or less verbatim on my DAT). There's an absolute ton of questions though in each section (I imagine nearing 2000 in the main Destroyer alone). Last I checked, the Orgoman website has a few section tests (biology, OC, and GC) that can help you with time if you are worried about that. Besides that, I don't think timed tests are useful, though, from my experience.

Full length practice tests are meant to build your stamina. You can go into the test knowing so much information, but if you didn’t practice using full lengths, you’re bound to score less compared to someone who got themselves comfortable with taking a full length.

 

[kg2021]

Welcome to the forums! I personally did not like Bootcamp much from the little bit that I used it before hauling myself into the Destroyers. It was too expensive and seemingly outdated, and I think that's what a lot of people are thinking nowadays. I felt the Destroyers prepared me significantly more for the DAT, both the math and general. Make sure to check out the Dynamite Biology Destroyer notes in the Facebook group as well - awesome resource that helped a ton in BIO. Regardless, I would advise you to slow down a bit, because you still have three months to go for the exam! Don't rush through the Destroyers just to get them done - you won't learn much from them that way. You need to work through them systematically and at your own pace. I wouldn't rush to get them done before your trip.

Like others have mentioned, make a schedule that's best suited for you. There's no point in cramming material because it won't stick in your head now. The DAT isn't your college tests where you can cram a couple nights before and pull out with a good score. No amount of practice tests will help either. You need to be comfortable with the information and concepts tested to really score as high as possible.

Hopefully this post doesn't overwhelm you too much. These were just my thoughts when I was going to prepare for the DAT, and I did okay. Best of luck!

Thank you very much for the reassurance. Since I don't have the summer to devote all day every day to studying, I don't exactly know how to time when I should start studying what section so that I still retain the information, which I think is why I was relying on Bootcamp to be my saving grace. But hearing a different view on Bootcamp (especially with the scores that you got!) definitely has got me thinking about how to change my strategy now so I'm not shelling out $500 dollars on top of the $200 for the Destroyers and the $470 for the exam itself.

Since originally posting this, I stopped doing the bio section of the Destroyer and began going through Feralis and taking notes on what I don't remember from my biology classes from over a year ago or what was new information to me. After reading your response, I just downloaded the Dynamite Biology Destroyer notes. Would you suggest going through Dr. Romano's notes after Feralis, since I do have a lot of time and Feralis is much shorter (but seems to also be much denser) than his?

As for GC and OC, I've definitely already slowed down on those sections of Destroyer, and am starting to think that I should watch Chad's videos again to get a better basic understanding of what's being asked. What other resources would you recommend?

 

[ChemistryDentist]

Full length practice tests are meant to build your stamina. You can go into the test knowing so much information, but if you didn’t practice using full lengths, you’re bound to score less compared to someone who got themselves comfortable with taking a full length.

While I see why you think it would be good for stamina, I really don't think stamina will be an issue during the DAT. My nerves were off the absolute wall, and I couldn't imagine becoming unfocused. I personally didn't use full-lengths, and I think I did well. orgomanonline.com has some free practice tests if you're worried about stamina, really.

Thank you very much for the reassurance. Since I don't have the summer to devote all day every day to studying, I don't exactly know how to time when I should start studying what section so that I still retain the information, which I think is why I was relying on Bootcamp to be my saving grace. But hearing a different view on Bootcamp (especially with the scores that you got!) definitely has got me thinking about how to change my strategy now so I'm not shelling out $500 dollars on top of the $200 for the Destroyers and the $470 for the exam itself.

Since originally posting this, I stopped doing the bio section of the Destroyer and began going through Feralis and taking notes on what I don't remember from my biology classes from over a year ago or what was new information to me. After reading your response, I just downloaded the Dynamite Biology Destroyer notes. Would you suggest going through Dr. Romano's notes after Feralis, since I do have a lot of time and Feralis is much shorter (but seems to also be much denser) than his?

As for GC and OC, I've definitely already slowed down on those sections of Destroyer, and am starting to think that I should watch Chad's videos again to get a better basic understanding of what's being asked. What other resources would you recommend?

I did not use Feralis personally, I heard it was a condensed form of Cliffs that was oftentimes word-for-word. Not really what I was going for, especially with it being so dense. I relied on the Dynamite Bio notes and those got me through perfectly fine! If you need to take a break with the bio Destroyer for the meantime while you complete reading through and taking notes on that book, that should be okay! Just make sure to hit it hard once you are done going through the notes.

I also never used Chad's videos, but if they're free then go ahead! Dr. Romano has some videos on his YouTube channel about tough OC and GC topics that typically end up on the exam, so maybe check those out. I personally referred back to my gen chem textbook from class when studying GC and it helped a ton - same for OC. Just make sure to save money where you can. If you have those books already, don't go spending money on videos or content you already have for free!

Hopefully that helps a bit more!

 

[deleted945327]

While I see why you think it would be good for stamina, I really don't think stamina will be an issue during the DAT. My nerves were off the absolute wall, and I couldn't imagine becoming unfocused. I personally didn't use full-lengths, and I think I did well. orgomanonline.com has some free practice tests if you're worried about stamina, really.

It just depends on the person.

 

[kg2021]

While I see why you think it would be good for stamina, I really don't think stamina will be an issue during the DAT. My nerves were off the absolute wall, and I couldn't imagine becoming unfocused. I personally didn't use full-lengths, and I think I did well. orgomanonline.com has some free practice tests if you're worried about stamina, really.



I did not use Feralis personally, I heard it was a condensed form of Cliffs that was oftentimes word-for-word. Not really what I was going for, especially with it being so dense. I relied on the Dynamite Bio notes and those got me through perfectly fine! If you need to take a break with the bio Destroyer for the meantime while you complete reading through and taking notes on that book, that should be okay! Just make sure to hit it hard once you are done going through the notes.

I also never used Chad's videos, but if they're free then go ahead! Dr. Romano has some videos on his YouTube channel about tough OC and GC topics that typically end up on the exam, so maybe check those out. I personally referred back to my gen chem textbook from class when studying GC and it helped a ton - same for OC. Just make sure to save money where you can. If you have those books already, don't go spending money on videos or content you already have for free!

Hopefully that helps a bit more!

That makes a lot of sense. Feralis is so text heavy it takes me a while to get through it, so I'm going to switch over to the Dynamite notes since the layout is much easier to read.

I don't have my old GC or OC textbooks anymore, so I'm going to watch Dr. Romano's videos on the topics I'm not confident on after I finish up with Chad's videos. Just scrolling through Dr. Romano's videos, I can tell they're going to be more digestible than Chad's videos (and cheaper - CourseSaver is $50/month).

Thank you again for helping me out, it really gives me hope for the exam!

 

[ChemistryDentist]

That makes a lot of sense. Feralis is so text heavy it takes me a while to get through it, so I'm going to switch over to the Dynamite notes since the layout is much easier to read.

I don't have my old GC or OC textbooks anymore, so I'm going to watch Dr. Romano's videos on the topics I'm not confident on after I finish up with Chad's videos. Just scrolling through Dr. Romano's videos, I can tell they're going to be more digestible than Chad's videos (and cheaper - CourseSaver is $50/month).

Thank you again for helping me out, it really gives me hope for the exam!

Just keep your head up and it'll all be fine! Best of luck.