- Joined
- Nov 17, 2012
- Messages
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- Reaction score
- 85
First and foremost, big shout out to @pinkster for being extremely generous and everyone who has posted a breakdown. I can't believe I get to do a breakdown of my own. Just took the test this morning and figured I should write it before things get a little weird 
Scores -
I'm still in disbelief with my scores.
A little background -- I just finished sophomore year and just got done with Orgo I/II and kinda took A&P. I say kinda because I did not learn a single thing in the class and I'm not kidding. If you just took OC and have a free summer, take the DAT. I began studying May 12 for about 8hrs a day and took it really light this past week. I'm going to break it down into Content Review, Practice, and Final Tips.
Content Review
BIO -
Cliff's AP Bio - 9.5/10 - DRY but had everything you need.
Barron's - 9/10 - So much easier to read than Cliff's.
Ferrali's (?) Notes - 8.5/10 - I wish it didn't have so much information.
Before I began studying, I could not tell you difference between chromatin and chromosomes. In my general bio classes, I got away with memorization and regurgitation. However, everyone said that the DAT BIO is too broad to memorize every single little fact -- and that was my concept behind studying for bio. I spent the first two weeks reading a chapter of Barron's accompanied with Cliff's a day. Barron is great because it's extremely easy to read and gives you just enough background detail. Then, I would read a chapter of Cliff's and take notes -- rewriting concepts I think I would need. Ferrali's didn't get a 9+ because I just felt it had too much material and the format was a little difficult to follow. After reading the chapters, I made flashcards over every single chapter. Some can read and have it "stick" while I need to write it out for me to remember it. Guess you just gotta know how your brain works.
GC -
Chad's - 10/10
I only used Chad's for content review and -- shocker, I know -- he's the man. He explains things so simply and beautifully that it just makes sense. I'm a TA for General Chemistry at my university and I plan on buying his videos again so I know how to explain things to my students. Chad's is all you need for content review.
OC -
I did pretty well in my Organic Chemistry courses so I didn't really study this besides the lab techniques. My best advice for this section is to follow this simple concept -- the rich give to the poor. (Nucleophile always attacks an Electrophile) It's a simple concept but if you truly understand the movement of electrons, orgo is a breeze. Every functional group is attacked/attacks in a similar way and once you realize the trend -- the details can be worked with flashcards.
PAT -
Watch Tutorials on Youtube to get an overall idea then dive into problems -- I'll touch on this below.
RC -
English is my second language and I haven't taken an English/reading intensive course since Junior year of high school. Every morning, I read a science article on Google just to build up my reading speed. I'll touch on this below as well.
QR -
Chad's - 9/10 - his QR shortcuts are great, however, I learn best when I understand the why. This just takes practice. Again, look below.
Practice Material
I spent 2 weeks in total on content review -- mainly BIO because I'm really just that bad at it. I then spent the next 3 weeks just doing a ton of practice problems and taking practice exams. I did a Bootcamp exam on Monday, spent Tuesday reviewing that exam, and repeated. Make sure you do it under testing conditions. I'll post my practice scores below.
BIO -
Destroyer 2012 - 8.5/10 - I did about 50 questions a day and ran through it once because I just didn't feel like doing it a second time. I would spend about 30 minutes answering questions and 1.5 hours understanding why I got an answer wrong. That's the secret to learning -- understanding why something is right/wrong. I didn't give it a perfect score because it was way too broad. Honestly, you don't need to know what a kangaroo rat eats…
DATQVault - 10/10 - I spent the last week just doing bio problems on QVault. This is beautiful. Honestly, go through 2-3 exams a day and again, understand why you're getting questions wrong and work on it.
Bootcamp - 10/10 - Shocker again, I know. Ari, big congrats to you and your team. It's pretty much resembles the DAT to a T. (If you're reading this Ari, can you allow us to record our scores so we can go back and review our exams at a later time.)
GC -
Destroyer - 10/10 - If you understand the concepts -- you're good to go. Understand the concepts, then work on the calculations. Don't rely solely on calculations if you don't understand the concepts. That's my motto for the 40+ students I teach and it's proved effective.
Bootcamp - 10/10 - I swear Ari is probably a writer for the DAT. His questions were spot on.
OC -
Destroyer -10/10 - it was a little too hard at times, but if you understand this book, you're set for the DAT.
Bootcamp - 10/10 - again, a little too difficult at times, but essential nonetheless.
PAT -
CDP - 10/10 - I don't understand the grief it gets. I took the exams under testing conditions and it's great!
Bootcamp - 10/10 - the keyholes on here kicked my ass, but it prepared me for the exam. The angle generator is ****ing great.
Keyhole - CDP is too easy, use Bootcamp!
TFE - CDP = Bootcamp; use both and try to imagine what it looks like.
Angle - CDP was too hard/Bootcamp was a little too easy compared to the DAT.
Hole Punch - CDP/Bootcamp is the way to go -- it's pretty easy on the DAT.
Cube Counting - Use the generator on Bootcamp if you need more practice than CDP/Bootcamp.
Pattern Folding - CDP is a little too easy but good practice nonetheless. Bootcamp is too accurate to the DAT -- not that it's a problem.
RC -
Bootcamp - 9/10 - this was a little too difficult and had too many statement/reason. I didn't have a single one on the DAT.
CDR - 8/10 - kicked my ass because the questions were just too difficult. Too many tone/inference questions that didn't make sense.
QR -
Math Destroyer- 10/10 - $$$$$$$$ - DO EVERY SINGLE TEST.
Bootcamp - 8/10 - if I could change anything about Bootcamp, it'd be the QR section. The questions are too wordy and too difficult. But other than that, Bootcamp is perfect.
Practice Scores
For the actual exam -
BIO - 24 - I did not think I was going to get a 24. Throughout the test, I marked 10+ questions, but the test writers make it easy for you to eliminate answers. My best advice -- go with your gut, don't change answers. I had 0 plant questions. J I studied plants the day before so I guess I lucked out. I had about 4-5 ecology/taxonomy questions! Nothing too difficult but I thought that was a lot. Definitely know the first 7 chapters of Cliff's. I didn't have many questions over A&P. Don't focus on details -- breadth over depth.
GC - 30 - I thought I missed a lab technique question (know when to use a buret vs. syringe vs. pipette) but I guess I guessed correctly. Quite a few gas laws and get this. No Nernst Equation -- sorry DesignerSmileDDS
OC - 30 - The reactions are BASIC. Destroyer saved my ass on a question here! (Know the difference between UV Spec vs. IR Spec) I had 3-4 questions over H-NMR, so don't skip that! Very basic.
For the sciences, follow this rule. If you can't answer it in 30 seconds, mark it and move on. What's the point of sitting around thinking about a problem you're probably not going to get right? There isn't! Mark it and move on. Dwell on the question later
PAT - 23 - Bootcamp and CDP covered the bases. It's really all about timing for this section. Again, don't spend too long on any questions. If you can't get it right, skip.
RC - 23 - 90% of my questions could be answered using S&D. However, I didn't want to risk that so I mapped my passages. Even though I didn't use the map, it helps with retaining the information I'm reading. Maybe 2-3 tone questions? On several answers, I had no idea what some of the big words meant so I had to guess.
QR - 25 - On every Bootcamp test, I was down to the wire because the word problems are too lengthy! However, on the DAT, I finished this section with about 15 minutes. I've always been pretty good at math but haven't taken a math course since senior year of high school. If you're fast at algebra, you'll be fine.
Honestly, I'm still in disbelief with my scores. The DAT seemed so daunting just 5 weeks ago, but you can't be afraid of it. Every morning, I would wake up and watch a motivational video. (Eric Thomas is the man btw) I also wrote myself a letter on 5/9/14 that I printed and hung on my desk as motivation. With everything in life, I believe that if you want something bad enough, you'll do whatever it takes to get it. Before you begin studying -- write out "the why" to your studying. You'll be surprised at how powerful it can be.
My "Why?" - my biggest regret was not applying to more colleges out of high school and I hate the weather in the midwest so I kind of want to go to school somewhere warm. -- among other reasons of course.
SDN has been very humbling and such an awesome resource. You don't have to attend a top 20 university or be a CHEM/BIO/Engineering triple major to do well on the DAT. (Hell, I'm Kinesiology major and go to university ranked out of the top 100 by USNews)
If I had to do it all over again, I would schedule my test for last week because I slacked off HARD the past week. I would also schedule my test for some time later than 8:00AM. Good lord it was hard to wake up this morning.
So in sum, thank you Ari, Glimmer (you're the **** for compiling the breakdowns), and everyone who has posted a breakdown in the past couple of weeks. Figure out your "why" and you will be successful with whatever you put your mind to.
(Eric Thomas is the man -- except I think he is somehow a part of that stupid Vemma scheme)
Scores -
I'm still in disbelief with my scores.
A little background -- I just finished sophomore year and just got done with Orgo I/II and kinda took A&P. I say kinda because I did not learn a single thing in the class and I'm not kidding. If you just took OC and have a free summer, take the DAT. I began studying May 12 for about 8hrs a day and took it really light this past week. I'm going to break it down into Content Review, Practice, and Final Tips.
Content Review
BIO -
Cliff's AP Bio - 9.5/10 - DRY but had everything you need.
Barron's - 9/10 - So much easier to read than Cliff's.
Ferrali's (?) Notes - 8.5/10 - I wish it didn't have so much information.
Before I began studying, I could not tell you difference between chromatin and chromosomes. In my general bio classes, I got away with memorization and regurgitation. However, everyone said that the DAT BIO is too broad to memorize every single little fact -- and that was my concept behind studying for bio. I spent the first two weeks reading a chapter of Barron's accompanied with Cliff's a day. Barron is great because it's extremely easy to read and gives you just enough background detail. Then, I would read a chapter of Cliff's and take notes -- rewriting concepts I think I would need. Ferrali's didn't get a 9+ because I just felt it had too much material and the format was a little difficult to follow. After reading the chapters, I made flashcards over every single chapter. Some can read and have it "stick" while I need to write it out for me to remember it. Guess you just gotta know how your brain works.
GC -
Chad's - 10/10
I only used Chad's for content review and -- shocker, I know -- he's the man. He explains things so simply and beautifully that it just makes sense. I'm a TA for General Chemistry at my university and I plan on buying his videos again so I know how to explain things to my students. Chad's is all you need for content review.
OC -
I did pretty well in my Organic Chemistry courses so I didn't really study this besides the lab techniques. My best advice for this section is to follow this simple concept -- the rich give to the poor. (Nucleophile always attacks an Electrophile) It's a simple concept but if you truly understand the movement of electrons, orgo is a breeze. Every functional group is attacked/attacks in a similar way and once you realize the trend -- the details can be worked with flashcards.
PAT -
Watch Tutorials on Youtube to get an overall idea then dive into problems -- I'll touch on this below.
RC -
English is my second language and I haven't taken an English/reading intensive course since Junior year of high school. Every morning, I read a science article on Google just to build up my reading speed. I'll touch on this below as well.
QR -
Chad's - 9/10 - his QR shortcuts are great, however, I learn best when I understand the why. This just takes practice. Again, look below.
Practice Material
I spent 2 weeks in total on content review -- mainly BIO because I'm really just that bad at it. I then spent the next 3 weeks just doing a ton of practice problems and taking practice exams. I did a Bootcamp exam on Monday, spent Tuesday reviewing that exam, and repeated. Make sure you do it under testing conditions. I'll post my practice scores below.
BIO -
Destroyer 2012 - 8.5/10 - I did about 50 questions a day and ran through it once because I just didn't feel like doing it a second time. I would spend about 30 minutes answering questions and 1.5 hours understanding why I got an answer wrong. That's the secret to learning -- understanding why something is right/wrong. I didn't give it a perfect score because it was way too broad. Honestly, you don't need to know what a kangaroo rat eats…
DATQVault - 10/10 - I spent the last week just doing bio problems on QVault. This is beautiful. Honestly, go through 2-3 exams a day and again, understand why you're getting questions wrong and work on it.
Bootcamp - 10/10 - Shocker again, I know. Ari, big congrats to you and your team. It's pretty much resembles the DAT to a T. (If you're reading this Ari, can you allow us to record our scores so we can go back and review our exams at a later time.)
GC -
Destroyer - 10/10 - If you understand the concepts -- you're good to go. Understand the concepts, then work on the calculations. Don't rely solely on calculations if you don't understand the concepts. That's my motto for the 40+ students I teach and it's proved effective.
Bootcamp - 10/10 - I swear Ari is probably a writer for the DAT. His questions were spot on.
OC -
Destroyer -10/10 - it was a little too hard at times, but if you understand this book, you're set for the DAT.
Bootcamp - 10/10 - again, a little too difficult at times, but essential nonetheless.
PAT -
CDP - 10/10 - I don't understand the grief it gets. I took the exams under testing conditions and it's great!
Bootcamp - 10/10 - the keyholes on here kicked my ass, but it prepared me for the exam. The angle generator is ****ing great.
Keyhole - CDP is too easy, use Bootcamp!
TFE - CDP = Bootcamp; use both and try to imagine what it looks like.
Angle - CDP was too hard/Bootcamp was a little too easy compared to the DAT.
Hole Punch - CDP/Bootcamp is the way to go -- it's pretty easy on the DAT.
Cube Counting - Use the generator on Bootcamp if you need more practice than CDP/Bootcamp.
Pattern Folding - CDP is a little too easy but good practice nonetheless. Bootcamp is too accurate to the DAT -- not that it's a problem.
RC -
Bootcamp - 9/10 - this was a little too difficult and had too many statement/reason. I didn't have a single one on the DAT.
CDR - 8/10 - kicked my ass because the questions were just too difficult. Too many tone/inference questions that didn't make sense.
QR -
Math Destroyer- 10/10 - $$$$$$$$ - DO EVERY SINGLE TEST.
Bootcamp - 8/10 - if I could change anything about Bootcamp, it'd be the QR section. The questions are too wordy and too difficult. But other than that, Bootcamp is perfect.
Practice Scores
For the actual exam -
BIO - 24 - I did not think I was going to get a 24. Throughout the test, I marked 10+ questions, but the test writers make it easy for you to eliminate answers. My best advice -- go with your gut, don't change answers. I had 0 plant questions. J I studied plants the day before so I guess I lucked out. I had about 4-5 ecology/taxonomy questions! Nothing too difficult but I thought that was a lot. Definitely know the first 7 chapters of Cliff's. I didn't have many questions over A&P. Don't focus on details -- breadth over depth.
GC - 30 - I thought I missed a lab technique question (know when to use a buret vs. syringe vs. pipette) but I guess I guessed correctly. Quite a few gas laws and get this. No Nernst Equation -- sorry DesignerSmileDDS
OC - 30 - The reactions are BASIC. Destroyer saved my ass on a question here! (Know the difference between UV Spec vs. IR Spec) I had 3-4 questions over H-NMR, so don't skip that! Very basic.
For the sciences, follow this rule. If you can't answer it in 30 seconds, mark it and move on. What's the point of sitting around thinking about a problem you're probably not going to get right? There isn't! Mark it and move on. Dwell on the question later
PAT - 23 - Bootcamp and CDP covered the bases. It's really all about timing for this section. Again, don't spend too long on any questions. If you can't get it right, skip.
RC - 23 - 90% of my questions could be answered using S&D. However, I didn't want to risk that so I mapped my passages. Even though I didn't use the map, it helps with retaining the information I'm reading. Maybe 2-3 tone questions? On several answers, I had no idea what some of the big words meant so I had to guess.
QR - 25 - On every Bootcamp test, I was down to the wire because the word problems are too lengthy! However, on the DAT, I finished this section with about 15 minutes. I've always been pretty good at math but haven't taken a math course since senior year of high school. If you're fast at algebra, you'll be fine.
Honestly, I'm still in disbelief with my scores. The DAT seemed so daunting just 5 weeks ago, but you can't be afraid of it. Every morning, I would wake up and watch a motivational video. (Eric Thomas is the man btw) I also wrote myself a letter on 5/9/14 that I printed and hung on my desk as motivation. With everything in life, I believe that if you want something bad enough, you'll do whatever it takes to get it. Before you begin studying -- write out "the why" to your studying. You'll be surprised at how powerful it can be.
My "Why?" - my biggest regret was not applying to more colleges out of high school and I hate the weather in the midwest so I kind of want to go to school somewhere warm. -- among other reasons of course.
SDN has been very humbling and such an awesome resource. You don't have to attend a top 20 university or be a CHEM/BIO/Engineering triple major to do well on the DAT. (Hell, I'm Kinesiology major and go to university ranked out of the top 100 by USNews)
If I had to do it all over again, I would schedule my test for last week because I slacked off HARD the past week. I would also schedule my test for some time later than 8:00AM. Good lord it was hard to wake up this morning.
So in sum, thank you Ari, Glimmer (you're the **** for compiling the breakdowns), and everyone who has posted a breakdown in the past couple of weeks. Figure out your "why" and you will be successful with whatever you put your mind to.
(Eric Thomas is the man -- except I think he is somehow a part of that stupid Vemma scheme)
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