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WARNING: A LOT OF READING LAY AHEAD - SCROLL DOWN FOR MAIN POINTS AND ADVICE
Hey guys sorry for not posting sooner...i hope i can be of some help...i intend to write a lot so that you guys can get a good idea of maybe how to study or how not to study in the most efficient way mixed in with my experience of the whole thing... and perhaps to also help you procrastinate a little more instead of studying heh - i took the DAT on 6/28 and here are my scores:
PAT 15 - =/
QR - 17
RC - 23
Ochem - 20
GChem - 19
Bio - 20
TS - 19
AA - 20
ohh the PAT...heh i donno what happened with the PAT cuz i was scoring 19's and 18's on topscore...uhh...oops? the key hole thing and the paper folding thing aren't my strongest areas...i loved angles (usually got perfects on them everytime) but they were crazy on the real thing as in they all looked alike... i noticed on the hole punching that the "grid" (the columns and rows that the dots are arranged in as i like to refer to it as) are sort of messed up on the real thing - there's like an extra mm of space between the borders and columns and it kinda threw me off so watch out for that...cube counting was pretty simple if you use kaplans methond and top front end was pretty okay i thought...i didn't practice anything for PAT so just do the opposite: just practice...and mebbe play more video games i guess haha...
ehh...the math wasn't too bad, but i ran out of time so its important you know how to figure out what you have to do in the problem right away....i found the GRE Review book from Princeton Review was better than kaplan b/c kaplan makes you do some ridiculous problems...instead of simulating the question format of the real thing, some of their subject tests would have all word problems to do in a 30 minute block..and these were some crazy word problems (at least i thought) so i didnt really get too much out of kaplan..it just made me frustrated and brought my spirits down..the princeton review book was written nicely IMO and actually showed you a different way of doing a kind of problem so you could save time...wish i had done better though...
Reading Comp. - what a beautiful section in hindsight haha...while i was taking it though i didnt expect to get such a good score b/c i was trying a new method of taking it that i hadn't really practiced...I didn't read the passage first. I just skipped straight to the questions and looked for it in the passage. I didn't write anything down (although i numbered my scratch piece of paper up to 13 anyway) and just found answers from the text. I used to practice kaplan's method and i kept getting 18's on their practice test (an 18 is what i got on the diagnostic too) so i wasn't improving. When i took a topscore test i jumped to a 19 when sort of implementing this method so i decided to try it on the real thing...all i have to say is heck yaaa it works! it makes sense to me in retrospect b/c in kaplan's method, you'll spend 8-9 min. reading the passage ONCE (which takes time and doesn't mean you'll get a feel for where everything is located since your brain learns best with repitition) and then you write down key points from each paragraph, which takes more time. Then, you'll go back and read the questions with plausible answer choices that could easily fool you just by altering the diction or syntax of the option, so you'll have to make sure you understand fully what they're asking (which is taking up more time mind you) all the while your forced to re-read the notes you took on the paragraphs you vaguely remember (which takes up even more time). Factor in how well you do under pressure, how neat your handwriting is while you're under pressure so you can read what you wrote, how good you are at jotting down important information (which requires practice) etc....and you get my point. Nothing against kaplan, but i just don't feel it's the most efficient way of acing the RC.
***The main point: As you look for the answer in the passage, you will be reading through the paragraphs and eventually you will have read it so often that you have a good idea of where everything is and how it is organized. When they ask "passage as a whole" questions, i tended to find what i needed during the last few paragraphs so perhaps that may help you guys.***
On to OChem: I must say, kaplan was right on with this. Whatever they have in the text is all that you have to know. I wrote down all the reactions i didnt have memorized....which was a lot, okay?? jeez who spends their free time memorizing orgo reactions?? heh i wrote out 6 pages worth of reactions front and back...and then i copied that whole thing again. After the second time, i was thinking this is getting a little time consuming and I'm not really that great at it yet so i decided memorizing them AKA walk around my dorm explaining orgo reactions to myself and making up crazy ways to remember stuff like rapping about reagents and explaining mechanisms to my roomate's fish (he wasn't there so i had no choice) hahah...ya i had fun with this one...i once scored a 13 the first time i took one of the topscore exams and I'm like crap so after i started studying this way i was getting 19's...so go team go it may sound nuts and you make look crazy but you'll do fine on the real thing
G-G-G-GenChem was actually kind of fun...fun because it was nothing like gen chem class and didn't require too much math (woo hoo!). Again, Kaplan is all you need. I personally am not a fan of gen chem and i managed to get through it alright. Know thermo chem (hess's law stuff, q=MCAT, and dG=dH-TdS), a little electro. with the voltaic cell vs. galvanic cell and anode cathode stuff for your own good (i didn't have it on my test but it's on topscore and it's not that hard to learn quickly), mole conversions obviously, molality, & normality...i think those are the main ones...I practiced topscore (but i think i didn't spend enough time studying it b/c i secretly dislike genchem hence the avoidence of some things entirely...yeahh...don't do that and you'll be in good shape)
Biology was surprisingly better than expected b/c it was fairly straight forward for the MOST part...i've always had a problem with DAT bio b/c for me i find that they word everything so tricky and can hit you with any question out of 2 years worth of material - which makes me so flippin' mad because i love bio as it is my major and my fav. subject...sigh...i wish i had done better on this section b/c i know i could have but i'm grateful for the score i recieved nonetheless
...i would say kaplan does a pretty decent job however i mostly remembered the material from my ap bio class in high school and needed to look up some detail on genetics and organ systems. also know characteristics of different phylems. i used my teachers notes online which i thought were great as well as powerpoints which were straight to the point for the krebs cycle and plant cycles...didnt see TOO much on plants...know general photosynthesis and where it it occurs in the plant, the main reproductive parts of an angiosperm, mm...cell respiration and prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic are definitely gonna be on there...evolution...animal phylems...wasn't too crazy for me
***Overall*** -
At first, I studied from 10am-9pm at barnes and then worked out from 9-11pm, chilled till 12, then got up with at least 8 hours of rest (as getting an ample amount of sleep is important for me to function properly.. for ~3 weeks straight ...i got sick and was out for a week so after that i studied for ~5-6 hours a day...
I actually enjoy studying for the fun of learning new things, and not so much for grades as they dont mean that much to me in the long run...so if I'm not having fun it'll begin to seem like a chore and I'll end up half-assing it...the quality of study time you put in is more important than quantity (aided with proper study habits of course which I'm still trying to develop) in my opinion...i would advise you guys to feel free to go do something fun for a little bit everynow and then so that you don't feel like your wasting your summer away...have just enough that in the end you are more or less content, but at the same time you begin to feel guilty for not studying - THEN watch how well you learn what you need to know (balance it out heh)
...also know what time of the day is best for you...i am most active at night so i would study throughout the day until 4 or 5 am the next morning
***My .02***:
++ Use those practice tests for what they REALLY are - as study tools and not as indicators of your grade...there's no need to get down about what kaplan or topscore says about how you did on their test because it's not the real thing and it doesn't help you to be down when you're doing something important...control control control - i truly believe that if you're in control of yourself, you can put forth your best and make use of your potential - so be in control of yourself (including your emotions and frustrations) and press forward...ive gotten 12's and 13's while i was in kaplan class on my math sections and i think one or two times in orgo and i think i did pretty okay.
Remember:
"Do not worry: If there's a solution, then there is no need to worry; if there isn't a solution, then worrying will do you no good"
++ Don't stress too much about the test b/c A.) you're not that dumb - hey you're on sdn so it's highly unlikey B.) you have every tool at your disposal, it's just about using them and C.) you have more than one shot so it's not the end of the world D.) if you do your best then you won't have any regrets
So I'll end this huuuuge post now...I wouldn't be surprised if no one reads it, but it's there for everyone just in case. I hope I have been able to give back at least a little to the community that has given me so much. Take it easy guys and Good Luck on your DAT's!
Hey guys sorry for not posting sooner...i hope i can be of some help...i intend to write a lot so that you guys can get a good idea of maybe how to study or how not to study in the most efficient way mixed in with my experience of the whole thing... and perhaps to also help you procrastinate a little more instead of studying heh - i took the DAT on 6/28 and here are my scores:
PAT 15 - =/
QR - 17
RC - 23
Ochem - 20
GChem - 19
Bio - 20
TS - 19
AA - 20
ohh the PAT...heh i donno what happened with the PAT cuz i was scoring 19's and 18's on topscore...uhh...oops? the key hole thing and the paper folding thing aren't my strongest areas...i loved angles (usually got perfects on them everytime) but they were crazy on the real thing as in they all looked alike... i noticed on the hole punching that the "grid" (the columns and rows that the dots are arranged in as i like to refer to it as) are sort of messed up on the real thing - there's like an extra mm of space between the borders and columns and it kinda threw me off so watch out for that...cube counting was pretty simple if you use kaplans methond and top front end was pretty okay i thought...i didn't practice anything for PAT so just do the opposite: just practice...and mebbe play more video games i guess haha...
ehh...the math wasn't too bad, but i ran out of time so its important you know how to figure out what you have to do in the problem right away....i found the GRE Review book from Princeton Review was better than kaplan b/c kaplan makes you do some ridiculous problems...instead of simulating the question format of the real thing, some of their subject tests would have all word problems to do in a 30 minute block..and these were some crazy word problems (at least i thought) so i didnt really get too much out of kaplan..it just made me frustrated and brought my spirits down..the princeton review book was written nicely IMO and actually showed you a different way of doing a kind of problem so you could save time...wish i had done better though...
Reading Comp. - what a beautiful section in hindsight haha...while i was taking it though i didnt expect to get such a good score b/c i was trying a new method of taking it that i hadn't really practiced...I didn't read the passage first. I just skipped straight to the questions and looked for it in the passage. I didn't write anything down (although i numbered my scratch piece of paper up to 13 anyway) and just found answers from the text. I used to practice kaplan's method and i kept getting 18's on their practice test (an 18 is what i got on the diagnostic too) so i wasn't improving. When i took a topscore test i jumped to a 19 when sort of implementing this method so i decided to try it on the real thing...all i have to say is heck yaaa it works! it makes sense to me in retrospect b/c in kaplan's method, you'll spend 8-9 min. reading the passage ONCE (which takes time and doesn't mean you'll get a feel for where everything is located since your brain learns best with repitition) and then you write down key points from each paragraph, which takes more time. Then, you'll go back and read the questions with plausible answer choices that could easily fool you just by altering the diction or syntax of the option, so you'll have to make sure you understand fully what they're asking (which is taking up more time mind you) all the while your forced to re-read the notes you took on the paragraphs you vaguely remember (which takes up even more time). Factor in how well you do under pressure, how neat your handwriting is while you're under pressure so you can read what you wrote, how good you are at jotting down important information (which requires practice) etc....and you get my point. Nothing against kaplan, but i just don't feel it's the most efficient way of acing the RC.
***The main point: As you look for the answer in the passage, you will be reading through the paragraphs and eventually you will have read it so often that you have a good idea of where everything is and how it is organized. When they ask "passage as a whole" questions, i tended to find what i needed during the last few paragraphs so perhaps that may help you guys.***
On to OChem: I must say, kaplan was right on with this. Whatever they have in the text is all that you have to know. I wrote down all the reactions i didnt have memorized....which was a lot, okay?? jeez who spends their free time memorizing orgo reactions?? heh i wrote out 6 pages worth of reactions front and back...and then i copied that whole thing again. After the second time, i was thinking this is getting a little time consuming and I'm not really that great at it yet so i decided memorizing them AKA walk around my dorm explaining orgo reactions to myself and making up crazy ways to remember stuff like rapping about reagents and explaining mechanisms to my roomate's fish (he wasn't there so i had no choice) hahah...ya i had fun with this one...i once scored a 13 the first time i took one of the topscore exams and I'm like crap so after i started studying this way i was getting 19's...so go team go it may sound nuts and you make look crazy but you'll do fine on the real thing
G-G-G-GenChem was actually kind of fun...fun because it was nothing like gen chem class and didn't require too much math (woo hoo!). Again, Kaplan is all you need. I personally am not a fan of gen chem and i managed to get through it alright. Know thermo chem (hess's law stuff, q=MCAT, and dG=dH-TdS), a little electro. with the voltaic cell vs. galvanic cell and anode cathode stuff for your own good (i didn't have it on my test but it's on topscore and it's not that hard to learn quickly), mole conversions obviously, molality, & normality...i think those are the main ones...I practiced topscore (but i think i didn't spend enough time studying it b/c i secretly dislike genchem hence the avoidence of some things entirely...yeahh...don't do that and you'll be in good shape)
Biology was surprisingly better than expected b/c it was fairly straight forward for the MOST part...i've always had a problem with DAT bio b/c for me i find that they word everything so tricky and can hit you with any question out of 2 years worth of material - which makes me so flippin' mad because i love bio as it is my major and my fav. subject...sigh...i wish i had done better on this section b/c i know i could have but i'm grateful for the score i recieved nonetheless
...i would say kaplan does a pretty decent job however i mostly remembered the material from my ap bio class in high school and needed to look up some detail on genetics and organ systems. also know characteristics of different phylems. i used my teachers notes online which i thought were great as well as powerpoints which were straight to the point for the krebs cycle and plant cycles...didnt see TOO much on plants...know general photosynthesis and where it it occurs in the plant, the main reproductive parts of an angiosperm, mm...cell respiration and prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic are definitely gonna be on there...evolution...animal phylems...wasn't too crazy for me***Overall*** -
At first, I studied from 10am-9pm at barnes and then worked out from 9-11pm, chilled till 12, then got up with at least 8 hours of rest (as getting an ample amount of sleep is important for me to function properly.. for ~3 weeks straight ...i got sick and was out for a week so after that i studied for ~5-6 hours a day...
I actually enjoy studying for the fun of learning new things, and not so much for grades as they dont mean that much to me in the long run...so if I'm not having fun it'll begin to seem like a chore and I'll end up half-assing it...the quality of study time you put in is more important than quantity (aided with proper study habits of course which I'm still trying to develop) in my opinion...i would advise you guys to feel free to go do something fun for a little bit everynow and then so that you don't feel like your wasting your summer away...have just enough that in the end you are more or less content, but at the same time you begin to feel guilty for not studying - THEN watch how well you learn what you need to know (balance it out heh)
...also know what time of the day is best for you...i am most active at night so i would study throughout the day until 4 or 5 am the next morning
***My .02***:
++ Use those practice tests for what they REALLY are - as study tools and not as indicators of your grade...there's no need to get down about what kaplan or topscore says about how you did on their test because it's not the real thing and it doesn't help you to be down when you're doing something important...control control control - i truly believe that if you're in control of yourself, you can put forth your best and make use of your potential - so be in control of yourself (including your emotions and frustrations) and press forward...ive gotten 12's and 13's while i was in kaplan class on my math sections and i think one or two times in orgo and i think i did pretty okay.
Remember:
"Do not worry: If there's a solution, then there is no need to worry; if there isn't a solution, then worrying will do you no good"
++ Don't stress too much about the test b/c A.) you're not that dumb - hey you're on sdn so it's highly unlikey
B.) you have every tool at your disposal, it's just about using them and C.) you have more than one shot so it's not the end of the world D.) if you do your best then you won't have any regretsSo I'll end this huuuuge post now...I wouldn't be surprised if no one reads it, but it's there for everyone just in case. I hope I have been able to give back at least a little to the community that has given me so much. Take it easy guys and Good Luck on your DAT's!
