First Attempt (17AA) vs. Second Attempt (20AA) Breakdown

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cmill628

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First Attempt (17AA) vs. Second Attempt (20AA) Breakdown

I know my scores aren’t crazy impressive compared to many of the breakdowns seen on here, but I hope this offers some help to those with busy schedules or those that find it hard to get motivated to study. When I first took the DAT I found myself embarrassed of my results and had it in my mind that I just wasn’t smart enough to get a decent score. Overall my advice to any test taker is don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Your testing situation is unique, whether you think so or not. When you see breakdowns and study tips, pick bits and pieces that fit you best. Everybody has different learning styles and it’s very important you find how you learn best!

First Attempt:
PAT: 16
QR: 16
RC: 20
Bio: 17
GC: 17
OC: 16
TS: 17
AA: 17

I completely underestimated the DAT for my first attempt. I assumed that I could treat it like any other test. I made several mistakes while studying. I would say the biggest mistake for me was focusing on getting through material rather than absorbing it. I would make a daily goal of getting through x amount of material and would keep going even if I was burnt out. I also made the mistake of not finding out the best way for myself to study. For example, I primarily studied in my room which eventually led to sleep problems and overall added stress.
I solely used DAT Bootcamp, but did not use it how it should be used. I would go through material, then a few days later I would go through the question banks and never revisit them. I seldom practiced PAT, a huge no no if you want to be successful at this portion. I took 1 full length practice test and scored a 15AA. In retrospect I should have pushed my test date back, but at the time the exam was a huge gray cloud looming over my head and I just wanted to get it out of the way.

Second Attempt:
PAT: 20
QR: 18
RC: 24
Bio: 19
GC: 22
OC: 19
TS: 20
AA: 20

I completely changed everything about my study strategy for my second attempt. I found my favorite study spots and tried to remove any stressors I had. I stopped going out and dropped some of my gym goals that were just adding to the stress of trying to study. I prioritized my sleep schedule, asleep by 11pm and up by 7am. I feel like it isn’t talked about how big of a mental obstacle the DAT is. Prioritize your mental health and don’t be afraid to take breaks. Get yourself in the right headspace, it makes a major difference when studying! That being said, I started seriously studying late November. I put in about 4-6 hours of DAT prep for 2 weeks, and then as soon as finals were over I kicked it up to 9-11 hour days. I focused on absorbing material instead of just going through it and checking it off my list. All in all, I studied on and off for about a month, and then seriously for about 5 weeks.

PAT 16 -> 20:
I was slightly disappointed with this section. I scored 22s and 23s on the practice exams, but I’m not going to complain much about a 20. I used only Bootcamp for practice. I found the best learning videos for me was Mental Dental on Youtube! The videos are short and sweet and offer great strategies. I started every day with the question of the day, warmup, and 15-30 PAT questions. This section comes down to straight practice. Try out different strategies and find the one that best works for you and then go to town on practicing. If you’re green to the PAT, start out with the generators and then move on to the question banks. The generators helped me form a solid understanding.

QR 16 -> 18:
A little disclaimer, I have a very weak math background. The tutoring job I took this past fall semester made me relearn algebra from the ground up, which helped tremendously. I watched the QR Academy videos and then went through the question banks twice, paying close attention to questions I didn’t understand. I made sure to practice this section several times a week. I borrowed a buddy's QR destroyer book which offered a ton of fresh questions.

RC 20 -> 24:
I am very happy with this score! I utilized the search and destroy method. I did not practice (besides practice exams) for this section at all. I did have two classes this fall semester that were very heavy in scientific reading which I think helped me tremendously.

Bio 17 -> 19:
In my opinion this was the hardest section to study for in a short amount of time. On my first attempt I made the mistake of relying on the knowledge of my biology undergrad and barely studied it. Due to the compressed amount of time for the second attempt, I wasn’t able to study completely how I wanted, however I was able to make it through all the material. I watched all the videos (I take too long when reading and absorb material a lot better with the videos). I wrote down important stuff and revisited when needed. A week before the exam I went through bio bites for the high yield, dense sections.

GC 17 -> 22:
I am extremely satisfied with this score. A little backstory, I received a C in both gen chem 1 and gen chem 2. I retook gen chem 1 and got an A, but never retook gen chem 2. That being said, I was never good at the calculation portion of gen chem. I used only Mike’s Videos on Bootcamp. I had a solid understanding of the conceptual portions, so I focused mainly on the harder things like kinetics, equilibrium, thermochem, solutions, and acid base. I made physical flashcards for these sections that I went through once a week. Once you have the basics down, focus on the harder things. Practice often because it is so easy to forget bits and pieces when you’re trying to stuff so much stuff in your head.

OC 16 -> 19:
I never scored above a 16 on Bootcamp in this section. I was extremely nervous going into this portion of the exam. I made a B in O Chem 1, A in O Chem 2, and an A in o chem lab so I thought I had a decent understanding. I read the books Organic Chemistry as a Second Language during these classes which helped a lot. Since I didn’t have a lot of time I tried to focus more on how/why reactions worked rather than just memorizing mechanisms. I had a bunch of notecards that I went through the week before the exam that I feel helped a lot. I also went through all the reaction banks a week before. Something I’m very glad I did was go through the basics a few days before the exam. I felt this exam was much easier than the ones on Bootcamp. I had several questions regarding Acid-Base and stereochemistry, and not many regarding individual reactions.

WHAT TO DO:
  • Get your head in the right space! There’s a huge mental portion to this exam that’s not talked about much. It gets tough doing nothing but sleeping, eating, and studying.
  • Surround yourself with supportive friends and family. I couldn't have kept myself in it if I didn’t have a large support group. When the morning of the exam came I woke up to several texts from friends and family wishing me luck which boosted my confidence significantly.
  • Try to stay active. Whether it’s going to the gym or just a light workout at home, do whatever fits your schedule.
  • If you’re able to, try to give yourself more time than I did to study. Biology is such a dense subject and there’s so much that can be tested. I wish I would have started studying it months before.
  • Take it easy the day before your exam. Allow yourself that day to decompress and try not to focus on studying. I went over some flashcards and biology notes I took. Nothing crazy.
  • Practice! Everything! I can’t stress this enough. I would not have increased my score at all if I didn’t practice.
  • Find how you study best! I found a building on campus with meeting rooms that weren’t being used and was able to hook my laptop up to a projector which helped me focus even more. I would open up the building, leave for lunch, and come back and study until I felt like I wasn’t taking in information. I tried anki (there's a ton of decks out there you can download), but I didn't like it. I learned better with physical flashcards.
  • Remove stressors. If something stresses you out, try to get rid of it. If studying around people stresses you out, go find somewhere solitary. If cooking meals while studying stresses you out, meal prep. There’s plenty of examples out there, but if you’re like me, you will perform so much better without added stress.
  • Prioritize sleep and studying. You might be different from me, but if I went out/stayed up late the night before studying I was rendered useless the next day. Get your sleep schedule right. I had to put my studying over seeing friends. It sucked, but you HAVE to remind yourself (and them) that it’s only for a short amount of time. You’re working towards a goal and there’s no need to let something like late nights out get in between you and a good score.
  • Don't be afraid to look for other study materials. The more the merrier! Just make sure it fits you well.
I hope this is of some use to somebody! Whatever situation you’re in, you’re going to absolutely kill the DAT! Good luck to everybody and I hope maybe one day we’ll be classmates!
 
Great breakdown! I had the same difference you did, and I definitely agree with getting your head in the right space. The DAT takes so much out of you, that also having a great support system is key
 
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