Has the DAT changed recently?

Started by RegionalManagerScranton
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RegionalManagerScranton

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I took the DAT over a year ago and am preparing to retake the exam. Has the exam changed in the last 1.5 years? If so, how?

Last time I took the test, I used:
  • CliffsAP Biology 3rd Edition, Feralis Biology Notes, Bootcamp (Biology)
  • Chad's, Destroyer, Bootcamp (General Chemistry)
  • Chad's, Destroyer, Bootcamp (Organic Chemistry)
  • Bootcamp (PAT)
  • Bootcamp (Reading)
  • Destroyer, Bootcamp (Math)
Looking back on some of the more recent breakdown posts, the popular study materials seem to have not changed. Is there anything I should be adding or removing?

Finally, can those who retook the exam give some advice on how to improve my scores? I'm retaking the exam because I scored poorly in a few sections (e.g. 17 on Reading). However, I also scored well in other sections (e.g. 22 in Biology). How can I improve my scores while not dipping in the sections I did well in?
 
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RegionalManagerScranton said:
I took the DAT over a year ago and am preparing to retake the exam. Has the exam changed in the last 1.5 years? If so, how?

Last time I took the test, I used:
  • CliffsAP Biology 3rd Edition, Feralis Biology Notes, Bootcamp (Biology)
  • Chad's, Destroyer, Bootcamp (General Chemistry)
  • Chad's, Destroyer, Bootcamp (Organic Chemistry)
  • Bootcamp (PAT)
  • Bootcamp (Reading)
  • Destroyer, Bootcamp (Math)
Looking back on some of the more recent breakdown posts, the popular study materials seem to have not changed. Is there anything I should be adding or removing?

Finally, can those who retook the exam give some advice on how to improve my scores? I'm retaking the exam because I scored poorly in a few sections (e.g. 17 on Reading). However, I also scored well in other sections (e.g. 22 in Biology). How can I improve my scores while not dipping in the sections I did well in?
Click to expand...

it seems that the DAT hasn't changed except that in the QR section, they have been asking GRE style comparison problems. here is a link to what i mean GRE Math Quantitative Comparisons : Practice tests and explanations

so with reading, i highly suggest crack the dat RC for reading. the passages are around the same length/difficulty of real DAT, but in crack the dat you will see lots of theme/analysis based questions which makes it way harder than the real DAT (mainly search and destroy). I thought this was excellent practice for the real thing because answering the theme/analysis questions requires that you actually understood the reading. I scores like 19s on crack the dat and then got a 24 on the real thing.
 
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After looking through the breakdowns in 8_man's post, I've added QVault Bio to the list as well. I'm also trying to decide between Crack DAT PAT and Qvault PAT for extra practice too. (If anyone has a preference, let me know).

Other than that, I found that Chad actually has videos on 2 sites now - Coursesaver and his own site. His own site doesn't seem to be test specific (MCAT, DAT, etc.). Is it still recommend to use coursesaver? Does Chad's new site have need-to-know content that coursesaver doesn't?

Also, I found that the BC guide now includes Mike's videos and DAT Genius as a supplement. Does anyone have experience with Mike's? I like to cover all bases so I'll probably end up using both but I do work alot so I may run out of time and would rather stick to one. Also, DAT Genius is mentioned here and there but not a holy grail like Destroyer. Is it worth the time investment or is it better to go through Destroyer/BC questions over and over?

Lastly, I have the 2015 Destroyers. Do you recommend I get the latest ones?
 
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RegionalManagerScranton said:
After looking through the breakdowns in 8_man's post, I've added QVault Bio to the list as well. I'm also trying to decide between Crack DAT PAT and Qvault PAT for extra practice too. (If anyone has a preference, let me know).

Other than that, I found that Chad actually has videos on 2 sites now - Coursesaver and his own site. His own site doesn't seem to be test specific (MCAT, DAT, etc.). Is it still recommend to use coursesaver? Does Chad's new site have need-to-know content that coursesaver doesn't?

Also, I found that the BC guide now includes Mike's videos and DAT Genius as a supplement. Does anyone have experience with Mike's? I like to cover all bases so I'll probably end up using both but I do work alot so I may run out of time and would rather stick to one. Also, DAT Genius is mentioned here and there but not a holy grail like Destroyer. Is it worth the time investment or is it better to go through Destroyer/BC questions over and over?

Lastly, I have the 2015 Destroyers. Do you recommend I get the latest ones?
Click to expand...

Yes, use coursesaver. It's more DAT oriented and I believe the other site may contain info that isn't necessary to learn for the DAT (+ coursesaver has some videos for QR too).

I personally only used bootcamp and destroyer but since you've already used those sources the last time you took the test, DAT Genius could be a good supplement for you to get new practice problems in. However if your test is coming up really soon I would recommend against it.
 
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