I'm just curious how long it took you guys to get through the destroyer the 1st time around. I find myself going through it at a snails pace. I've been through Chad's videos and found them very helpful. Still, the Destroyer is wrecking my confidence. So how quickly did you get through the Destroyers GC and OC sections the first time? 10 problems an hour? How quickly?
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How fast did you go through Destroyer?
- Thread starter wacki
- Start date
1 wk chem. Slightly longer than 1 wk for ochem. 2ish wks for bio. However, when I studied bio destroyer, I was studying many other things at the same time whereas with the chem/ochem sections, they were the only things I was working on.
1 wk chem. Slightly longer than 1 wk for ochem. 2ish wks for bio. However, when I studied bio destroyer, I was studying many other things at the same time whereas with the chem/ochem sections, they were the only things I was working on.
how many hours a day?
FYI, I actually had finals to study for while I worked thru The Destroyer, so my time frame for each section would most likely be shorter than the time frames posted.
Ochem section: Blazing thru it (good ochem background IMO). Took me about 2 days to go thru that section.
Gen Chem section: Took me a bit longer b/c I was trying to REALLY grasp each concept from each question and solution. About a week and a half
Bio section: Just started the first 50 ish questions the other day. Took me about 30 mins to go thru those questions (plus another 20 memorizing the solution)
Honestly, I don't think it matters how fast you get thru it. If you're going at snail-pace, but realizing mistakes and the fast way to do each problem, then you're 1 up on the DAT.
I went thru the Destroyer twice. After the first time, i went back and redid EACH question and acted like I have NEVER seen those questions before. I forced myself not to memorize the solutions (except for Bio) and tried to instinctively work each one out. I got more and more correct and marked the ones I missed with a double star or highligther. Now, I'm going thru it for a 3rd time and just working out those marked questions.
Trust me, it gets better as LONG AS YOU DO NOT memorize the solution, but really understand the concepts. I won't doubt if you were to go thru it the 2nd time, you'll be working at a much more diligent pace. You'll be surprised on the mistakes you made and why you made them. I posted a couple questions here on the forum about the gen chem section, and afterwards I face-palmed myself on how I over-thought them.
Ochem section: Blazing thru it (good ochem background IMO). Took me about 2 days to go thru that section.
Gen Chem section: Took me a bit longer b/c I was trying to REALLY grasp each concept from each question and solution. About a week and a half
Bio section: Just started the first 50 ish questions the other day. Took me about 30 mins to go thru those questions (plus another 20 memorizing the solution)
Honestly, I don't think it matters how fast you get thru it. If you're going at snail-pace, but realizing mistakes and the fast way to do each problem, then you're 1 up on the DAT.
I went thru the Destroyer twice. After the first time, i went back and redid EACH question and acted like I have NEVER seen those questions before. I forced myself not to memorize the solutions (except for Bio) and tried to instinctively work each one out. I got more and more correct and marked the ones I missed with a double star or highligther. Now, I'm going thru it for a 3rd time and just working out those marked questions.
Trust me, it gets better as LONG AS YOU DO NOT memorize the solution, but really understand the concepts. I won't doubt if you were to go thru it the 2nd time, you'll be working at a much more diligent pace. You'll be surprised on the mistakes you made and why you made them. I posted a couple questions here on the forum about the gen chem section, and afterwards I face-palmed myself on how I over-thought them.
Bio section: Just started the first 50 ish questions the other day. Took me about 30 mins to go thru those questions (plus another 20 memorizing the solution)
Honestly, I don't think it matters how fast you get thru it
I spent 20 minutes reviewing osteoblasts & clasts. I know them really well now but at this pace I'm going to miss the cycle. Been in the working world for a while so it's been 7 years since I even touched orgo.
Doing this right after school would of made this sooooo much easier. While the classes were fresh in the mind. A friend, chemist long out of school, is studying for this too and he's going just as slow as I am. But only 1 week per section?!??! I wish. I assume this is full time studying? I have a day job so please put your responses in context.
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I spent 20 minutes reviewing osteoblasts & clasts. I know them really well know but at this pace I'm going to miss the cycle. Been in the working world for a while so it's been 7 years since I even touched orgo.
Doing this right after school would of made this sooooo much easier. While the classes were fresh in the mind. A friend, chemist long out of school, is studying for this too and he's going just as slow as I am. But only 1 week per section?!??! I wish. I assume this is full time studying? I have a day job so please put your responses in context.
The best you could do IMO is to just get thru The Destroyer as fast as you can. Don't worry about mistakes here in there. If you get stuck on 1 problem for a while, mark it, skip it and move on. Review the solutions and GRASP THE CONCEPTS.
For OC/GC, if you're short on time, really undestand Chad's vids for OC/GC.
For bio, just do 50-60 questions a day, even more if you want. Mark your answer and move on quick. Then, check the solutions to memorize the answers. You can also hop on Cliff's AP or whatever good source of bio you have your hands on.
You have to understand, The Destroyer will destroy your confidence COMPLETELY. People have regurgitated that it is simply overkill. I guess (and don't quote me) the way it is, is that you establish a good foundation first, then practice practice practice using Destroyer. Destroyer is basically just OVER-prepping you for the actual DAT by exposing you to deep-thought application of concepts for almost every question. That way, when you get use to a 3-4 step mechanism and you see just a simple 1 stepper on the DAT, you'll be better committed to pulling the trigger on an answer.
If you're that worried about missing the cycle and you're short on time, just stick with Chad's vids and practice tests. Work more of the Destroyer whenever you can, but don't lose sleep over it.
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The best you could do IMO is to just get thru The Destroyer as fast as you can. Don't worry about mistakes here in there. If you get stuck on 1 problem for a while, mark it, skip it and move on. Review the solutions and GRASP THE CONCEPTS.
For OC/GC, if you're short on time, really undestand Chad's vids for OC/GC.
For bio, just do 50-60 questions a day, even more if you want. Mark your answer and move on quick. Then, check the solutions to memorize the answers. You can also hop on Cliff's AP or whatever good source of bio you have your hands on.
You have to understand, The Destroyer will destroy your confidence COMPLETELY. People have regurgitated that it is simply overkill. I guess (and don't quote me) the way it is, is that you establish a good foundation first, then practice practice practice using Destroyer. Destroyer is basically just OVER-prepping you for the actual DAT by exposing you to deep-thought application of concepts for almost every question. That way, when you get use to a 3-4 step mechanism and you see just a simple 1 stepper on the DAT, you'll be better committed to pulling the trigger on an answer.
If you're that worried about missing the cycle and you're short on time, just stick with Chad's vids and practice tests. Work more of the Destroyer whenever you can, but don't lose sleep over it.
i second this, what is probably just as more important is knowing what you got wrong so that if a similar type problem occurs on the DAT, you can strike it down real quick.
Destroyer is definitely a confidence killer but it is better to come to an exam overprepared than underprepared and thinking of a possible retake (and an extra $350+)
on a side note, anyone selling a Math destroyer, I put a post on the wanted section but i need one asap, dont care if there are coffee stains or pen marks, just got such limited time left.
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Did you guys use Chad's notes while solving math destroyer the first time around?
