How to structure DAT studying and resources?

[hooddental]

Hey everyone,

I've been leisurely studying for the bio, Ochem, and Gchem sections of the DAT for about 2 months now. It's time for me to start gearing up and study for the exam seriously.

I have no idea where to start, or how to organize the study material efficiently. I want to take the test in 8 weeks, sometime in August.


This is my rough schedule:

Week 1-2: Finalize my studying of Bio, Ochem, and GChem. Do a bit of the DAT Destroyer Math and PAT bootcamp, about an hour or two every day. I used Ferali's Notes, Cliffs AP Bio book. Chad's chemistry videos.

Week 3-4: Do DAT Destroyer Bio, GChem, OChem, finish up DAT Destroyer Math. Continue with PAT problems.

Week 5-6: Do DAT Bootcamp??? Focus on RC?

Week 7-8: Do more test problems, like the 2007 and 2009 exams. Review material that I still feel weak on.


I have a few questions.

1. Is 8 weeks enough time?

2. Is the DAT Bootcamp what I should be using as an real exam replica?

3. For the PAT, should I use bootcamp or Crack DAT PAT?

4. I plan to study for 10 hours everyday. Is this enough to go for 20+ scores?

5. How should I fix my schedule? Am missing any other important study materials?

Feel free to answer any of the questions. Sorry for so many. With all the resources around, it's been difficult for me to come up with a real study schedule. I've been anxious about this exam, and want to set myself up to study efficiently.

Thanks for your time, I appreciate it!

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[Pearl E. White]

1. 8 weeks might be sufficient. However, it depends on you and how well you retain and learn the material. I think it is a good starting point though.
2. DAT Bootcamp is what I used as a base plan. It comes with a 10 Week Study guide to help students map out review and practice. I ended up modifying it to about 11 weeks 'cause I wanted to enjoy my summer vacay a bit. Included in the DAT Bootcamp subscription are 10 (I think) full-length practice exams. So, it is certainly a good option for practice. I personally found the simulation to be very similar to the real thing.
3. I only purchased Bootcamp. I did well enough in that section. Perhaps, someone else can provide feedback on Crack DAT.
4. Hours spent studying does not correlate with score earned. How effectively are you studying? How well are you retaining that information? Are you taking mental breaks? Are you on your phone or watching TV during that time?
5. Going back to 2, I modified the 10 Week schedule provided by DAT Bootcamp to fit my needs. The most important thing is that you learn from your mistakes while practicing and that you feel prepared before walking in that exam room.

If you have any other questions, lmk.

 

[Daniel Schruth]

Overall, that seems like a good study plan. In general, you will want to focus on content review in the beginning of your studying schedule, and then you can incorporate practice problems. For weeks 3-4, if you are planning to put in 10 hours of studying per day, you may be able to incorporate either additional content review or more practice questions into your schedule. That could give you a break from doing purely DAT Destroyer problems throughout the day for ten hours.

It is also a great idea to begin practicing PAT early and continue practicing it throughout your studying schedule. I would also consider taking full length practice tests earlier on in your studying schedule, as opposed to waiting until the end. That will allow you to build testing endurance and assess your progress as you study. You can then review full-length tests to learn from your mistakes. I'd consider taking one full length practice test each week on the same day.

As far as whether or not 8 weeks is enough time, you can always just schedule your test and then postpone it if necessary by a week or two. Good luck studying!