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i feel like an idiot
- Thread starter woohoo
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I would study until you feel comforable. Obviously, you have doubts, and you want ot be confident before taking the test.
Here is my suggetion. Do as many practice probs as you can get your hands on. Studying the material isn't enough, you must work practice problems until your fingers and eyes hurt. Work problems, study, work problems, study....... Then, buy the Topscore tests and see how you do. If you score 17+ on Topscore, you should feel confident going into the real thing.
Here is my suggetion. Do as many practice probs as you can get your hands on. Studying the material isn't enough, you must work practice problems until your fingers and eyes hurt. Work problems, study, work problems, study....... Then, buy the Topscore tests and see how you do. If you score 17+ on Topscore, you should feel confident going into the real thing.
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I postponed my DAT 3 separate times, initially scheduled for October 2001 and I didn't end up taking it until January 2002. Funny thing was, I still felt I needed more time. Bottomline is you'll always feel like you can use more time to study. My suggestion for you is to use this next two weeks to review like you've never review before and take it on your next scheduled session.
Kaplan and Topscore CD were much more challenging in my experience. Heck, I didn't even take any practice test blind (as if they were the real thing). I simply used them as studying tools, read the question and read the answer right away and learned why incorrect answers were incorrect. So in essence, I didn't even have an indicator of how I was or how ready I was.
If you read that Kaplan book 5 times like you said you did, you then should have memorized that entire book. If you've memorized that entire book, then you will get 20s/20s!
I postponed 3 different times, so don't feel bad and I end up alright.
Kaplan and Topscore CD were much more challenging in my experience. Heck, I didn't even take any practice test blind (as if they were the real thing). I simply used them as studying tools, read the question and read the answer right away and learned why incorrect answers were incorrect. So in essence, I didn't even have an indicator of how I was or how ready I was.
If you read that Kaplan book 5 times like you said you did, you then should have memorized that entire book. If you've memorized that entire book, then you will get 20s/20s!
I postponed 3 different times, so don't feel bad and I end up alright.
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I have to disagree with you on that one YahE. Maybe for you that was true, but for some of us, knowing the information just isn't enough. I cannot stress how important it is to be familiar with format of the exam and MANAGING YOUR TIME wisely. I for one did relatively poorly on the first computerized Kaplan DAT (from Cd-Rom in back of book) simply because I didn't manage my time. I would spend too much time on 1-2 problems in each section and wouldn't have enough time for the O-Chem section at the end.
If you are a fast test taker like some, then YahE's suggestion is most relevant. But, if you tend to be a slower test taker like myself, then you need to become familiar with the format and learn to work under time constraints. I have learned to skip the problems that I know will take to long, make an educated guess, and hope to have time to come back to them. This strategy has helped my simulated scores improve dramatically.
Studying combined with simulated tests/practice problems will ensure and reenforce what you know and help with your speed. Taking Mock exams like Topscore under time constraints will give you the confidence you need to take the real exam.
And yes, statistically speaking from what I've read and accumulated on SDN, Topscore seems to be harder than the real thing on the Academic Portion of the test. I called Topscore and confirmed this with Steve, who also stated that users of the software generally score higher on the Academic Portion of the real DATthan they do on the Topscore.
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wohoo
You might be like me. Others have advocated reading the Kaplan book 4 or 5 times. First of all, how is that possible? It's only like 900 pages? Much props to you guys! Damn, that's a lot of reading.
Anyway, I'm a kinesthetic or hands-on type of learner. You might be the same way. If that's the case, get your hands on as many practice problems until getting the right answer becomes second nature to you. Some people just don't learn the material until they are faced with the problem.
You might be like me. Others have advocated reading the Kaplan book 4 or 5 times. First of all, how is that possible? It's only like 900 pages? Much props to you guys! Damn, that's a lot of reading.
Anyway, I'm a kinesthetic or hands-on type of learner. You might be the same way. If that's the case, get your hands on as many practice problems until getting the right answer becomes second nature to you. Some people just don't learn the material until they are faced with the problem.
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Thats so true...esp with the American DAT's... there is always going to be the option of postponing it... and you are tempted to do so because you think your not prepared. If you keep postponing, you will loose confidence, do poor on practise tests, freak out and run blanks... which is probably whats going on right now. Not so with the Canadian DAT... you have to write it on the fixed date... no options.
Give the kaplan book to a buddy of yours, and ask him to fire away random questions at you. Try to give heavily detailed responces. Dont keep doubting yourself. Keep cool and dont postpone anymore! Get it over with!
