Is it normal to be guessing on almost every biology question?

[InProgess]

I avoided taking the biology tests until now(little over 3 weeks out) because I wanted a strong foundation for bio before I took any test. Now that I just took my first one on bootcamp, I am incredibly surprised and disappointed... I probably guessed on at least 30 if not more questions...There were only a few that I was SURE about. I ended up getting a 19, which was extremely surprising because I honestly guessed on the entire test... The questions were ridiculously random I felt like I just wasted my life studying in depth for all anatomy, plant and cell biology topics, which probably only appeared 2-3 times. It was also very specific, many of which required retention of small details, the details that no one even cares about. IS THIS NORMAL??

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[yasc]

What materials where you using to study? Personally I felt that the bootcamp tests were extremely similar to my actual DAT and although I did guess a bit on the bio tests I felt that bootcamps bio notes did a great job of preparing me for biology. Also a 19 isn't bad at all for your first time.

 

[939959]

I avoided taking the biology tests until now(little over 3 weeks out) because I wanted a strong foundation for bio before I took any test. Now that I just took my first one on bootcamp, I am incredibly surprised and disappointed... I probably guessed on at least 30 if not more questions...There were only a few that I was SURE about. I ended up getting a 19, which was extremely surprising because I honestly guessed on the entire test... The questions were ridiculously random I felt like I just wasted my life studying in depth for all anatomy, plant and cell biology topics, which probably only appeared 2-3 times. It was also very specific, many of which required retention of small details, the details that no one even cares about. IS THIS NORMAL??

This is totally okay, especially if you just started studying. The biology on the DAT is super vast, so try to expose yourself to as many concepts as possible. I recommend you get the Bootcamp biology notes— they are really dense and long (500+ pages), but it covers every concept that is fair game on the test. However, if you feel you have a weakness in biology, I would read Cliff’s AP Bio Notes 3rd Edition. Both are free online! Best of luck!

 

[Daniel Schruth]

The biology section of the DAT covers a wide variety of topics. In general, you want to focus on breadth over depth, though on the real DAT you will find some questions to be very general and others quite specific. For your first practice test, a 19 is a good score. You will want to just make sure you expose yourself to as many practice questions as possible, and I also recommend continuing to review new biology content throughout the course of your studies. Good luck studying!

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

If you are guessing on the majority then I would suggest rereading through the bootcamp bio notes and taking notes over what you don't know so you can review.

 

[lwergod]

no it's not normal. I would go over whatever bio notes you have from a-z. you can do it.

 

[InProgess]

What materials where you using to study? Personally I felt that the bootcamp tests were extremely similar to my actual DAT and although I did guess a bit on the bio tests I felt that bootcamps bio notes did a great job of preparing me for biology. Also a 19 isn't bad at all for your first time.

I've already read cliffs 3rd and feralis and now skimming bio bootcamp notes which is actually very helpful with all the pictures but go in more detail than cliffs. Honestly regretting not have started with bio bootcamp notes instead.. I also just started bio destroyer which seems to go even more in depth(i.e. specific diseases and such) than what I've studied for but hopefully will finish at least 400-500 questions depending on time. I feel like I know cliffs pretty well, but the questions im being asked are either very board to the point that I havent even been exposed to it yet(which hopefully destroyer will)or too specific that I can only narrow down to 2-3 answers. I've made over a hundred notecards for each section at this point, and very detailed handwritten notes...I don't know whats wrong ): at this point it's pretty discouraging.

 

[lwergod]

I've already read cliffs 3rd and feralis and now skimming bio bootcamp notes which is actually very helpful with all the pictures but go in more detail than cliffs. Honestly regretting not have started with bio bootcamp notes instead.. I also just started bio destroyer which seems to go even more in depth(i.e. specific diseases and such) than what I've studied for but hopefully will finish at least 400-500 questions depending on time. I feel like I know cliffs pretty well, but the questions im being asked are either very board to the point that I havent even been exposed to it yet(which hopefully destroyer will)or too specific that I can only narrow down to 2-3 answers. I've made over a hundred notecards for each section at this point, and very detailed handwritten notes...I don't know whats wrong ): at this point it's pretty discouraging.

idk about you, but Dr. Romano's notes worked really well for me.


focus more on understanding and relating the concepts you learn instead of brute memorization. When I first started studying, i thought I was going to heavily rely on flashcards for Bio, but I realized that it's not necessary if you go about studying Bio the right way. I skimmed through my notes, and each time I learned something, I tried to understand it in a logical manner.

also remember breadth>depth. The actual test is much more straight forward and simplistic than you think.

 

[deleted762366]

The bootcamp notes in bio are the key. Im serious when i say try to remember all of it. I pretty much did that and paid little attention in the taxonomy section

 

[Iroh]

No, when I took my DAT this past May, almost every question was a question I was sure of.

 

[IcyFox]

The biology section of the DAT covers a wide variety of topics. In general, you want to focus on breadth over depth, though on the real DAT you will find some questions to be very general and others quite specific. For your first practice test, a 19 is a good score. You will want to just make sure you expose yourself to as many practice questions as possible, and I also recommend continuing to review new biology content throughout the course of your studies. Good luck studying!

Exactly what he said. You'll get better with time, just be sure to review all the content before doing practice tests.

 

[InProgess]

Exactly what he said. You'll get better with time, just be sure to review all the content before doing practice tests.

I've been reviewing nonstop from my incorrect answers, notes and destroyer and I do notice an improvement now. However, I just now realized the difficulty of RC since my head nearly wanted to explode during that section on the full length test. I felt like my head was spinning after my break and couldn't even focus. My RC score is still very inconsistent, ranging from below 15 to 23. My test is in a couple days

 

[Faefly]

If you are not ready then you need to postpone until you are ready. Better postponing than retaking.