Its about time.... DAT BREAKDOWN!!!!!

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DAT24

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Oh man, it feels good to be done. Although my scores are average I am super glad its over. Since I don’t have any scores in the 20’s I am not going to write out a full breakdown of study methods since there are plenty of other examples to follow and learn from on here.

The purpose of my breakdown is to give hope to those who are not doing well on practice exams.

Here are my DAT scores:

PAT: 20
QR: 16
RC:18
BIO:19
GC:18
OC:19
TS: 19
AA: 18



Here are my practice exams:

TS 1/ 2/ 3 Achiever 1/ 2 DAT
Bio 16/14/15 14/14 19
GC 14/14/16 14/15 18
OC 16/16/17 16/17 19
RC 18/18/18 17/NA 18
QR 18/17/18 16/NA 16


I used the ten test version of CDP. My first couple were 16-17 and I ended up averaging 18’s on the rest.

When I started this crazy pursuit for the DAT my goal was 24, hence the name, but after my fist practice test I quickly realized that was easier said than done. I pushed my date back two weeks because of my test scores and still was not happy going into the test and was sure I was going to get 17’s across the board. So the purpose of my breakdown is to give encouragement to those that are not testing high on Topscore and Achiever. The DAT is very doable and following the suggestion that are very common on SDN will get you good scores. Don’t let low practice scores kill your confidence.

I studied hard, for 10 weeks. Preparation is critical, but don’t let nerves get the best of you. Good luck to those preparing.

I used 2009 Destroyer, Cliffs, Topscore, Achiever 3 tests, Kaplan BB and White book and Math Destroyer. I am selling them so PM if your interested.

Time to lose the 10 pounds I gained while studying:laugh::laugh:
 
Let me be the first to congratulate you on your score 👍

I would be very happy with those scores.

I was wondering if you could possibly give some insight as to what major topics ESPECIALLY in bio that came up (A little more elaborate of a breakdown, being that your real scores vs. your practice scores are much more relateable than those with 25+). As well as how comparable were the practice exams you took with the real thing.

As my test is next week and I have been preparing with the same material.
 
Awesome, hope you get in. That is my goal as well setting my sights on a 24, but I didn't do well on my first topscore, just did a kaplan test today and man on man I am not ready. thanks!
 
Awesome, hope you get in. That is my goal as well setting my sights on a 24, but I didn't do well on my first topscore, just did a kaplan test today and man on man I am not ready. thanks!

If you don't mind me asking, what are your science gpa and overall gpa and state of residence?
 
Congrats on being done! My scores are quite similar, and I was completely stoked about being finished. What schools will you be applying to?
 
I attend NAU in AZ. I will be graduating next year. My sGPA on my app is 3.2 and cGPA of 3.5. My required sciences have a 3.5 GPA.

The biology section can cover so much. I do not think it was all that random, however, there were three questions that I had no idea and had not seen in KBB or Cliffs. The rest of the questions were all covered in Cliffs. I struggled knowing specific details in embryology and a question or two with classification. There was a lab method question that I had no idea about. Overall all I felt this section was really fair. There were several easy questions regarding genetics and cell biology. The structure of the questions were different than any practice test. The questions make you apply your knowledge to something specific rather than a general question. An example is applying knowledge about muscles and body building and how muscles respond.

Organic Chemistry was very straight forward. Obviously I missed a handful of questions but I didn't see anything new or obscure. There was nothing really challenging. I can say the same with Gen. Chemistry everything one needs to know is covered in CHADS videos or in KBB. It was mostly conceptual and just a few basic calculations.
 
I have applied to 15 schools, mostly on the west coast: both AZ schools, UNLV, western, UoP, Oregon, Washington, Creighton, both Kentucky schools, Temple, Loma Linda, Indiana, Colorado and Southern Nevada.
 
can you use the calculator on the chemistry section of the DAT? or any other sections?
or is the calculator only used for QR??
 
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