I've taken the DAT on Monday :p

[idyke]

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I've just finished my sophomore year, studied exactly a week after my last final, and took DAT yesterday. I got a pretty good score regarding how NOT prepared I was 😀

PAT 25
QR 29
RC 21
Bio 21
GC 27
OC 23
TS 23
AA 24

Since I didn't have much time the only material that I used was Kaplan Blue Book. So this might be an indicator for those who are doing the same thing..

PAT - Hole Punching was a LOT harder than Kaplan. Other stuff, I thought, were almost the same.

QR - I'd think Kaplan's waaaaaaaaaay simpler and easier. Expect the actual thing to be much harder, and pay attention to details.

RC - Can't actually tell, since I'm ESL.

Bio - Kaplan only covers like half of what's coming up in DAT. I did OK because I took Molecular and Cellular Biology just this semester, without it, it would have been disasterous. But generally, the range DAT requires seems way too broad.

Gen Chem - I'd think Kaplan's sufficient, but there seems to be some parts missing.

Orgo - I took Orgo2 this semester, but I'd say it's pretty evil to put up some questions that require petty knowledge in Orgo Lab. I think you'll be fine as long as you remember your stuff from school.



I didn't take so many practice tests, just the two in the Kaplan book, but even if I did have much time I would have spent more time on going over the materials rather than stressing myself out on practice exams.

 

[daviddav]

I don't understand the point of this thread. To make other people feel bad because they were prepared an did badly? I think this was a waste of space. If you were using it to ask for people's opinions, or actually post your scores to actually help other people who haven't taken it yet then I would have a different opinion. I also don't understand why you took the DAT so early, but that is just me.

 

[idyke]

Sorry, I was about to write about taking DAT with only studying Kaplan book, but I mistakenly pressed Enter before I finished it. I was editing it though! Hope you don't feel too bad.

 

[daviddav]

I just want to clarify that I don't feel too bad. I did just fine on my DAT. I find it a little odd that you are only a sophomore taking those classes though. At my school, you don't start taking courses of that level until junior year. Also, your scores seem a little too high to have "just used the kaplan blue book", especially the PAT part. Anyway, good job. Your scores are pretty amazing. I just think it is a little rude to bloat the way your posts sound. Try to provide a little more constructive criticism instead of "hey guys I barely studied for the DAT and look how great I did in only my sophomore year!!". Anyway, that is all. Like I said, fantastic job.

 

[Simply_Unique]

I've just finished my sophomore year, studied exactly a week after my last final, and took DAT yesterday. I got a pretty good score regarding how NOT prepared I was 😀

PAT 25
QR 29
RC 21
Bio 21
GC 27
OC 23
TS 23
AA 24

Since I didn't have much time the only material that I used was Kaplan Blue Book. So this might be an indicator for those who are doing the same thing..

PAT - Hole Punching was a LOT harder than Kaplan. Other stuff, I thought, were almost the same.

QR - I'd think Kaplan's waaaaaaaaaay simpler and easier. Expect the actual thing to be much harder, and pay attention to details.

RC - Can't actually tell, since I'm ESL.

Bio - Kaplan only covers like half of what's coming up in DAT. I did OK because I took Molecular and Cellular Biology just this semester, without it, it would have been disasterous. But generally, the range DAT requires seems way too broad.

Gen Chem - I'd think Kaplan's sufficient, but there seems to be some parts missing.

Orgo - I took Orgo2 this semester, but I'd say it's pretty evil to put up some questions that require petty knowledge in Orgo Lab. I think you'll be fine as long as you remember your stuff from school.



I didn't take so many practice tests, just the two in the Kaplan book, but even if I did have much time I would have spent more time on going over the materials rather than stressing myself out on practice exams.

WOW. Those are great scores...and you only studied for a week using only the Kaplan book?? I don't believe it...Either you're a genius or you were really lucky since most people say that the Kaplan blue book isn't sufficient enough to get scores such as yours. I haven't taken the test yet but I will around mid-July. I've started studying, so far using only the Kaplan material and some textbooks for chemistry and biology...I'm trying to find more material for biology, PAT, and QR though, as well as some software for practice tests . Anyway, congrats on your scores!

 

[Shjfr]

WOW. Those are great scores...and you only studied for a week using only the Kaplan book?? I don't believe it...Either you're a genius or you were really lucky since most people say that the Kaplan blue book isn't sufficient enough to get scores such as yours. I haven't taken the test yet but I will around mid-July. I've started studying, so far using only the Kaplan material and some textbooks for chemistry and biology...I'm trying to find more material for biology, PAT, and QR though, as well as some software for practice tests . Anyway, congrats on your scores!

I believe it. She/He probably took most of the classes that you need for the DAT these last two semesters, probably gen chem last year. So they have basically been "studying" for the DAT for the past year, and after just taking finals. Kaplan book probably wasn't even needed except for the PAT section...

I wish I took the test right after my sophomore year when I was done with the classes needed to take the DAT. Now I'm stuck after junior year not remembering anything from freshman-sophomore year...

 

[doc3232]

I believe it. She/He probably took most of the classes that you need for the DAT these last two semesters, probably gen chem last year. So they have basically been "studying" for the DAT for the past year, and after just taking finals. Kaplan book probably wasn't even needed except for the PAT section...

I wish I took the test right after my sophomore year when I was done with the classes needed to take the DAT. Now I'm stuck after junior year not remembering anything from freshman-sophomore year...

Well, he did the right thing. But I am surprised because he remembered gen Chem. How many PAT did you get wrong to get a 25?
You didn't miss any QR right?

 

[idyke]

I actually was going to write about the strategies that I used, but I sort of felt in a hurry after mistakenly pressing the enter button.

I took Bio and Gen Chem in freshman year, Molecular Cellular Bio and Orgo this year, so I guess I mostly had my Chemistry still retained. I took it early because I wanted to take it while I still had some Orgo reactions and mechanisms still in my head.

PAT I really should say that I was lucky, because I usually get most of punching/angles/cube counting right, but the others I wasn't so confident. As for hole punching, the erasable boards have grids drawn, so I drew 4x4 squares - it helped me a lot. Some of the punching problems had patterns that I've never seen in Kaplan. They had their line of simmetry "in the middle of places of holes" and not "between the holes" if you can understand. Angles, when I wasn't so sure, I imagined a perpendicular line and compared the angles, it sometimes helps. As for cube counting, I just count them all at once on the board and count the numbers required.

I didn't miss any QR, I think, it's one thing that I'm confident at. I graduated high school in Asia, so I found it still very easy as long as I understood the terminology.

RC was the part that I was extremely scared of (before the exam all I wanted was a 17 which I heard was what general ESL students get), but I guess my strategy worked out. I read the questions first, and wrote down the key words on the scrap board. Whenever I met that word, I wrote down the paragraph number next to the key word, so for more than half of the questions I just knew straight away where to turn. It takes around 3 min, I think, but it worked for me.

I think I've (finally lol) listed most of what I want to say.. Hope someone finds this helpful.

 

[kleenex101]

I think the point of this post is that it's best to take the DAT after you just finish your science courses.

 

[allstardentist]

wow ur scores my very very similiar to what i got on my DAT except PAT. Great Job.