swineapple
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2021
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Hey guys! I’ve been reading posts from this group for a while, and it’s been a huge help to me in preparing for my DAT. After it being moved and postponed due to COVID, I was finally able to take it Monday, January 18th.
I began studying after finals in early December, so my total study time was right at one month. My main resource was DATBooster, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I used their 10-week study plan but condensed it quite a bit and modified it as I studied to match what I needed the most work on. My other prep resource was the DAT Destroyer/Math Destroyer Combo, which is actually in their study plan as well. I also used Dr. Romano’s Dynamite Biology Review to get an additional perspective, and DATBooster has recently added more biology notes that appear to be exceptional.
I began by taking a couple online practice DATs to get an idea of where I was, and I was around an 18-19 AA, but I will say they were quite a bit easier than DATBooster’s tests. With my study plan printed out, I started going through the notes, videos, and practice problems as much as I could do in a day as long as I felt it was still benefitting me. Concepts that I was familiar and comfortable with I quickly reviewed, while some information was completely new and required more time and energy to gain an understanding of. For the PAT, I used nothing but DATBooster, as their PATBooster material is regarded simply as the best.
Once I felt I had enough exposure to the different subjects, I began taking DATBooster’s practice tests. Each test seemed to cover a variety of different topics, and being exposed to so many different questions and question types certainly helped immensely in my preparation. These tests also help with one of the biggest problems on the DAT—timing. In the QR, RC, and PAT sections, timing is an issue for almost everyone. Gaining experience and techniques through these tests will prepare you well for the real DAT.
The week leading up to the test, I focused primarily on practice tests and reviewing material I was uncomfortable with. My DATBooster practice test scores were around this:
PAT: 24, QR: 25, RC: 21, BIO: 20, GC: 21, OC: 21
I would like to emphasize that in your preparation, reviewing and understanding is more important than scores. Use the scores as motivation, but don’t get discouraged (or overconfident) based on them.
When test day came, I was more excited than anything. I think there is always a slight uneasy feeling simply because of the importance of the DAT, but I was confident and knew that I had spent my time studying as well as I could. During the test, the realization came that I indeed was prepared, and that DATBooster had given me the best representation available of my actual testing experience. The only section I feel I might should have done a bit better on is RC, but I blame myself and perhaps some mental exhaustion. Regardless, my DAT went as well as I could realistically hope for, and I can’t say that I would change anything about my preparation.
My DAT scores:
PAT: 23, QR: 25, RC: 20, BIO: 24, GC: 24, OC: 29
TS: 25 AA: 24
I began studying after finals in early December, so my total study time was right at one month. My main resource was DATBooster, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I used their 10-week study plan but condensed it quite a bit and modified it as I studied to match what I needed the most work on. My other prep resource was the DAT Destroyer/Math Destroyer Combo, which is actually in their study plan as well. I also used Dr. Romano’s Dynamite Biology Review to get an additional perspective, and DATBooster has recently added more biology notes that appear to be exceptional.
I began by taking a couple online practice DATs to get an idea of where I was, and I was around an 18-19 AA, but I will say they were quite a bit easier than DATBooster’s tests. With my study plan printed out, I started going through the notes, videos, and practice problems as much as I could do in a day as long as I felt it was still benefitting me. Concepts that I was familiar and comfortable with I quickly reviewed, while some information was completely new and required more time and energy to gain an understanding of. For the PAT, I used nothing but DATBooster, as their PATBooster material is regarded simply as the best.
Once I felt I had enough exposure to the different subjects, I began taking DATBooster’s practice tests. Each test seemed to cover a variety of different topics, and being exposed to so many different questions and question types certainly helped immensely in my preparation. These tests also help with one of the biggest problems on the DAT—timing. In the QR, RC, and PAT sections, timing is an issue for almost everyone. Gaining experience and techniques through these tests will prepare you well for the real DAT.
The week leading up to the test, I focused primarily on practice tests and reviewing material I was uncomfortable with. My DATBooster practice test scores were around this:
PAT: 24, QR: 25, RC: 21, BIO: 20, GC: 21, OC: 21
I would like to emphasize that in your preparation, reviewing and understanding is more important than scores. Use the scores as motivation, but don’t get discouraged (or overconfident) based on them.
When test day came, I was more excited than anything. I think there is always a slight uneasy feeling simply because of the importance of the DAT, but I was confident and knew that I had spent my time studying as well as I could. During the test, the realization came that I indeed was prepared, and that DATBooster had given me the best representation available of my actual testing experience. The only section I feel I might should have done a bit better on is RC, but I blame myself and perhaps some mental exhaustion. Regardless, my DAT went as well as I could realistically hope for, and I can’t say that I would change anything about my preparation.
My DAT scores:
PAT: 23, QR: 25, RC: 20, BIO: 24, GC: 24, OC: 29
TS: 25 AA: 24
