My impressions of the test. These are just things that stood out to me and in no way represents the entire scope of the test. Just thought I would add that disclaimer.
First I was suprised that the tutorial was 30 min, i was under the impression that it was only 15. This was great, it allowed me to relax write down eqt. etc.
BIO- thought I did better, taxonomy, one hardy wienberg, sex link genetics, nothing out of the ordinary, all i used to study for this section was kaplan book on bio. If you know everything in kaplan bio section you will score 19 or better.
GChem- 2 lewis dot structures, one isomer, limiting reagent, stoichiometry, le chatlier principle, isotope def. question, entropy change of a rxn., really basic stuff. I could not believe how easy this section was. Used old text and kaplan to study. Just don't overlook some of the basic stuff when studying, it will ruin your day if you miss a gimme.
Ochem- I studied at the kaplan center and there library of questions i think helped most in this section. know the oxidizing and reducing agents and what they do, anti-markov. addition, activating and deactivating groups where substituents add on benzene rings (ortho, meta, para) know what makes things more acidic.
PAT- can't really add anything new that hasn't already been said, just deduct 3 off your kaplan/topscore
RC- This section gave me fits, i am a slow reader and was happy with a 19. Passages were easier reading than topscore and kaplan but not so many word for word questions as in the previous mentioned. The technique i employed, and feel it is a safe approach to scoring 18-19, was to read the two shortest passage first thoroughly and with the remaining time, i had ten min., skim for the answers on third passage.
QR- I didn't put the time in to score well on this section, i think this section is more of a mental game. Make an effort to keep you intensity up and watch out for stupid errors. wish i did. by the way 2 trig questions
Little background, used kaplan and topscore, never scored above 18 on any of the practice tests. Yes it is true the DAT is easier. Just fight the temptation to cheat on your practice test like pausing it to take breaks, peak at your notes etc. Treat the topscore like the real test and then you can add a 2-3 to that. I was incredibly nervous the night before, and yes as others have done had a few cold ones to calm the nerves the night before. Studied for three months, last two months quit job and studied five days a week 6-8 hours a day. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
