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Ok, So I had a few requests to breakdown my study strategies for the DAT. Most of my strategies can be attributed to all the wonderful posts here on SDN. My journey to take the DAT is kind of interesting, I originally started studying over a year ago but I never took it seriously. I never set a test date, so it was SUPER easy to push it back month after month. I was enrolled in the online Kaplan course, but I had to pay extra money to have them extend the course
.twice. My wife finally got sick of me being a pansy, so she forced me to set a date and thats when I really buckled down. When I say buckle down, I studied every free minute that I had available to me, even when at work. Id venture to say that I studied 8+ hours every day for 2-3 months. You truly need to commit to this beast and log the hours if you want to be successful.
I started out with the online Kaplan course, only because I wasnt aware of other study resources. I would never have spent the money for it, but my Grandma was kind enough to pay for it. (its like $1400). Id say that I ended up using it to its full potential, but the features that I found most valuable were the full length practice tests, subject tests, and workshops. (The Kaplan White Book was a gem for the Biology section and the 3 Reading Comp practice tests.) If I were to do it over again, I wouldnt get the Kaplan course. There are so many better resources out there for a fraction of the cost that Ill highlight in this post. However, I cant complain about the plethora of practice problems that are provided by Kaplan.
PAT (24): This section is all about practice, practice, practice. I purchased the 5 test CDP (Crack the Dat Pat) version. CDP is gold! I would recommend the 10 test version if you dont have access to Kaplan. I took a look at my CDP practice test scores and I averaged a 20 -21 on most of them, and a lone 24 on the fifth and final test. I was horrible at this section at first, but it was like a game to me so I found it the most enjoyable to study. Keyholes, Top /Front / End and Angles were the most difficult for me. On my DAT I was pleasantly surprised to find most of the Keyhole figures to be rather basic in comparison to CDP. There wasnt much internal debate in my mind as to which projection was the right answer. The same went for the Top/Front/End problems. There were only two figures that I wasnt able to visualize in my head, that required me to narrow down by comparing dotted to solid lines. The angle section on my DAT was on par with CDP in my opinion, potentially slightly easier. I had heard from many people that the angle section was much harder than any practice test out there, but this isnt true. If you can score well on CDP then you have nothing to worry about. My strategy for this section was to go directly to the answers, which usually only gave you two choices of angles to compare. I would pretend that I was skiing down the slopes of the angles, and the angle that would be the most fun to ski down (the steepest) was the LARGER of the two angles. This was true of acute angles. For any obtuse angle, it would be the opposite. (The angle that is most fun to ski down (the steepest) is the SMALLER of the two angles). As I was comparing angles, I would make sure to write down the order on my practice pad so that I wouldnt get confused or forget the order, as this is easy to do. The Hole punching section was definitely easier than CDP, but there were a few multi-fold patterns that I had never seen before. I prefer using the Grid method for this section. I pre-draw 15 grids (4x4 blocks) on my practice pad, and I mark down the Hole Punches and work backwards unfolding the paper in my head and marking the holes for each fold as I go along. I pay attention to lines of symmetry and especially punches in empty space. Cube Counting was super easy, EVERYONE should get a 100% in this section. Pattern Folding was probably the most difficult section on my DAT. There were so many bizarre folds that I had never encountered with Kaplan or CDP. Usually you can focus in on that uniquely shaped piece, and see if it is drawn correctly or connected to the right pieces but it was kind of difficult on the DAT. Please PM me if you would like more clarification about this section.
Biology (20): I knew that this section would be the most difficult to prepare for. I believe that the only way you could demolish Biology would be to memorize the entire Campbells Biology Book cover to cover, and not only have it memorized but obtain a thorough understanding of all the basic concepts (ie, krebs cycle, photosynthesis, etc.) However, in my mind this is absolute overkill and thank goodness there is a book called Cliffs AP Biology and a program named Anki. I would recommend reading Cliffs AP Bio two or three times. The first time you read it, any concept or definition that isnt absolutely clear, go to other resources and study it more in depth (use Wikipedia, Campbells bio). Also, as youre reading along, youll want to start making your Anki flashcards. (Please refer to this thread by karateTooth for more info on Anki. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=697147 ) I cant rave enough about Anki, this free program saved my life and made studying fun. I used it for almost every section. I would study my anki flashcards (I had over 2,000) every night before I went to bed, it would only take me ½ hour and I was able to memorize most of the cliffs AP book. There were lots of weird questions on my DAT that threw me off guard, but I think I was the most prepared that I couldve been due to Anki.
Gen Chem (19): I focused on this section seeing that it was my weakest from the starting gate. Chads Gen Chem videos were a lifesaver!! Highly recommend them for people like me who hadnt seen Gen Chem in 8 years. My DAT was largely comprised of conceptual questions, along with basic calculations. I think I only had 3 questions that required more than 2 or 3 calculations. I would focus on being solid with the basics. I found DAT destroyer to be a little overkill, but it really helped me feel prepared for some of those tough calculation problems. The more practice problems the better for this section in my opinion.
O-Chem (23): DAT destroyer is amazing for this section, I would go through this book as many times as you can until you can recite the questions from memory. Memorize the Road Maps, theyre awesome. Also, watch Chads Ochem videos as they are great for visual learners. I think this is sufficient for success. I didnt see anything surprising on my DAT, except for a few Lab technique questions that have always given me trouble. Also, I never really cared to go through the pain of learning the spectroscopy stuff very well, and sure enough I got a question on C-NMR.
Science Section: I highly recommend using the 20-30-20 rule for pacing yourself during this section. I had 20 minutes to review marked questions, go over things that I wasnt absolutely sure one, etc.
RC (21): My Achilles heel. I was so nervous for this section because it seemed like a crapshoot. I never, ever felt comfortable doing the Search and Destroy technique, because what if you got a passage that consisted mainly of tone and opinion questions?? Also, I always got extremely anxious skimming back and forth for answers in the passage I had not read that it felt like a life and death WordSearch. However, come test day I decided last minute to try the S&D method and it paid off. My three passages were extremely simple, probably 85% detail questions that were easily findable with a little looking. I read the first few paragraphs to get a feel for the article and then I skimmed the rest of the passages mapping out key words. Before I would read the passage, I would look through the first few questions and write down key words to look for during my skimming of the passage. I actually freaked out during the first passage and almost gave up entirely, but somehow I pulled myself together and zipped on through it.
QR (19): I memorized lots of formulas, conversions, units, and a special table that saved my life for all of those trig identity problems. I would recommend assembling a list of all the formulas and conversions that you need and making sure theyre cemented in your brain come test day. The hardest part about this section for me was the speed at which you need to move. If I didnt know how to immediately answer a problem, or if the calculation would take awhile I would mark it and skip it. Its absolutely critical that you answer all the easy problems first, and then go back to the more difficult ones. I loved the book Secrets of Mental math by Arthur Benjamin that you can find for like $10 on Amazon. Also, Math Destroyer has 11 practice tests with questions that are right on par for the Real DAT, its a must buy in my opinion.
Practice Tests:
Here are my scores from my practice tests. I used Achiever, Kaplan, and Topscore. I found Topscore to be my favorite, very representative of the real test. Unfortunately I erased all my scores, but I believe I averaged a 18 19 on them.
Kaplan Diagnostic: Bio 14, Gen Chem 15, Org Chem 18, PAT 19, RC 22, QR 17, TS 16, AA 17
Kaplan Midterm: Bio 21, Gen Chem 16, Org chem. 15, PAT 21, RC 19, QR 14, TS 18, AA 17
Kaplan FINAL: Bio 18, Gen Chem 16, Org Chem 20, PAT 21, RC 21, QR 19, TS 18, AA 19
Achiever 1: PAT 17 QR 18 RC 15 Bio 17 Gen Chem 17 Ochem 19 TS 18 AA 17
Achiever 2: PAT 18 QR 18 RC 17 Bio 17 Gen Chem 18 Ochem 18 TS 18 AA 18
Actual DAT: PAT 24 QR 19 RC 21 Bio 20 Gen Chem 19 Ochem 23 TS 21 AA 20
I apologize for the length of this breakdown, I just know that it really helped me learn new study tips from looking at other peoples breakdowns so I hope this can serve as a resource for others. Good luck to all of you. 😀
I started out with the online Kaplan course, only because I wasnt aware of other study resources. I would never have spent the money for it, but my Grandma was kind enough to pay for it. (its like $1400). Id say that I ended up using it to its full potential, but the features that I found most valuable were the full length practice tests, subject tests, and workshops. (The Kaplan White Book was a gem for the Biology section and the 3 Reading Comp practice tests.) If I were to do it over again, I wouldnt get the Kaplan course. There are so many better resources out there for a fraction of the cost that Ill highlight in this post. However, I cant complain about the plethora of practice problems that are provided by Kaplan.
PAT (24): This section is all about practice, practice, practice. I purchased the 5 test CDP (Crack the Dat Pat) version. CDP is gold! I would recommend the 10 test version if you dont have access to Kaplan. I took a look at my CDP practice test scores and I averaged a 20 -21 on most of them, and a lone 24 on the fifth and final test. I was horrible at this section at first, but it was like a game to me so I found it the most enjoyable to study. Keyholes, Top /Front / End and Angles were the most difficult for me. On my DAT I was pleasantly surprised to find most of the Keyhole figures to be rather basic in comparison to CDP. There wasnt much internal debate in my mind as to which projection was the right answer. The same went for the Top/Front/End problems. There were only two figures that I wasnt able to visualize in my head, that required me to narrow down by comparing dotted to solid lines. The angle section on my DAT was on par with CDP in my opinion, potentially slightly easier. I had heard from many people that the angle section was much harder than any practice test out there, but this isnt true. If you can score well on CDP then you have nothing to worry about. My strategy for this section was to go directly to the answers, which usually only gave you two choices of angles to compare. I would pretend that I was skiing down the slopes of the angles, and the angle that would be the most fun to ski down (the steepest) was the LARGER of the two angles. This was true of acute angles. For any obtuse angle, it would be the opposite. (The angle that is most fun to ski down (the steepest) is the SMALLER of the two angles). As I was comparing angles, I would make sure to write down the order on my practice pad so that I wouldnt get confused or forget the order, as this is easy to do. The Hole punching section was definitely easier than CDP, but there were a few multi-fold patterns that I had never seen before. I prefer using the Grid method for this section. I pre-draw 15 grids (4x4 blocks) on my practice pad, and I mark down the Hole Punches and work backwards unfolding the paper in my head and marking the holes for each fold as I go along. I pay attention to lines of symmetry and especially punches in empty space. Cube Counting was super easy, EVERYONE should get a 100% in this section. Pattern Folding was probably the most difficult section on my DAT. There were so many bizarre folds that I had never encountered with Kaplan or CDP. Usually you can focus in on that uniquely shaped piece, and see if it is drawn correctly or connected to the right pieces but it was kind of difficult on the DAT. Please PM me if you would like more clarification about this section.
Biology (20): I knew that this section would be the most difficult to prepare for. I believe that the only way you could demolish Biology would be to memorize the entire Campbells Biology Book cover to cover, and not only have it memorized but obtain a thorough understanding of all the basic concepts (ie, krebs cycle, photosynthesis, etc.) However, in my mind this is absolute overkill and thank goodness there is a book called Cliffs AP Biology and a program named Anki. I would recommend reading Cliffs AP Bio two or three times. The first time you read it, any concept or definition that isnt absolutely clear, go to other resources and study it more in depth (use Wikipedia, Campbells bio). Also, as youre reading along, youll want to start making your Anki flashcards. (Please refer to this thread by karateTooth for more info on Anki. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=697147 ) I cant rave enough about Anki, this free program saved my life and made studying fun. I used it for almost every section. I would study my anki flashcards (I had over 2,000) every night before I went to bed, it would only take me ½ hour and I was able to memorize most of the cliffs AP book. There were lots of weird questions on my DAT that threw me off guard, but I think I was the most prepared that I couldve been due to Anki.
Gen Chem (19): I focused on this section seeing that it was my weakest from the starting gate. Chads Gen Chem videos were a lifesaver!! Highly recommend them for people like me who hadnt seen Gen Chem in 8 years. My DAT was largely comprised of conceptual questions, along with basic calculations. I think I only had 3 questions that required more than 2 or 3 calculations. I would focus on being solid with the basics. I found DAT destroyer to be a little overkill, but it really helped me feel prepared for some of those tough calculation problems. The more practice problems the better for this section in my opinion.
O-Chem (23): DAT destroyer is amazing for this section, I would go through this book as many times as you can until you can recite the questions from memory. Memorize the Road Maps, theyre awesome. Also, watch Chads Ochem videos as they are great for visual learners. I think this is sufficient for success. I didnt see anything surprising on my DAT, except for a few Lab technique questions that have always given me trouble. Also, I never really cared to go through the pain of learning the spectroscopy stuff very well, and sure enough I got a question on C-NMR.
Science Section: I highly recommend using the 20-30-20 rule for pacing yourself during this section. I had 20 minutes to review marked questions, go over things that I wasnt absolutely sure one, etc.
RC (21): My Achilles heel. I was so nervous for this section because it seemed like a crapshoot. I never, ever felt comfortable doing the Search and Destroy technique, because what if you got a passage that consisted mainly of tone and opinion questions?? Also, I always got extremely anxious skimming back and forth for answers in the passage I had not read that it felt like a life and death WordSearch. However, come test day I decided last minute to try the S&D method and it paid off. My three passages were extremely simple, probably 85% detail questions that were easily findable with a little looking. I read the first few paragraphs to get a feel for the article and then I skimmed the rest of the passages mapping out key words. Before I would read the passage, I would look through the first few questions and write down key words to look for during my skimming of the passage. I actually freaked out during the first passage and almost gave up entirely, but somehow I pulled myself together and zipped on through it.
QR (19): I memorized lots of formulas, conversions, units, and a special table that saved my life for all of those trig identity problems. I would recommend assembling a list of all the formulas and conversions that you need and making sure theyre cemented in your brain come test day. The hardest part about this section for me was the speed at which you need to move. If I didnt know how to immediately answer a problem, or if the calculation would take awhile I would mark it and skip it. Its absolutely critical that you answer all the easy problems first, and then go back to the more difficult ones. I loved the book Secrets of Mental math by Arthur Benjamin that you can find for like $10 on Amazon. Also, Math Destroyer has 11 practice tests with questions that are right on par for the Real DAT, its a must buy in my opinion.
Practice Tests:
Here are my scores from my practice tests. I used Achiever, Kaplan, and Topscore. I found Topscore to be my favorite, very representative of the real test. Unfortunately I erased all my scores, but I believe I averaged a 18 19 on them.
Kaplan Diagnostic: Bio 14, Gen Chem 15, Org Chem 18, PAT 19, RC 22, QR 17, TS 16, AA 17
Kaplan Midterm: Bio 21, Gen Chem 16, Org chem. 15, PAT 21, RC 19, QR 14, TS 18, AA 17
Kaplan FINAL: Bio 18, Gen Chem 16, Org Chem 20, PAT 21, RC 21, QR 19, TS 18, AA 19
Achiever 1: PAT 17 QR 18 RC 15 Bio 17 Gen Chem 17 Ochem 19 TS 18 AA 17
Achiever 2: PAT 18 QR 18 RC 17 Bio 17 Gen Chem 18 Ochem 18 TS 18 AA 18
Actual DAT: PAT 24 QR 19 RC 21 Bio 20 Gen Chem 19 Ochem 23 TS 21 AA 20
I apologize for the length of this breakdown, I just know that it really helped me learn new study tips from looking at other peoples breakdowns so I hope this can serve as a resource for others. Good luck to all of you. 😀
