- Joined
- Feb 10, 2013
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 44
Hi Everyone,
I have been lurking around these threads for quite awhile and thought it was time for me to contribute in some way. I hope that by sharing my experience I can help motivate some of you guys and give back to such a great community! Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
cGPA: 3.8x
sGPA: 3.8x
BREAKDOWN:
25 AA
24 TS
26 PAT
22 BIO
26 GC
29 OC
26 RC
24 QR
I geared my studying towards sections I was less confident in, but also where I could definitely improve (BIO, GC, OC, PAT). I was fairly confident in my math abilities and didn't bother to put too much emphasis on it. I sort of disregarded RC because I didn't think there was a systematic way of improving my reading ability.
STUDY MATERIALS:
Chad's videos 10/10 Absolutely necessary for OC and GC
DAT Destroyer 10/10 Great for more questions and really testing knowledge
Feralis Notes 10/10 The BIO Holy Grail
DAT Bootcamp 10/10
Qvault (BIO, GC, OC) 10/10
Cliffnotes AP Biology 3rd Edition 7/10 Use Feralis Notes
Crack PAT 7/10 Easier than real DAT, but great for getting started
Bootcamp Scores: (I forgot to record my scores for the first test)
BIO 25/23/19/24
GC 26/26/26/25
OC 20/25/26/28
PAT 24/25/23/24
RC 19/23/25/22
QR 24/28/26/25
Qvault Scores:
BIO 22/21/23/21/23/22/23/27/21/21
GC 22/26/24/29/26/22/22/29/26/29
OC 22/26/24/20/29/20/20/26/20/22
Crack PAT Scores:
21/23/22/23/28/29/25/28/26/28
BIO (22):
This was my weakest subject and my least favorite. I am not all that great at memorizing facts and there are some subjects within biology that do not interest me in the slightest (taxonomy and ecology). This made it especially difficult to study and I found myself progressively loathing biology with every passing day. I started out by studying Cliffnotes and completed Destroyer. I would recommend completing it a second time all the way through, but I was way too lazy and only redid the questions I missed. It wasn't until the last few weeks that I found Feralis notes which I found to be the most helpful. I wish I started studying from them and forgone Cliffnotes completely. In the end, I was really comfortable with cellular biology, anatomy, and genetics. The actual DAT test touched on many of the sections, but my laziness caught up to me and I was stumped by some questions that required a deeper understanding of the topics. Overall, I am satisfied with my score, which were similar to my Qvault scores.
GC (26):
I really like GC and found it to be the easiest to relearn since many of the topics overlap with my Bioengineering classes. Chad is the MAN when it comes to all things chemistry. I struggle with acids and bases and Chad's videos were great at clearing this up for me. Make sure to do every quiz and take notes while watching the videos (review your notes!). I only went through this once before doing Destroyer and taking all the practice exams. Qvault, Bootcamp, and Destroyer covered every single question on my DAT and I would strongly recommend them. The math on the test is pretty basic with most of the answers requiring you to plug in the values and rearrange it without actually solving the equation. I am really happy with my score, but definitely could have done better.
OC (29):
I absolutely love OC. I find it to be very systematic and mechanistic, which puts less emphasis on memorization and more on understanding. Again, Chad is the GOD of chemistry and was all I really needed. Destroyer is a great way of solidifying information and really testing your knowledge. I know that a lot of people like to say it's overkill, but I think it's a great supplement to Chad's videos that test many of the tricks to OC. I found that understanding mechanisms was the easiest way to learn reactions in bulk. Qvault and Bootcamp are great at assessing any gaps in your knowledge and pushed me to keep studying it even if I felt comfortable. The actual DAT section surprised me the most. From what I remember, there were only a few reactions that required you to determine the reactant or product. Many of the questions were simply about stereochemistry, naming, properties, and lab techniques. I could not be happier with this section. It really salvaged my TS score.
PAT (26):
It took me awhile to get accustomed to the questions, but I think for the most part it is fairly straightforward. The keyholes tend to look for the tiny details like indents, slanted surfaces, and relative heights. I try to be critical of every answer and try to look for reasons why they could be incorrect. TFE is definitely doable by counting edges and I liked to visualize the object in my head if it was simple enough. As for angle ranking, it's my worst part and is a crapshoot for me. I just tried give it my best shot and I generally went with my gut. Hole punching can be done systematically through the grid method, which I found worked the best for me. I tried to leave as much time for cube counting so that I would not rush. I firmly believe it is something everyone can get 100% on with a good amount of time while being thorough. For pattern folding I would look at the relationship between sides and how the edges would meet relative to shaded areas. The test was of equal difficulty as Bootcamp and a bit harder than Crack PAT. During the last two weeks I would try and take a PAT test every night before bed. I am pretty happy with my score considering how difficult the angles were for me.
RC (26):
Like I said, I didn't study RC outside of the practice tests and basically used a modified Search and Destroy method. I found that my scores correlated with my general interest in the passages. I was pleasantly surprised to find all three of my sections to be mildly interesting and kept my mind focused. I generally read the passage and answered the questions as I found the answers. If I find what I think is an easy recall question I'll just skim until I find the answer. Bootcamp was a pretty accurate representation of the test. There is no highlighting tool and after every question the passage will reset to the beginning. Most of the questions were straightforward recall questions with the rest being tone and inference related. This score probably shocked me the most and could not be happier with the score considering how much I studied.
QR (24):
I love math and it is probably my best subject. I do not know how I did so poorly on the actual test. I was able to complete the section with 15 minutes remaining and had time to recheck all the questions. Anyways, Bootcamp touches on all of the topic including the new statistics sections, such as variance and normal distribution, both of which were on my exam. All I can recommend is to do as many problems as possible. Math is something that I learned through continual practice and just working through difficult problems. I am really disappointed in my score considering my background, but it is what it is.
TEST DAY:
I only reviewed material the day before and made sure to get around 9-10 hours of sleep. I woke up at 6:30am and left my house at around 7:00am. The testing center was about 45 minutes from my house and I had plenty of time to get there. After checking everything in and going through all the formalities, I made a rookie mistake and forgot to go to the bathroom before starting my test (BIG MISTAKE). The interface is simple to navigate so shouldn't be any problems. The science and PAT sections went well except for the fact that I had to pee halfway through the BIO section and was practically shaking by the time I got to my 15 minute break. The RC and QR sections went by quickly and there weren't any surprises. I made sure to close my eyes and take a few deep breathes to reset my brain and forget about the previous sections so that I went into every new part with a clear head. By the end of the test I was super happy to be done and satisfied with my scores. Now I'll be binge watching Daredevil while writing my personal statement. Please feel free to ask me any questions.
I truly believe that each and everyone of you can succeed and achieve the score you desire. Work hard and stay motivated. If there was ever a time that I felt exhausted or just sick of studying, I would always try to visualize how it would feel get the score I wanted and never have to worry about this test again. And don't be afraid to take a breather every once and awhile to collect yourself. Never lose sight of your goal and I wish you all the best of luck!
I just want give a shoutout to Chad, @orgoman22 , @FeralisExtremum, and @Ari Rezaei "You da real MVP *tear*". I really could not have done this if it weren't for the great material you all provide.
I have been lurking around these threads for quite awhile and thought it was time for me to contribute in some way. I hope that by sharing my experience I can help motivate some of you guys and give back to such a great community! Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
cGPA: 3.8x
sGPA: 3.8x
BREAKDOWN:
25 AA
24 TS
26 PAT
22 BIO
26 GC
29 OC
26 RC
24 QR
I geared my studying towards sections I was less confident in, but also where I could definitely improve (BIO, GC, OC, PAT). I was fairly confident in my math abilities and didn't bother to put too much emphasis on it. I sort of disregarded RC because I didn't think there was a systematic way of improving my reading ability.
STUDY MATERIALS:
Chad's videos 10/10 Absolutely necessary for OC and GC
DAT Destroyer 10/10 Great for more questions and really testing knowledge
Feralis Notes 10/10 The BIO Holy Grail
DAT Bootcamp 10/10
Qvault (BIO, GC, OC) 10/10
Cliffnotes AP Biology 3rd Edition 7/10 Use Feralis Notes
Crack PAT 7/10 Easier than real DAT, but great for getting started
Bootcamp Scores: (I forgot to record my scores for the first test)
BIO 25/23/19/24
GC 26/26/26/25
OC 20/25/26/28
PAT 24/25/23/24
RC 19/23/25/22
QR 24/28/26/25
Qvault Scores:
BIO 22/21/23/21/23/22/23/27/21/21
GC 22/26/24/29/26/22/22/29/26/29
OC 22/26/24/20/29/20/20/26/20/22
Crack PAT Scores:
21/23/22/23/28/29/25/28/26/28
BIO (22):
This was my weakest subject and my least favorite. I am not all that great at memorizing facts and there are some subjects within biology that do not interest me in the slightest (taxonomy and ecology). This made it especially difficult to study and I found myself progressively loathing biology with every passing day. I started out by studying Cliffnotes and completed Destroyer. I would recommend completing it a second time all the way through, but I was way too lazy and only redid the questions I missed. It wasn't until the last few weeks that I found Feralis notes which I found to be the most helpful. I wish I started studying from them and forgone Cliffnotes completely. In the end, I was really comfortable with cellular biology, anatomy, and genetics. The actual DAT test touched on many of the sections, but my laziness caught up to me and I was stumped by some questions that required a deeper understanding of the topics. Overall, I am satisfied with my score, which were similar to my Qvault scores.
GC (26):
I really like GC and found it to be the easiest to relearn since many of the topics overlap with my Bioengineering classes. Chad is the MAN when it comes to all things chemistry. I struggle with acids and bases and Chad's videos were great at clearing this up for me. Make sure to do every quiz and take notes while watching the videos (review your notes!). I only went through this once before doing Destroyer and taking all the practice exams. Qvault, Bootcamp, and Destroyer covered every single question on my DAT and I would strongly recommend them. The math on the test is pretty basic with most of the answers requiring you to plug in the values and rearrange it without actually solving the equation. I am really happy with my score, but definitely could have done better.
OC (29):
I absolutely love OC. I find it to be very systematic and mechanistic, which puts less emphasis on memorization and more on understanding. Again, Chad is the GOD of chemistry and was all I really needed. Destroyer is a great way of solidifying information and really testing your knowledge. I know that a lot of people like to say it's overkill, but I think it's a great supplement to Chad's videos that test many of the tricks to OC. I found that understanding mechanisms was the easiest way to learn reactions in bulk. Qvault and Bootcamp are great at assessing any gaps in your knowledge and pushed me to keep studying it even if I felt comfortable. The actual DAT section surprised me the most. From what I remember, there were only a few reactions that required you to determine the reactant or product. Many of the questions were simply about stereochemistry, naming, properties, and lab techniques. I could not be happier with this section. It really salvaged my TS score.
PAT (26):
It took me awhile to get accustomed to the questions, but I think for the most part it is fairly straightforward. The keyholes tend to look for the tiny details like indents, slanted surfaces, and relative heights. I try to be critical of every answer and try to look for reasons why they could be incorrect. TFE is definitely doable by counting edges and I liked to visualize the object in my head if it was simple enough. As for angle ranking, it's my worst part and is a crapshoot for me. I just tried give it my best shot and I generally went with my gut. Hole punching can be done systematically through the grid method, which I found worked the best for me. I tried to leave as much time for cube counting so that I would not rush. I firmly believe it is something everyone can get 100% on with a good amount of time while being thorough. For pattern folding I would look at the relationship between sides and how the edges would meet relative to shaded areas. The test was of equal difficulty as Bootcamp and a bit harder than Crack PAT. During the last two weeks I would try and take a PAT test every night before bed. I am pretty happy with my score considering how difficult the angles were for me.
RC (26):
Like I said, I didn't study RC outside of the practice tests and basically used a modified Search and Destroy method. I found that my scores correlated with my general interest in the passages. I was pleasantly surprised to find all three of my sections to be mildly interesting and kept my mind focused. I generally read the passage and answered the questions as I found the answers. If I find what I think is an easy recall question I'll just skim until I find the answer. Bootcamp was a pretty accurate representation of the test. There is no highlighting tool and after every question the passage will reset to the beginning. Most of the questions were straightforward recall questions with the rest being tone and inference related. This score probably shocked me the most and could not be happier with the score considering how much I studied.
QR (24):
I love math and it is probably my best subject. I do not know how I did so poorly on the actual test. I was able to complete the section with 15 minutes remaining and had time to recheck all the questions. Anyways, Bootcamp touches on all of the topic including the new statistics sections, such as variance and normal distribution, both of which were on my exam. All I can recommend is to do as many problems as possible. Math is something that I learned through continual practice and just working through difficult problems. I am really disappointed in my score considering my background, but it is what it is.
TEST DAY:
I only reviewed material the day before and made sure to get around 9-10 hours of sleep. I woke up at 6:30am and left my house at around 7:00am. The testing center was about 45 minutes from my house and I had plenty of time to get there. After checking everything in and going through all the formalities, I made a rookie mistake and forgot to go to the bathroom before starting my test (BIG MISTAKE). The interface is simple to navigate so shouldn't be any problems. The science and PAT sections went well except for the fact that I had to pee halfway through the BIO section and was practically shaking by the time I got to my 15 minute break. The RC and QR sections went by quickly and there weren't any surprises. I made sure to close my eyes and take a few deep breathes to reset my brain and forget about the previous sections so that I went into every new part with a clear head. By the end of the test I was super happy to be done and satisfied with my scores. Now I'll be binge watching Daredevil while writing my personal statement. Please feel free to ask me any questions.
I truly believe that each and everyone of you can succeed and achieve the score you desire. Work hard and stay motivated. If there was ever a time that I felt exhausted or just sick of studying, I would always try to visualize how it would feel get the score I wanted and never have to worry about this test again. And don't be afraid to take a breather every once and awhile to collect yourself. Never lose sight of your goal and I wish you all the best of luck!
I just want give a shoutout to Chad, @orgoman22 , @FeralisExtremum, and @Ari Rezaei "You da real MVP *tear*". I really could not have done this if it weren't for the great material you all provide.
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