- Joined
- Apr 20, 2015
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 6
Hey guys!
I've never posted here, but I have been an avid reader of many of y'all's posts! Just wanted to say thanks for asking and answering the questions that we all have.
My score breakdown: 25AA, 26TS, 25 Bio, 28 Gen Chem, 26 Organic Chem, 23 PAT, 23 RC, 23 QR. I was not expecting this score at all. When I started studying at the beginning of June, I set my goals really high (a 30). Right before I took the test, I felt so nervous I told myself I'd be happy with a 20.
For test day itself: I wore comfortable shorts and a shirt with a light jacket. I'm glad I brought one with a zipper because I was cold initially and just unzipped it as I warmed up. My test was at noon, so I got about 10 hours of sleep the night before, woke up at 8, grabbed a banana and some juice for breakfast and half of a 6 inch from Subway right before the test (I was too nervous to eat more). Everything at the testing center went smoothly. My testing center didn't have erasable markers which changed up my PAT strategy a bit, but it all ended up working out. All in all, test day itself wasn't too bad except for the anxiety leading up to the test. Just be confident that you've studied all this time for a reason. Stressing isn't going to do you any good.
Now for the studying. I'll try my best to break this down by section.
Biology: The most time consuming to study for. I started by reading Cliff's and then went on to review Ferallis's bio notes and his classifications excel file over and over and over again. I must have read his notes at least 6 or 7 times over the course of 2 and a half months. Once I felt comfortable with the content, I went through all of bio destroyer. Destroyer is much harder than the DAT but it really enforces your knowledge. Don't get discouraged! After Destroyer, I went on to take all 5 Bootcamp bio tests and the 1 free DAT Genius test. I supplemented anything that I needed a more in-depth explanation on with YouTube videos. I spent a lot of time on reproduction and development but ended up not having any questions related to it on my test. I was pretty bummed. It's just the luck of the draw. A couple of days before the test, I just reviewed Ferallis's bio notes and looked up some Quizlets that people had made over QVault's bio (because I didn't want to buy it). I think the key to this section is just understanding as much as possible. (Understanding, not memorizing!)
General Chemistry: I didn't do much here because I'm a chemistry tutor, but I used Chad for a quick review. I played his videos at 2x the speed because it would've been too time consuming otherwise. After this, I went through Destroyer in a couple of days and practiced with Bootcamp and the one free DAT Genius test. Just make sure you really understand the concepts and necessary calculations.
Organic Chemistry: I was fresh off of 2 semesters of organic chemistry, so I was pretty comfortable with most of the material. I just used Chad's for review and Destroyer for practice. After this, I took all of the Bootcamp tests and 1 DAT Genius test. A few days leading up to the test, I looked over the Destroyer Road Maps and my old notes.
For practice in the entire natural science section, I used TopScore. It was alright practice. A little tougher than the real thing. It seemed a bit outdated though. I always ended up with about half an hour left in the natural science section. For most of bio, you either know it or you don't so you can zoom right through it. I used this extra time in the end to review some questions I marked. I actually took a bathroom break on the actual test during this time because I really had to go haha.
PAT: Start practicing on this as soon as possible. I bought all of Crack DAT PAT tests and used the tutorials provided. I also practiced with Bootcamp and the 1 free DAT Genius test. I was surprised for this section because I thought I would be able to erase the dots I drew on my laminated paper but they weren't erasable. I had to ask for another sheet (which cut into my time). I don't know if this was just exclusive to my testing center though. Nothing too tough on the real thing. The proportions seemed off on keyhole, but maybe it was the stress getting to me.
Reading: Just practice with Bootcamp here. Nothing too tough on the real thing. I had a passage over DNA that I was familiar with so it helped me out. I usually read until I find the answer to the first question and search and destroy thereafter.
QR: Practice practice practice. I used Chad's videos for a good refresher. I used Destroyer and Math Destroyer for practice and followed up with Bootcamp. Expose yourself to as many questions as possible so you're prepared for whatever they throw at you. I didn't have any problems with the calculator. Bootcamp seemed to be a lot harder than the real thing, but if you can master Bootcamp, you're definitely ready.
Huge shoutout to the Destroyer and Bootcamp team! I wouldn't have scored well without the materials provided by them. Again, I wasn't expecting to score what I scored, but it happened and I couldn't be happier! Hopefully I can keep up my GPA until it's time to apply! Good luck everyone, and thanks again!
I've never posted here, but I have been an avid reader of many of y'all's posts! Just wanted to say thanks for asking and answering the questions that we all have.
My score breakdown: 25AA, 26TS, 25 Bio, 28 Gen Chem, 26 Organic Chem, 23 PAT, 23 RC, 23 QR. I was not expecting this score at all. When I started studying at the beginning of June, I set my goals really high (a 30). Right before I took the test, I felt so nervous I told myself I'd be happy with a 20.
For test day itself: I wore comfortable shorts and a shirt with a light jacket. I'm glad I brought one with a zipper because I was cold initially and just unzipped it as I warmed up. My test was at noon, so I got about 10 hours of sleep the night before, woke up at 8, grabbed a banana and some juice for breakfast and half of a 6 inch from Subway right before the test (I was too nervous to eat more). Everything at the testing center went smoothly. My testing center didn't have erasable markers which changed up my PAT strategy a bit, but it all ended up working out. All in all, test day itself wasn't too bad except for the anxiety leading up to the test. Just be confident that you've studied all this time for a reason. Stressing isn't going to do you any good.
Now for the studying. I'll try my best to break this down by section.
Biology: The most time consuming to study for. I started by reading Cliff's and then went on to review Ferallis's bio notes and his classifications excel file over and over and over again. I must have read his notes at least 6 or 7 times over the course of 2 and a half months. Once I felt comfortable with the content, I went through all of bio destroyer. Destroyer is much harder than the DAT but it really enforces your knowledge. Don't get discouraged! After Destroyer, I went on to take all 5 Bootcamp bio tests and the 1 free DAT Genius test. I supplemented anything that I needed a more in-depth explanation on with YouTube videos. I spent a lot of time on reproduction and development but ended up not having any questions related to it on my test. I was pretty bummed. It's just the luck of the draw. A couple of days before the test, I just reviewed Ferallis's bio notes and looked up some Quizlets that people had made over QVault's bio (because I didn't want to buy it). I think the key to this section is just understanding as much as possible. (Understanding, not memorizing!)
General Chemistry: I didn't do much here because I'm a chemistry tutor, but I used Chad for a quick review. I played his videos at 2x the speed because it would've been too time consuming otherwise. After this, I went through Destroyer in a couple of days and practiced with Bootcamp and the one free DAT Genius test. Just make sure you really understand the concepts and necessary calculations.
Organic Chemistry: I was fresh off of 2 semesters of organic chemistry, so I was pretty comfortable with most of the material. I just used Chad's for review and Destroyer for practice. After this, I took all of the Bootcamp tests and 1 DAT Genius test. A few days leading up to the test, I looked over the Destroyer Road Maps and my old notes.
For practice in the entire natural science section, I used TopScore. It was alright practice. A little tougher than the real thing. It seemed a bit outdated though. I always ended up with about half an hour left in the natural science section. For most of bio, you either know it or you don't so you can zoom right through it. I used this extra time in the end to review some questions I marked. I actually took a bathroom break on the actual test during this time because I really had to go haha.
PAT: Start practicing on this as soon as possible. I bought all of Crack DAT PAT tests and used the tutorials provided. I also practiced with Bootcamp and the 1 free DAT Genius test. I was surprised for this section because I thought I would be able to erase the dots I drew on my laminated paper but they weren't erasable. I had to ask for another sheet (which cut into my time). I don't know if this was just exclusive to my testing center though. Nothing too tough on the real thing. The proportions seemed off on keyhole, but maybe it was the stress getting to me.
Reading: Just practice with Bootcamp here. Nothing too tough on the real thing. I had a passage over DNA that I was familiar with so it helped me out. I usually read until I find the answer to the first question and search and destroy thereafter.
QR: Practice practice practice. I used Chad's videos for a good refresher. I used Destroyer and Math Destroyer for practice and followed up with Bootcamp. Expose yourself to as many questions as possible so you're prepared for whatever they throw at you. I didn't have any problems with the calculator. Bootcamp seemed to be a lot harder than the real thing, but if you can master Bootcamp, you're definitely ready.
Huge shoutout to the Destroyer and Bootcamp team! I wouldn't have scored well without the materials provided by them. Again, I wasn't expecting to score what I scored, but it happened and I couldn't be happier! Hopefully I can keep up my GPA until it's time to apply! Good luck everyone, and thanks again!
