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Ah, my breakdown. I took the DAT yesterday 9/19 and am still feeling a wide array of emotions at this point. I've read so many breakdowns on this site for the past three months and obtained so much knowledge from SDN in general, that I feel it's only right to contribute what I can offer as well. While my scores may not be as high as everyone else's on here, I am trying to focus on the positive aspects and am striving to reassure myself that it was the best I was capable of doing, and to just be proud of myself for the effort I put in (see below). I am going to write this in complete honesty, omitting nothing about the process. I know you are probably going to scroll to the bottom now to see if my scores are worth your time in reading this..go ahead..look down..satisfied? If not, that's fine. If this helps even one person, then my goal is complete.
I'll start at the very beginning. I began studying mid-June, right after Finals ended. I had just finished my 3rd year at UCSD. I thought that I would study a year before I plan to apply, so that I wouldn't have to combine studying with applying and I could dedicate more time to my applications, and get them in right on time next year to increase my chances of getting in.
I literally dropped everything for the DAT this summer. Yes, I am very involved in other areas and I have what I like to think is a pretty good social life as well. However, I know how important this test is and I really wanted to dedicate one entire summer and give myself the absolute best shot at success. Dentistry is my passion and I want to be involved in this profession, so why would I sell myself short and only go at the process with partial dedication? So yes, I had to say no to my family & friends..on a daily basis. I didn't go out, I didn't take a single day off, (except 3 days in July for a church trip). I didn't do things that provided me joy, I didn't work out, and I left behind anything that wasn't exactly DAT related. So yes, the world kind of stopped and I am not advising all of you to do this, but I felt for me, in the limited amount of time that I had, it was the only way to go.
Study Pattern
June, July-Mid August: I usually worked in the mornings for a couple hours at my on-campus job. It was great because it enabled me to get in a good sleep/wake pattern, so I was up early everyday, ended work at 1 at the latest, and then studied from 1 until ~ midnight.
Mid-August-Test Day: This was the most intense period; I basically studied from wake until bedtime (up at 8, breakfast till 9, study until ~midnight). Of course I would take meal breaks, but never more than 30-45 minutes. It was brutal yes, but necessary.
What I Used
I began with the Kaplan course, and strictly using KBB. Looking back on this, this was probably my biggest regret. I firmly believed in going through EVERYTHING as far as study materials go, and I had read on SDN what the typical pattern was. KBB, Chad's, Destroyer. However, I found that getting through KBB took entirely too long. I spent probably a month and half of my studying strictly going to Kaplan courses and using KBB/their online material. While I can't say that this was a completely bad route to take, because I am sure that it did provide me with a good refresher and a good place to start, my best advice that I can offer to you is: start earlier. 3 months really isn't that long of a time when you think about it. In hindsight, I wish that I had taken the course during the Spring quarter, and leisurely studied ~15 hours a week with the course and online material for my refresher portion of studying. Then, used those three months of Summer to really hone-in on core content using Chad's and Destroyer. Of course, the past is the past, and we tend to learn these things after the fact. Life's funny that way.
Breakdown of Kaplan Course
The class, honestly, is not that helpful. It covers probably 5% of the material that you need to know. I was more inclined to take it because I was offered a great discount from my university ($900 instead of $1300), and I liked the idea of a regimented course. However, it wasn't even worth the $900! I felt that the instructor was sub-par and not entirely qualified. He was a very intelligent guy, but his ability to instruct and answer questions, which arguably is the most important part, was definitely lacking. This was frustrating, but I stuck it out and kept going, while continuing to go through KBB. The structure of my course was twice a week, for 3 hour increments that often ended early. It lasted for ~6 weeks: < 36 hours total. Now, I know that the price included the materials (KBB, Coursebook Manual, and Online Resources), but I definitely don't think that it was worth the $900, let alone the $1300 that students without the discount have to pay. For those of you that are reading this and on the fence about taking this course, I'd recommend it ONLY if you are not using it as a huge chunk of your main DAT study time. Take it during the year as a review, and then follow it up immediately with the Chad's/Destroyer Combo.
Breakdown of KBB
Okay, this book was extremely overwhelming to get through. It's huge. [For those of you that were confused on if KBB is the same as the book you get with the course, like I was: it is, but from what I gathered, the one that comes with the course also has questions at the end of each section, which were pretty good for comprehension check]. What I would do is try and get through as much as possible of each section a day, somewhat correlating to what was coming up in the Kaplan class that corresponds to it. But of course the class teaches such a minimal amount of content that it really wasn't all that big of a deal to do it in that fashion.
The content itself is..decent.
Bio: you need to definitely supplement with Cliffs and probably Barron's as well (see below). Some sections are better than the supplementary materials, some are worse. That's why you need so many different materials for Bio.
GChem: Decent. See individual GChem section below for better materials.
Ochem: Decent. See individual OChem section below for better materials.
RC: Didn't use.
QR: Pretty useless. Only 5 chapters and it doesn't go into too much depth..but I still read them.
The Rest of my Materials
Bio: I probably won't have much credibility about this subject, considering my score, but I will explain how I studied anyway. I'm a Bio major, but the scope of Bio material that the DAT covers is just so entirely vast and widespread that it really is the most overwhelming section of the DAT in my opinion. I used Kaplan first, then I progressed into Cliffs AP Bio. Cliffs was good because it really condensed the material and hit the core content that you needed to know. Or at least what I thought I needed to know -___- I wish that I had spent more time with Barron's AP Bio though, because I found it (at the very end of my studying) to possibly be even more proficient in explaining things. It really is a crapshoot with what to use for Biology. I also bought the subscription for DATQVault, which I learned a lot from, and went through Bio Destroyer once. It was really daunting to get through, but in hindsight if I had gone through this EARLIER in the scheme of things, I think I would've been better off. I finished this the weekend before the DAT (bad, I know), but if you've been reading so far, this corresponds to my overall theme of spending too much time with Kaplan.
GChem: Chad's of course. This guy is your go-to man for the sciences, and it is no myth. If he only had a Bio section....sigh. However, it does take a while to get through the videos, especially if you are taking diligent notes. I am pretty over-analytical/OCD with studying, so I literally wrote down probably every word and example he used. Watch the videos in Fast Mode so that the videos don't seem as daunting; do the quizzes after each video IN your notebook so that you can review your quizzes. When you're done watching the vids, REVIEW THE NOTES IN THEIR ENTIRETY. Don't assume that because you went through the videos that it all stuck; it is crucial to read through these notes at least once all the way through (it took a couple of days) and then continue to reference back to certain sections that you need clarifications on throughout your studying. I also did GChem Destroyer once diligently. I only had time to get through half of it a 2nd time.
OChem: Chad again. See above. OChem Destroyer once through as well, but people are right when they say this is overkill. Most of the reactions covered in Destroyer for this section were not tested. However, Destroyer is a great way to practice what you know and shows you what you need to work on.
QR: Chad, again. I bought the 2 month package that included all 3 subjects. The QR videos are invaluable. He shows you so many tricks and ways to get through the Math easier. Don't treat these videos any differently than GChem/OChem! I also bought Math Destroyer and got through only half of it though-but this was enough. The material covered in Destroyer is really good practice and again, shows you your weaknesses.
RC: Nothing. I saw that my practice scores were decent on my Kaplan diagnostic, and continued at the same level throughout Topscore so I was never too concerned with RC. There were some moments where I was like, "uh..shouldn't I be studying for RC?" However, there are just so many other things that you need to learn that consume you, that RC always falls last in the list of priorities and it really is OKAY. I'm not a quick or proficient reader, trust me, but this section is very doable.
PAT: The first time I saw this stuff was in my Kaplan course, and let me tell you I was so discouraged because it was, obviously, nothing like I had ever seen before in my life. But honestly, with practice it gets better. I started out with the Kaplan Online PAT stuff, but it was simpler than the scope of the DAT. I bought CDP and did all 10 practice tests, plus 2 extras and also practiced on the Bonus questions and sections that I was having trouble with. However, I found on Test Day that CDP wasn't super accurate of the way it actually is for certain sections..which really, really hurts. I did better on all of my CDPs than the real thing, so don't assume that you're golden just because you're doing well on CDP ☹ See below.
Practice Tests Used
I completed a Diagnostic at the beginning of everything. I also did a Kaplan Midterm, the 2009 Practice ADA, and 3 Topscores.
Kaplan Midterm: I took this near the beginning of August, and was so discouraged after this. It wasn't entirely accurate because it was before I did any Chad's or Destroyer, so I tried to ignore it. I also didn't take any more Kaplan tests because I read on SDN repeatedly that they were too difficult/not a good representation of the real thing.
ADA 2009: Less than a week before. I took this because it felt somewhat like a pre-requisite for the real test; everybody takes it, and if you don't, you're at a disadvantage. So, I took the online version and it was decent, but the fact that they don't tell you the correct answer if you got something wrong is a really poor attribute. It basically gives you your raw score, and you have to compare that to the 2007 scaled rubric to get a rough estimate of your scaled score. You are able to review your sections, but it doesn't tell you the correct answer if you got it wrong, only the fact that you were incorrect. It also doesn't show the OChem, RC, or PAT questions again, so you can't really review those. Having said all this, it was a good additional practice test and I scored higher in all sections on the real thing except Bio and PAT, which were about in line with this test.
Topscore: I took all three tests within about a week and a half before my test. This was a pretty good indicator of how I did. I was hoping for the +2 that a lot of people experienced with their Topscore results/ the real test, however that wasn't the case for me entirely. This test is pretty accurate in modeling the real DAT, except that Bio focuses a lot on taxonomy in Topscore and not so much on test day. Also, the PAT on here reflected test PAT much more significantly than CDP for keyholes, TFE, and pattern folding. I regret not re-doing my Topscore PAT sections so, so much.
And now, for Test Day:
Bio: I knew that this section would be the hardest, considering my practice scores and my level of confidence for this area. And indeed, it was. I truly felt that the test did not test my overall knowledge of the subjects tested. Like everyone says, it really had a splattering of random knowledge questions that I probably would not have been able to answer even if I studied for 2 or 3 months longer. This requires a really, really strong background in Bio and great retention from Upper Division classes at your university, which is quite discouraging. Just to give an example, I didn't receive a single question on Cellular Respiration, Photosynthesis, the Endocrine System, Skeletal System, or many of the physiological systems now that I think of it. It's really disheartening considering these are the main topics that you focus on because they cover so many areas and you are sure they'll show up..then they don't. All I can say is SIGH.
GChem: Right on target with Topscore. If you do your Chad's and take good notes, & follow it up with Destroyer, you'll be golden.
OChem: Same as above.
PAT: WAY harder than CDP. Keyholes, pattern folding specifically were just completely different. Keyholes focus more on shapes and 1 tiny little difference, as opposed to orientation. Also, in CDP they basically give you like 2 front view options, 2 top view options, and maybe an end view, whereas on the real thing it tends to be more of 1 type of view, but each one is altered at a different angle and differs by only one little section. Based on CDP and Topscore I was on par to score at least a 20 or above in this section, so needless to say I'm pretty heartbroken about PAT. I worked really hard only to get demolished.
RC: Thankfully, I did not get any "physics passage," and all my passages were pretty straightforward, and I was able to find all the answers within the passage and didn't receive too many tone/inference questions. Also, save enough time for the last passage because my last one was the hardest, and if I hadn't been going at a good pace for the first two I could've completely fumbled on this one and it would've significantly affected my score.
QR: At first, I freaked out because the first couple of questions were difficult. But a wise man by the name of Egan once told me that the DAT tries to do this so that you get flustered and hopefully you won't recover; as I kept going, I was able to get in a groove and I was able to come back to some of the problems that I initially marked. I can't express the importance of marking questions and then coming back to them once you've completed the easier ones. Then, you're able to approach these at a much calmer mental state of mind, which often leads to success.
Prometric Experience
First of all, it's a complete shame that Prometric ADDS to your test-day anxiety, when you already have enough to worry about! I think that it should be a pre-requisite that ALL Prometric front-desk staff have a very bubbly, outgoing personality. Being greeted by a disgruntled worker that doesn't care about the work you put in for the past three months and barely answers your questions really doesn't help the situation. ALSO, I was given erasable markers that were thicker, and a non-erasable marker. She gave me the choice, so I chose two erasable and one non. I chose to go the route of non-erasable for the first half of the test, but the eraser is pretty awful. Why can't they invest in a good eraser? Why is my page smearing and why do I have to exert 67 pounds of force to clear my laminated sheet?!?!? This is a very, very simple commodity to have during a standardized test, and it absolutely beyond my understanding why these remedial things are not provided at a basic, operable standard. In addition they only give you 2 max laminated sheets, and you have to raise your hand or get up out of your seat to get more -_____- When I did decide to use the non-erasable for RC and QR, I had to raise my hand to get more sheets and I ended up wasting about 20 seconds total looking over to her for her to get my ATTENTION!! COME ON! It is your job to sit there and monitor the TV and the small room of test-takers. Absolutely ridiculous that this played into my test-day experience.
My Scores
Kaplan Diagnostic + Midterm (I had to look this up online because before my test I saw on the foot of my car the piece of paper I used to document the scores, and I ripped it up as motivation before walking in to the test ha)
Diagnostic: AA-16, Bio-14, GChem-13, OChem-12, PAT-14 (It won't let me view the rest..)
Midterm: AA-16, Bio-14, GChem-14, OChem-17, PAT-18
CRACK DAT PAT-Boo -___-
18/18/18/18/21/20/19/22/19/21/20/22
DAT Q VAult
19/18/18/19/20
ADA 2009: Remember this is a rough estimate
AA-19, Bio-17, GChem-19, OChem-19, QR-21, PAT-19, TS-19
Topscore 1, 2, 3:
1: AA-19, Bio-17, G-18, O-18, PAT-20, QR-22, RC-20, TS-18
2: AA-20, Bio-17, G-21, O-19, PAT-22, QR-22, RC-21, TS-19
3: AA-21, Bio-16, G-20, O-20, PAT-19, QR-29, RC-22, TS-19
Real DAT:
AA-20
Bio-17
G-20
O-21
PAT-18
QR-21
RC-21
TS-19
Okay, this was extremely long but I hope that it was helpful. I will end with a Top 10 list of things that I learned throughout this extremely humbling process.
#1: Be willing to sacrifice for this test. Tell your friends and family you are not going away for good, but rather just a 3 month "vacation," and that you still love them, but you love this test more and they'll have to wait.
#2: This test process will attempt break you. If you invest in it fully, you will find yourself on an emotional roller coaster day in and day out. It also doesn't help that your social life shrivels down to basically nothing, leaving you further depressed. This is why it is absolutely crucial to have a study buddy. I'd like to make a shoutout to Predental89; we went through this whole process together and having someone to share strategeies with, vent to, compare scores, etc really helps with this mentally draining process. He is taking his test in a week and is going to do awesome.
*Shoutout to Demps as well-my personal confidence boost on these threads!
#3: Don't spend only 3 months on this test. Start about 5 months out with Kaplan, and then spend the last 3 months with intense Chad's, Destroyer combo. Use CDP to hone your skills and get better at PAT but be warned that it is a bit different than the real thing for sections that I previously mentioned above.
#4: Download SelfControl for your computer. It's an application that blocks certain website for x amount of time. You can't access the website, even if you un-install the app or re-start the computer, until the time that you originally set it at is up. I would literally block Facebook for 12 hours at a time, and it was an invaluable tool.
#5: Make sure you have a good study environment at home. Studying at the library isn't always going to work out and you need to have a good place to come home to and do work.
#6: Develop a good sleeping schedule. Go to sleep early, and wake up early. It will make your days much more productive, and if you have an early test will help you prepare for that as well. Invest in coffee and eggs for each morning too!
#7: Schedule your test date about a month in advance. You won't really know if you're going to be ready until then, I think. I ended up moving mine back a few days, but then couldn't push it back anymore because of other things that were about to begin, including school. Costs $25.
#8: Make a list of questions that arise as you go, and make sure you get them answered. Don't let it go thinking that it won't show up because chances are it will.
#9: Make a rough study schedule for the beginning months. I was at somewhat of a loss with what to do with myself considering all that had to be done, so having a schedule really helps keep you organized.
#10: Use Anki for Notecards. And ACTUALLY review them on a weekly basis. I made a ton while going through Kaplan and didn't find the time to look through them. Don't make the same mistake.
#11 (bonus): Treat SDN with a grain of salt. Remember that only a select amount of people in the entire United States post their scores on here, and not everyone gets 23s and 24s (there's a reason the National matriculation average is 19). Learn as much as you can from these boards, but don't let it get you down!
Any comments regarding my score would be greatly appreciated as well; I'm feeling pretty down about Bio and PAT right now but I would love to know how competitive my scores are/if I need to re-take which I would severely like to avoid. I hope that you gained something from this breakdown, and don't hesitate to ask me any questions via private message or right here. Thank you everyone for all your help these past few months, and I look forward to hopefully being your classmate someday. Good luck with your studies if you have yet to take it!
"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."
Work hard for this and don't settle for mediocrity. Strive for the best and if you fall a little bit short, at least you won't be able to say that you didn't give it your all.
I'll start at the very beginning. I began studying mid-June, right after Finals ended. I had just finished my 3rd year at UCSD. I thought that I would study a year before I plan to apply, so that I wouldn't have to combine studying with applying and I could dedicate more time to my applications, and get them in right on time next year to increase my chances of getting in.
I literally dropped everything for the DAT this summer. Yes, I am very involved in other areas and I have what I like to think is a pretty good social life as well. However, I know how important this test is and I really wanted to dedicate one entire summer and give myself the absolute best shot at success. Dentistry is my passion and I want to be involved in this profession, so why would I sell myself short and only go at the process with partial dedication? So yes, I had to say no to my family & friends..on a daily basis. I didn't go out, I didn't take a single day off, (except 3 days in July for a church trip). I didn't do things that provided me joy, I didn't work out, and I left behind anything that wasn't exactly DAT related. So yes, the world kind of stopped and I am not advising all of you to do this, but I felt for me, in the limited amount of time that I had, it was the only way to go.
Study Pattern
June, July-Mid August: I usually worked in the mornings for a couple hours at my on-campus job. It was great because it enabled me to get in a good sleep/wake pattern, so I was up early everyday, ended work at 1 at the latest, and then studied from 1 until ~ midnight.
Mid-August-Test Day: This was the most intense period; I basically studied from wake until bedtime (up at 8, breakfast till 9, study until ~midnight). Of course I would take meal breaks, but never more than 30-45 minutes. It was brutal yes, but necessary.
What I Used
I began with the Kaplan course, and strictly using KBB. Looking back on this, this was probably my biggest regret. I firmly believed in going through EVERYTHING as far as study materials go, and I had read on SDN what the typical pattern was. KBB, Chad's, Destroyer. However, I found that getting through KBB took entirely too long. I spent probably a month and half of my studying strictly going to Kaplan courses and using KBB/their online material. While I can't say that this was a completely bad route to take, because I am sure that it did provide me with a good refresher and a good place to start, my best advice that I can offer to you is: start earlier. 3 months really isn't that long of a time when you think about it. In hindsight, I wish that I had taken the course during the Spring quarter, and leisurely studied ~15 hours a week with the course and online material for my refresher portion of studying. Then, used those three months of Summer to really hone-in on core content using Chad's and Destroyer. Of course, the past is the past, and we tend to learn these things after the fact. Life's funny that way.
Breakdown of Kaplan Course
The class, honestly, is not that helpful. It covers probably 5% of the material that you need to know. I was more inclined to take it because I was offered a great discount from my university ($900 instead of $1300), and I liked the idea of a regimented course. However, it wasn't even worth the $900! I felt that the instructor was sub-par and not entirely qualified. He was a very intelligent guy, but his ability to instruct and answer questions, which arguably is the most important part, was definitely lacking. This was frustrating, but I stuck it out and kept going, while continuing to go through KBB. The structure of my course was twice a week, for 3 hour increments that often ended early. It lasted for ~6 weeks: < 36 hours total. Now, I know that the price included the materials (KBB, Coursebook Manual, and Online Resources), but I definitely don't think that it was worth the $900, let alone the $1300 that students without the discount have to pay. For those of you that are reading this and on the fence about taking this course, I'd recommend it ONLY if you are not using it as a huge chunk of your main DAT study time. Take it during the year as a review, and then follow it up immediately with the Chad's/Destroyer Combo.
Breakdown of KBB
Okay, this book was extremely overwhelming to get through. It's huge. [For those of you that were confused on if KBB is the same as the book you get with the course, like I was: it is, but from what I gathered, the one that comes with the course also has questions at the end of each section, which were pretty good for comprehension check]. What I would do is try and get through as much as possible of each section a day, somewhat correlating to what was coming up in the Kaplan class that corresponds to it. But of course the class teaches such a minimal amount of content that it really wasn't all that big of a deal to do it in that fashion.
The content itself is..decent.
Bio: you need to definitely supplement with Cliffs and probably Barron's as well (see below). Some sections are better than the supplementary materials, some are worse. That's why you need so many different materials for Bio.
GChem: Decent. See individual GChem section below for better materials.
Ochem: Decent. See individual OChem section below for better materials.
RC: Didn't use.
QR: Pretty useless. Only 5 chapters and it doesn't go into too much depth..but I still read them.
The Rest of my Materials
Bio: I probably won't have much credibility about this subject, considering my score, but I will explain how I studied anyway. I'm a Bio major, but the scope of Bio material that the DAT covers is just so entirely vast and widespread that it really is the most overwhelming section of the DAT in my opinion. I used Kaplan first, then I progressed into Cliffs AP Bio. Cliffs was good because it really condensed the material and hit the core content that you needed to know. Or at least what I thought I needed to know -___- I wish that I had spent more time with Barron's AP Bio though, because I found it (at the very end of my studying) to possibly be even more proficient in explaining things. It really is a crapshoot with what to use for Biology. I also bought the subscription for DATQVault, which I learned a lot from, and went through Bio Destroyer once. It was really daunting to get through, but in hindsight if I had gone through this EARLIER in the scheme of things, I think I would've been better off. I finished this the weekend before the DAT (bad, I know), but if you've been reading so far, this corresponds to my overall theme of spending too much time with Kaplan.
GChem: Chad's of course. This guy is your go-to man for the sciences, and it is no myth. If he only had a Bio section....sigh. However, it does take a while to get through the videos, especially if you are taking diligent notes. I am pretty over-analytical/OCD with studying, so I literally wrote down probably every word and example he used. Watch the videos in Fast Mode so that the videos don't seem as daunting; do the quizzes after each video IN your notebook so that you can review your quizzes. When you're done watching the vids, REVIEW THE NOTES IN THEIR ENTIRETY. Don't assume that because you went through the videos that it all stuck; it is crucial to read through these notes at least once all the way through (it took a couple of days) and then continue to reference back to certain sections that you need clarifications on throughout your studying. I also did GChem Destroyer once diligently. I only had time to get through half of it a 2nd time.
OChem: Chad again. See above. OChem Destroyer once through as well, but people are right when they say this is overkill. Most of the reactions covered in Destroyer for this section were not tested. However, Destroyer is a great way to practice what you know and shows you what you need to work on.
QR: Chad, again. I bought the 2 month package that included all 3 subjects. The QR videos are invaluable. He shows you so many tricks and ways to get through the Math easier. Don't treat these videos any differently than GChem/OChem! I also bought Math Destroyer and got through only half of it though-but this was enough. The material covered in Destroyer is really good practice and again, shows you your weaknesses.
RC: Nothing. I saw that my practice scores were decent on my Kaplan diagnostic, and continued at the same level throughout Topscore so I was never too concerned with RC. There were some moments where I was like, "uh..shouldn't I be studying for RC?" However, there are just so many other things that you need to learn that consume you, that RC always falls last in the list of priorities and it really is OKAY. I'm not a quick or proficient reader, trust me, but this section is very doable.
PAT: The first time I saw this stuff was in my Kaplan course, and let me tell you I was so discouraged because it was, obviously, nothing like I had ever seen before in my life. But honestly, with practice it gets better. I started out with the Kaplan Online PAT stuff, but it was simpler than the scope of the DAT. I bought CDP and did all 10 practice tests, plus 2 extras and also practiced on the Bonus questions and sections that I was having trouble with. However, I found on Test Day that CDP wasn't super accurate of the way it actually is for certain sections..which really, really hurts. I did better on all of my CDPs than the real thing, so don't assume that you're golden just because you're doing well on CDP ☹ See below.
Practice Tests Used
I completed a Diagnostic at the beginning of everything. I also did a Kaplan Midterm, the 2009 Practice ADA, and 3 Topscores.
Kaplan Midterm: I took this near the beginning of August, and was so discouraged after this. It wasn't entirely accurate because it was before I did any Chad's or Destroyer, so I tried to ignore it. I also didn't take any more Kaplan tests because I read on SDN repeatedly that they were too difficult/not a good representation of the real thing.
ADA 2009: Less than a week before. I took this because it felt somewhat like a pre-requisite for the real test; everybody takes it, and if you don't, you're at a disadvantage. So, I took the online version and it was decent, but the fact that they don't tell you the correct answer if you got something wrong is a really poor attribute. It basically gives you your raw score, and you have to compare that to the 2007 scaled rubric to get a rough estimate of your scaled score. You are able to review your sections, but it doesn't tell you the correct answer if you got it wrong, only the fact that you were incorrect. It also doesn't show the OChem, RC, or PAT questions again, so you can't really review those. Having said all this, it was a good additional practice test and I scored higher in all sections on the real thing except Bio and PAT, which were about in line with this test.
Topscore: I took all three tests within about a week and a half before my test. This was a pretty good indicator of how I did. I was hoping for the +2 that a lot of people experienced with their Topscore results/ the real test, however that wasn't the case for me entirely. This test is pretty accurate in modeling the real DAT, except that Bio focuses a lot on taxonomy in Topscore and not so much on test day. Also, the PAT on here reflected test PAT much more significantly than CDP for keyholes, TFE, and pattern folding. I regret not re-doing my Topscore PAT sections so, so much.
And now, for Test Day:
Bio: I knew that this section would be the hardest, considering my practice scores and my level of confidence for this area. And indeed, it was. I truly felt that the test did not test my overall knowledge of the subjects tested. Like everyone says, it really had a splattering of random knowledge questions that I probably would not have been able to answer even if I studied for 2 or 3 months longer. This requires a really, really strong background in Bio and great retention from Upper Division classes at your university, which is quite discouraging. Just to give an example, I didn't receive a single question on Cellular Respiration, Photosynthesis, the Endocrine System, Skeletal System, or many of the physiological systems now that I think of it. It's really disheartening considering these are the main topics that you focus on because they cover so many areas and you are sure they'll show up..then they don't. All I can say is SIGH.
GChem: Right on target with Topscore. If you do your Chad's and take good notes, & follow it up with Destroyer, you'll be golden.
OChem: Same as above.
PAT: WAY harder than CDP. Keyholes, pattern folding specifically were just completely different. Keyholes focus more on shapes and 1 tiny little difference, as opposed to orientation. Also, in CDP they basically give you like 2 front view options, 2 top view options, and maybe an end view, whereas on the real thing it tends to be more of 1 type of view, but each one is altered at a different angle and differs by only one little section. Based on CDP and Topscore I was on par to score at least a 20 or above in this section, so needless to say I'm pretty heartbroken about PAT. I worked really hard only to get demolished.
RC: Thankfully, I did not get any "physics passage," and all my passages were pretty straightforward, and I was able to find all the answers within the passage and didn't receive too many tone/inference questions. Also, save enough time for the last passage because my last one was the hardest, and if I hadn't been going at a good pace for the first two I could've completely fumbled on this one and it would've significantly affected my score.
QR: At first, I freaked out because the first couple of questions were difficult. But a wise man by the name of Egan once told me that the DAT tries to do this so that you get flustered and hopefully you won't recover; as I kept going, I was able to get in a groove and I was able to come back to some of the problems that I initially marked. I can't express the importance of marking questions and then coming back to them once you've completed the easier ones. Then, you're able to approach these at a much calmer mental state of mind, which often leads to success.
Prometric Experience
First of all, it's a complete shame that Prometric ADDS to your test-day anxiety, when you already have enough to worry about! I think that it should be a pre-requisite that ALL Prometric front-desk staff have a very bubbly, outgoing personality. Being greeted by a disgruntled worker that doesn't care about the work you put in for the past three months and barely answers your questions really doesn't help the situation. ALSO, I was given erasable markers that were thicker, and a non-erasable marker. She gave me the choice, so I chose two erasable and one non. I chose to go the route of non-erasable for the first half of the test, but the eraser is pretty awful. Why can't they invest in a good eraser? Why is my page smearing and why do I have to exert 67 pounds of force to clear my laminated sheet?!?!? This is a very, very simple commodity to have during a standardized test, and it absolutely beyond my understanding why these remedial things are not provided at a basic, operable standard. In addition they only give you 2 max laminated sheets, and you have to raise your hand or get up out of your seat to get more -_____- When I did decide to use the non-erasable for RC and QR, I had to raise my hand to get more sheets and I ended up wasting about 20 seconds total looking over to her for her to get my ATTENTION!! COME ON! It is your job to sit there and monitor the TV and the small room of test-takers. Absolutely ridiculous that this played into my test-day experience.
My Scores
Kaplan Diagnostic + Midterm (I had to look this up online because before my test I saw on the foot of my car the piece of paper I used to document the scores, and I ripped it up as motivation before walking in to the test ha)
Diagnostic: AA-16, Bio-14, GChem-13, OChem-12, PAT-14 (It won't let me view the rest..)
Midterm: AA-16, Bio-14, GChem-14, OChem-17, PAT-18
CRACK DAT PAT-Boo -___-
18/18/18/18/21/20/19/22/19/21/20/22
DAT Q VAult
19/18/18/19/20
ADA 2009: Remember this is a rough estimate
AA-19, Bio-17, GChem-19, OChem-19, QR-21, PAT-19, TS-19
Topscore 1, 2, 3:
1: AA-19, Bio-17, G-18, O-18, PAT-20, QR-22, RC-20, TS-18
2: AA-20, Bio-17, G-21, O-19, PAT-22, QR-22, RC-21, TS-19
3: AA-21, Bio-16, G-20, O-20, PAT-19, QR-29, RC-22, TS-19
Real DAT:
AA-20
Bio-17
G-20
O-21
PAT-18
QR-21
RC-21
TS-19
Okay, this was extremely long but I hope that it was helpful. I will end with a Top 10 list of things that I learned throughout this extremely humbling process.
#1: Be willing to sacrifice for this test. Tell your friends and family you are not going away for good, but rather just a 3 month "vacation," and that you still love them, but you love this test more and they'll have to wait.
#2: This test process will attempt break you. If you invest in it fully, you will find yourself on an emotional roller coaster day in and day out. It also doesn't help that your social life shrivels down to basically nothing, leaving you further depressed. This is why it is absolutely crucial to have a study buddy. I'd like to make a shoutout to Predental89; we went through this whole process together and having someone to share strategeies with, vent to, compare scores, etc really helps with this mentally draining process. He is taking his test in a week and is going to do awesome.
*Shoutout to Demps as well-my personal confidence boost on these threads!
#3: Don't spend only 3 months on this test. Start about 5 months out with Kaplan, and then spend the last 3 months with intense Chad's, Destroyer combo. Use CDP to hone your skills and get better at PAT but be warned that it is a bit different than the real thing for sections that I previously mentioned above.
#4: Download SelfControl for your computer. It's an application that blocks certain website for x amount of time. You can't access the website, even if you un-install the app or re-start the computer, until the time that you originally set it at is up. I would literally block Facebook for 12 hours at a time, and it was an invaluable tool.
#5: Make sure you have a good study environment at home. Studying at the library isn't always going to work out and you need to have a good place to come home to and do work.
#6: Develop a good sleeping schedule. Go to sleep early, and wake up early. It will make your days much more productive, and if you have an early test will help you prepare for that as well. Invest in coffee and eggs for each morning too!
#7: Schedule your test date about a month in advance. You won't really know if you're going to be ready until then, I think. I ended up moving mine back a few days, but then couldn't push it back anymore because of other things that were about to begin, including school. Costs $25.
#8: Make a list of questions that arise as you go, and make sure you get them answered. Don't let it go thinking that it won't show up because chances are it will.
#9: Make a rough study schedule for the beginning months. I was at somewhat of a loss with what to do with myself considering all that had to be done, so having a schedule really helps keep you organized.
#10: Use Anki for Notecards. And ACTUALLY review them on a weekly basis. I made a ton while going through Kaplan and didn't find the time to look through them. Don't make the same mistake.
#11 (bonus): Treat SDN with a grain of salt. Remember that only a select amount of people in the entire United States post their scores on here, and not everyone gets 23s and 24s (there's a reason the National matriculation average is 19). Learn as much as you can from these boards, but don't let it get you down!
Any comments regarding my score would be greatly appreciated as well; I'm feeling pretty down about Bio and PAT right now but I would love to know how competitive my scores are/if I need to re-take which I would severely like to avoid. I hope that you gained something from this breakdown, and don't hesitate to ask me any questions via private message or right here. Thank you everyone for all your help these past few months, and I look forward to hopefully being your classmate someday. Good luck with your studies if you have yet to take it!
"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."
Work hard for this and don't settle for mediocrity. Strive for the best and if you fall a little bit short, at least you won't be able to say that you didn't give it your all.
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