Need some advice on dat prep

[plumerias]

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There's so much great info in this forum, but it's a bit overwhelming!

I'm planning to take the DAT mid december, about a week after finals. Right now, I have a subscription to chad's videos, Clif's 3rd edition AP Bio, DAT Destroyer/Math destroyer, and I'm planning to buy the set of datBootcamp exams. Do I need anything else?

As far as classes, I just took bio 1 and 2 over the summer, I was pretty good at orgo (took last year) and I'm pretty good at math in general, so those I think I just need a bit of review and lots of practice. I took gen chem 3 years ago so that needs the most refreshing. In general I'd say I have a solid foundation on basic sciences.

I'm currently going through Chad's videos and quizzes as well as reviewing bio, but I'm not sure when I should start using destroyer and bootcamp.. how do people usually use those to study? Did you save bootcamp closer to the exam or should I be doing them now? I feel like I have nothing "in the middle", like I'm just watching videos and doing easy quizzes but when I look in destroyer it's the flipside.

Thanks in advance for any advice 🙂

 

[skooti]

You have the right study material and on the right track as well. DAT and Math destroyer are best saved for after Chad videos and Cliff's AP bio (+ Feralis Biology notes) so you have a good understanding of the basics, my advice is not to spend too much time trying to memorize the bio portion and do as much destroyer as possible.

Everyone's background in science is different so there is really no one answer in terms of how long you need to study for each, but doing the DAT destroyer at least twice and understanding what you got right and wrong is crucial. They do a great job of explaining concepts so it will serve as a review as well.

Bootcamp' PAT section is amazing in terms of practice and understanding the different concepts. I used CrackDAT PAT and looking back personally I think it was a waste of $100. Bootcamp might seem a bit hard when you first start but the explanations are very thorough and will perfect you with enough practice. If you can afford to get CrackDAT PAT however, get it and start practicing for 30 mins a day on different sections so you can be prepared for Bootcamp.

I'm pretty sure I' might have missed an important detail or two but read other threads and see how the people with good scores studies and try to incorporate it into your schedule.

Other sources:- Bio (Khan Academy for unclear concepts, QVault, Quizlet flashcards)
-GenChem and OChem= Chad's quizzes and Bootcamp (heard from multiple people they are closer to the real thing than DAT destroyer but I would def. still do destroyer and not be discouraged if you get a lot of them wrong since it's a bit challenging)
- RC= Bootcamp has really good paragraphs to practice with and also checkout the blog posts Ari (Bootcamp) used for strategies on this section
- QR= People who took it recently said the QR section in the DAT Destroyer is closer to the real thing than the MATH destroyer, however, going over Math destroyer at least twice would def. make the rael thing a cakewalk)
- PAT= Aside from the stuff I mentioned earlier, bootcamp has generators for some of the sections that are great to practice with when you have free time (esp. Angle ranking and Pattern folding)
http://woodgears.ca/eyeball/ is pretty good practice for angle ranking.

Good luck with everything 🙂

 

[mkhan27]

You got the right stuff man to study. Just make sure you have enough time to do it and that your semester courses don't interrupt with it. I'd try to do as many Chads videos in a day as you can but making sure you understand the material he says. Also do his quizzes after the videos too. Do a certain chapter of Cliffs and then follow it up by noting anything from Feralis that same day. Use the woodgears for PAT practice and do some RC practice too by reading an article or two for 10-15 minutes. After all of Chads, Feralis, and Cliffs start the Destroyers. They take really long to do and try to go through all your questions even if you got them right. I also agree with everything what the above person said too. Try to do destroyers at least twice minimum. If you can do it 3 times then do it but 2 times minimum is a huge huge plus. I'm doing mine a second time right now. Then, do Bootcamp. Come close to your test date start bootcamp, review all questions, do 2007, and 2009 tests. Review all your material as you go along each day. Practice, practice, practice everything and you'll be good.

 

[SXCoronado]

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[Dotoday]

What you have is good for now. If you see that you are weak in some sections, then you may have to get another book.