I set this up as an outline but SDN doesn't like my indents.
Long time lurker here. You guys know the usual talk, so I’ll try to avoid repeating things like “Bio is totally random.” My goal with this breakdown is to provide a unique prospective and shine light on resources that I think are underutilized by SDNers.
Scores
Bio: 23
Gchem: 21
Orgo: 25
PAT: 19
RC: 23
QR: 20
Tot Sci: 23
AA: 22
Personal background
· I’m a non-traditional student.
· I took Bio in 2009-2010
· Gchem 2008-2009
· Orgo 2011-2012.
· I haven’t had a math course since 2006.
Section by Section
Bio
Over prepare for this section! To varying degrees I used Cliff’s Notes, Feralis, Ty Jacobs, Destroyer, QVAULT, DAT Bootcamp (BC), and DAT Genius (DG).
1) Learn from Chad.
2) Get Destroyed by Destroyer.
3) Mix up BC & DG. I never finished either on time.
a) Like Bio, BC covers the med-hard questions.
b) DG feels like a continuation of Destroyer.
c) Both approaches have their pluses and minuses and both are needed.
Orgo
1) Learn from Chad.
2) Get Destroyed by Destroyer.
3) BC & DG felt about the same to me on this section in difficulty.
a) BC’s videos were really helpful.
i) I would say the videos were the best thing in BC. The speaker is very enthusiastic and covers background to the question.
PAT
· Crack DAT and QVAULT are apparently not representative so I quit them early on.
· I never finished a BC or DG on time. The actual I had 2 mins over.
1) Keyholes
a) BC was ridiculously hard. Looking at the solutions, I could still not follow some of it.
b) DG I think is more practical. Use BC if you are crazy good.
2) TFE
a) BC is easier than DG.
b) If I had to say the best thing about DG it would be the TFE. It clearly was a major undertaking and a HUGE resource.
i) I was scoring 3-4 out of 15 consistently on BC before DG came along. The explanations are longer than BC but they actually teach how to think.
ii) DG walks you through word by word, line by line.
iii) They also turn the objects around and highlight sides so you can easily see what is being discussed.
iv) It’s like having the internal monologue and eyes of someone who can do TFE.
v) Not just a simple line saying, “x is here so y shouldn’t be here.” I couldn’t follow why I am even looking at x or why I would eliminate the y shape.
vi) After going through explanations in DG, I was able to expect 12-14 out of 15 consistently.
vii) I definitely owe 2pts on my PAT to the DG TFE explanations!!
viii) DG is unique in that nothing comes close to it at TFE teaching.
3) Angles
a) BC harder than DG.
b) I liked the answers to DG more.
i) BC just gives correct order of the angles.
ii) DG
(1) Lines all the angles up
(2) Labels the degree.
(3) Stacks color coded angles on top of each other.
4) Hole Punch
a) Use the grid and collect easy points.
5) Cube Count
a) Pick a method you like and collect easy points.
6) Pattern Folding
a) BC
i) Terse
ii) I had trouble learning from it.
b) DG
i) Taught me how to do PAT.
ii) Like TFE, they break it down into step by step.
RC
1) BC & DG over prepare you.
2) I’ve always been comfortable so I didn’t do much here.
3) Try the methods out there and see which 1 fits best.
QR
1) Watch Chad if you’re not comfortable with Geometry and Algebra 2 material.
2) Do Destroyer if you want more than a 20.
3) I knew less than half the formulas from BC’s formula sheet.
4) This section should be quite doable with practice. I focused on PAT and neglected this section.
5) Master timing! I had 2 that I needed to go back to and 3 I didn’t get a chance to solve.
**BC 5 sciences are ridiculously hard/time consuming. Don’t use them as a score predictor and DO NOT take it last because it WILL lower your self-esteem. Use BC 5 as a learning tool.
Summary and random thoughts…
1) Sciences: Use Chad and Cliff’s for foundation and 20 range.
2) Sciences: Use Destroyer & DG for 20+ understanding.
3) Sciences: Use BC & DG for test simulation.
4) PAT: DG ups the game.
5) RC: shoulder shrug
6) QR: Use Chad for background. Use Destroyer as needed. Use BC & DG for testing simulation.
7) I’m surprised that people don’t talk about DG on here as much as BC. If I had to pick one and only 1 to use, I would pick DG.
***** Final Note
Shortly after I began studying, a cat appeared on my doorstep. I started feeding him and he was always super appreciative. I found out he was a neighbor’s who recently moved and left his cat behindL. A few days later, the kitty didn’t get up to greet me like he had every time before, and his face was swollen. I took him to the vet, and they said he had been attacked by something out there. I couldn’t let him go back out to get hurt again. One drained abscess, one antibiotic, and a few days of rest later, he’s an awesome cat.
So why am I telling you this? I think the cat really helped me while I was studying. The pet ownership responsibilities were productive and healthy breaks compared to my typical social media binge sessions. There also was a therapeutic effect from the cat. I was calmer. I believe it had to do with the fact I could no longer obsess on myself all the time.
I know this sounds completely out of left field, but if you have the structures in place to adopt an animal, I think it will help your study habits and test anxiety. You will be doing yourself and that animal a great deal of good. As future dentists, others will be entrusting their quality of life in our hands. Is adopting a pet that much different?
Long time lurker here. You guys know the usual talk, so I’ll try to avoid repeating things like “Bio is totally random.” My goal with this breakdown is to provide a unique prospective and shine light on resources that I think are underutilized by SDNers.
Scores
Bio: 23
Gchem: 21
Orgo: 25
PAT: 19
RC: 23
QR: 20
Tot Sci: 23
AA: 22
Personal background
· I’m a non-traditional student.
· I took Bio in 2009-2010
· Gchem 2008-2009
· Orgo 2011-2012.
· I haven’t had a math course since 2006.
Section by Section
Bio
Over prepare for this section! To varying degrees I used Cliff’s Notes, Feralis, Ty Jacobs, Destroyer, QVAULT, DAT Bootcamp (BC), and DAT Genius (DG).
- Cliff’s was good for bringing the info back into my head.
- Feralis and Ty I used to disambiguate confusion.
- Destroyer really drills things in.
- QVAULT was ok but I didn’t have enough time to take it seriously.
- BC & DG are both good but different.
- BC prepares you for the easy-med to hard questions.
- DG hits you hard. It's like a continuation of Destroyer difficulty. The answer solutions set DG apart from the rest of the pack. They are thorough and have everything you need to know on that subject. Be sure to turn them into mini-study guides for weak areas and watch your score go up.
1) Learn from Chad.
2) Get Destroyed by Destroyer.
3) Mix up BC & DG. I never finished either on time.
a) Like Bio, BC covers the med-hard questions.
b) DG feels like a continuation of Destroyer.
c) Both approaches have their pluses and minuses and both are needed.
Orgo
- My first Orgo practice score 2 months ago was a 13. Hopefully that speaks to how scores can be improved!
1) Learn from Chad.
2) Get Destroyed by Destroyer.
3) BC & DG felt about the same to me on this section in difficulty.
a) BC’s videos were really helpful.
i) I would say the videos were the best thing in BC. The speaker is very enthusiastic and covers background to the question.
PAT
- My most feared section.
- If you are naturally talented at this section, you’re lucky.
- I spent waaaaay too much time on this. I would have had a lot more summer to myself without it.
· Crack DAT and QVAULT are apparently not representative so I quit them early on.
· I never finished a BC or DG on time. The actual I had 2 mins over.
1) Keyholes
a) BC was ridiculously hard. Looking at the solutions, I could still not follow some of it.
b) DG I think is more practical. Use BC if you are crazy good.
2) TFE
a) BC is easier than DG.
b) If I had to say the best thing about DG it would be the TFE. It clearly was a major undertaking and a HUGE resource.
i) I was scoring 3-4 out of 15 consistently on BC before DG came along. The explanations are longer than BC but they actually teach how to think.
ii) DG walks you through word by word, line by line.
iii) They also turn the objects around and highlight sides so you can easily see what is being discussed.
iv) It’s like having the internal monologue and eyes of someone who can do TFE.
v) Not just a simple line saying, “x is here so y shouldn’t be here.” I couldn’t follow why I am even looking at x or why I would eliminate the y shape.
vi) After going through explanations in DG, I was able to expect 12-14 out of 15 consistently.
vii) I definitely owe 2pts on my PAT to the DG TFE explanations!!
viii) DG is unique in that nothing comes close to it at TFE teaching.
3) Angles
a) BC harder than DG.
b) I liked the answers to DG more.
i) BC just gives correct order of the angles.
ii) DG
(1) Lines all the angles up
(2) Labels the degree.
(3) Stacks color coded angles on top of each other.
4) Hole Punch
a) Use the grid and collect easy points.
5) Cube Count
a) Pick a method you like and collect easy points.
6) Pattern Folding
a) BC
i) Terse
ii) I had trouble learning from it.
b) DG
i) Taught me how to do PAT.
ii) Like TFE, they break it down into step by step.
RC
1) BC & DG over prepare you.
2) I’ve always been comfortable so I didn’t do much here.
3) Try the methods out there and see which 1 fits best.
QR
1) Watch Chad if you’re not comfortable with Geometry and Algebra 2 material.
2) Do Destroyer if you want more than a 20.
3) I knew less than half the formulas from BC’s formula sheet.
4) This section should be quite doable with practice. I focused on PAT and neglected this section.
5) Master timing! I had 2 that I needed to go back to and 3 I didn’t get a chance to solve.
**BC 5 sciences are ridiculously hard/time consuming. Don’t use them as a score predictor and DO NOT take it last because it WILL lower your self-esteem. Use BC 5 as a learning tool.
Summary and random thoughts…
1) Sciences: Use Chad and Cliff’s for foundation and 20 range.
2) Sciences: Use Destroyer & DG for 20+ understanding.
3) Sciences: Use BC & DG for test simulation.
4) PAT: DG ups the game.
5) RC: shoulder shrug
6) QR: Use Chad for background. Use Destroyer as needed. Use BC & DG for testing simulation.
7) I’m surprised that people don’t talk about DG on here as much as BC. If I had to pick one and only 1 to use, I would pick DG.
***** Final Note
Shortly after I began studying, a cat appeared on my doorstep. I started feeding him and he was always super appreciative. I found out he was a neighbor’s who recently moved and left his cat behindL. A few days later, the kitty didn’t get up to greet me like he had every time before, and his face was swollen. I took him to the vet, and they said he had been attacked by something out there. I couldn’t let him go back out to get hurt again. One drained abscess, one antibiotic, and a few days of rest later, he’s an awesome cat.
So why am I telling you this? I think the cat really helped me while I was studying. The pet ownership responsibilities were productive and healthy breaks compared to my typical social media binge sessions. There also was a therapeutic effect from the cat. I was calmer. I believe it had to do with the fact I could no longer obsess on myself all the time.
I know this sounds completely out of left field, but if you have the structures in place to adopt an animal, I think it will help your study habits and test anxiety. You will be doing yourself and that animal a great deal of good. As future dentists, others will be entrusting their quality of life in our hands. Is adopting a pet that much different?
That was a cute ending. Congrats on your score!
