One week 'til Doom Day and losing hope. Get Achiever?

[hellobruin]

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When in doubt, ask SDN right? 🙂

I have about a week until my exam date and was wondering, should I really get Achiever? I bought TopScore and took my first test today:

Bio 19
Gchem 18
Ochem 17 😡
PAT 19
QR 19
RC 22

Needless to say, I felt like I got punched in the stomach. Three months of studying and I felt like I should have done wayyyy better.

So I'm asking for some advice. Should I get Achiever so that I can get more practice in and get a feel for a "hard" DAT exam? In that case, maybe I should move my DAT by a week? Or should I spend the rest of my week and concentrate on reviewing concepts (I know I did badly on o-chem because I don't have all the reagents down stone cold).

Help would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

 

[smilebig01]

i actually took my first topscore and my AA was a 19 just a few days ago...I freaked out at first and with the advice and help from many here on SDN...i found out that apparently 1) the first test everyone says is the lowest score and 2) some people got 2-3 points higher on their real DAT! I also pm-ed someone who did really well on the real DAT and got similar test #1 scores as me and she said that practice tests are just to show you your weaknesses and from your first test...try to improve your score by working on your weak points. I think by the 2nd practice test if you dont see any improvements just keep practicing and working on areas you are not doing well in! Hopefully i made sense and this helped...I was in the exact same spot as you so dont worry and keep working hard!!!

 

[Nanach]

Just pound the destroyer every second you have till the test and I have no doubt you will do extremely well! Don't let these stupid practice test get you down they are terrible indicators of how you will do on the actual dat.

 

[pancakes20]

Hi, I just wrote my DAT yesterday. I never used Topscore to study so I can't comment on that. I did use achiever though. The section I found achiever most useful for was the PAT section. When I did like the first seven or eight tests on CDP I always scored below 20. Then I did the PAT on achiever and although I always scored around 15/16 it did help me improve and then when I went back to CDP I scored 22 or 23 on the remaining tests. I ended up getting a 20 on the PAT section of the real DAT. I also did all the reading sections of achiever and although they were extremely difficult, I think they helped me build speed on this section. After the first two tests, I didn't do any of the math, GC or OC because it was way too difficult. I did about two or three of the bio sections. My plan was to do all the bio but I was short on time. Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[Msmouth]

You did very well....just watch the reading comprehension....Topscore is search and destroy only and the real thing is not so easy.

Check out my breakdown...my 3 topscores are in there. Just use Topscore as a good way to evaluate how you use your time. I realized that I didn't leave enough time for orgo on my 3rd practice test and therefore did horrible on it. I'm glad because on the real thing I made it a priority to leave at least 25 minutes for orgo.

 

[Ferneezy]

OP, buyer beware with Achiever. I took Achiever #1 this morning and literally BATTLED for the 20AA it granted me.

It'll make you sweat.

 

[LaughingGas]

You are doing fine... don't buy.. just keep using what you got.

 

[hellobruin]

Yes, I was surprised by how straightforward the RC was and kept thinking, "there is no way it's this simple." I also thought the PAT was easier than CDP.

I guess I will get Achiever, and simply substitute it with Topscore's "easier" sections.

 

[Troyvdg]

If you're losing hope with top score then Achiever will destroy your confidence. Remembering that it's harder than the real thing is easier said than done