Can someone please help. I took the DAT and got really low scores in Chem and O Chem. 16 and 14 respectively. I have a 3.86 GPA and great letters of Rec etc etc.. I plan to study from now until June/July and retake the DAT to reapply. I can't seem to ever get a grasp on Chemistry and Organic :/ first time around I used a Kaplan book (read front to back), Chad's Videos and the Destroyer.. and advice..? Felling very discouraged.
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Retaking the DAT/ Kicking Chem's Butt.
Started by Akmmoo2
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For chemistry, I would say the two major things are:
1. Make sure you are taking notes on the material you are reviewing (e.g. for organic chemistry, that should be the important stuff like reactions) and reviewing those notes regularly.
2. After reviewing a chapter/section of material, do practice questions on the topic to reinforce that material. In general and organic chemistry especially, it's important to do practice questions to really solidify your understanding of the material and make sure you've understood the concepts.
I personally wouldn't use Kaplan as a resource, as I don't think they're thorough enough, but the other resources you used should have prepared you pretty well. How did you test yourself to make sure you understood what you were learning?
1. Make sure you are taking notes on the material you are reviewing (e.g. for organic chemistry, that should be the important stuff like reactions) and reviewing those notes regularly.
2. After reviewing a chapter/section of material, do practice questions on the topic to reinforce that material. In general and organic chemistry especially, it's important to do practice questions to really solidify your understanding of the material and make sure you've understood the concepts.
I personally wouldn't use Kaplan as a resource, as I don't think they're thorough enough, but the other resources you used should have prepared you pretty well. How did you test yourself to make sure you understood what you were learning?
I would watch and take notes on Chad's videos again. Make sure you really understand the chemistry and aren't just memorizing it. After that, work through the destroyer twice. When you get a question wrong, study the concept and make sure you know why the correct answer is correct. You should be good after solving enough practice problems.
