Scoring low on the DAT Achiever

[RHONDAROBINSON]

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Hello Everyone


I am needing help on study techniques for scoring in the 20's on the DAT. I am a non-traditional student. I study approximately 2 hours a night after work and a little more on the weekends. I have taken two tests using the DAT Achiever. The scores are terrible. I am scoring 12's and 14's in the science area and 17 in Reading while the PAT is a 14. I have been reviewing the DAT Achiever tests that I have taken along with referring and studying my Kaplan book. What else can I do to improve these scores after having studied for 8 weeks thus far? How exactly are you guys making the 20's that I need. Help!!!!!!!!!!

Today I plan to go buy AP Biology. Someone on the site mention this book. What can I do for Organic Chemistry and Gen. Chemistry? The questions on the DAT Achiever seem very hard.

rr

 

[mitshi]

Hello Everyone


I am needing help on study techniques for scoring in the 20's on the DAT. I am a non-traditional student. I study approximately 2 hours a night after work and a little more on the weekends. I have taken two tests using the DAT Achiever. The scores are terrible. I am scoring 12's and 14's in the science area and 17 in Reading while the PAT is a 14. I have been reviewing the DAT Achiever tests that I have taken along with referring and studying my Kaplan book. What else can I do to improve these scores after having studied for 8 weeks thus far? How exactly are you guys making the 20's that I need. Help!!!!!!!!!!

Today I plan to go buy AP Biology. Someone on the site mention this book. What can I do for Organic Chemistry and Gen. Chemistry? The questions on the DAT Achiever seem very hard.

rr

I agree that questions from achiever are harder, but your mock scores as posted seem to be far from ideal yet if getting 20's on the DAT is your ultimate aim. You may use Kaplan's review notes, AP's, etc to equip your knowledge for the tests, but the best resources come still from those college textbooks used for all pre-requisite courses you've taken. Visit the following syllabus link as published by the ADA:

http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/scope.asp

Those terminolgies, whether specific or general, need to appear very familiar to you at quick glance. If not, there remain lots for you to get drilled on before coming even close to the national board level. I believe achiever's reporting tool uses part of these keywords to tell where you need to work harder on too. Hope all these direct inputs help some how, and best wishes to your coming DAT then.

 

[RHONDAROBINSON]

Thanks for the response. What method did you use to score high on the DAT? I have the Kaplan Review notes. How did you study?

 

[Uracil]

Ok (IMO) - Kaplan Organic Chemistry it's all you need! 👍 (I got a 25 on the real DAT without Organic for 2 years)

Must know all Kaplan of Gen Chem section and practice extra problems from other textbooks, Achiever is great & Topscore, etc.

I took the DAT almost a month ago, and to tell you the truth all you need is to nail your basics! Don't spend time in little silly details. Make sure you understand the entire picture, especially for Gen Chem were I freezed at some simple stupid problems.

For Biology, I will say read as much information as you can..and yes, stuff in detail too.

Best of luck! Study, study, study! Until you can't take it anymore and you will see the results.

PS. To be honest, on Achiever you must try a little harder 👍 🙂

 

[mitshi]

Thanks for the response. What method did you use to score high on the DAT? I have the Kaplan Review notes. How did you study?

I did use Kaplan's BB notes to first and kind of freshing up and calling back part of my memories. Then, for each part that I'm not sure of, I'll refer to my textbook and practice more problems from there. I used Campbell for Biology, Mortimer for Gen Chem, and Carey for Org Chem. They each cost me like 5 bucks at a used book center. I spent the first five weeks studying mostly for the sciences with little attention paid on the PAT, RC, and QR, until I got hit head on by achiever on SNS and PAT especially. That's where I began putting in more effort strenghthening those things I need to know from the texts and speeding up my perceptual skills even more fervently.

In my case, I decided to devote the last few weeks I had then, studying like 10-13 hours a day except from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, which is the weekly rest day I observe for my faith as a Seventh-day Adventist. And I discovered an intensive study schedule like this really helped me consolidate lots of info needful for the DAT.

My last two sets of scores from achiever were hardly anything higher than the 20's but they all need to be in the high teens to really tell your readiness for the big day. Press on harder. The DAT is really doable, if you're persistent to the end.🙂

 

[RHONDAROBINSON]

Thanks Mitshi. I have 7 weeks left before the test. Is this enough time to study using these books? I changed my studying schedule to BIO,CHEM,and Organic Chem everyday (chapter a day) until October 31, 2006. I will have covered all Kaplan material at this point. Then I am going to review the DAT Achiever tests all of November and buy Topscore along with studying PAT,RC,AND QR. Does this same feasible?

 

[mitshi]

Looks like you're having a heavy and systematic schedule, which sure looks good to me. But please bear in mind that certain sections in the ADA weigh more importantly than the others. For instance, Cell and Molecular Biology, Vertebrate Anatomy and Physiology, and Genetics will jointly constitute 2/3 of the Bio questions in SNS. And they only take up less than 1/3 of the book of Campbell. Developmental Biology may cover like 4 problems on the test, but it only has 2 important chapters on the book to concenrate on ... versus the huge amount of distracting garbage piling on the little info of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior you'll evetually be tested on. The bottom line is to work hard and yet be smart to concentrate on the right things.