Should i study for DAT during semester?

[BTR1208]

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So I have a pretty light course load this semester. Organic 2, which i am very good at. As well as physiology which requires a little more of my time but still not too bad. I am also taking one elective and stats but those two are cake.

I was originally going to start studying for the DAT right after the semester ended, for 6 weeks which would have me taking the test on June 23rd. So application would not be on first day of cycle. However, would it be better to start studying now for the test, at least a couple hours a day that way I can take it sooner, thus getting my application in earlier?

Or should i wait as planned so i can focus 100% on the DAT for 6 weeks straight?

 

[jayhawkpredent]

If you can afford it, I'd recommend buying a subscription to DAT Bootcamp, it's about $120 and a very accurate representation of the actual DAT. It gives you a bunch of practice exams, and a score after each one, so if you bought that now in a few weeks you could judge if you can handle juggling school and studying. I took the DAT a couple weeks ago, studied over winter break solely using DAT Bootcamp because they give explanations for every problem, and I scored well (to keep this real I honestly believe I got a better score than I deserved).
Also the classes you're taking will prepare you better for the test too. So if you decided to wait until summer you could trim your study time to 3 or 4 weeks of studying and apply earlier.
-hoped this helped

 

[BYU4you]

I am literally taking the same courses, ochem 2 and physiology and I am signed up to take the dat on May 21.

I study two hours a day and so far so good. I just finished math destroyer and now I am working on dat destroyer ochem and gen Chem.

It's not that bad at all. Definitely doable.

 

[Daneosaurus]

So I have a pretty light course load this semester. Organic 2, which i am very good at. As well as physiology which requires a little more of my time but still not too bad. I am also taking one elective and stats but those two are cake.

I was originally going to start studying for the DAT right after the semester ended, for 6 weeks which would have me taking the test on June 23rd. So application would not be on first day of cycle. However, would it be better to start studying now for the test, at least a couple hours a day that way I can take it sooner, thus getting my application in earlier?

Or should i wait as planned so i can focus 100% on the DAT for 6 weeks straight?

Substitute cell bio for physiology and I that was my exact schedule last spring while I studying for the DAT. I, personally, couldn't do it. I started getting really behind half way through the semester, but I also have a wife and kids and was working a ton of hours. I ended up pushing the DAT to the side and got decent grades. I resolved to study in the summer, but I also had to genetics and orgo 1 lab both in the same 6 week semester. I spent ~5 week studying, took it mid June and did pretty average.

Edit: I should also add that I didn't need to spend as much time on orgo because I had just finished the lecture sequence and was learning all the lab stuff that wasn't covered there. Definitely let me direct my focus where I needed it.

 

[jjdd]

I was in a similar boat as you are but a year ago. The post about the boot camp
Is a good idea. I took my DAT May 21st also. I dropped money on a Kaplan course (I know it receives criticism for its price.) but it forced me to study about 6 hours a week during semester. Had I not had it, I would not have stayed on task during the semester. As soon as my semester ended I crammed hard for three weeks and took it. Worked out well for me.

 

[BTR1208]

Thanks guys!! Alternatively could I just start cracking away at PAT and reading during the semester? Then use 4-6 weeks after the semester to really push hard on bio/chem/math?

I can easily study 3-4hr a day right now for the DAT but what should i be doing?

Is there anyway to fully go ahead and prepare for bio/pat/qr during the semester studying 3-4hrs a day for the next 12wks; then use a month to nail down math/chem after the semester studying 6-8hrs a day?

 

[packerland]

I would start chipping away at PAT and reading, and some math during the semester. You'll be golden in Orgo since you're taking it. Then you can use those 6 weeks to review gen chem and bio! I had almost the same semester last year - I took my DAT end of May. So about 4 weeks of solid chem/bio studying. Then alternating between PAT/reading/math. Then DAT Bootcamp tests the week before/week of! You'll be fine!

 

[BTR1208]

Okay so i am going to start chipping away at PAT, reading and math.

What should I use? What materials should i get? I want to get them ordered right away. What is the very best?

 

[jmyshadow]

I also plan on doing this, albeit next year, but would also like to know the best way to study for RC.

 

[Cello]

It's hard to find good advice on studying for RC. It seems that in general, most people don't do much prep for it. Crack DAT offers a reading section, as do some of the other resources, but I haven't seen anything that everyone consistently recommends.

What seems to make the biggest difference in people's scores on RC is the strategy they employ on the exam. Vicviper has a strategy which got him a 30 and is covered here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/vicvipers-rc-strategy.615852/

There is also search and destroy, though opinions vary wildly on whether S&D works for various people. It really seems to be a matter of preference.

It can't hurt to read a lot, and to count any reading you do for subjects you're not familiar with as decent RC study. If you can get your hands on some of the DAT prep materials for RC, whether it is from the Kaplan Blue Book, or CDP, etc. then I'm sure you'll be just fine.

 

[jjdd]

I also plan on doing this, albeit next year, but would also like to know the best way to study for RC.

I would look up some strategies for the RC. There are a few thought processes of the best way to attack the section. Some say to read the questions and then go back and read the article looking specifically for the answers. I personally used Kaplan's strategy of mapping out the article (1-15 for example) with a few words. Then moved onto the section. I used 8 mins to read the passage and 12 minutes to answer the questions. I would look up a few strategies and then practice on practice RC sections and find out what works best for you. Helped me a ton.

 

[dp93]

Thanks guys!! Alternatively could I just start cracking away at PAT and reading during the semester? Then use 4-6 weeks after the semester to really push hard on bio/chem/math?

I can easily study 3-4hr a day right now for the DAT but what should i be doing?

Is there anyway to fully go ahead and prepare for bio/pat/qr during the semester studying 3-4hrs a day for the next 12wks; then use a month to nail down math/chem after the semester studying 6-8hrs a day?

IN MY OPINION, this is a really ineffective way to go about studying. You should just try to do a little of each category regularly rather than just having a few weeks where you do x and then the next few weeks you do y then z. By the time you're done with y, you'll have forgotten x.