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- May 18, 2013
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Hi guys! Here’s the promised study schedule.
(My breakdown)
I studied a lot throughout the year, but I’d say hardcore studying for about two months.
Disclaimer: If you want 24+ I don’t think I’ll be able to help you 🙁 I feel like this applies a lot more to people who are shooting for 20s to 23s.
Now, I think it might be problematic to call this a “schedule” because I really didn’t have one.
For my first DAT attempt, I used Ari’s 10-week study schedule because it looked very effective. I’m sure it is for many people. But it wasn’t for me.. It felt like I was giving myself assignments and due dates, aka two of my least favorite things. Everyone has their own style, so I don’t think it means much to list hours per day, etc. So I’m going to suggest a different approach I used for my second attempt (way more successful) and leave the specific scheduling for you guys!
I focused on three ideas:
You know how most study schedules start from chapter 1 of everything? I don't really think this is too effective. You took these courses before. You must remember at least something, right? If you have the time, dedication, and energy to study every topic in-depth to get like a 24+, kudos! I respect you. But if you’re fine with a 21, it’s going to be a lot more effective studying the things you don’t know yet. Take two full test before even starting your content review. Write down the topics of the questions you get wrong. REVIEW THOSE TOPICS FIRST! If you never get to the topics you had no issues on the test, that’s a whole lot better than not getting to that last chapter on electrochemistry or amines. You always have to get prepared for that burnout. Two months of 12+ hours a day studying schedule will burn you out after a while.
Knowing what NOT to study is just as important as knowing WHAT to study. Remember that and stick with a comfortable schedule. And don’t make it so precise. You will end up feeling like s*** if you end up few days behind. And then you go like “Okay, I’ll start fresh from the beginning.” Come on, I know you’ve done that at least once haha. Set a big block-like goal one week at a time. “This week, Imma own the crap out of the Immune and Endocrine system” or “Screw this, I’ll study Acids and Base until I can recite everything about it like the Lord’s Prayer” something along those lines!
Also, don’t get caught up with not knowing a certain topic 100%! You don’t really have to. You’re not taking an extensive school exam on few topics. This is a standardized test with a whole year of science course tested with 30-40 questions. If you don’t have much time, making sure you get to ALL the topics is a lot more important than knowing each and every topic really well. Yes, you may not know every single detail, but I’d rather know 70% of 20 topics than 100 percent of 14 topics. It’s all about probability. You have nothing to draw from in those 6 topics. 0/0. No good. You have to remember you don't need to get every question correct for a decent score of a 20-23!
You can call me lazy and calculating, but I’m just sharing a method I used to increase my score with the least amount of additional studying time and effort. Who doesn't like shortcuts? 🙂 Hope this helps at least few people. Thanks! I think I'd rather answer specific questions on the individual sections haha... Please, feel free to send me a PM or a question on this post. Thanks!
(My breakdown)
I studied a lot throughout the year, but I’d say hardcore studying for about two months.
Disclaimer: If you want 24+ I don’t think I’ll be able to help you 🙁 I feel like this applies a lot more to people who are shooting for 20s to 23s.
Now, I think it might be problematic to call this a “schedule” because I really didn’t have one.
For my first DAT attempt, I used Ari’s 10-week study schedule because it looked very effective. I’m sure it is for many people. But it wasn’t for me.. It felt like I was giving myself assignments and due dates, aka two of my least favorite things. Everyone has their own style, so I don’t think it means much to list hours per day, etc. So I’m going to suggest a different approach I used for my second attempt (way more successful) and leave the specific scheduling for you guys!
I focused on three ideas:
- Knowing what NOT to study is just as important as knowing WHAT to study!
- Studying HORIZONTALLY is more important than studying VERTICALLY
- You can get many questions wrong and STILL get a 20-23!
You know how most study schedules start from chapter 1 of everything? I don't really think this is too effective. You took these courses before. You must remember at least something, right? If you have the time, dedication, and energy to study every topic in-depth to get like a 24+, kudos! I respect you. But if you’re fine with a 21, it’s going to be a lot more effective studying the things you don’t know yet. Take two full test before even starting your content review. Write down the topics of the questions you get wrong. REVIEW THOSE TOPICS FIRST! If you never get to the topics you had no issues on the test, that’s a whole lot better than not getting to that last chapter on electrochemistry or amines. You always have to get prepared for that burnout. Two months of 12+ hours a day studying schedule will burn you out after a while.
Knowing what NOT to study is just as important as knowing WHAT to study. Remember that and stick with a comfortable schedule. And don’t make it so precise. You will end up feeling like s*** if you end up few days behind. And then you go like “Okay, I’ll start fresh from the beginning.” Come on, I know you’ve done that at least once haha. Set a big block-like goal one week at a time. “This week, Imma own the crap out of the Immune and Endocrine system” or “Screw this, I’ll study Acids and Base until I can recite everything about it like the Lord’s Prayer” something along those lines!
Also, don’t get caught up with not knowing a certain topic 100%! You don’t really have to. You’re not taking an extensive school exam on few topics. This is a standardized test with a whole year of science course tested with 30-40 questions. If you don’t have much time, making sure you get to ALL the topics is a lot more important than knowing each and every topic really well. Yes, you may not know every single detail, but I’d rather know 70% of 20 topics than 100 percent of 14 topics. It’s all about probability. You have nothing to draw from in those 6 topics. 0/0. No good. You have to remember you don't need to get every question correct for a decent score of a 20-23!
You can call me lazy and calculating, but I’m just sharing a method I used to increase my score with the least amount of additional studying time and effort. Who doesn't like shortcuts? 🙂 Hope this helps at least few people. Thanks! I think I'd rather answer specific questions on the individual sections haha... Please, feel free to send me a PM or a question on this post. Thanks!
