Studying tips

[syeh3]

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What are some tips for studying the DAT. so far ive been watchign Chads videos for gen chem and studying from AP BIO CLiff notes books and the kaplan bb.

also been using crack dat pat for the perceptual stuff. im still in my post bac clas for physics and organic chem so i probably should wait until after ochem to take th exam for 2015 matriculation?

 

[Minion]

When are you planning to take your DAT?

 

[Soleus715]

What are some tips for studying the DAT. so far ive been watchign Chads videos for gen chem and studying from AP BIO CLiff notes books and the kaplan bb.

also been using crack dat pat for the perceptual stuff. im still in my post bac clas for physics and organic chem so i probably should wait until after ochem to take th exam for 2015 matriculation?

I feel like since everyone learns differently, you should to set a study schedule/habit around how you learn best.

I personally love following a schedule, so I used google calendar to make sure i get in X hrs of each a subject in a day.

Also I would alternate days when I would go over GC/ OC flashcards and just go through a couple hundred of them to help memorize.


I think the biggest thing is exposing yourself to the same material many different ways. This will help you remember the material a LOT better. Notes/Flashcards/Youtube/Wikipedia/Chads mixed together will be a lot better than reading a textbook only.

Also refer to this post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=992975
for advice from other people as well

Good luck

 

[FeralisExtremum]

I think what makes the DAT most difficult is how broad of a test it is. None of the material itself is particularly challenging - it's all pretty much a super basic version of your pre-reqs from undergrad - but you have to remember all of it simultaneously by test day. It's easy to go through all of Chad's videos/quizzes for one subject and say "that wasn't bad at all!", and then do it for another, and another...it seems simple that way.

The real challenge is keeping it all in your head. You have to juggle three sciences with regular math and PAT practice. If you do subjects one at a time, you'll quickly forget material from all the others. The best advice I could give is to set aside a chunk of time every day to go over your notes and the material you've already reviewed - even if it seems blatantly obvious by now - to keep it all fresh in your head. It really sucks to come across a question that you could have easily answered 2 weeks ago but just can't remember anymore.

TL;DR Review all subjects regularly to keep them fresh in your head.

 

[Toadesque]

It really sucks to come across a question that you could have easily answered 2 weeks ago but just can't remember anymore.

This is one of the most rage inducing feelings when taking a practice test

Most of the time it happens in Bio because I knew I remembered reading it in your notes lol

 

[Slumber]

Tips tips tips.
1. Stay focused! (duh!), life will suck but it'll all be worth it at the end.
2. Be Patient! Rome wasn't built in a day. You will stumble, you will get defeated by the Destroyers and Achiever( if you choose to go this route), but you must not give up.
3. If you have a study method that works for you, stick to it. (You should have one after 3-4 years of undergrad)
4. For Pat, start practicing early. Start looking up all the different techniques, and learn it visualize them. It'll suck in the beginning, but once you've done enough practices, you'll do great!
5. For RC, Unfortunately, there's no cramming for this part. If you're fortunate enough to be one of the fast readers and you're able to retain all the information, CHEERS! But if you're like the rest of us, start looking up the strategies, find one that works for you! For starter, Search and Destroy, this worked for me and a whole lot others, practice with it, and practice with others. See which one works best for you and stick to it!

This is it for now, GL

 

[syeh3]

that is .. should i plan to ttake it earlier even tho i didnt even do my ochem class yet?

 

[mightymoose02]

that is .. should i plan to ttake it earlier even tho i didnt even do my ochem class yet?

You might want to take ochem first. I just took the test and I am about 5 years removed from my last ochem course. Took me a month to literally learn everything from scratch. Even Chads videos weren't helping because i didn't understand or remember basic principles.

It's possible to pull it off but I noticed that people who took ochem (and did well) right before the DAT score into the mid 20s.

 

[Contach]

Be honest with yourself in knowing what you know and don't know. Study what you don't know, because that is where you'll see the most improvement.

When doing practice questions (like Kaplan or something), don't simply get a question right and move on. You'll get wayyyy more from these question banks if you learn about the topic, beyond what that question is asking you. Then you are sure that next time they ask you a *similar* question, you will get it correct. Don't expect verbatim repeats, but do expect topics and themes to be repeated.

Get TWO good nights of sleep before your DAT. Everyone else is getting only ONE good night, and you want to do better than them right? Think about it and what this means.

 

[Dotoday]

Use Oranic chemistry as a Second language. Destroyer and Achiever. The more practise tests you do, the better.

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