Taking my DAT on the 16th!

[azimmer]

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So my DAT is less than 2 weeks away, and I'm feeling pretty nervous. Any tips about what y'all did to keep calm as your test date was approaching?

P.S- Are Chad's videos/DAT Destroyer enough to get through the Gen chem/ ochem sections on the DAT?

 

[Ortho88]

Hey Zimmer,

It depends on what classes you taken previously.. I'm a senior, my last gen chem was 2.5 yrs ago, while ochem was 1.5 yrs ago. It took me about 2 weeks to review and recently took my dat today. I feel pretty ok with my results knowing that I didn't study as much. Bio question is sort of random, but make sure you study that part too. I ended up not studying for bio and got just the average 18. Either way, make sure if you're not ready, then give yourself enough time.

I felt 2 weeks are just like speed-cramming. I was cramming the entire first week, but ended up getting sick on the 2nd week. If you want to get a good score, do tons of practice and make sure you know everything cold. You don't have time to think during this test, it must already pre-programmed ahead of time. If you can postpone it, please do until you're ready.

 

[kevinrho]

So my DAT is less than 2 weeks away, and I'm feeling pretty nervous. Any tips about what y'all did to keep calm as your test date was approaching?

P.S- Are Chad's videos/DAT Destroyer enough to get through the Gen chem/ ochem sections on the DAT?

how long have you been studying? Chad and Destroyer is all I used for the Chem sections. Got a 26 on G-chem and 21 on O-chem. I haven't taken G-chem since 2006 and O-chem since 2007.

Have you taken any practice tests yet? Topscore? ADA 2007/2009? Achiever? I heard DAT Qvault has some new practice tests out.

If you haven't taken a practice test, do a practice test, see where you stand. People usually do better on the actual DAT compared to practice exams. Everyone gets nervous. I don't remember how I took care of my nervousness, it's a natural thing to be nervous. Practice Practice Practice and keep telling yourself that you will kick the DAT in the @$$. Goodluck!

Ortho88 also gave you some very good tips!

 

[hchc]

So my DAT is less than 2 weeks away, and I'm feeling pretty nervous. Any tips about what y'all did to keep calm as your test date was approaching?

P.S- Are Chad's videos/DAT Destroyer enough to get through the Gen chem/ ochem sections on the DAT?

I scored a 30 on gchem doing only chad's videos and of course 07 dat and oat sample. I went over all the videos and took extensive notes, and did all the quiz questions right after each video. Then when I was done all the videos I did every single quiz question by using the make your own quiz function. Two nights before the DAT I went over all my notes and did all the questions one last time. I was able to do every single calculation/theory question on the dat no problem. There were 2 questions about lab technique that gave me pause but, apparently I guessed them right. I didn't bother with destroyer because after looking at a few problems I felt like they were far too complicated. It was more important for me to know the basics and theory behind all the questions than to do random off the wall problems that try to trip you up. On my dat there were NO trick questions and no exceptional cases. For ochem you'll probably need to do chad's videos, and some review of concepts from "Organic Chemistry I as a Second Language" book for semester 1 and 2. After that you can do some sample questions from Destroyer for ochem. But, I definitely don't recommend destroyer for gchem it's really overkill.

 

[azimmer]

Thanks for all the advice, it definitely made me feel more prepared! I'm about to take my first top score tomorrow!

 

[ChapelHillT]

P.S- Are Chad's videos/DAT Destroyer enough to get through the Gen chem/ ochem sections on the DAT?

Yes! Know Chad's quizzes and the roadmaps cold. Work through both of those resources as much as possible. I would prioritize Chad's quizzes a bit higher than Destroyer, but the Destroyer is what helps you get those extra 2-3 tough questions that really bumps your score up. I went all the way through Chad's quizzes total like 5 times, and hit the ones I missed more than that. Same for Destroyer. I aced gchem and made 24 on ochem (and I was never particularly good at either in undergrad). Good luck to you!!!