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Hi everyone! My scores:
PAT: 19, QR: 19, RC: 19, BIO: 20, GCH: 23, OCH: 25
TS: 22
AA: 21
I'm going to break everything down, and hopefully someone will benefit:
Firstly, my practice exam scores:
Achiever
Bio GC OC TS PAT QR RC AA
19 18 23 20 17 22 25 21
17 17 19 18 18 21 22 20
16 16 25 18 18 20 26 20
Topscore
Bio GC OC TS PAT QR RC AA
17 18 19 18 20 17 22 19
17 17 21 18 22 21 29 21
17 18 19 18 22 22 29 21
BIO:This was probably my weakest subject before I started studying. I learned quite a bit from Destroyer (some similar questions on the actual test as well) and the practice exams. Achiever and TS both tested very minor facts that are irrelevant to the DAT. I didn't find this section that difficult. I had the question about Dolly, for past test-takers.
GCHM: While taking practice tests I was pretty incensed with my scores, mainly because I had taken analytical chem in fall '06 and should have rocked every question. Studying Destroyer got me back up to speed, and the practice tests probably helped. You can see from my scores that this section is easier than the practice tests.
OCHM: I just finished my organic 1/2 sequence, so only that can explain my score. I only got a few wrong in Destroyer and found the actual test to be a good survey of every topic in organic. There were one or two questions that I could only have known from memory of my classes.
RC: LOL! I got raped. The discrepancies between my practice tests and my actual test would lead one to believe that the former are only useful for simulating testing conditions... But anyway, my strategy of "dive into passage" didn't work. I should have spent time reading the passages... if only because the actual passages were so oddly organized that it took me a while to figure out where everything was. I think this depends on the passage, and that to be successful you need to be able to flip strategies based on the passage. If I had to nitpick, this would be my most disappointing score. I am otherwise very good at all things verbal. 54th percentile? Sheesh...
QR: None of my test-prep materials really prepared me for this. The scope of this section is much broader than what is found in Destroyer/Achiever/Topscore. There were questions I simple did not know the equations for. In general, I think you should be proficient in every topic of a pre-calc class.
PAT: This score was also a tad dissapointing. Maybe it was nerves... Compared to the practice exams, some sections were easier and others were harder (angles were harder, for example: in most/all of the practice tests, I'd get every angle question right... not so on the test). On TFE I benefited from Achiever. Folding, hole-punch, and keyhole were all a bit harder than Topscore.
Overall
Let me preface this with my academic situation: finished 4th semester this May, 4.0 GPA, have taken bio 1/2, orgo 1/2, gchem 1/2, analytical chem, and microbiology. I think that taking the DAT this early was an excellent decision, as I only had to brush up on the science topics. My 2.5 weeks of studying were mainly spent on taking the 6 practice tests and Destroyer; reviewing but not "learning." So if anyone else out there has just finished pre-reqs (and I think most pre-dent students finish their pre-reqs by the 2nd year) and is already thinking about the DAT, I encourage you to think about giving it a shot.
I'm sure someone will ask me about comparing the test-prep materials I used (Destroyer, Achiever, Topscore), but really most of their contribution to my scores is blurred. Destroyer was definitely worth it for me because I had to travel for days at a time while studying, but I would have bought it anyway if only for practice and peace of mind. Between Achiever and TS: just buy both. If I had time to take 6 practice tests, you definitely have time to take them.
My testing conditions were great. I was given paper/pencil. I was a little scared in the beginning, because the pre-test tutorial didn't have a functioning "Exhibit" button. It appeared for the real thing though.
I'd be happy to help anyone with questions. I won't go into exact topics/questions on the exam (mainly because my memory of the past 5 hours has already been erased).
Wooo...catharsis!
PAT: 19, QR: 19, RC: 19, BIO: 20, GCH: 23, OCH: 25
TS: 22
AA: 21
I'm going to break everything down, and hopefully someone will benefit:
Firstly, my practice exam scores:
Achiever
Bio GC OC TS PAT QR RC AA
19 18 23 20 17 22 25 21
17 17 19 18 18 21 22 20
16 16 25 18 18 20 26 20
Topscore
Bio GC OC TS PAT QR RC AA
17 18 19 18 20 17 22 19
17 17 21 18 22 21 29 21
17 18 19 18 22 22 29 21
BIO:This was probably my weakest subject before I started studying. I learned quite a bit from Destroyer (some similar questions on the actual test as well) and the practice exams. Achiever and TS both tested very minor facts that are irrelevant to the DAT. I didn't find this section that difficult. I had the question about Dolly, for past test-takers.
GCHM: While taking practice tests I was pretty incensed with my scores, mainly because I had taken analytical chem in fall '06 and should have rocked every question. Studying Destroyer got me back up to speed, and the practice tests probably helped. You can see from my scores that this section is easier than the practice tests.
OCHM: I just finished my organic 1/2 sequence, so only that can explain my score. I only got a few wrong in Destroyer and found the actual test to be a good survey of every topic in organic. There were one or two questions that I could only have known from memory of my classes.
RC: LOL! I got raped. The discrepancies between my practice tests and my actual test would lead one to believe that the former are only useful for simulating testing conditions... But anyway, my strategy of "dive into passage" didn't work. I should have spent time reading the passages... if only because the actual passages were so oddly organized that it took me a while to figure out where everything was. I think this depends on the passage, and that to be successful you need to be able to flip strategies based on the passage. If I had to nitpick, this would be my most disappointing score. I am otherwise very good at all things verbal. 54th percentile? Sheesh...
QR: None of my test-prep materials really prepared me for this. The scope of this section is much broader than what is found in Destroyer/Achiever/Topscore. There were questions I simple did not know the equations for. In general, I think you should be proficient in every topic of a pre-calc class.
PAT: This score was also a tad dissapointing. Maybe it was nerves... Compared to the practice exams, some sections were easier and others were harder (angles were harder, for example: in most/all of the practice tests, I'd get every angle question right... not so on the test). On TFE I benefited from Achiever. Folding, hole-punch, and keyhole were all a bit harder than Topscore.
Overall
Let me preface this with my academic situation: finished 4th semester this May, 4.0 GPA, have taken bio 1/2, orgo 1/2, gchem 1/2, analytical chem, and microbiology. I think that taking the DAT this early was an excellent decision, as I only had to brush up on the science topics. My 2.5 weeks of studying were mainly spent on taking the 6 practice tests and Destroyer; reviewing but not "learning." So if anyone else out there has just finished pre-reqs (and I think most pre-dent students finish their pre-reqs by the 2nd year) and is already thinking about the DAT, I encourage you to think about giving it a shot.
I'm sure someone will ask me about comparing the test-prep materials I used (Destroyer, Achiever, Topscore), but really most of their contribution to my scores is blurred. Destroyer was definitely worth it for me because I had to travel for days at a time while studying, but I would have bought it anyway if only for practice and peace of mind. Between Achiever and TS: just buy both. If I had time to take 6 practice tests, you definitely have time to take them.
My testing conditions were great. I was given paper/pencil. I was a little scared in the beginning, because the pre-test tutorial didn't have a functioning "Exhibit" button. It appeared for the real thing though.
I'd be happy to help anyone with questions. I won't go into exact topics/questions on the exam (mainly because my memory of the past 5 hours has already been erased).
Wooo...catharsis!
