Took DAT today

[steelrfan8]

First, I only took the Kaplan blue book practice exam and the ADA exam posted after studying notes and flash cards I accumulated over the years at school, that includes bio notes, general chem and organic chem. I spent a lot of time learning math strategy and CrackPAT for that portion.

My scores were:

PAT - 18
QR - 14
RC - 17 (of course I got the piano passage, now I know whats it all about)
Bio - 17
Gen Chem - 18
Organic Chem - 18

Really dissapointed in my PAT score vs my expectations, I was averaging 20-21 on the last 3-4 CrackPAT exams and the real one seemed so much easier for some reason, I really thought I killed it and was very surprised that I got an 18. Really can't put my mind on where I screwed up, on Crack I averaged about 13 on keyholes, 13 on TFE, 8 on angles, 14 hole punch, mostly 15s on cube count besides thole illusion (cube count on real DAT felt like a joke to be honest compared to Crack) and around 10 on pattern folding.

QR is unreal with the time restrictions, its so frustrating knowing how to do the problem but not being able to do it cuz of time. When I did Kaplan practice exam I got like 15 out of 40 right timed but when I reviewed it I knew how to do about 35 out of 40 easily (this is of course after about 2-4 week of learning how to solve these types of problems, basically brain teasers which I never had to do until this test so I spent a lot of effort learning methods.... but timing is what makes it super hard, not the material) . Gonna have to find methods to improve time here, prolly Crack.

Bio is my thing, very dissapointed with this score. My major was bio and most of my electives dealt with molecular bio like biochem, genetics, endo, histo etc and I studied that information which turned out to be totally useless. The questions were really broad and I had trouble recalling some basic questions.... I really wish this section was more molecular level bio oriented which 90% of my understanding involves around.

gen Chem and organic were pretty straight forward, I did really well in organic at school and once again spent a good amount of time reviewing mechanisms and all reagents.... but questions were pretty general and I wish I would of focused on the bigger picture again which probably would of raised my score.

For the next time I take it, I'm gonna utilize all availible resources to study like Achiever or Topscore, definatly gonna grab CrackMath and hope I don't screw up on the PAT again since I felt that is my strongest seciton of the test.


I developed study habits at school where I always learned material from notes and textbooks 110% before going over a back exams if they were availible and had a lot of success (graduated with a 3.6 over and a 3.7 in science gpa) and I tired to apply this apporoach for studying here. I do not think this is a good strategy, I hsould of taken practice exams liek Achiever and build on top of that through notes/cards instead of doing the opposite and I think that cost me the potential on this exam (besides the math which will require a lot of practice to get the timing down).

If you guys have any specific quesitons, I will answer since everything is very fresh in my head.

 

[206127]

First, I only took the Kaplan blue book practice exam and the ADA exam posted after studying notes and flash cards I accumulated over the years at school, that includes bio notes, general chem and organic chem. I spent a lot of time learning math strategy and CrackPAT for that portion.

My scores were:

PAT - 18
QR - 14
RC - 17 (of course I got the piano passage, now I know whats it all about)
Bio - 17
Gen Chem - 18
Organic Chem - 18

Really dissapointed in my PAT score vs my expectations, I was averaging 20-21 on the last 3-4 CrackPAT exams and the real one seemed so much easier for some reason, I really thought I killed it and was very surprised that I got an 18. Really can't put my mind on where I screwed up, on Crack I averaged about 13 on keyholes, 13 on TFE, 8 on angles, 14 hole punch, mostly 15s on cube count besides thole illusion (cube count on real DAT felt like a joke to be honest compared to Crack) and around 10 on pattern folding.

QR is unreal with the time restrictions, its so frustrating knowing how to do the problem but not being able to do it cuz of time. When I did Kaplan practice exam I got like 15 out of 40 right timed but when I reviewed it I knew how to do about 35 out of 40 easily. Gonna have to find methods to improve time here.

Bio is my thing, very dissapointed with this score. My major was bio and most of my electives dealt with molecular bio like biochem, genetics, endo, histo etc and I studied that information which turned out to be totally useless. The questions were really broad and I had trouble recalling some basic questions.... I really wish this section was more molecular level bio oriented which 90% of my understanding involves around.

gen Chem and organic were pretty straight forward, I did really well in organic at school and once again spent a good amount of time reviewing mechanisms and all reagents.... but questions were pretty general and I wish I would of focused on the bigger picture again which probably would of raised my score.

For the next time I take it, I'm gonna utilize all availible resources to study like Achiever or Topscore, definatly gonna grab CrackMath and hope I don't screw up on the PAT again since I felt that is my strongest seciton of the test.

I took this version of the test... That version sucks! I used Crack the DAT PAT and was getting 22-25, I got a 21 on the actual test. I only used Crack the DAT Math for like 2 days. I recommend using it much more to practice for the math, I feel if I would of done that I would of scored much higher. Nothing you can do about that piano passage... Good luck!

 

[steelrfan8]

I took this version of the test... That version sucks! I used Crack the DAT PAT and was getting 22-25, I got a 21 on the actual test. I only used Crack the DAT Math for like 2 days. I recommend using it much more to practice for the math, I feel if I would of done that I would of scored much higher. Nothing you can do about that piano passage... Good luck!

So the version of the test with the piano passage has all other sections the same for everyone who takes it? And when I take the test again, I'll get a totally new test withough the piano?

 

[ephesus32]

piano passage?? I thought the reading comprehension section was only based on science??

 

[Danny289]

I took this version of the test... That version sucks! I used Crack the DAT PAT and was getting 22-25, I got a 21 on the actual test. I only used Crack the DAT Math for like 2 days. I recommend using it much more to practice for the math, I feel if I would of done that I would of scored much higher. Nothing you can do about that piano passage... Good luck!

^ agreed

 

[206127]

So the version of the test with the piano passage has all other sections the same for everyone who takes it? And when I take the test again, I'll get a totally new test withough the piano?

Yes the version of the test with the piano passage has all the other sections the same... this is how they can determine what percentile you fall into. You'll see that a 21 on one test can be in the 92 percentile while on another that 21 can be in the 93 percentile.

You should get a completely different test the next time you take it since there are a quite a few in circulation. It is possible that you do get the same test again though, I remember reading on here that that happened to someone.

 

[206127]

piano passage?? I thought the reading comprehension section was only based on science??

yes... piano passage, it has nothing to do with science.

 

[Danny289]

Yes the version of the test with the piano passage has all the other sections the same... this is how they can determine what percentile you fall into. You'll see that a 21 on one test can be in the 92 percentile while on another that 21 can be in the 93 percentile.

You should get a completely different test the next time you take it since there are a quite a few in circulation. It is possible that you do get the same test again though, I remember reading on here that that happened to someone.

that guy was teasing us buddy. it is not possible geting same version.

 

[206127]

that guy was teasing us buddy. it is not possible geting same version.

haha... damn that guy fooled me...

 

[roxie2love]

First, I only took the Kaplan blue book practice exam and the ADA exam posted after studying notes and flash cards I accumulated over the years at school, that includes bio notes, general chem and organic chem. I spent a lot of time learning math strategy and CrackPAT for that portion.

My scores were:

PAT - 18
QR - 14
RC - 17 (of course I got the piano passage, now I know whats it all about)
Bio - 17
Gen Chem - 18
Organic Chem - 18

Really dissapointed in my PAT score vs my expectations, I was averaging 20-21 on the last 3-4 CrackPAT exams and the real one seemed so much easier for some reason, I really thought I killed it and was very surprised that I got an 18. Really can't put my mind on where I screwed up, on Crack I averaged about 13 on keyholes, 13 on TFE, 8 on angles, 14 hole punch, mostly 15s on cube count besides thole illusion (cube count on real DAT felt like a joke to be honest compared to Crack) and around 10 on pattern folding.

QR is unreal with the time restrictions, its so frustrating knowing how to do the problem but not being able to do it cuz of time. When I did Kaplan practice exam I got like 15 out of 40 right timed but when I reviewed it I knew how to do about 35 out of 40 easily (this is of course after about 2-4 week of learning how to solve these types of problems, basically brain teasers which I never had to do until this test so I spent a lot of effort learning methods.... but timing is what makes it super hard, not the material) . Gonna have to find methods to improve time here, prolly Crack.

Bio is my thing, very dissapointed with this score. My major was bio and most of my electives dealt with molecular bio like biochem, genetics, endo, histo etc and I studied that information which turned out to be totally useless. The questions were really broad and I had trouble recalling some basic questions.... I really wish this section was more molecular level bio oriented which 90% of my understanding involves around.

gen Chem and organic were pretty straight forward, I did really well in organic at school and once again spent a good amount of time reviewing mechanisms and all reagents.... but questions were pretty general and I wish I would of focused on the bigger picture again which probably would of raised my score.

For the next time I take it, I'm gonna utilize all availible resources to study like Achiever or Topscore, definatly gonna grab CrackMath and hope I don't screw up on the PAT again since I felt that is my strongest seciton of the test.


I developed study habits at school where I always learned material from notes and textbooks 110% before going over a back exams if they were availible and had a lot of success (graduated with a 3.6 over and a 3.7 in science gpa) and I tired to apply this apporoach for studying here. I do not think this is a good strategy, I hsould of taken practice exams liek Achiever and build on top of that through notes/cards instead of doing the opposite and I think that cost me the potential on this exam (besides the math which will require a lot of practice to get the timing down).

If you guys have any specific quesitons, I will answer since everything is very fresh in my head.

What is this infamous piano passage that everyone is talking about? And what does it mean in terms of scoring on RC? Thanks!

 

[206127]

What is this infamous piano passage that everyone is talking about? And what does it mean in terms of scoring on RC? Thanks!

You get three passages in your RC section, on one version of the DAT there is a passage about pianos. If you get this passage, skip it do the next one and go back to that piano one at the end. The trend on here as been that if you got the piano or frap test you typically scored low on the RC section. Some people have still managed to score well though, so don't freak out if you get it on test day.

 

[steelrfan8]

What is this infamous piano passage that everyone is talking about? And what does it mean in terms of scoring on RC? Thanks!

I was wondering that myself before I took the test but unfortunatley I had to find out the hard way. Its about the structure of a piano with questions that can't really be found directly in the passage so its pretty time consuming to get the gist of what is being said and relate it to the questions.

My 1st passage was on cAMP, luckily I knew how the entire system works with G proteins so I flew through most of it, forget what the 2nd one was but I also knew the info and ended up having around 25 mins for the piano passage which still didnt seem like enough time to get all the detail questions.

Also, is there any way to challenge the PAT score or at least see the section scores? I can't accept the fact that I got an 18, that PAT seemed pretty easy (I even stopped a few times and thought if they're really asking these questions especially for cubes and hole punches) compared to the Crack tests and there were only a few problem that I wasnt sure about... just curious where exactly I screwed up.

 

[roxie2love]

You get three passages in your RC section, on one version of the DAT there is a passage about pianos. If you get this passage, skip it do the next one and go back to that piano one at the end. The trend on here as been that if you got the piano or frap test you typically scored low on the RC section. Some people have still managed to score well though, so don't freak out if you get it on test day.

This makes me nervous, but good to know! Thanks! Does it have a lot of details, hard to understand? And what is the Frap passage?

 

[roxie2love]

I was wondering that myself before I took the test but unfortunatley I had to find out the hard way. Its about the structure of a piano with questions that can't really be found directly in the passage so its pretty time consuming to get the gist of what is being said and relate it to the questions.

My 1st passage was on cAMP, luckily I knew how the entire system works with G proteins so I flew through most of it, forget what the 2nd one was but I also knew the info and ended up having around 25 mins for the piano passage which still didnt seem like enough time to get all the detail questions.

Also, is there any way to challenge the PAT score or at least see the section scores? I can't accept the fact that I got an 18, that PAT seemed pretty easy (I even stopped a few times and thought if they're really asking these questions especially for cubes and hole punches) compared to the Crack tests and there were only a few problem that I wasnt sure about... just curious where exactly I screwed up.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[eldirty]

congrats on getting the test out of the way ... it must have been tough to take during the holidays ... best of luck to you!

 

[aasst15]

hey steelrfan8:
I took it in Monroeville (Pittsburgh) on the 27th. Got the piano section too.
I thought the reading comp wasn't too bad:
What do you guys think:
aa18
rc20
bio21
chem18
org 15
quant 16
pat 17

i was supposed to take the test in october, but a suv ran over me while i was riding my bike. i didn't reschedule immediately, and the semester happened. i didn't practice at all, pretty much only really studied 2 day before the test. I was most worried about the gen chem, and super dissapointed on the organic. that what i get for try to cram the road maps for 3 hours the day before the exam. amazing how much you lose without practice over the course of 3 months.

I felt pretty much rushed for everything, esp. the math. I've applied this cycle, but am a little worried about my scores. I'm a 3.0 undergrad, but am in a bio grad program with a 3.8. I'm 10 years outta undergrad and am really thinking this may be my only shot. if I don't get in, I'm a year away from a PhD and have kids + mortgage so....

 

[Zubnaya Feya]

My 3 passages on the RC were about:
1) Magnesium and calcium involvement in heart diseases
2) Ethics/morals, what is the difference, cultural issues (pain!)
3) Developmental bio.. something about induction.

The 2nd paragraph on ethics pretty much killed me and the whole 2nd part of the exam because it made me go off track . It asked not what the text is about but to solve problems using the text (like someone mentioned before). It was very hard to keep everything straight.

 

[Enso]

hey steelrfan8:
I took it in Monroeville (Pittsburgh) on the 27th. Got the piano section too.
I thought the reading comp wasn't too bad:
What do you guys think:
aa18
rc20
bio21
chem18
org 15
quant 16
pat 17

i was supposed to take the test in october, but a suv ran over me while i was riding my bike. i didn't reschedule immediately, and the semester happened. i didn't practice at all, pretty much only really studied 2 day before the test. I was most worried about the gen chem, and super dissapointed on the organic. that what i get for try to cram the road maps for 3 hours the day before the exam. amazing how much you lose without practice over the course of 3 months.

I felt pretty much rushed for everything, esp. the math. I've applied this cycle, but am a little worried about my scores. I'm a 3.0 undergrad, but am in a bio grad program with a 3.8. I'm 10 years outta undergrad and am really thinking this may be my only shot. if I don't get in, I'm a year away from a PhD and have kids + mortgage so....

Your ochem score will stick out. I'd recommend using Destroyer's orgo road maps to study if you plan on retaking it in the future.

 

[aasst15]

What the consensus then? Just wait it out? I have PhD qualifiers in April, I can't take the DAT again until around then so I'm a little leary about being able to fully devote myself. The qualifier will prob take 1-2 months of busting ass. the dat about the same, so I prob. could do both. But, it's so late in the cycle. Should I just ride out the app w/ these scores, pray for an interview and I don't get in study over the summer and reapply for next year?

 

[tinman831]

Please stop discussing details of exam quesions, thanks.

 

[adizzle87]

What the consensus then? Just wait it out? I have PhD qualifiers in April, I can't take the DAT again until around then so I'm a little leary about being able to fully devote myself. The qualifier will prob take 1-2 months of busting ass. the dat about the same, so I prob. could do both. But, it's so late in the cycle. Should I just ride out the app w/ these scores, pray for an interview and I don't get in study over the summer and reapply for next year?

That's what I would do because honestly.