Updated Breakdown - DAT Done! 6/18/2013

[lilwebb09]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I wanted to provide an update with a simple breakdown now that I've had a chance to relax a bit and not have to worry about this test.

Background: I graduated in 2008 (~3.3. GPA science and overall) and have been working in the field ever since. I applied in the 2007 cycle with an extremely low DAT score (see below) and was honestly scared to take the test ever since. I studied on and off for the past six years and finally just hit a point of not being happy about the path my career was heading and got the courage to just go for it. So while commuting 3 hours a day and working full time I buckled down and studied my life away and now I'm so happy to have my summer back! 😀 I plan to take a couple of classes this fall to "get back into the swing of things" but haven't taken any classes since graduating although I've still shadowed consistently. So my pre-req's are a little dated but I'm planning on applying this cycle anyway.

Scores:

2007 (quite embarrassing.. I can't believe I'm actually sharing this) 😳
PAT – 17
QR – 16
RC – 19
Bio – 16
GC – 15
OC – 15
---------------
TS – 15
AA – 16

2013
PAT – 20
QR – 20
RC – 18
Bio – 22
GC – 19
OC – 20
---------------
TS – 20
AA – 20

Materials Used:
Cliffs AP Bio (pdf version)
Feralis Bio Notes
Chad's Videos – GC, OC, QR
DAT Destroyer
Math Destroyer
DAT Bootcamp
CDP
ADA 2007/2009 Exams

I started studying mid-March and my approach was to start off slow and build up over time which allowed me to be realistic and gradually gain more confidence since I was prone to start studying and then stop for numerous reasons. I printed out the first chapter in Cliffs, put my timer on 20 mins and sat down and just studied… As I got more comfortable with the material 20 mins turned into longer sitting times and I was becoming more engaged with the material and watching YouTube/googling anything I didn't understand. I also purchased Chad's videos about a week after starting Cliffs and just watched the videos and did his quizzes afterwards. After the foundation was set, I attacked Destroyer… or really it attacked me haha but it helped me get the concepts down especially for Bio since I've had no upper levels at all. I also used DAT Bootcamp which was an excellent tool in having more "realistic" questions and helped with timing.

Bottom line, I went through Cliffs once, making my own notes/flashcards, watched Chad's once all the way through and then went back and watched certain videos again on fastplay to help me understand questions I was getting wrong in Destroyer/DAT Bootcamp. I went through 75% of Destroyer for each section and 11/12 Math Destroyer tests. Since I'm working, I tried to study 2-3 hours on weekdays and maybe 4-5 on weekends.

Exam:

Biology: I actually thought this was okay seeing that it was the section I was most concerned with. Like I said earlier, I've only taken Bio I and II and that was about 6 years ago. The questions in general weren't difficult at all, they were just more application sort of questions. I think 97.2% of the answers could be found in Cliffs and were all pretty basic stuff. I had one question where I actually sat back and said wow this is a great question and I have no idea. Destroyer and DAT Bootcamp were great for timing and really solidifying all that I studied.

Gen Chem: I honestly don't know what happened here because I thought this would be my highest score. These questions were not really hard, just weird and I'd be interested in knowing which ones I got wrong. There wasn't anything here though that Chad didn't cover, so I agree with others in really just knowing the basics. Bootcamp definitely help with conceptual understanding. Destroyer was also beneficial in reviewing. I'm a little disappointed in the score, but oh well, it's over!

Orgo: Chad. That's all you need. I struggled with orgo in school so I'm actually pleased with this score. I also used Destroyer and DAT Bootcamp here. Destroyer was good for the challenge but DAT Bootcamp was very realistic in terms of exam difficulty and types of questions asked.

PAT: I was scoring 18's on CDP up until two days before when I got a 20. The actual test was meh… slightly more challenging that CDP, but it wasn't unbearable. I did chuckle at a few of the KH and TFE because it was silly how ridiculous it was so again I'm pleased with this score as well.

RC: Meh. I didn't do anything for this other than the ADA exams. My strategy was search and destroy, and that worked out not so well so just meh.

QR: I skipped anything that required too much reading and went for "easier" questions first. So I think at the 15 min mark I had 15ish incomplete questions and used the remaining time to answer those. At 30 seconds I straight up guessed two. Math destroyer definitely helped with this and Chad's videos helped lay a good foundation.

Overall, I'm relieved to be done and am glad I didn't reschedule. The actual exam was not as bad as I thought it would be but I'm glad I put in the work I did. It was the little things that got me and maybe the second guessing especially for GC. I think if you focus on really studying and staying confident you will surprise yourself; I certainly did. My scores are far from these outstanding ones on SDN but the personal achievement outweighs it all for me. I don't plan on retaking so we'll see what happens. Good luck to everyone here and thank you for all your help! Let me know if you have any questions and/or advice about what to do next!

 

[gn4]

good job. not bad at all. good improvement. What did you do differently from the first test?

 

[karl66]

Awesome scores! I know everyone says cliff's has most of the answers but for someone who's in a time crunch..how would you say Feralis' notes helped? Would they be sufficient to memorize? I've gone through Barron's bio book once and started again but not much time left to go through it all)

 

[Moka11]

Awesome scores! I know everyone says cliff's has most of the answers but for someone who's in a time crunch..how would you say Feralis' notes helped? Would they be sufficient to memorize? I've gone through Barron's bio book once and started again but not much time left to go through it all)

Great breakdown. But my two cents for your question would be to skim over the book quickly (only looking at the bold words) a few times. And then go through as many Q's as you can on datqvault. It is extremely compareble to the real thing and you are bound to have strikingly similar questions.

 

[karl66]

Great breakdown. But my two cents for your question would be to skim over the book quickly (only looking at the bold letters) a few times. And then go through as many Q's ad you can on datqvault. It is extremely compareble to the real thing and you are bound to have strikingly similar questions.

Good to know, I do have Qvault. and yeaah I figured I would probably have to go through the actual book again. Thanks for the reply!

 

[hunterx2]

Good job on the scores, pretty solid all around, although your RC might be an issue with some schools. I'm also in my mid 20's after graduating a few years ago and I know how tough it is to study at the same time as going to work.

 

[lilwebb09]

Awesome scores! I know everyone says cliff's has most of the answers but for someone who's in a time crunch..how would you say Feralis' notes helped? Would they be sufficient to memorize? I've gone through Barron's bio book once and started again but not much time left to go through it all)

Feralis' notes were pretty good for me; they included a lot of things I saw later in Destroyer that I already was familiar with by just having seen it prior. I think they should however be used to supplement your other study materials. I didn't use Barron's but it seems like a few people on here used it and liked it a lot.

 

[Dotoday]

Awesome scores. Great job.