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These are the scores I earned on the DAT (25AA/25TS):
Here are all the practice scores I earned (I took all these the week leading up to my test)
As you can see, my scores were considerably better on the real DAT than on the practice tests. During the real DAT I felt the overall intensity was less than any practice test I had taken. If Topscore and Bootcamp are at 100% intensity the real DAT felt like 85% to me.
Before I get into a breakdown, I want to share with you guys some info/tools that I made/found/were given to me which helped me study.
1) This is the same periodic table you will see on the DAT.
2) This is the same style of graph paper you will see on the DAT.
I printed this double sided and had it laminated at staples for only a few dollars. I also bought fine point sharpie markers and during my practice tests I would set my sheets up and use them! (Had to use acetone to remove the sharpie writing after each test -- not a fun experience but worth it!)
3) Destroyer Bio worksheet (40 questions per sheet – allowed me to simulate mini tests) [see attached]
4) Destroyer G-Chem worksheet (30 questions per sheet – simulates a test) [Placed in 2nd Post]
5) Destroyer O-Chem worksheet (30 questions per sheet – simulates a test) [Placed in 2nd Post]
6) Math Destroyer worksheet (40 questions per sheet) [Placed in 2nd Post]
7) Periodic Table implemented into Desktop background. This proved to be a good idea. [Placed in 2nd Post]
8) Here is the exact test structure and order for the DAT. [Placed in 2nd Post]
9) Here is a link which allows you to estimate your DAT scores: http://www.ivyglobal.ca/more/dat_estimate_score.pdf
10) Here is a link to helpful biology and science mnemonics http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/list-mcat-mnemonics-and-memory-aids.42149/
11) Here is a link to the Prometric online tutorial. This is the same tutorial they have you take in the 15 minute optional tutorial prior to the 100 Natural Sciences questions. https://www.prometric.com/ClientFiles/ada/DAT/index.htm
12) This intro to Top Front End (TFE) questions quickly got me thinking in terms of solid and dashed lines.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy80IOn1mko
13) This Reading Comprehension strategy worked really well for me. (The 16 I scored on bootcamp was when I tried to do the Search and Destroy method and not this method).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2P9giE098w
Key note: the RC section STRUCTURE/FORMAT is more similar to TopScore than Bootcamp. Questions on TOP, Text on Bottom
Materials you need:
1) DAT Destroyer (10/10) – The first time through the questions will NOT be easy… I was getting 30-50% wrong first time through. I have the 2014 version.
2) Math Destroyer (10/10) – My book had 15 tests. The first 10 tests took me on average 70ish minutes to finish. Tests 11-12 took me 90-100ish minutes to complete. 13-15 took me around an hour to complete. On the real tests, I worked through every problem and had 4 minutes to spare.
3) Bootcamp (9.5/10) – Wish there was a way to have detailed test results stored for future reference.
4) Cliff’s AP Biology (10/10) - Considering this wasn't made for the DAT it's amazing. (3rd edition)
5) Chads Videos&Quizzes (10/10) - Amazing lecturer -- Quizzes made me realize how much closer attention I should have been paying when watching his videos!
6) TopScore (9/10) -- Sciences are tough, RC format is on point -- but passages are denser than real DAT
Okay, now the breakdown and short background.
I work Mon-Friday typically 8 to 9 hours a day and had to study in the evenings from roughly 9pm-1am. I studied about 4-5 hours a day for 5 and a half months. I graduated from college in June of 2014 and many of the general chemistry and organic chemistry subtleties had eroded away after 3 years.
Okay, now here's the breakdown!
1st) Content Review
Bio:
Read every chapter in Cliffs AP biology and take detailed notes. I went through every chapter only once but slowly. Do NOT read chapter 11 (Animal Form and Function) which is woefully inadequate. Instead read Feralis Biology Notes and take notes (this is time consuming but worth it!) for these topics.
G-Chem & O-Chem:
Watch all of Chad’s videos and take detailed notes. I would take the quizzes 1 to 2 days after watching the associated videos. This way I wasn’t relying on simple short term memory to answer the questions – really helped me realize which topics went right over my head. I would make sure to always turn off the quiz function which tells you how many answers you have gotten correct – that’s just not effective studying. I took each quiz once.. and many times earned a nice RED bubble to a category… Only after I had gone through all the quizzes once did I go back and re-tackle the ones I struggled with. I would never take the same quiz more than once in the same day.
Math:
Watch Chad’s math videos. Certain strategies like using the answer choices in age related problems or his drilling of log(3) is approx. 0.5 and log(6) is approx. .75 will prove extremely helpful in math and g-chem. The math quizzes can be time consuming and I would suggest doing them only once and maybe a few of the ones you extra struggle with twice. Chad’s math is preparing you for Math Destroyer which is what really takes you to the next level.
2nd) Work Problems
Go through the entire DAT destroyer.. and be prepared to get at LEAST 1/3 of the problems wrong the first time though. I made flash cards for EVERY bio question I got wrong and every science concept I didn't understand. Struggling with taxonomy, I got large sheets of paper and drew out the entire hierarchy of the eukaryotic phylas and plant subtleties -- this helped me tremendously. I had a LOT of flash cards and I would go through portions of them daily, but working problems is still the BEST way to get ahead.
3rd) Buy Bootcamp & and start doing the PAT generators. I would try to do 5-10 PAT problems from each section every night.. some nights I didn't have time. But I tried to stay active with PAT. Never did I feel ready for angle ranking and angles were probably the toughest PAT section on my test. Bootcamp will slightly over prepare you for everything else. Also, start reading science articles. I would map the articles out.. even without questions. Following the youtuber's advice, it really pays off.
4th) Go through Chad's G-Chem & O-Chem quizzes a SECOND time and do the BIO quizzes for the first time.
5th) Do DAT Destroyer AGAIN! The second time through went sooo much better for me. But still, I could miss up to 8 or 9 questions on a specific set of 30 g-chem or o-chem questions.
Do the first 10 Math Destroyer Tests mixed in with the 2nd round of DAT Destroyer. I made flash cards for the key formulas in the front of Math Destroyer and I also made flash cards for key math concepts I ran across in the problems -- really helped come test day.
5th) Do all of Chad's G-Chem Quizzes a third time in ONE FULL DAY & O-Chem quizzes in half the next day -- this is a good assessment to see which areas any deficiencies may still be lurking!
6th) Work through the last 5 math destroyer tests and DO DESTROYER O-CHEM & G-CHEM A THIRD TIME
Honestly, even on the third time through I still would get a few problems wrong -- never did I feel like I had the answers memorized! I typically would work the problem out before looking at the answer choice which also helped prevent memorizing solutions. The third time through Destroyer was great, I typically would only miss 1-2 questions per every chunk of 30 questions -- but I did miss 5 questions on one chunk though (even on the third time)!! The third time through Destroyer was more than worth it! There are subtleties within the problems that I was completely ignorant to on my first and second time through (this is especially true for o-chem). By completing Chad's quizzes three times, doing Destroyer twice, and working flash cards, the third time through DAT Destroyer became completely game changing.
7th) Begin Practice tests 8 days prior to your DAT(my boss went on vacation which I planned my test date around -- this allowed me to take 7 practice tests leading right up to my DAT).
This is the order in which I took them:
1) TopScore #1 & Review -- The first one is far more mentally exhausting than I was ready for.
2) TopScore#2 & Review
3) Bootcamp#2 & Review
4) Bootcamp#3 & Review
5) Bootcamp#4 & Review
6) TopScore#3 & Review
7) Bootcamp#5 --didn't take the QR... & Review
(I took the first bootcamp sections early on in my studies but never logged my scores...I started to retake the test later on and realized I had some of the solutions still memorized -- preventing me from ascertaining accurate scores for the first set)
These practice tests got my brain saturated with the structure and overall feel/vibe of the DAT. With the limited amount of RC practice available I wanted to hit the RC practice right before the real test. This is why I saved all of my practice tests for the days leading up to my real DAT.
8th) The day before test.. don't slouch. I compiled and reworked all of the destroyer questions I got wrong on the 3rd time through, plus the ones I marked as important concepts to review, plus the bio questions I got wrong the second time through. I also went through the review notes I made after each practice test.
I also reworked math destroyer test #7 just to see if my timing had improved. It sure did! Instead of the original 70 minutes to complete the test I was able to finish it in 43 minutes. I knew I was pretty much squared away on the math! (pun intended)
9th) TEST DAY
I read and mapped 2 science articles first thing in the morning to get my brain warmed up. Then I worked 5 questions from each PAT category on a PAT test from bootcamp that I hadn't done, this got my brain going full speed for the day.
I reviewed plant physiology and some subtle phyla details and then left for the real deal.
I had the radio going good on the way there and told myself I was ready and that I was going to kick butt. Confidence is key!
I also was VERY careful not to over hydrate and made sure to go to the restroom immediately prior to being finger printed and metal detectored into the test.
In summary:
Do DAT destroyer 3 times. I honestly did it about 3.5 times. The day before the test I worked a lot of problems and felt like I built up to an information climax. Most of the problems were simply review but a few problems were still concepts I was ironing the last little wrinkles out of. Overall, make sure to also do Chad's quizzes 3 times too. Or at least 2 full times and do the ones you performed weak on enough times to fully understand them.
I cannot say my method is any type of short cut but I really do feel hard work and a solid strategy can pay off!
Lastly, thank you Dr. Romano, Nancy, Feralis, and the other frequent contributors to SDN. You guys make SDN an invaluable resource.
Here are all the practice scores I earned (I took all these the week leading up to my test)
As you can see, my scores were considerably better on the real DAT than on the practice tests. During the real DAT I felt the overall intensity was less than any practice test I had taken. If Topscore and Bootcamp are at 100% intensity the real DAT felt like 85% to me.
Before I get into a breakdown, I want to share with you guys some info/tools that I made/found/were given to me which helped me study.
1) This is the same periodic table you will see on the DAT.
2) This is the same style of graph paper you will see on the DAT.
I printed this double sided and had it laminated at staples for only a few dollars. I also bought fine point sharpie markers and during my practice tests I would set my sheets up and use them! (Had to use acetone to remove the sharpie writing after each test -- not a fun experience but worth it!)
3) Destroyer Bio worksheet (40 questions per sheet – allowed me to simulate mini tests) [see attached]
4) Destroyer G-Chem worksheet (30 questions per sheet – simulates a test) [Placed in 2nd Post]
5) Destroyer O-Chem worksheet (30 questions per sheet – simulates a test) [Placed in 2nd Post]
6) Math Destroyer worksheet (40 questions per sheet) [Placed in 2nd Post]
7) Periodic Table implemented into Desktop background. This proved to be a good idea. [Placed in 2nd Post]
8) Here is the exact test structure and order for the DAT. [Placed in 2nd Post]
9) Here is a link which allows you to estimate your DAT scores: http://www.ivyglobal.ca/more/dat_estimate_score.pdf
10) Here is a link to helpful biology and science mnemonics http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/list-mcat-mnemonics-and-memory-aids.42149/
11) Here is a link to the Prometric online tutorial. This is the same tutorial they have you take in the 15 minute optional tutorial prior to the 100 Natural Sciences questions. https://www.prometric.com/ClientFiles/ada/DAT/index.htm
12) This intro to Top Front End (TFE) questions quickly got me thinking in terms of solid and dashed lines.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy80IOn1mko
13) This Reading Comprehension strategy worked really well for me. (The 16 I scored on bootcamp was when I tried to do the Search and Destroy method and not this method).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2P9giE098w
Key note: the RC section STRUCTURE/FORMAT is more similar to TopScore than Bootcamp. Questions on TOP, Text on Bottom
Materials you need:
1) DAT Destroyer (10/10) – The first time through the questions will NOT be easy… I was getting 30-50% wrong first time through. I have the 2014 version.
2) Math Destroyer (10/10) – My book had 15 tests. The first 10 tests took me on average 70ish minutes to finish. Tests 11-12 took me 90-100ish minutes to complete. 13-15 took me around an hour to complete. On the real tests, I worked through every problem and had 4 minutes to spare.
3) Bootcamp (9.5/10) – Wish there was a way to have detailed test results stored for future reference.
4) Cliff’s AP Biology (10/10) - Considering this wasn't made for the DAT it's amazing. (3rd edition)
5) Chads Videos&Quizzes (10/10) - Amazing lecturer -- Quizzes made me realize how much closer attention I should have been paying when watching his videos!
6) TopScore (9/10) -- Sciences are tough, RC format is on point -- but passages are denser than real DAT
Okay, now the breakdown and short background.
I work Mon-Friday typically 8 to 9 hours a day and had to study in the evenings from roughly 9pm-1am. I studied about 4-5 hours a day for 5 and a half months. I graduated from college in June of 2014 and many of the general chemistry and organic chemistry subtleties had eroded away after 3 years.
Okay, now here's the breakdown!
1st) Content Review
Bio:
Read every chapter in Cliffs AP biology and take detailed notes. I went through every chapter only once but slowly. Do NOT read chapter 11 (Animal Form and Function) which is woefully inadequate. Instead read Feralis Biology Notes and take notes (this is time consuming but worth it!) for these topics.
G-Chem & O-Chem:
Watch all of Chad’s videos and take detailed notes. I would take the quizzes 1 to 2 days after watching the associated videos. This way I wasn’t relying on simple short term memory to answer the questions – really helped me realize which topics went right over my head. I would make sure to always turn off the quiz function which tells you how many answers you have gotten correct – that’s just not effective studying. I took each quiz once.. and many times earned a nice RED bubble to a category… Only after I had gone through all the quizzes once did I go back and re-tackle the ones I struggled with. I would never take the same quiz more than once in the same day.
Math:
Watch Chad’s math videos. Certain strategies like using the answer choices in age related problems or his drilling of log(3) is approx. 0.5 and log(6) is approx. .75 will prove extremely helpful in math and g-chem. The math quizzes can be time consuming and I would suggest doing them only once and maybe a few of the ones you extra struggle with twice. Chad’s math is preparing you for Math Destroyer which is what really takes you to the next level.
2nd) Work Problems
Go through the entire DAT destroyer.. and be prepared to get at LEAST 1/3 of the problems wrong the first time though. I made flash cards for EVERY bio question I got wrong and every science concept I didn't understand. Struggling with taxonomy, I got large sheets of paper and drew out the entire hierarchy of the eukaryotic phylas and plant subtleties -- this helped me tremendously. I had a LOT of flash cards and I would go through portions of them daily, but working problems is still the BEST way to get ahead.
3rd) Buy Bootcamp & and start doing the PAT generators. I would try to do 5-10 PAT problems from each section every night.. some nights I didn't have time. But I tried to stay active with PAT. Never did I feel ready for angle ranking and angles were probably the toughest PAT section on my test. Bootcamp will slightly over prepare you for everything else. Also, start reading science articles. I would map the articles out.. even without questions. Following the youtuber's advice, it really pays off.
4th) Go through Chad's G-Chem & O-Chem quizzes a SECOND time and do the BIO quizzes for the first time.
5th) Do DAT Destroyer AGAIN! The second time through went sooo much better for me. But still, I could miss up to 8 or 9 questions on a specific set of 30 g-chem or o-chem questions.
Do the first 10 Math Destroyer Tests mixed in with the 2nd round of DAT Destroyer. I made flash cards for the key formulas in the front of Math Destroyer and I also made flash cards for key math concepts I ran across in the problems -- really helped come test day.
5th) Do all of Chad's G-Chem Quizzes a third time in ONE FULL DAY & O-Chem quizzes in half the next day -- this is a good assessment to see which areas any deficiencies may still be lurking!
6th) Work through the last 5 math destroyer tests and DO DESTROYER O-CHEM & G-CHEM A THIRD TIME
Honestly, even on the third time through I still would get a few problems wrong -- never did I feel like I had the answers memorized! I typically would work the problem out before looking at the answer choice which also helped prevent memorizing solutions. The third time through Destroyer was great, I typically would only miss 1-2 questions per every chunk of 30 questions -- but I did miss 5 questions on one chunk though (even on the third time)!! The third time through Destroyer was more than worth it! There are subtleties within the problems that I was completely ignorant to on my first and second time through (this is especially true for o-chem). By completing Chad's quizzes three times, doing Destroyer twice, and working flash cards, the third time through DAT Destroyer became completely game changing.
7th) Begin Practice tests 8 days prior to your DAT(my boss went on vacation which I planned my test date around -- this allowed me to take 7 practice tests leading right up to my DAT).
This is the order in which I took them:
1) TopScore #1 & Review -- The first one is far more mentally exhausting than I was ready for.
2) TopScore#2 & Review
3) Bootcamp#2 & Review
4) Bootcamp#3 & Review
5) Bootcamp#4 & Review
6) TopScore#3 & Review
7) Bootcamp#5 --didn't take the QR... & Review
(I took the first bootcamp sections early on in my studies but never logged my scores...I started to retake the test later on and realized I had some of the solutions still memorized -- preventing me from ascertaining accurate scores for the first set)
These practice tests got my brain saturated with the structure and overall feel/vibe of the DAT. With the limited amount of RC practice available I wanted to hit the RC practice right before the real test. This is why I saved all of my practice tests for the days leading up to my real DAT.
8th) The day before test.. don't slouch. I compiled and reworked all of the destroyer questions I got wrong on the 3rd time through, plus the ones I marked as important concepts to review, plus the bio questions I got wrong the second time through. I also went through the review notes I made after each practice test.
I also reworked math destroyer test #7 just to see if my timing had improved. It sure did! Instead of the original 70 minutes to complete the test I was able to finish it in 43 minutes. I knew I was pretty much squared away on the math! (pun intended)
9th) TEST DAY
I read and mapped 2 science articles first thing in the morning to get my brain warmed up. Then I worked 5 questions from each PAT category on a PAT test from bootcamp that I hadn't done, this got my brain going full speed for the day.
I reviewed plant physiology and some subtle phyla details and then left for the real deal.
I had the radio going good on the way there and told myself I was ready and that I was going to kick butt. Confidence is key!
I also was VERY careful not to over hydrate and made sure to go to the restroom immediately prior to being finger printed and metal detectored into the test.
In summary:
Do DAT destroyer 3 times. I honestly did it about 3.5 times. The day before the test I worked a lot of problems and felt like I built up to an information climax. Most of the problems were simply review but a few problems were still concepts I was ironing the last little wrinkles out of. Overall, make sure to also do Chad's quizzes 3 times too. Or at least 2 full times and do the ones you performed weak on enough times to fully understand them.
I cannot say my method is any type of short cut but I really do feel hard work and a solid strategy can pay off!
Lastly, thank you Dr. Romano, Nancy, Feralis, and the other frequent contributors to SDN. You guys make SDN an invaluable resource.
Last edited:
Loved your breakdown, thank you 
CONGRATS!
