Whats the point of studying things that have little probability of showing up?

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shiftypoptart

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So Ive finished watching chads videos twice, reading kaplan bb twice, and have been listening to MCAT audio osmosis anytime I wasn't doing the other two. I bought Crack the dat combo pack (which i definately regret doing) and it seems like every other question on those things on the science part is one that theres probably gunna be like 4-5 MAX of 30 (well dunno but I assume). Is there really any point in going over crazy questions? I mean I took the ADA's practice test and got almost perfects on orgo and gchem (had trouble with bio with ecology taxonomy questions which i went over again recently). This test really re-boosted my confidence after taking all these other dumb practice test, I recommend it to anyone thats has had their confidence destroyed by destroyer and Crack the dat.

So my question is why worry about the little things, from what Ive read about others taking the DAT is that its definitely straightforward if you studied your stuff. All these practice test are doing (except for the ADA one) are just spiking up my adrenaline and making me worried about the little things. Somehow I feel that its a conspiracy between the test prep companies to make you believe you improved because of their system... I just wish I took the DAT earlier so i could see what its really like =/. But yeah anyone feeling like this right now? DAT next weds and I'm at that point where I feel studying any longer is pointless.

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Lol, maybe there IS some conspiracy. But I know what you mean, cuz when it came down to crunch time, I didn't bother with the tiny details in bio, for example, though technically, if you want all your bases covered, you kinda should try to know as much as you can? Like I've read from some people's breakdowns about how they ended up with like 3-5 taxonomy questions (which is kinda detail-oriented info to me, that I wouldn't be an expert on) but others, and myself, got 0-1. It all really seems to depend on what kind of test questions you end up getting. From what I understand though, if you have a strong grasp on the basic/common concepts and question types, you are likely to do well. And then if you have all the crazy details and concepts down, you may be more likely to do better then just 'well' but there's no guarantee of that. So if you think you're kind of at the end of your road with studying, there definitely might be a good reason your brain is saying that to you. You might review more and maybe just skim details of stuff that might (but most likely will not) come up, but definitely don't go nuts and overstudy.

As to the 'crazy questions,' I know what you're talking about cuz there were things in CrackDat Science that I was just like "huh?" at, because I knew there was almost no chance I'd see it on the real thing. Personally I ended up not using it as a study aid at all because it was too detailed/unrealistically hard. I just used CrackDat stuff for the QR, PAT, and RC, and then depended on TopScore for full-lengths and science sections.
 
What I hate about these standardized tests is that regardless of whether study everything its almost impossible to get every base covered. Unlike a class where you just focus on a few topics, this test test understanding of your first two years of college. So I think Ima stick to knowing the 80% of the material that is most likely to show up and know this really well than knowing 100% somewhat sloppily is the best way I can describe it. Hopefully luck is on my side and I get everything I know well like hormones, cell bio, and physio on bio section ;)

For the next week I think Ima watch the chad videos im shaky on, maybe review the destroyer road maps, and relax the day before the test. Lets hope everything goes according to plan my goals aren't too high hopefully 18+s on everything and hopefully an interview at usc or llu later this year.
 
I agree, it is very aggravating at times to know that many hours, even days of studying random bio and other facts will not be tested on

But oh well, has to be done... (And IMO wasting time on bio is a lot more fun than memorizing trig formulas anyways heh)
 
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So Ive finished watching chads videos twice, reading kaplan bb twice, and have been listening to MCAT audio osmosis anytime I wasn't doing the other two. I bought Crack the dat combo pack (which i definately regret doing) and it seems like every other question on those things on the science part is one that theres probably gunna be like 4-5 MAX of 30 (well dunno but I assume). Is there really any point in going over crazy questions? I mean I took the ADA's practice test and got almost perfects on orgo and gchem (had trouble with bio with ecology taxonomy questions which i went over again recently). This test really re-boosted my confidence after taking all these other dumb practice test, I recommend it to anyone thats has had their confidence destroyed by destroyer and Crack the dat.

So my question is why worry about the little things, from what Ive read about others taking the DAT is that its definitely straightforward if you studied your stuff. All these practice test are doing (except for the ADA one) are just spiking up my adrenaline and making me worried about the little things. Somehow I feel that its a conspiracy between the test prep companies to make you believe you improved because of their system... I just wish I took the DAT earlier so i could see what its really like =/. But yeah anyone feeling like this right now? DAT next weds and I'm at that point where I feel studying any longer is pointless.

Because those little things you cover earn you those valuable extra points that separate you from the other schmucks that couldn't be bothered to study it. Though, I agree if 18 is all you really need, you really don't have to kill yourself to achieve that level of preparedness :)

btw everyone says the ada sample test is pitiful in difficulty.
 
btw everyone says the ada sample test is pitiful in difficulty.

Disagree, everyone says theyre the exact same. To whoever's asking in this forum, come back in here after your exam and tell us how it compares, and I'll guarantee you you'll say the difficulty feels the same. If all the questions came out of a pool of 1000, the questions on your exam and from the sample can conceivably come from that 1000.

Anyways, the point of studying the little things is because those little things are the difference between a 24 and a 30. As someone said, if you want to just pass with an 18, you dont have to study the little things. But if you truely want or NEED to get a 30, you must study the little things.
 
the difference between 1 point from perfect and perfect means about a ~5 point increase in a science section's score.

seeing how AA is calculated as the average between all 5 non-PAT sections, that little one question you could've answered correctly will boost your AA by 1.
 
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really It doesn't matter if you are aiming for 20-21. If anything higher, every single question counts. Obviously some luck is involved, but if you get something specific that you happened to go over, then it really boosts your score.
 
Disagree, everyone says theyre the exact same. To whoever's asking in this forum, come back in here after your exam and tell us how it compares, and I'll guarantee you you'll say the difficulty feels the same. If all the questions came out of a pool of 1000, the questions on your exam and from the sample can conceivably come from that 1000.

Anyways, the point of studying the little things is because those little things are the difference between a 24 and a 30. As someone said, if you want to just pass with an 18, you don't have to study the little things. But if you truely want or NEED to get a 30, you must study the little things.

Yup I definitely agree with you that this is the reason people sweat the small stuff, and comforting to see a dental student who has gone through the process agrees on the difficulty. Its terrible that the difference between a 24 and a 30 is one measly question but guess that's just the way it is. I think I was just frustrated with studying when I made this post, I have gone back to studying and still putting in a good amount of hours till my exam next weds. It's definitely frustrating to study something and be tested on something else which is exactly what these stupid prep courses do. They teach you the basics and tests you on everything BUT the basics (well every now and then they toss you a bone), which in turn makes me believe I have learned nothing... Of course there's ALWAYS the possibility of getting a question similar if not the same to it but is it really necessary to make a test containing 70/100 of these questions instead of the normal 10-15/100 that are probably on the science section? Obviously its hard enough doing a timed test, now they want a timed test with only the little stuff that has excessive amounts calculations (kaplan online, crack dat)... In the long run I believe it has made may faster, but is it necessary seeing that most people have had little to no calculations on their test? I just want to be taught something and tested on it, that's how I learn. Just made the post to see if anybody else was feeling the same =/
 
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^are you talking about the free test or the bought one? or are they both really easy?

I was under the impression he was talking about the free one :rolleyes:

Yup I definitely agree with you that this is the reason people sweat the small stuff, and comforting to see a dental student who has gone through the process agrees on the difficulty. Its terrible that the difference between a 24 and a 30 is one measly question but guess that's just the way it is. I think I was just frustrated with studying when I made this post, I have gone back to studying and still putting in a good amount of hours till my exam next weds. It's definitely frustrating to study something and be tested on something else which is exactly what these stupid prep courses do. They teach you the basics and tests you on everything BUT the basics (well every now and then they toss you a bone), which in turn makes me believe I have learned nothing... Of course there's ALWAYS the possibility of getting a question similar if not the same to it but is it really necessary to make a test containing 70/100 of these questions instead of the normal 10-15/100 that are probably on the science section? Obviously its hard enough doing a timed test, now they want a timed test with only the little stuff that has excessive amounts calculations (kaplan online, crack dat)... In the long run I believe it has made may faster, but is it necessary seeing that most people have had little to no calculations on their test? I just want to be taught something and tested on it, that's how I learn. Just made the post to see if anybody else was feeling the same =/

Again, "most" is not "all." Don't short-change yourself by cutting corners. When a test tells you it's a survey of Biology, Chemistry, and OChem, it's not exactly right to say it's frustrating to study something and be tested on something else, since what you're supposed to be studying is "everything." It comes down to depth, and how far you're willing to drill. It seems you have a problem with your review courses/books, which is a limitation of the source, not the subject matter. You can accept that they won't be a totally accurate reflection of the real test and suck it up, or find something else to study. It has been my experience with kaplan class review courses that they teach you enough to do well, but not great, which is still well below my standard. YMMV. Beyond that it's up to you to cover more than what they explicitly teach. That math speed is going to be helpful, even if the questions you have to apply it to will be easier than what you practiced (though, QR seems to be weighed much less than the other sections).
 
Hey have you taken the DAT yet UCB05? I know when studying for a test its awesome to feel like you know everything while taking it and a feel that your hard work has paid off. However, through my college career I also found that Overstudying is a very bad thing as well. Once you have too many little details in your head its hard to think critically which is what these tests are really about especially the bio section. I'm not trying to "shortchange" myself, I'm just trying to study to the point where I feel comfortable with all the material and answering questions related to what is most likely going to be on there, rate law, electrophilic addition, hess's law, aromatic substition, and SN1/SN2/E1/E2 big topics like this. I know from experience that when you over study you start making up things in your head that don't even make sense, bringing in things that aren't even related to the topic =/. So all in all I'm just trying to focus on hitting the stuff that has a 90% probability of being on the tests just like the people on MCAT audio osmosis and chad suggest, lets hope this strategy works.
 
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Hey have you taken the DAT yet UCB05? I know when studying for a test its awesome to feel like you know everything while taking it and a feel that your hard work has paid off. However, through my college career I also found that Overstudying is a very bad thing as well. Once you have too many little details in your head its hard to think critically which is what these tests are really about especially the bio section. I'm not trying to "shortchange" myself, I'm just trying to study to the point where I feel comfortable with all the material and answering questions related to what is most likely going to be on there, rate law, electrophilic addition, hess's law, aromatic substition, and SN1/SN2/E1/E2 big topics like this. I know from experience that when you over study you start making up things in your head that don't even make sense, bringing in things that aren't even related to the topic =/. So all in all I'm just trying to focus on hitting the stuff that has a 90% probability of being on the tests just like the people on MCAT audio osmosis and chad suggest, lets hope this strategy works.

Yes I have taken mine already, almost exactly a year ago. I've never experienced this overstudying phenomena. From my experience, I'd either know it or not, and if I not, I try to look it up. I sat down and studied every day for an entire summer for my MCAT, I did the same thing for the DAT, and would like to think I've studied pretty hard through college and grad school. If all you're studying is the questions likely to appear on the test, don't complain about the DAT when it feels like Bio was all over the place like a lot of people seem to say. The DAT has a survey of the sciences, not a survey of everything but Ch 6, 13, and 16. I read out of Cliff's, Barron's, Schaums, and a bio textbook multiple times. For two months, 6 days a week I got up at 7ish, started studying by 10, and didn't stop until about 7pm. On my "day off" I worked at my parents' store. There wasn't a single thing I felt I didn't know, and I still only got a 26, so I missed two questions somewhere. Sfoskn scored a perfect after reading all of Campbell's bio textbook.

Studying to your own comfort level should not be an accurate representation of preparedness, since your level of comfort may not be at the same level as what the ADA expects. Ochem and Gchem, you can feasibly study relatively less as long as you have the concepts and reactions down, as reaction specifics are based on those concepts. Bio is straight memorization, and if you never looked at or committed to memory a particular concept, it's just going to be a lost point. When I hear people that study for a couple hours a week, erratically for maybe a month, score a 17 and wonder how anyone expects to nail the sciences, I feel rather unsympathetic.

I've NEVER felt overstudying was bad unless I had very limited time. Again, if what you're shooting for is an 18 or so, those little things matter less and those big concepts will be what you're looking to nail. But when you want those mid/high 20's, expect to know not only those big concepts, but all the little stuff too. Likewise don't expect dental school to be any different. If anything the only reason you won't be overstudying is that you have so much to cover it will be difficult to overstudy due to time constraints.

*edit*
And if dentistry is what you really want to do, you should be putting in every effort toward making that app of yours look better than all the others that schools will be getting, including getting that higher DAT score.
 
Definitely WORRY ABOUT THE DETAILS!! I thought the same thing.. I was thinking omg why should i study this, they are never gonna put this on the real thing.. but YES almost 50% of my BIO was soooo random.. seriously the most detailed questions.. every question you come across make sure you memorize it. just my advice.
 
yeah definitely gunna spend the the 2nd day before my test reading bio and pumping myself up since its the first section and wanna get into the test strong. Day before I think I'ma go watch despicable me or predators and just relax...
 
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