When should I starting studying for the DAT?

[Tanacion]

I’m taking it next year, but I’ve heard horror stories and I don’t know how hard it will be. I’m dividing up my school studying and DAT studying accordingly. How hard is the DAT and when should I start studying??

Also how do you study for PAT and RC? Is just DAT bootcamp enough?

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[jooon]

Definitely an overwhelming amount of material is presented by the exam but it's nothing that can't be overcome with enough dedication and hard work.

You can take a few practice questions online to get a feel for the depth of the tested material. Personally, I felt best prepared by taking the relevant science courses (orgo, pchem, etc). That being said, I self- studied biochemistry and parts of bio with DAT bootcamp and felt sufficiently ready even without having taken the classes prior to my exam.

You should start studying as soon as you can. This summer may be the perfect opportunity if you have the time. I started studying in the beginning of the summer and took it at the end of the summer. It's a good idea to start practicing PAT first because it is a skill that you need to develop, not something you can memorize. For RC, I read 2 science articles on DAT bootcamp and wrote a brief, 4-5 sentence summary about each every day while I was studying.

Hope this helps! Good luck

 

[DAT Destroyer]

I’m taking it next year, but I’ve heard horror stories and I don’t know how hard it will be. I’m dividing up my school studying and DAT studying accordingly. How hard is the DAT and when should I start studying??

Also how do you study for PAT and RC? Is just DAT bootcamp enough?

I am assuming you haven't finished the required classes yet, that is why you are taking it next year. If you still have classes to take now, you can always start brushing up on your math skills, reading and start a Bio Review. If you have finished GenChem you can also start reviewing.
For reading it is important to increase reading speed and comprehension levels and this can be easily accomplished by old fashion reading. If you dedicate just 30 minutes a day to reading while preparing for the DAT that's a lot of reading accomplished over the course of your preparation. Make it a habit to read just before bed, not on a computer or phone but an actual book or magazine, it will also help fall asleep. Old school still works for certain things. There are plenty of free PAT videos on youtube you can watch to help you with that section.

Just my 2 cents

The test is very manageable if you put in the time and effort. All students are different but giving yourself a 3 month horizon for study is generally what I recommend not all students are alike, some could need more time and some less.

Wishing you the best...#think30....Nancy

 

[Sweet_Tooth]

Lots of super helpful breakdowns on this site that were invaluable to me when I was taking it that I'd recommend you read too, but briefly, I'd recommend finishing most of your prereq classes first (at least gen chem and orgo series). For dedicated study time, I'd recommend not taking longer than 3 months. 1.5 months to learn the material, 1.5 months to do practice questions and exams. I think that's a good amount of time because any longer you'll probably start forgetting things and any shorter would be too rushed. I remember back when I took it, DAT bootcamp was an invaluable resource to me and Ari's study schedule and guide are very excellent at breaking down this info for you, definitely take a look at those to get a better idea of time frames + what to expect.

Retake is not ideal, and you should study for it with the mindset that you won't need to retake, but don't be stressed if you have to. A lot of people retake, myself included (I got a 17 or an 18--don't remember--the first time and a 20 on my second try). It's not preferred, but as long as you improve your score on your retake, it's not looked down upon. Score going down on your second try is definitely a red flag though.

 

[ChemistryDentist]

I’m taking it next year, but I’ve heard horror stories and I don’t know how hard it will be. I’m dividing up my school studying and DAT studying accordingly. How hard is the DAT and when should I start studying??

Also how do you study for PAT and RC? Is just DAT bootcamp enough?

Most people really do not recommend studying for the DAT for anything more than 6 months. You may drive yourself a bit crazy and end up exhausting all of the good resources there are out there. Many of the horror stories you've probably heard are from people that either didn't use the resources correctly or only stuck to blunt memorization without learning the material for real. Frankly, the DAT is hard, but there are much harder exams out there - so no need to panic!

If you really do want to start this early, I'd recommend focusing primarily on your classes right now and making sure to understand the information and get good grades. The DAT is one thing, but if you mess up once you can always retake. You can't fix your GPA once you receive your grades. I started prepping for biology a bit a year or so out from my DAT using the Orgoman Dynamite Biology Review because (1) it was free and (2) it was a great, comprehensive review of everything in the biology section. I read it leisurely the summer before and took some notes. This prepared me pretty well for the resources I used later down the line.

For now, I think that's all you should worry about practicing quite frankly. For PAT, you can find free generators for the different sections online. You could consider starting to work on those now, but don't worry too much yet. For RC, you should start reading scientific articles (or, honestly, anything at all) for at least half an hour to an hour per day. That section really just comes down to reading speed and comprehension, which can really be improved by regular reading.

Worry about purchasing prep materials when the time comes, maybe in 6 months or so. The combo that worked great for me (see my breakdown linked in my signature) was DAT Destroyer + Math Destroyer + PATBooster. Another SDN user, WithLove, also found great success with those too. Many other people have succeeded using these three paid resources. I found BC too expensive and outdated, personally.

Read through some of the breakdowns on here to decide what works best for you. The more detailed the breakdown the better a lot of the time. Otherwise, focus on your classes, and do some light review if you really are antsy about it.

Best of luck!

 

[Tanacion]

I’m actually taking my exam during winter break (around late January). Is it better for me practice RC and PAT first, since those are just practically skills? Then I’ll study QR and GenChem (starting from now until my exam) since math is kind of harder to be forgotten. I’ll spend most of my month in Dec-Jan cramming over Bio and OC. I’m taking Orgo2 next semester as well. Do you guys think would be efficient?

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Study the way that works best for you, not sure what you mean about cramming Bio and OC. I personally think it is better to have a schedule that does not put you into a situation where you need to cram. You have a lot of time, why not start now and come with a schedule that includes everything but Orgo, since you will not complete Orgo until the next semester, assuming you mean the summer or do you mean September. The best plan is the one that gets you to the finish line confident and fully prepared to take the exam. You should not have any doubts before taking the same, you should go in ready to Destroyer the DAT Beast. Good luck in your studies.

take care..Nancy#think30

 

[Tanacion]

Study the way that works best for you, not sure what you mean about cramming Bio and OC. I personally think it is better to have a schedule that does not put you into a situation where you need to cram. You have a lot of time, why not start now and come with a schedule that includes everything but Orgo, since you will not complete Orgo until the next semester, assuming you mean the summer or do you mean September. The best plan is the one that gets you to the finish line confident and fully prepared to take the exam. You should not have any doubts before taking the same, you should go in ready to Destroyer the DAT Beast. Good luck in your studies.

take care..Nancy#think30

Wrong choice of wording on my part haha. I said cramming because people don’t advise me to start studying for the Bio and OC portion yet, because I would not retain the information. So if I spread out my studying now, I can use my last month from Dec-Jan to push for Bio, OC, and GC. (Mainly bio)

i’m taking orgo 2 fall semester, but I heard mostly orgo 1 is on the DAT.

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Wrong choice of wording on my part haha. I said cramming because people don’t advise me to start studying for the Bio and OC portion yet, because I would not retain the information. So if I spread out my studying now, I can use my last month from Dec-Jan to push for Bio, OC, and GC. (Mainly bio)

i’m taking orgo 2 fall semester, but I heard mostly orgo 1 is on the DAT.

There is Orgo 1 and 2 on the DAT and to prepare any other way could spell disaster. You could get a version with quite a bit of Orgo 2 and per the ADA guidelines it is fair game. Bio is vast, I personally think you could start at anytime and at least do some review and in December and January start some serious work, same for GenChem. We have worked with students for almost 25 years and I have learned a lot about the DAT exam mostly from when students get low scores and have to retake. Students that score the highest study with the mindset of getting a 30 on the DAT. The biggest 2 mistakes students often make is listening to another students experience on the DAT beccause there are many versions of the DAT and the next is taking the exam before being fully prepared.

Just my 2 cents, take what you need and leave the test...Nancy...#think30

 

[0Mik3cho]

For PAT, practice, practice, practice. Use existing methods as starting points to developing your own methods. Don’t be afraid to be creative and come up with new strategies to try out. On tests, I found it very motivating to breeze through the easier sections first then devote my time to the harder questions I angle ranking and keyholes. Learn to budget your time.

For RC, don’t obsess with 100% comprehension because that will slow you down. Even 75% comprehension will be enough for you to get the general idea, the general flow of the argument, and the key terms and their meaning. This was key to my 30 on RC. Beyond that, try a few strategies. I used a variation of BYU4You‘s method.

Finally, try to enjoy yourself. Think of PAT as a puzzle game. I legitimately grew to enjoy PAT sI this really helped keep me motivated during the test. As for RC, go into it eager to learn something new and you won’t find yourself toiling away at topics you know nothing about. Your mindset going into the test and during study is important. Take breaks and reward yourself with something when you do relax.