Why Not Just Study From Your Old Textbooks and Notes?

[Double Bonded]

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It's starting to dawn on me how much money I have to spend to re-learn information that I've already learned. I see everyone on this website and IRL using specific DAT books and study materials to prepare but I'm wondering why it isn't more common to use the textbooks that we paid so much $$ for.

For example, I took the Kaplan course and the review notes that came with it (i think it's the same as the blue book) just summarize the exact same material in my text with a fraction of the details, examples, and explanation. I've started to read my old GenChem textbook and I'm getting a lot better understanding of the concepts.

Why don't more people learn from their old books/notes, buy a bunch of practice exams, and prepare from there?

 

[yankeefan86]

DAT destroyer and some of the other prep books provide good insight to questions that are/could be on the actual DAT.

 

[bing12]

It's starting to dawn on me how much money I have to spend to re-learn information that I've already learned. I see everyone on this website and IRL using specific DAT books and study materials to prepare but I'm wondering why it isn't more common to use the textbooks that we paid so much $$ for.

For example, I took the Kaplan course and the review notes that came with it (i think it's the same as the blue book) just summarize the exact same material in my text with a fraction of the details, examples, and explanation. I've started to read my old GenChem textbook and I'm getting a lot better understanding of the concepts.

Why don't more people learn from their old books/notes, buy a bunch of practice exams, and prepare from there?

Thats a great question, IMO, its because its not very efficient. most would rather know the main concepts that will be tested very well versus know a broader sense of a subject. All these companies/organizations such as kaplan, crack the DAT, destroyer, have spent a large amount of money to simplify the material and condense it so that their materials would be as effective and efficient as possible for others to be successful on the DAT.

Problem is there is potentially so much to know, and yet while using your old books as a secondary resource may be helpful, I would think that using it as a prime resource might not be the smartest thing, given time constraints. That is My opinion though, i am not sure about why people dont do that more often, but what i have just said may be a possible reason.

 

[faroo7a]

It's starting to dawn on me how much money I have to spend to re-learn information that I've already learned. I see everyone on this website and IRL using specific DAT books and study materials to prepare but I'm wondering why it isn't more common to use the textbooks that we paid so much $$ for.

For example, I took the Kaplan course and the review notes that came with it (i think it's the same as the blue book) just summarize the exact same material in my text with a fraction of the details, examples, and explanation. I've started to read my old GenChem textbook and I'm getting a lot better understanding of the concepts.

Why don't more people learn from their old books/notes, buy a bunch of practice exams, and prepare from there?

I used my college notes for Ochem and will do so for Gchem . After I got done with O chem, I went back to the destroyer and checked that all the questions made sense.
I think Bio is the one that needs an external study guide since bio text books cover every topic extensively.

 

[Vaiyoretto]

Most people use DAT study materials because we want to focus specifically on what is covered on the actual exam.

But, of course, I use my ochem and bio notes from college for reference.

 

[dentalWorks]

It's starting to dawn on me how much money I have to spend to re-learn information that I've already learned. I see everyone on this website and IRL using specific DAT books and study materials to prepare but I'm wondering why it isn't more common to use the textbooks that we paid so much $$ for.

For example, I took the Kaplan course and the review notes that came with it (i think it's the same as the blue book) just summarize the exact same material in my text with a fraction of the details, examples, and explanation. I've started to read my old GenChem textbook and I'm getting a lot better understanding of the concepts.

Why don't more people learn from their old books/notes, buy a bunch of practice exams, and prepare from there?

Because the pre-req classes require you to know more information than DAT..... so its wiser to use study guides but everytime you come across a weak concept, thats when you crack open your college books/notes and use as reference

 

[ajhalls3]

Because the pre-req classes require you to know more information than DAT..... so its wiser to use study guides but everytime you come across a weak concept, thats when you crack open your college books/notes and use as reference

Exactly, I didn't want to have to know everything in my textbooks, only what I was likely to be tested on, IN THE WAY I WAS GOING TO BE TESTED! There are lots of topics in O chem and gen chem that just aren't testable either because it would take to long to solve, or you don't have a calculator that could do it. So don't waste your time getting proficient at it. Just focus on the prep material and you will do fine.

 

[invictusx]

It's starting to dawn on me how much money I have to spend to re-learn information that I've already learned. I see everyone on this website and IRL using specific DAT books and study materials to prepare but I'm wondering why it isn't more common to use the textbooks that we paid so much $$ for.

For example, I took the Kaplan course and the review notes that came with it (i think it's the same as the blue book) just summarize the exact same material in my text with a fraction of the details, examples, and explanation. I've started to read my old GenChem textbook and I'm getting a lot better understanding of the concepts.

Why don't more people learn from their old books/notes, buy a bunch of practice exams, and prepare from there?

I didn't spend much money on preparations. I bought CDP, DAT Destroyer, AP Cliffnotes Biology, and Topscore. Spent around $300. Didn't take prep classes.

The purpose of these books is to guide you to learn what is tested ON the actual DAT. All the classes that you took in college are harder than the real test. It narrows down what you need to study, otherwise you're using valuable time reading nonsense (though knowledge is not nonsense, but for the sake of the DAT, save yourself the time and be efficient).