Wondering when to take the DAT? Hjälp!

[MNGophers]

Hey guys. Another apprehensive undergrad here looking at what to study and when.

I haven't taken Biochem or Genetics yet (Biochem I'm taking this summer). I was wondering if I should for sure take the DAT after taking Biochemistry?

Concerning a study schedule, would it be anyway useful to casually study for several months (1-2 hours a night) before buckling down like many here describe? I don't have time to cram an intense schedule into this semester (due to other obligations including research, classes yadda yadda).

Also, has anyone used the Destroy the DAT (Princeton Review) book? I have the book but am uncertain if I should even try to use it since I haven't seen much discussion about it.



Looking into doing the DAT Destroyer, Cliff's Bio, Crack PAT spiel.



Thanks for the help.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DancingBull]

Hey guys. Another apprehensive undergrad here looking at what to study and when.

I haven't taken Biochem or Genetics yet (Biochem I'm taking this summer). I was wondering if I should for sure take the DAT after taking Biochemistry?

Concerning a study schedule, would it be anyway useful to casually study for several months (1-2 hours a night) before buckling down like many here describe? I don't have time to cram an intense schedule into this semester (due to other obligations including research, classes yadda yadda).

Also, has anyone used the Destroy the DAT (Princeton Review) book? I have the book but am uncertain if I should even try to use it since I haven't seen much discussion about it.



Looking into doing the DAT Destroyer, Cliff's Bio, Crack PAT spiel.



Thanks for the help.

While taking genetics and biochemistry does help, it is not required. The advantage of me taking these classes before studying for the DAT is that I was able to quickly gloss over the material that I had already learned before.

In my opinion, it is best to just study intensely for 1-2 months instead of casually studying for extended periods of time. This is because the material is really heavily conceptually based. I feel that if you extend your preparation over a long period of time, you will just eventually forget a lot of the specifics.

The DAT destroyer and AP Cliff's bio are both good resources. I have not used the Princeton material yet.

 

[Glimmer1991]

Study intensely for 2 months. Casual studying will just likely lead to you forgetting a lot of stuff. If anything, start working on PAT practice right now because that is a learned skill! Do it casually--one or two a week. Then, study for the DAT over the summer.

I had taken genetics before my test, but based on my experience and the experiences of others, the genetics on the test is basic. I hadn't had biochem and was completely fine. Really, genetics was the only upper-level bio I had taken; other than that, I had taken one intro to biology course. You can totally learn the material within the upper-level courses if you're dedicated.

I highly suggest all of the stuff in my breakdown, which is in my signature! Let me know if I can help with anything else!

 

[MNGophers]

Nice. Thanks for the responses - much appreciated.

 

[mcoope44]

Take a physiology course. It eliminates half the bio studying you have to do. If you've taken any upper year evolution or ecology courses along with physiology DAT bio is nothing.

 

[Glimmer1991]

Yes, physiology would help a lot. Way more helpful than genetics or biochem.

 

[adentalstudent]

Hey i dont think its a bad idea to spread it out... I started around october and took it in the end of march. I did take the kaplan onlinr course to keep myself on track. I started offf studying a few days a week for about 2-3 hours each day maybe putting in a total of 10 hours during the week. My goal wasnt how much time i studied though, i just tried to keep up with kaplan and repeatedly reviewed the material. During the month of march i atleast studied 3 hours everyday and when it came to 2 weeks before my exam i spent Alot of time each day doing practice exams , reviewing, and stuff.... Probably 6 hrs not counting distractions and breaks ( for this i did skip some classes though )