YOUR BEST Recommended resources to study for DAT?

[yoh95]

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Hello!!
I am going to be a freshman in college this fall, and I want to start studying the materials for DAT
its never early to start studying;;;; im not very good at organic chemistry so what are some resources to start studying for DAT?

Where should I even start?? what is the most time consuming studying section?

and do I take it during/after my sophomore year or is it during junior??

THANKS A LOT!!!!!!

 

[Glimmer1991]

You're an incoming freshman. Why WOULD you be good at organic chemistry?!?!

If you must start studying for ANYTHING early, only do so for the PAT and RC sections. Everything else would be a waste of time, and you'd only forget!

My suggestion is to take the DAT once you've finished organic. For me, that was the summer after my sophomore year. It made applying much less stressful the next year. However, many people take the DAT after their junior year.

In my opinion, the most time consuming section was biology.

 

[JonLee]

That's great that you have the drive to start studying so early. Make sure you pay attention in your intro bio and gen chem courses and ochem courses. Doing well and getting a solid grasp of the concepts taught in those classes will help you a lot when it comes time to review it all for the DAT. If you're going to start studying now, like Glimmer said, start practicing for the PAT as it is never taught in undergrad and is completely unique to the DAT.

Crack DAT PAT is a great resource ot use for this.
I found bio took the most time as well and in terms of when to take it, like Glimmer said, after you take your second semester of Ochem, preferably in the summer since you will have more time to dedicate to DAT Prep.

 

[discensdentibus]

I had a similar attitude as you do. My advice would be to leave chemistry DAT materials alone. It might not hurt to consult cliff's ap bio from time to time, but it really is not necesary. Piggybacking off jonlee, your goal in your bio/gchem/ochem undergrad classes should be to learn the material as best you can; good grades will follow. This does not mean cram for a test and then chill; if you do this, I promise you learning everything for the DAT will be a bit more stressful. Repeated exposure to content over time is the best way to go in developing a deeper understanding of things, and you will be glad you did when it comes time to start prepping for the exam itself. I did not even realize this until recently, but mastering stereochemistry in ochem can help with the PAT a little bit.

1-3 months seems to be the common time period one puts into preparation for the DAT. Make sure you save your class notes! The DAT is taken typically after sophomore/junior year; it all depends when you feel it would be right.

 

[7amsho]

OP, I really respect that you're trying to study starting freshmen year, but I don't think it is the best strategy! I tried studying for bio before taking biochem, but then I went back to the bio section after that semester and the chapter related to biochem was a joke! if you try studying now, you're gonna have a challenging study plan.. what I would suggest is pay attention in your classes! especially chem, orgo and bio! QR isn't like calc at all, so you may know a lot due to the SATs already! you can practice PAT but that would be rather expensive if you're gonna practice until you take the DAT..

I would say take it once you're done with chem, orgo and bio (evo, cell, physio, biochem, maybe genetics and molecular), have a study plan that best fits your studying style (could be 4 weeks, or 4 months) and take it that summer after those courses (most likely after your sophomore year)!

now if you're very determined to start now, then read BIO Cliff's as many times as you can, and try to retain as much info as you can until the DAT! you can find a copy of it somewhere on this website

best of luck! 🙂

 

[Dotoday]

Focus on Gen chem, Bio and math as a Freshman. After you take organic, focus on that.
For Bio, use Cliffs and Cambells. Gen chem, use Shaums outlines and Zumdahl text. For math, use Math Destroyer and Kaplan.

 

[ZPederson11]

Hello!!
I am going to be a freshman in college this fall, and I want to start studying the materials for DAT
its never early to start studying;;;; im not very good at organic chemistry so what are some resources to start studying for DAT?

Where should I even start?? what is the most time consuming studying section?

and do I take it during/after my sophomore year or is it during junior??

THANKS A LOT!!!!!!

Best resource is to keep all your materials from your science classes except the textbooks. Sell those back for cash.