tkim109
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- Dec 10, 2020
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2022 DAT Breakdown (24 AA/23 TS/23 PAT)
Background:
Hello! This is my second time taking the DAT, the first time taking being in December of 2020. The first time around I used DAT Bootcamp and this time around I used DAT Booster. I’m currently graduated with around a 3.72 GPA.
Scores:
PAT: 17 —> 23
QR: 25 —> 24
RC: 23 —> 30
Bio: 17 —> 23
GC: 21 —> 21
OC: 20 —> 24
TS: 19 —> 23
AA: 21 —> 24
My Study Timeline
I graduated in Winter of 2021 and planned to take 2-3 months to take the exam in mid March. However, I sprained my thumb a couple weeks out and had to postpone it for another month. Other than that, I studied almost every day for the first 2 months ranging from 3-6 hours. The early stages I definitely studied a lot longer learning content and toned it down a bit once it came to reviewing. If I ever felt stressed out I never hesitated to take rest days. I really believe that studying for 8-9 hours every day for me personally was unrealistic in that I would end up being burnt out and had a harder time retaining information. However, with 3-6 hours I didn’t feel as burnt out and felt that I was able to retain a lot more information. My first time I studied 8 hours a day. The result of this was feeling lethargic, and often days did not have a lot of energy after studying. Changing study habits this time around helped me improve my mood and efficiency.
Subject Breakdown and Day of Exam
-PAT (17 —> 23): I will be eternally grateful for the PAT section on DAT Booster. The key idea to mastering this section is consistent practice and getting used to the questions (generators every day). Once I reached the last month of studying I would redo practice PAT practice tests to get used to timing. For me, the method of skipping to question 31 of angle ranking and working until 90 (pattern folding), then returning to complete keyhole and TFE worked best. I consistently averaged around 18-21 for all my practice tests so don’t feel too discouraged about initial low scores. On practice tests I often felt pressed for time and barely finished, but on the actual exam I had about 10 minutes to spare. On the actual exam keyholes were a lot easier as well pattern folding. I saw about 2 weird hole punching questions but nothing out of the ordinary. If you don’t know, SKIP and come back to it.
QR (25—>24): Honestly was easier than Booster practice tests. Mostly had simple algebra, probabilities, and rates. Wasn’t pressed for time and was able to double check all my answers. I’ve always had a strong background in math so I barely studied and just went over a couple of practice tests. If math isn’t your strong point I’d advise following the schedule and doing all the practice tests.
RC: Booster prepares you for this very thoroughly. I’d say booster is harder in terms of length and their questions were conceptually more difficult as well. The actual exam questions were a lot simpler. I skimmed the passages lightly and mostly used the search and destroy method. A lot of the answers were directly stated in the passage.
Bio (17—>23): BREATH OVER DEPTH. A great tool are the Booster practice tests. I checked which questions I missed to see what I was weak in. For me personally I don’t think Anki is completely necessary as I think it’s overkill to memorize every single detail. Rather, identify what you don’t know and build on solidifying your understanding of it rather than straight memorization. After I’ve identified what I don’t know I would read over this section in the Feralis notes for multiple days in a row until it was cemented in my mind. This section I definitely spent the most time studying and reinforcing. Much like PAT, I think the key to this section is consistency. On the actual exam some questions were almost word for word on practice exams. I didn’t really see any questions I was surprised to see, so it should be a doable section if you put in the time.
GC (21 —> 21): I thought the calculations were relatively simple. I definitely should have studied this portion more but spent a greater portion of my time on Bio and OC. If I could do it again I would have spent more time solidifying my knowledge of concepts rather than calculations.
OC (20—>24): I was surprised to see that there was not too many reaction questions. Comprised of mainly acid strength, carbocation stability, radical stability, one OC lab test, H NMR, and a couple of synthesis questions. Surprisingly hardly had any nomenclature. Booster practice tests does a great job of having similar problems.
General Study Method
Initially I followed the study guide given by DAT Booster for the content review. After it started having me take practice test I stopped following it, and would take tests on my own schedule. When I started taking practice tests, I would dedicate a full day to thoroughly look over questions I missed and would look back at notes/videos for reference. Before starting I would always being my days with a couple of PAT generators and extra questions. I found that for all subjects, taking practice tests were the best way to identify weak points. I tried using Destroyer but it was way too hard in comparison to the actual exam. I wouldn’t really recommended Destroyer personally.
Booster vs. Bootcamp
I would say overall Booster overall is a better resource than Bootcamp. First off, Booster is considerably cheaper than Bootcamp. Second off, the PAT section for booster and the generators they have is an excellent resource to stay warmed up for the actual exam. Furthermore, I felt that the biology section on Booster was far more representative of the actual exam in comparison to Bootcamp. The content which the two resources provide are relatively similar, but the biggest differences are Boosters representative practice tests and PAT generators.
Ending Advice:
All in all I think the most important thing is consistency over quantity. Don’t stress yourself out too much with 8+ hour study days, rather, focus on your weaknesses and strengthening those areas. Know that if you’ve already taken the exam once, it’s okay to take it again. Taking the exam again helped me understand my shortcomings the first time around and improve on it. Again, practice tests are a great resource and I would highly recommend taking all 10 offered. Though the process is stressful, know that your sacrifices will be worth it at the end.
Background:
Hello! This is my second time taking the DAT, the first time taking being in December of 2020. The first time around I used DAT Bootcamp and this time around I used DAT Booster. I’m currently graduated with around a 3.72 GPA.
Scores:
PAT: 17 —> 23
QR: 25 —> 24
RC: 23 —> 30
Bio: 17 —> 23
GC: 21 —> 21
OC: 20 —> 24
TS: 19 —> 23
AA: 21 —> 24
My Study Timeline
I graduated in Winter of 2021 and planned to take 2-3 months to take the exam in mid March. However, I sprained my thumb a couple weeks out and had to postpone it for another month. Other than that, I studied almost every day for the first 2 months ranging from 3-6 hours. The early stages I definitely studied a lot longer learning content and toned it down a bit once it came to reviewing. If I ever felt stressed out I never hesitated to take rest days. I really believe that studying for 8-9 hours every day for me personally was unrealistic in that I would end up being burnt out and had a harder time retaining information. However, with 3-6 hours I didn’t feel as burnt out and felt that I was able to retain a lot more information. My first time I studied 8 hours a day. The result of this was feeling lethargic, and often days did not have a lot of energy after studying. Changing study habits this time around helped me improve my mood and efficiency.
Subject Breakdown and Day of Exam
-PAT (17 —> 23): I will be eternally grateful for the PAT section on DAT Booster. The key idea to mastering this section is consistent practice and getting used to the questions (generators every day). Once I reached the last month of studying I would redo practice PAT practice tests to get used to timing. For me, the method of skipping to question 31 of angle ranking and working until 90 (pattern folding), then returning to complete keyhole and TFE worked best. I consistently averaged around 18-21 for all my practice tests so don’t feel too discouraged about initial low scores. On practice tests I often felt pressed for time and barely finished, but on the actual exam I had about 10 minutes to spare. On the actual exam keyholes were a lot easier as well pattern folding. I saw about 2 weird hole punching questions but nothing out of the ordinary. If you don’t know, SKIP and come back to it.
QR (25—>24): Honestly was easier than Booster practice tests. Mostly had simple algebra, probabilities, and rates. Wasn’t pressed for time and was able to double check all my answers. I’ve always had a strong background in math so I barely studied and just went over a couple of practice tests. If math isn’t your strong point I’d advise following the schedule and doing all the practice tests.
RC: Booster prepares you for this very thoroughly. I’d say booster is harder in terms of length and their questions were conceptually more difficult as well. The actual exam questions were a lot simpler. I skimmed the passages lightly and mostly used the search and destroy method. A lot of the answers were directly stated in the passage.
Bio (17—>23): BREATH OVER DEPTH. A great tool are the Booster practice tests. I checked which questions I missed to see what I was weak in. For me personally I don’t think Anki is completely necessary as I think it’s overkill to memorize every single detail. Rather, identify what you don’t know and build on solidifying your understanding of it rather than straight memorization. After I’ve identified what I don’t know I would read over this section in the Feralis notes for multiple days in a row until it was cemented in my mind. This section I definitely spent the most time studying and reinforcing. Much like PAT, I think the key to this section is consistency. On the actual exam some questions were almost word for word on practice exams. I didn’t really see any questions I was surprised to see, so it should be a doable section if you put in the time.
GC (21 —> 21): I thought the calculations were relatively simple. I definitely should have studied this portion more but spent a greater portion of my time on Bio and OC. If I could do it again I would have spent more time solidifying my knowledge of concepts rather than calculations.
OC (20—>24): I was surprised to see that there was not too many reaction questions. Comprised of mainly acid strength, carbocation stability, radical stability, one OC lab test, H NMR, and a couple of synthesis questions. Surprisingly hardly had any nomenclature. Booster practice tests does a great job of having similar problems.
General Study Method
Initially I followed the study guide given by DAT Booster for the content review. After it started having me take practice test I stopped following it, and would take tests on my own schedule. When I started taking practice tests, I would dedicate a full day to thoroughly look over questions I missed and would look back at notes/videos for reference. Before starting I would always being my days with a couple of PAT generators and extra questions. I found that for all subjects, taking practice tests were the best way to identify weak points. I tried using Destroyer but it was way too hard in comparison to the actual exam. I wouldn’t really recommended Destroyer personally.
Booster vs. Bootcamp
I would say overall Booster overall is a better resource than Bootcamp. First off, Booster is considerably cheaper than Bootcamp. Second off, the PAT section for booster and the generators they have is an excellent resource to stay warmed up for the actual exam. Furthermore, I felt that the biology section on Booster was far more representative of the actual exam in comparison to Bootcamp. The content which the two resources provide are relatively similar, but the biggest differences are Boosters representative practice tests and PAT generators.
Ending Advice:
All in all I think the most important thing is consistency over quantity. Don’t stress yourself out too much with 8+ hour study days, rather, focus on your weaknesses and strengthening those areas. Know that if you’ve already taken the exam once, it’s okay to take it again. Taking the exam again helped me understand my shortcomings the first time around and improve on it. Again, practice tests are a great resource and I would highly recommend taking all 10 offered. Though the process is stressful, know that your sacrifices will be worth it at the end.
