argyle1123
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- Jul 31, 2022
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Hey everyone! I took my DAT yesterday. I saw a lot of these breakdowns throughout my study time and they helped me ease my nerves and guide me in the right direction. Honestly, there was nothing too special about what I did. If anything there are a lot of things that you shouldn’t do that I did.
Practice Tests Scores
Bio: 20, 17, 17, 19, 19, 19, 22, 20, 20, 21, PT15 -22 ,
Gen Chem: 15, 17,17, 18, 19, 18, 22, 19, 22, 19
Orgo : 13, 16, 19, 18, 20, 16, 17, 19, 20, 16
PAT: 18, 19, 20, 18, 18, 18, 17, 18, 17, 18
RC : 17, 19, 18, 19 (only did 4)
QR: 13, 18, 18,19,20, 20, 21, 20, 22, N/A
Background: Bio Major, Senior, GPA 3.89.
Study time – Boosters 8-Week Schedule. Wanted to take it in May but pushed it back twice due to school and work. I didn’t start to study until June 4th. I Basically took every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off in the first month because I work Friday and Saturday and use Sunday for time with my friends or family.
Materials Used
Practice Tests Scores
Bio: 20, 17, 17, 19, 19, 19, 22, 20, 20, 21, PT15 -22 ,
Gen Chem: 15, 17,17, 18, 19, 18, 22, 19, 22, 19
Orgo : 13, 16, 19, 18, 20, 16, 17, 19, 20, 16
PAT: 18, 19, 20, 18, 18, 18, 17, 18, 17, 18
RC : 17, 19, 18, 19 (only did 4)
QR: 13, 18, 18,19,20, 20, 21, 20, 22, N/A
Background: Bio Major, Senior, GPA 3.89.
Study time – Boosters 8-Week Schedule. Wanted to take it in May but pushed it back twice due to school and work. I didn’t start to study until June 4th. I Basically took every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off in the first month because I work Friday and Saturday and use Sunday for time with my friends or family.
Materials Used
- DAT Booster – If you’re going to buy any program, please buy Booster. I bought Bootcamp and almost instantly regretted it. Bootcamp will DROWN you in information and it will freak you out. I stopped using it two weeks into studying (In December when I planned to study for 6 months). Bootcamp is probably only good if you have absolutely no clue on what is going on in a section and you are starting from scratch. Booster has a great balance of reviewing, teaching, and time management. The section for videos are not very long and they get to the point. Ill go into more detail later for the section breakdown. I found myself crossing things out just to get the day over with and not absorbing the info. I’m guilty of watching videos on 2x-3x speed. I took so many unscheduled days off and had to play catch up until the review section. I stopped following the study plan after the learning phase. I did almost all my practice exams two weeks before my exam date. I did not take any full-length exams, I thought if I had to stamina to study for so many hours a day I would have the stamina to finish the exam. I studied in two hours intervals with a 20-minute break in between. After 2 intervals, I would take an hour break. If you hit the gym, I suggest studying first and then working out because you will be way too exhausted and sleepy to even focus no matter how much caffeine is in your veins.
- Bio (22) – As a bio major, this section was not the worse. My weakest areas were diversity of life, plant biology, cellular respiration, and developmental bio. I struggled with basic biology like plant bio and cellular respiration because I did not take BIOS 1 and 2 and I received college credit covering those two classes. My bios classes that gave me credit were more focused on biochem, eco/evo, cell bio, and genetics. To study I watched the videos and only read Feralis notes one time during this period. You will learn the most from the extra questions, practice tests, and repeated use of marked questions. Marked questions is such an underrated tool that I wished I used earlier than 2 days out. Just remember that 8 weeks is a long time that feels short. You will forget things that you learned in weeks one and two by week 4, so keep refreshing yourself. The study guide suggests using flashcards kinda late, make sure you start them as soon as you can. Also, make your own. I did not use Anki for this section. Only in the areas I was weak in I used my own flashcards and specific quizlets and that was it. Keep in mind the premade flashcards go wayyyy too much into detail and they will freak you out. Just start early and cover all bases. I did Crash Course 3 because I was just trash at dev bio and it was well worth it. It comes with guided notes. I wish every reading section had guided notes or even questions at the end. Although I joined the session late (FYI times are in the eastern time zone), Feralis was nice enough to go back and let me copy some guided notes on dev bio. Overall, this section takes time and commitment, just start early with those flashcards. Make your own because it will be customized to your weaknesses.
- Gen Chem(22) – This section is all about practice and applying concepts to mathematical problems. I learned best from doing the extra questions twice and watch those videos after each section. I neglected watching the answer reviews because 1. I wanted to be done as soon as possible 2. I thought I would memorize the answers rather than learn. So gap out your review and practice but do not skip out on review. I do not remember his name but the one that made all the videos after each gen chem problem will be your best friend. He knows all the short cuts and he reviews quickly. As for formulas, as you practice you will just memorize as you apply. I did not use Chad’s videos and I regret neglecting the Chem notes. Read the notes because you need to know concepts.
- Orgo(19) – Probably one of the sections that takes the most work. I watched all the videos on 2-3x speed. I do not recommend doing that. I did not do any of the practice sheets after the videos (use them ) and I was not going to rewatch them either. Use the videos to their full capacity because the notes are not the best for reviewing since they lack detail. There is a lot to cover for organic chemistry so take your time with it. When they do video reviews on orgo questions, you can’t really learn from them without a solid foundation. Do not snooze on concepts in this sections. Learn your reactions by using the reaction sheet, making your own flashcards, and using Anki. I wish booster had a blank reaction sheet that you could fill out, but I ended up making my versions. One where I blanked the products, another blanked out reagents, and the last with the reactants blanked out. This reaction sheet is not the end all be all, get accustomed to basic mechanisms Sub and Elims. My weakest area in this section was at first reactions but the entire time was aromatics/bonding because reactions were so overwhelming, I ignored concepts. I learned all my reactions within a week of my exam, but I would say start early.
- PAT(18) – My biggest regret is not practicing in this area. I did not practice for three weeks before my exam date. I did exams 5-10 in a two-day period, Wed and Thurs the week of. PAT is a skill, you cannot study for it, it needs to be built over time. I started off timing myself then gave up. My next strategy was to start with pattern folding and work my way to angle ranking then keyholes and always guessed on TFE. I tried to strengthen the ones that have a solid strategy like hole punching, pattern folding, and cube counting. Honestly, it was rare for me to get a 14/15 on any section, I would always be under that range. Angle ranking was a hit or miss, keyhole was a 50/50. When they recommend doing 75 questions in 45 minutes, do them. It will really benefit you. Keep in mind PAT is its own section and it is not averaged into anything else.
- RC(23) – I was shocked by this score because I hate reading so much. I find it boring and time consuming. I did not really practice this area because I realized that this section was a hit or miss. You could have long passages with a lot of tough questions or a short passage with the easiest questions. My main method was to read half and search and destroy the other half but at least read the first sentences of the last paragraphs. Time management is key.
- QR(19) – I was a little dissatisfied with this score because I have always been naturally good at math and I was 20-22 on my practice exams. I stopped reviewing math because of the confidence from the PTs and I had to focus on the sciences. I never finished math in time and I always had to guess on a few, just pick your battles if you struggle with time management in this section. To study for this section, you need to practice all sections because if you focus too much on one area you’ll find yourself learning but also forgetting how to do other problems. Keep in mind that this is your last section and you will be running on willpower. I found myself pausing and even took three minutes on a problem. I have a hard time letting go of a problem that I know how to solve but I cannot wrap my head around. If you have the same mentality train yourself to count your losses, guess and mark.
