DAT Breakdown - AA: 24 | TS: 23

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

wildshark16

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
61
Reaction score
48
Scores:
PAT: 20
QR: 22
RC: 22
Bio: 20
GC: 24
OC: 30
TS: 23
AA: 24

Timeline: December 2016 - April 17, 2017 (20 weeks)

Background:
  • Junior, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Major
  • GPA: 3.80
  • Sci GPA: 3.87
  • Freshman Year 1st semester GPA=3.31 & Sci GPA=3.21
As seen from the discrepancy between my Freshman year GPA to current Junior year standing GPA, I really honed in and focused on studying and maintained a "upward trend". How did I do this you ask? Sophomore year as I took Physics, Ochem, Cell Bio, and Biochem that 1st semester. I knew that IF i wanted to goal of Dentistry, high GPA is a MUST (Dental schools PREDOMINATLY look at GPA & DAT). And for me, this Soph 1st semester is the pinnacle of rigorous Science based curriculum. If I thrive this semester, I can prove myself that I can do it. Also by making it a habit of studying and doing well in school, these habits carried through throughout following years and ultimately helped me obtained the competitive stats required. Also kicking it into high gear helps you prepare for DAT (through constant exposure and knowledge of how to actually prepare for a test).

Studying Strategy:
1. Identified all material in the subsection of each section (ie. Know all Genetics subsection material under the Bio section or Know all Electrochemistry subsection under the Chem section)
The purpose of identifying all the material in the subsection is to make sure that when you get to the practice test material, you should be able to KNOW what it is and not get it wrong based on lack of knowledge. Essentially this information gathering is for EXPOSURE.

2. Practice Test/Practice Quiz [the MAIN part]
This is applying the knowledge you obtained above. The practice test should....
  • Filter previously obtained knowledge
I actually created a new document called "[section] Progressions" where I took the basic section knowledge from the master study guide and figured out the "ins and outs" of the problem.

Here is an example from my "Ochem progressions":
Problem: Draw lowest energy/stable Newman Projection
a. Draw structure correctly from nomenclature
b. See through correct carbons
c. Label substituents by # of Carbon attachment
i. Front | Back = Carbon attachments | Carbon attachments
d. Draw all newman projections (be disciplined)
e. Determine most stable
f. Seems so easy, but can easily fool the less-discipline"

Meanwhile....
I took 16 credits + Eboard of Pre-Dental Club + Tutor Ochem 2 hours per week
Those 16 credits encompassed: Animal Development, Ecology, Biochemistry, Theology, Biostatistical Methods.

Specific Studying Timeline, Problems, w/Study Materials:
  • December 2016 - January 2017
Used internet for gathering subsection info on QR + Biology Textbook for Bio to extract all foundational info for my personal master study guide.
Throughout I did PAT DAT Bootcamp generators to familiarize myself with what is going on, then honed in on how to attack PAT and what skills I need to practice on.

As mentioned in "Meanwhile...." I had exposure to Ecology & Animal Development as I took these undergrad courses (applicable for Bio section) & Statistics (applicable for QR section) throughout the semester. Mostly Statistics was helpful in preparing for Stats question on QR.
  • January - February
Got Chads Videos for Chemistry & Ochem informational gathering. Oh I also tutor Ochem for my school, so I have exposure from that as well.
Continue my PAT practice and updated my strategy that was most efficient through the DAT Bootcamp generators

PROBLEM: Had hard time balancing Schoolwork vs. DAT work. I would be studying for tests and I would find myself saying "dood, I am running out of time for DAT studying!!!" I realized that my grades were already pretty good AND I developed of habit of how to study efficiently for tests and exams in shorts amount of time (2-3 days prior of Sci exams); so why should I devote more energy for boosting my grades? I only have one shot for the DAT (Dental schools prefer you to get it right the first time; also you may run into issue of overriding your better score if you take it again).

Solution: Focus on DAT and don't worry too much about tests. The weeks before my exam, I skipped some classes to really hone in onto DAT (obvi make friends in those Sci based classes so you can get the help you need to recover and study for those tests).
  • February - March
Did Chads Video Quizzes and filtered my Chem + Ochem knowledge. Made sure I mastered every single problem in the quizzes and honed on the reason why I am failing at a problem (obvi so I can remember not to do that same problem again).

PROBLEM: So far, I only applied my Chem & Ochem knowledge through Chad's Quizzes + did PAT generators only. No QR, Bio, or RC exposure yet. ALSO, I realized that the free PAT generators I have been doing were simpler compared to the real PAT content. ANOTHER thing is that Chads Video, although great exposure content for CHEM & OCHEM, didn't have similar wording as the CHEM & OCHEM practice tests of DAT Bootcamp. So essentially, I have all this knowledge but haven't really applied it to ANYTHING (which freaked me out only being a month away from my test date).

Solution: Bought DAT bootcamp Pratice test and went straight into taking tests & filtering my information.
So I did QR and RC first. The ones that I haven't exposed myself at all. Then I did Gen chem & ochem practice tests. Highly recommend Gen chem DAT bootcamp; the wording is on point.

  • March - April
Problem: haven't touched BIO at all since December!!!! Only 2 weeks left
Solution: took DAT bootcamp Practice test & failed miserably, got 16s and 17 (Bio is soooo random at times). I decided to master all the questions from bootcamp and see how I can memorize these many details, but I couldn't. I resorted to studying my master study guide and asking friends what showed up most frequently during their multiple attempts at the DAT (they said hormones, development, menstral cycle, cellular respiration, hardy weinberg). Take that for a grain of salt however, every test is different.

Problem: Very Tired the last 2 weeks before my exam and I had insomnia (great....)
Solution: dedicated to sleep at 7pm and wake up around the time of my exam.
Make it a habit to exercise and sleep well! However, I still was very lazy when I went on Easter break. With 5 days before my test, I simply took a Full length practice test every morning and relaxed the rest of the day. Bottom line, if you feel fatigued or tired, don't overwork yourself!

The day before my test, I watched CRASH Course on Youtube to help with my Bio problem. I watched all Anat & Physio material, development, and ecology stuff. Pretty entertaining content and encompasses the "brevity of Bio".

***************How did Test resemble my Studying/Practice Test***************
Wrote at Header of Paper: Be Discipline=Extrapolate info correctly and FIND correctly + Guess, Mark, & Skip Lengthy/Hard Questions

DAT is a very easy test, however where it gets you is when it says "find the volume you need to ADD MORE to the Dilution problem"; "Order the largest radius in INCREASING order". You know the material and progression, but you screw up on the last part=answering the question specifically! Also you screw up by taking too much time on difficult problems. Every problem is the same value; you don't need to waste time!

Bio: Very similar questions to Practice test I took on DAT bootcamp. The questions are very random! Then again every test is different. So I don't recommend just studying solely bootcamp. I believe exposure to Bio everyday is the best way to study (DAT bootcamp Daily questions, Crash Course, taking Bio classes).

Chem: Very similar wording used in DAT Bootcamp. "same wording" meaning that the problems makes you extract the "same concepts" from a word problem. I was surprised however that ALOT of calculations questions asked to calculate a final number rather than format it into the equation skeleton. So this shows that you can't rely on using the answer choice skeleton to help you answer the question (you need to be familiar with the equations through practice). I can't recall the ratio of Calc to Conceptual question but I remember that calculation problems dominated my time. Ultimately, bootcamp is prime material to use to APPLY your knowledge. Chads Vids is where you get your foundation knowledge from and exposure through quizzes.

Ochem: Tutoring helped me a ton to keep up with material (exposure) & wrote a master reaction sheet to help me remember and teach the reactions to my students (this helped a ton). Conceptual ochem stuff is taught well by Chads Videos. Application of course is DAT bootcamp; however I recall that the word questions were worded differently than bootcamp. Obviously the reactions are formatted the same, you can't format retrosynthesis of "what is the product" differently. Again I can't remember the ratio, but I remember the conceptual questions dominated my time.

PAT: DAT Bootcamp PAT is sufficient to prepare you. Apertures was comparable to Bootcamp. TFE was harder than I expected as it was one of my better skills. Could be due to stress parameters, but I don't believe I did well because of this section. Angles were easier than Bootcamp. Cube counting much easier; with 1 structure being difficult as it had a hole (have to be meticulous). Pattern folding is my better skills as well. Practice every day through generators is key to success in PAT.

RC: Search & Destroy. Read 3 paragraphs of a section and then attacked the questions. Finding where the question is specifying and then reading that passage; then highlighting the details. Crossing out answer choices that are not relevant. Practice test is KEY to building this skill. Bootcamp was my source, but I recommend more sources for specific DAT RC practice tests. I didn't read any other science materials because they aren't relevant to the testing parameters. Key to success for this and actually for all section is that YOU won't get every problem correct! Guess and skip on questions, no matter how easy the question sounds or think you can get the answer. Set a certain time limit to search; if you become frustrated, guess, mark and move on! Its better to save time at end to review then rush.

QR: VERY DIFFERENT WORDING THAN DAT Bootcamp! Specifically they had 2 types of questions that threw me off because of how it was worded (and they had a couple of these types of weird worded questions). My best advice is to don't freak out when you aren't familiarize with anything. To beat this, QR requires strong foundational knowledge on the governing log, exponential, area, volume, trig rules (in general). On this specific test, it focused on word problems, algebra, geometry. Few stats & trig questions. Don't underestimate QR!!!!! That's my advice. If you are bad at math, get the rules down! Then transition to the word problems and what words mean.

Summary:
I strongly believe in the "its a marathon, not a spring"; all starts from habits developed during undergrad courses (main exposure) to prepare you for DAT. That is what helped me from the getgo when starting to study for DAT.

Even though I spent most of time gathering info, I would suggest taking more time to do practice exams! Those are the most applicable way to prepare you for the exam. I only paid for 2 sources (Chads & DAT Bootcamp which I believe is sufficient for Chem & Ochem). Bootcamp is sufficient for RC & QR. Biology & PAT requires constant exposure everyday (courses you take, internet seraches, & generators).

Get SLEEP, Eat well, and exercise! Brain gainz requires all of this!
Have a plan! Again this goes back to "habits"; you need the drive and habit to do this. Can't go partying everyweekend or Netflixing everyday. You have to have a plan. Designate a ton of breaks to "decompress" during studying. I like to watch a ton of funny Youtube vids or excercise. Anyways, this is lengthy but hopefully this was helpful for those preparing for this exam! Good Luck!

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 7 users
Great job on the DAT and with the really detailed breakdown - I like how you mapped out the subsections ahead of time. I think a lot of people fail to do this and end up skipping vital content that is tested.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Scores:
PAT: 20
QR: 22
RC: 22
Bio: 20
GC: 24
OC: 30
TS: 23
AA: 24

Timeline: December 2016 - April 17, 2017 (20 weeks)

Background:
  • Junior, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Major
  • GPA: 3.80
  • Sci GPA: 3.85
  • Freshman Year 1st semester GPA=3.31 & Sci GPA=3.21
As seen from the discrepancy between my Freshman year GPA to current Junior year standing GPA, I really honed in and focused on studying and maintained a "upward trend". How did I do this you ask? Sophomore year as I took Physics, Ochem, Cell Bio, and Biochem that 1st semester. I knew that IF i wanted to goal of Dentistry, high GPA is a MUST (Dental schools PREDOMINATLY look at GPA & DAT). And for me, this Soph 1st semester is the pinnacle of rigorous Science based curriculum. If I thrive this semester, I can prove myself that I can do it. Also by making it a habit of studying and doing well in school, these habits carried through throughout following years and ultimately helped me obtained the competitive stats required. Also kicking it into high gear helps you prepare for DAT (through constant exposure and knowledge of how to actually prepare for a test).

Studying Strategy:
1. Identified all material in the subsection of each section (ie. Know all Genetics subsection material under the Bio section or Know all Electrochemistry subsection under the Chem section)
The purpose of identifying all the material in the subsection is to make sure that when you get to the practice test material, you should be able to KNOW what it is and not get it wrong based on lack of knowledge. Essentially this information gathering is for EXPOSURE.

2. Practice Test/Practice Quiz [the MAIN part]
This is applying the knowledge you obtained above. The practice test should....
  • Filter previously obtained knowledge
I actually created a new document called "[section] Progressions" where I took the basic section knowledge from the master study guide and figured out the "ins and outs" of the problem.

Here is an example from my "Ochem progressions":
Problem: Draw lowest energy/stable Newman Projection
a. Draw structure correctly from nomenclature
b. See through correct carbons
c. Label substituents by # of Carbon attachment
i. Front | Back = Carbon attachments | Carbon attachments
d. Draw all newman projections (be disciplined)
e. Determine most stable
f. Seems so easy, but can easily fool the less-discipline"

Meanwhile....
I took 16 credits + Eboard of Pre-Dental Club + Tutor Ochem 2 hours per week
Those 16 credits encompassed: Animal Development, Ecology, Biochemistry, Theology, Biostatistical Methods.

Specific Studying Timeline, Problems, w/Study Materials:
  • December 2016 - January 2017
Used internet for gathering subsection info on QR + Biology Textbook for Bio to extract all foundational info for my personal master study guide.
Throughout I did PAT DAT Bootcamp generators to familiarize myself with what is going on, then honed in on how to attack PAT and what skills I need to practice on.

As mentioned in "Meanwhile...." I had exposure to Ecology & Animal Development as I took these undergrad courses (applicable for Bio section) & Statistics (applicable for QR section) throughout the semester. Mostly Statistics was helpful in preparing for Stats question on QR.
  • January - February
Got Chads Videos for Chemistry & Ochem informational gathering. Oh I also tutor Ochem for my school, so I have exposure from that as well.
Continue my PAT practice and updated my strategy that was most efficient through the DAT Bootcamp generators

PROBLEM: Had hard time balancing Schoolwork vs. DAT work. I would be studying for tests and I would find myself saying "dood, I am running out of time for DAT studying!!!" I realized that my grades were already pretty good AND I developed of habit of how to study efficiently for tests and exams in shorts amount of time (2-3 days prior of Sci exams); so why should I devote more energy for boosting my grades? I only have one shot for the DAT (Dental schools prefer you to get it right the first time; also you may run into issue of overriding your better score if you take it again).

Solution: Focus on DAT and don't worry too much about tests. The weeks before my exam, I skipped some classes to really hone in onto DAT (obvi make friends in those Sci based classes so you can get the help you need to recover and study for those tests).
  • February - March
Did Chads Video Quizzes and filtered my Chem + Ochem knowledge. Made sure I mastered every single problem in the quizzes and honed on the reason why I am failing at a problem (obvi so I can remember not to do that same problem again).

PROBLEM: So far, I only applied my Chem & Ochem knowledge through Chad's Quizzes + did PAT generators only. No QR, Bio, or RC exposure yet. ALSO, I realized that the free PAT generators I have been doing were simpler compared to the real PAT content. ANOTHER thing is that Chads Video, although great exposure content for CHEM & OCHEM, didn't have similar wording as the CHEM & OCHEM practice tests of DAT Bootcamp. So essentially, I have all this knowledge but haven't really applied it to ANYTHING (which freaked me out only being a month away from my test date).

Solution: Bought DAT bootcamp Pratice test and went straight into taking tests & filtering my information.
So I did QR and RC first. The ones that I haven't exposed myself at all. Then I did Gen chem & ochem practice tests. Highly recommend Gen chem DAT bootcamp; the wording is on point.

  • March - April
Problem: haven't touched BIO at all since December!!!! Only 2 weeks left
Solution: took DAT bootcamp Practice test & failed miserably, got 16s and 17 (Bio is soooo random at times). I decided to master all the questions from bootcamp and see how I can memorize these many details, but I couldn't. I resorted to studying my master study guide and asking friends what showed up most frequently during their multiple attempts at the DAT (they said hormones, development, menstral cycle, cellular respiration, hardy weinberg). Take that for a grain of salt however, every test is different.

Problem: Very Tired the last 2 weeks before my exam and I had insomnia (great....)
Solution: dedicated to sleep at 7pm and wake up around the time of my exam.
Make it a habit to exercise and sleep well! However, I still was very lazy when I went on Easter break. With 5 days before my test, I simply took a Full length practice test every morning and relaxed the rest of the day. Bottom line, if you feel fatigued or tired, don't overwork yourself!

The day before my test, I watched CRASH Course on Youtube to help with my Bio problem. I watched all Anat & Physio material, development, and ecology stuff. Pretty entertaining content and encompasses the "brevity of Bio".

***************How did Test resemble my Studying/Practice Test***************
Wrote at Header of Paper: Be Discipline=Extrapolate info correctly and FIND correctly + Guess, Mark, & Skip Lengthy/Hard Questions

DAT is a very easy test, however where it gets you is when it says "find the volume you need to ADD MORE to the Dilution problem"; "Order the largest radius in INCREASING order". You know the material and progression, but you screw up on the last part=answering the question specifically! Also you screw up by taking too much time on difficult problems. Every problem is the same value; you don't need to waste time!

Bio: Very similar questions to Practice test I took on DAT bootcamp. The questions are very random! Then again every test is different. So I don't recommend just studying solely bootcamp. I believe exposure to Bio everyday is the best way to study (DAT bootcamp Daily questions, Crash Course, taking Bio classes).

Chem: Very similar wording used in DAT Bootcamp. "same wording" meaning that the problems makes you extract the "same concepts" from a word problem. I was surprised however that ALOT of calculations questions asked to calculate a final number rather than format it into the equation skeleton. So this shows that you can't rely on using the answer choice skeleton to help you answer the question (you need to be familiar with the equations through practice). I can't recall the ratio of Calc to Conceptual question but I remember that calculation problems dominated my time. Ultimately, bootcamp is prime material to use to APPLY your knowledge. Chads Vids is where you get your foundation knowledge from and exposure through quizzes.

Ochem: Tutoring helped me a ton to keep up with material (exposure) & wrote a master reaction sheet to help me remember and teach the reactions to my students (this helped a ton). Conceptual ochem stuff is taught well by Chads Videos. Application of course is DAT bootcamp; however I recall that the word questions were worded differently than bootcamp. Obviously the reactions are formatted the same, you can't format retrosynthesis of "what is the product" differently. Again I can't remember the ratio, but I remember the conceptual questions dominated my time.

PAT: DAT Bootcamp PAT is sufficient to prepare you. Apertures was comparable to Bootcamp. TFE was harder than I expected as it was one of my better skills. Could be due to stress parameters, but I don't believe I did well because of this section. Angles were easier than Bootcamp. Cube counting much easier; with 1 structure being difficult as it had a hole (have to be meticulous). Pattern folding is my better skills as well. Practice every day through generators is key to success in PAT.

RC: Search & Destroy. Read 3 paragraphs of a section and then attacked the questions. Finding where the question is specifying and then reading that passage; then highlighting the details. Crossing out answer choices that are not relevant. Practice test is KEY to building this skill. Bootcamp was my source, but I recommend more sources for specific DAT RC practice tests. I didn't read any other science materials because they aren't relevant to the testing parameters. Key to success for this and actually for all section is that YOU won't get every problem correct! Guess and skip on questions, no matter how easy the question sounds or think you can get the answer. Set a certain time limit to search; if you become frustrated, guess, mark and move on! Its better to save time at end to review then rush.

QR: VERY DIFFERENT WORDING THAN DAT Bootcamp! Specifically they had 2 types of questions that threw me off because of how it was worded (and they had a couple of these types of weird worded questions). My best advice is to don't freak out when you aren't familiarize with anything. To beat this, QR requires strong foundational knowledge on the governing log, exponential, area, volume, trig rules (in general). On this specific test, it focused on word problems, algebra, geometry. Few stats & trig questions. Don't underestimate QR!!!!! That's my advice. If you are bad at math, get the rules down! Then transition to the word problems and what words mean.

Summary:
I strongly believe in the "its a marathon, not a spring"; all starts from habits developed during undergrad courses (main exposure) to prepare you for DAT. That is what helped me from the getgo when starting to study for DAT.

Even though I spent most of time gathering info, I would suggest taking more time to do practice exams! Those are the most applicable way to prepare you for the exam. I only paid for 2 sources (Chads & DAT Bootcamp which I believe is sufficient for Chem & Ochem). Bootcamp is sufficient for RC & QR. Biology & PAT requires constant exposure everyday (courses you take, internet seraches, & generators).

Get SLEEP, Eat well, and exercise! Brain gainz requires all of this!
Have a plan! Again this goes back to "habits"; you need the drive and habit to do this. Can't go partying everyweekend or Netflixing everyday. You have to have a plan. Designate a ton of breaks to "decompress" during studying. I like to watch a ton of funny Youtube vids or excercise. Anyways, this is lengthy but hopefully this was helpful for those preparing for this exam! Good Luck!

Congratulations! Your scores and GPA will get you interviews into many schools, including some IVY league. Love the 30 in Orgo! Thanks for the detailed breakdown and mention of the QR section, there has been a lot of posts lately wondering if Trig was still on the DAT, and from your version the answer is yes.

Wishing you the best..

Nancy
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Awesome Stats, Awesome score. Great job!
OC 30 great!!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
Scores:
PAT: 20
QR: 22
RC: 22
Bio: 20
GC: 24
OC: 30
TS: 23
AA: 24

Timeline: December 2016 - April 17, 2017 (20 weeks)

Background:
  • Junior, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Major
  • GPA: 3.80
  • Sci GPA: 3.85
  • Freshman Year 1st semester GPA=3.31 & Sci GPA=3.21
As seen from the discrepancy between my Freshman year GPA to current Junior year standing GPA, I really honed in and focused on studying and maintained a "upward trend". How did I do this you ask? Sophomore year as I took Physics, Ochem, Cell Bio, and Biochem that 1st semester. I knew that IF i wanted to goal of Dentistry, high GPA is a MUST (Dental schools PREDOMINATLY look at GPA & DAT). And for me, this Soph 1st semester is the pinnacle of rigorous Science based curriculum. If I thrive this semester, I can prove myself that I can do it. Also by making it a habit of studying and doing well in school, these habits carried through throughout following years and ultimately helped me obtained the competitive stats required. Also kicking it into high gear helps you prepare for DAT (through constant exposure and knowledge of how to actually prepare for a test).

Studying Strategy:
1. Identified all material in the subsection of each section (ie. Know all Genetics subsection material under the Bio section or Know all Electrochemistry subsection under the Chem section)
The purpose of identifying all the material in the subsection is to make sure that when you get to the practice test material, you should be able to KNOW what it is and not get it wrong based on lack of knowledge. Essentially this information gathering is for EXPOSURE.

2. Practice Test/Practice Quiz [the MAIN part]
This is applying the knowledge you obtained above. The practice test should....
  • Filter previously obtained knowledge
I actually created a new document called "[section] Progressions" where I took the basic section knowledge from the master study guide and figured out the "ins and outs" of the problem.

Here is an example from my "Ochem progressions":
Problem: Draw lowest energy/stable Newman Projection
a. Draw structure correctly from nomenclature
b. See through correct carbons
c. Label substituents by # of Carbon attachment
i. Front | Back = Carbon attachments | Carbon attachments
d. Draw all newman projections (be disciplined)
e. Determine most stable
f. Seems so easy, but can easily fool the less-discipline"

Meanwhile....
I took 16 credits + Eboard of Pre-Dental Club + Tutor Ochem 2 hours per week
Those 16 credits encompassed: Animal Development, Ecology, Biochemistry, Theology, Biostatistical Methods.

Specific Studying Timeline, Problems, w/Study Materials:
  • December 2016 - January 2017
Used internet for gathering subsection info on QR + Biology Textbook for Bio to extract all foundational info for my personal master study guide.
Throughout I did PAT DAT Bootcamp generators to familiarize myself with what is going on, then honed in on how to attack PAT and what skills I need to practice on.

As mentioned in "Meanwhile...." I had exposure to Ecology & Animal Development as I took these undergrad courses (applicable for Bio section) & Statistics (applicable for QR section) throughout the semester. Mostly Statistics was helpful in preparing for Stats question on QR.
  • January - February
Got Chads Videos for Chemistry & Ochem informational gathering. Oh I also tutor Ochem for my school, so I have exposure from that as well.
Continue my PAT practice and updated my strategy that was most efficient through the DAT Bootcamp generators

PROBLEM: Had hard time balancing Schoolwork vs. DAT work. I would be studying for tests and I would find myself saying "dood, I am running out of time for DAT studying!!!" I realized that my grades were already pretty good AND I developed of habit of how to study efficiently for tests and exams in shorts amount of time (2-3 days prior of Sci exams); so why should I devote more energy for boosting my grades? I only have one shot for the DAT (Dental schools prefer you to get it right the first time; also you may run into issue of overriding your better score if you take it again).

Solution: Focus on DAT and don't worry too much about tests. The weeks before my exam, I skipped some classes to really hone in onto DAT (obvi make friends in those Sci based classes so you can get the help you need to recover and study for those tests).
  • February - March
Did Chads Video Quizzes and filtered my Chem + Ochem knowledge. Made sure I mastered every single problem in the quizzes and honed on the reason why I am failing at a problem (obvi so I can remember not to do that same problem again).

PROBLEM: So far, I only applied my Chem & Ochem knowledge through Chad's Quizzes + did PAT generators only. No QR, Bio, or RC exposure yet. ALSO, I realized that the free PAT generators I have been doing were simpler compared to the real PAT content. ANOTHER thing is that Chads Video, although great exposure content for CHEM & OCHEM, didn't have similar wording as the CHEM & OCHEM practice tests of DAT Bootcamp. So essentially, I have all this knowledge but haven't really applied it to ANYTHING (which freaked me out only being a month away from my test date).

Solution: Bought DAT bootcamp Pratice test and went straight into taking tests & filtering my information.
So I did QR and RC first. The ones that I haven't exposed myself at all. Then I did Gen chem & ochem practice tests. Highly recommend Gen chem DAT bootcamp; the wording is on point.

  • March - April
Problem: haven't touched BIO at all since December!!!! Only 2 weeks left
Solution: took DAT bootcamp Practice test & failed miserably, got 16s and 17 (Bio is soooo random at times). I decided to master all the questions from bootcamp and see how I can memorize these many details, but I couldn't. I resorted to studying my master study guide and asking friends what showed up most frequently during their multiple attempts at the DAT (they said hormones, development, menstral cycle, cellular respiration, hardy weinberg). Take that for a grain of salt however, every test is different.

Problem: Very Tired the last 2 weeks before my exam and I had insomnia (great....)
Solution: dedicated to sleep at 7pm and wake up around the time of my exam.
Make it a habit to exercise and sleep well! However, I still was very lazy when I went on Easter break. With 5 days before my test, I simply took a Full length practice test every morning and relaxed the rest of the day. Bottom line, if you feel fatigued or tired, don't overwork yourself!

The day before my test, I watched CRASH Course on Youtube to help with my Bio problem. I watched all Anat & Physio material, development, and ecology stuff. Pretty entertaining content and encompasses the "brevity of Bio".

***************How did Test resemble my Studying/Practice Test***************
Wrote at Header of Paper: Be Discipline=Extrapolate info correctly and FIND correctly + Guess, Mark, & Skip Lengthy/Hard Questions

DAT is a very easy test, however where it gets you is when it says "find the volume you need to ADD MORE to the Dilution problem"; "Order the largest radius in INCREASING order". You know the material and progression, but you screw up on the last part=answering the question specifically! Also you screw up by taking too much time on difficult problems. Every problem is the same value; you don't need to waste time!

Bio: Very similar questions to Practice test I took on DAT bootcamp. The questions are very random! Then again every test is different. So I don't recommend just studying solely bootcamp. I believe exposure to Bio everyday is the best way to study (DAT bootcamp Daily questions, Crash Course, taking Bio classes).

Chem: Very similar wording used in DAT Bootcamp. "same wording" meaning that the problems makes you extract the "same concepts" from a word problem. I was surprised however that ALOT of calculations questions asked to calculate a final number rather than format it into the equation skeleton. So this shows that you can't rely on using the answer choice skeleton to help you answer the question (you need to be familiar with the equations through practice). I can't recall the ratio of Calc to Conceptual question but I remember that calculation problems dominated my time. Ultimately, bootcamp is prime material to use to APPLY your knowledge. Chads Vids is where you get your foundation knowledge from and exposure through quizzes.

Ochem: Tutoring helped me a ton to keep up with material (exposure) & wrote a master reaction sheet to help me remember and teach the reactions to my students (this helped a ton). Conceptual ochem stuff is taught well by Chads Videos. Application of course is DAT bootcamp; however I recall that the word questions were worded differently than bootcamp. Obviously the reactions are formatted the same, you can't format retrosynthesis of "what is the product" differently. Again I can't remember the ratio, but I remember the conceptual questions dominated my time.

PAT: DAT Bootcamp PAT is sufficient to prepare you. Apertures was comparable to Bootcamp. TFE was harder than I expected as it was one of my better skills. Could be due to stress parameters, but I don't believe I did well because of this section. Angles were easier than Bootcamp. Cube counting much easier; with 1 structure being difficult as it had a hole (have to be meticulous). Pattern folding is my better skills as well. Practice every day through generators is key to success in PAT.

RC: Search & Destroy. Read 3 paragraphs of a section and then attacked the questions. Finding where the question is specifying and then reading that passage; then highlighting the details. Crossing out answer choices that are not relevant. Practice test is KEY to building this skill. Bootcamp was my source, but I recommend more sources for specific DAT RC practice tests. I didn't read any other science materials because they aren't relevant to the testing parameters. Key to success for this and actually for all section is that YOU won't get every problem correct! Guess and skip on questions, no matter how easy the question sounds or think you can get the answer. Set a certain time limit to search; if you become frustrated, guess, mark and move on! Its better to save time at end to review then rush.

QR: VERY DIFFERENT WORDING THAN DAT Bootcamp! Specifically they had 2 types of questions that threw me off because of how it was worded (and they had a couple of these types of weird worded questions). My best advice is to don't freak out when you aren't familiarize with anything. To beat this, QR requires strong foundational knowledge on the governing log, exponential, area, volume, trig rules (in general). On this specific test, it focused on word problems, algebra, geometry. Few stats & trig questions. Don't underestimate QR!!!!! That's my advice. If you are bad at math, get the rules down! Then transition to the word problems and what words mean.

Summary:
I strongly believe in the "its a marathon, not a spring"; all starts from habits developed during undergrad courses (main exposure) to prepare you for DAT. That is what helped me from the getgo when starting to study for DAT.

Even though I spent most of time gathering info, I would suggest taking more time to do practice exams! Those are the most applicable way to prepare you for the exam. I only paid for 2 sources (Chads & DAT Bootcamp which I believe is sufficient for Chem & Ochem). Bootcamp is sufficient for RC & QR. Biology & PAT requires constant exposure everyday (courses you take, internet seraches, & generators).

Get SLEEP, Eat well, and exercise! Brain gainz requires all of this!
Have a plan! Again this goes back to "habits"; you need the drive and habit to do this. Can't go partying everyweekend or Netflixing everyday. You have to have a plan. Designate a ton of breaks to "decompress" during studying. I like to watch a ton of funny Youtube vids or excercise. Anyways, this is lengthy but hopefully this was helpful for those preparing for this exam! Good Luck!

great scores and great review! congrats!

you'll definitely be a very competitive application for the upcoming cycle. If you have any questions regarding that, feel free to PM me. Good luck!
 
Congratulations and thanks for the thorough breakdown explaining all your steps! It really helps to be able to see into the mindset of a high DAT score. Enjoy some relaxation time!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
May i ask, do you remember there being any trigonometry on your QR?

Sent from my SM-G935P using SDN mobile
I work with a lot of students that are taking the DAT daily, trig and geometry are still appearing on some versions, but it is best to be prepared for Quantitative Comparison Questions should you see a few of them. IMO, they are currently in a testing process for these type of questions and they should not affect your score. That is what I have concluded after after working in this arena for many years.

I was informed directly for the ADA that they would announce when the change would take place. They have been announcing a change to the QR since 2010, we shall see.

The link below might be helpful.

GRE Quantitative Comparison Questions (For Test Takers)
 
Top