sadams3231
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- Jun 5, 2023
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Introduction
Hello, I just finished my fourth year of my undergraduate degree while studying for the DAT. I took the exam on the last day of May of 2023 and scored a 25 PAT, 24 QR, 27 RC, 26 BIO, 24 GC, 30 OC, 27 TS, and 26 AA. I am currently studying mechanical engineering, so I will be breaking down how I was able to prepare for the DAT with a rigorous course load while conducting research. DAT Bootcamp was the only resource I used to study, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Study Schedule
I officially began studying for the DAT in the middle of January of 2023, which gave me a little over four months to prepare. For me, this was the perfect amount of time because I had a cushion to focus on school more intensely when needed to. I used Dr. Ari’s extended schedule to provide me with an order in which to cover the material. Some days I did more than what the schedule called for, and some days I did nothing at all. Saturday and Sunday were programmed rest days, but I moved this to Tuesday and Wednesday because of my class schedule. While following this schedule, I averaged around three to five hours a day of studying and got through all of the material about a month before test day. For the remaining month, I did as many full-length tests as I could and reviewed where needed. These days got long, and some consisted of eight to ten-hour study days.
What I Did While Studying
As someone who did most of their studying at a desk in their room, I highly recommend going to a library, classroom, or other environment to mitigate distractions. Also, using the Pomodoro Technique was the reason I could stay interested in the material during lengthier study sessions. With that being said, know when to stop. I found myself becoming obsessed with checking boxes off on the schedule. If I could go back, I wish I would have not forced my way through some sessions after my attention was no longer there. This caused me to have to go through the material additional times, as opposed to soaking it in more the first time around. Also, buy a whiteboard! I was able to find one that was about the size of a piece of paper for a dollar, and it allowed me to simulate test day every time I practiced. A major portion of my studying was rewriting the material, so not having to waste paper was great. The only time I wrote things down on paper was when I reviewed practice tests. For the first few tests, I would rework all problems on paper. As I got more confident and time was more important, I would rework fewer problems until the areas of need were very concentrated.
Favorite Feature on Bootcamp
My favorite feature on Bootcamp was question tagging. This tool allowed me to actively track my progress and made it apparent what I needed to study. Dr. Ari’s schedule calls for doing the question banks and bites as you progress through the material. When doing so, I marked everything I got correct as yellow, the questions I got wrong as red, and nothing as green. For the material covered early on in the course, it would have been a long time until it was revisited. So, I think it is important to not consider any material mastered until about a month or two before test day.
Biology
Biology was one of the tougher subjects for me as there was a lot of material and everything that related to anatomy was being seen for the first time. I recommend watching the videos to get a feel for the information and retain as much new stuff as possible. Do the Bio Bites and Questions Banks as scheduled, and move on. Rereading the high-yield notes after watching the videos worked well for me to practice weak areas in an efficient manner. Also, focus on breadth instead of depth. Given the amount of material, it is unrealistic to memorize every detail. Understanding the players in major pathways and honing in around there is an approach I would take no matter the time frame. In total, I watched all the videos once and read through all of the high-yield notes three times. To take my studying to the next level, I also treated my practice as open-ended as possible. A good gauge of if you’ve mastered the material is if you can explain what is being asked without being prompted. This makes answering multiple-choice questions much easier.
General Chemistry
Dr. Mike’s videos are the key to this section. This was the section I was most concerned about since I had not taken a general chemistry course in about four years. The videos included on Bootcamp sufficiently covered what I was exposed to on the DAT. In my opinion, if you can do the more complex problems included in the practice tests, you are prepared. If you are struggling, do not get discouraged. Come test day, there were still several question types that I was not fully confident about. The most important thing for general chemistry is to learn from the practice tests!
Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry was the topic I was least concerned about since I was simultaneously taking an organic chemistry course while studying. That being said, my practice exam scores were nowhere near the 30 I obtained on the real exam. Similar to general chemistry, the practice exams were saturated with the material. Take these questions seriously and learn from them. Also, knowing the reaction cheat sheet was key. With my whiteboard, I would go through the reaction cheat sheet at least twice a week. Tagging the Reaction Bites is a great way to learn as well.
PAT
Having a growth mindset for this section of the DAT is important. In the beginning, it will be frustrating. Given my engineering background, I was naturally able to work out TFE and keyhole questions, but angle ranking and pattern folding were particularly difficult. A piece of advice I would give about this section is to be aware of how you are allocating your time to each question time. I found myself practicing the same amount for angle ranking as I was for TFE. If I could go back, I would focus on the question types I was struggling with while still lightly practicing those I was consistently getting correct. Also, watch the videos for the questions that have them. There were many strategies I picked up on, especially for pattern folding, that were outlined in the explanation.
Quantitative Reasoning
Math was a subject I was strong in as it was heavily integrated into my engineering curriculum. However, this was a different kind of math and I struggled. Similar to the other sections, my practice exam scores were depressed compared to my score on the actual exam. Like organic chemistry, it is important to be able to rewrite the cheat sheet with confidence. After getting through the videos, it is all about practice. All of the problems and associated videos provided on Bootcamp helped build my understanding and efficiency.
Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension was a section that did not come naturally. The most important aspect of this section is finding a strategy that works for you. Everyone is different, so don’t get stuck on strategies others attributed to a great score, and don’t be afraid to pivot if something isn’t working. In my opinion, it is difficult to comprehend what you’re reading if you don’t know what you're looking for. My strategy consisted of reading all the questions for one passage and writing down one or two words that stood out. This took no more than three minutes. While reading the passage, I was able to highlight information that seemed to correlate to possible answers and even answer questions in real-time by using the ‘Review’ tool.
Overall
Studying for the DAT is a task that requires an immense amount of time, effort, and sacrifice. Everyone’s journey is different, but using the schedule Bootcamp offers and tailoring it to your learning style is a great way to beat this exam while still excelling in other aspects of life. Get through the material, assess your understanding, and repeat. Take the practice exams seriously, and learn everything you can from them. Hard work pays off!
Hello, I just finished my fourth year of my undergraduate degree while studying for the DAT. I took the exam on the last day of May of 2023 and scored a 25 PAT, 24 QR, 27 RC, 26 BIO, 24 GC, 30 OC, 27 TS, and 26 AA. I am currently studying mechanical engineering, so I will be breaking down how I was able to prepare for the DAT with a rigorous course load while conducting research. DAT Bootcamp was the only resource I used to study, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Study Schedule
I officially began studying for the DAT in the middle of January of 2023, which gave me a little over four months to prepare. For me, this was the perfect amount of time because I had a cushion to focus on school more intensely when needed to. I used Dr. Ari’s extended schedule to provide me with an order in which to cover the material. Some days I did more than what the schedule called for, and some days I did nothing at all. Saturday and Sunday were programmed rest days, but I moved this to Tuesday and Wednesday because of my class schedule. While following this schedule, I averaged around three to five hours a day of studying and got through all of the material about a month before test day. For the remaining month, I did as many full-length tests as I could and reviewed where needed. These days got long, and some consisted of eight to ten-hour study days.
What I Did While Studying
As someone who did most of their studying at a desk in their room, I highly recommend going to a library, classroom, or other environment to mitigate distractions. Also, using the Pomodoro Technique was the reason I could stay interested in the material during lengthier study sessions. With that being said, know when to stop. I found myself becoming obsessed with checking boxes off on the schedule. If I could go back, I wish I would have not forced my way through some sessions after my attention was no longer there. This caused me to have to go through the material additional times, as opposed to soaking it in more the first time around. Also, buy a whiteboard! I was able to find one that was about the size of a piece of paper for a dollar, and it allowed me to simulate test day every time I practiced. A major portion of my studying was rewriting the material, so not having to waste paper was great. The only time I wrote things down on paper was when I reviewed practice tests. For the first few tests, I would rework all problems on paper. As I got more confident and time was more important, I would rework fewer problems until the areas of need were very concentrated.
Favorite Feature on Bootcamp
My favorite feature on Bootcamp was question tagging. This tool allowed me to actively track my progress and made it apparent what I needed to study. Dr. Ari’s schedule calls for doing the question banks and bites as you progress through the material. When doing so, I marked everything I got correct as yellow, the questions I got wrong as red, and nothing as green. For the material covered early on in the course, it would have been a long time until it was revisited. So, I think it is important to not consider any material mastered until about a month or two before test day.
Biology
Biology was one of the tougher subjects for me as there was a lot of material and everything that related to anatomy was being seen for the first time. I recommend watching the videos to get a feel for the information and retain as much new stuff as possible. Do the Bio Bites and Questions Banks as scheduled, and move on. Rereading the high-yield notes after watching the videos worked well for me to practice weak areas in an efficient manner. Also, focus on breadth instead of depth. Given the amount of material, it is unrealistic to memorize every detail. Understanding the players in major pathways and honing in around there is an approach I would take no matter the time frame. In total, I watched all the videos once and read through all of the high-yield notes three times. To take my studying to the next level, I also treated my practice as open-ended as possible. A good gauge of if you’ve mastered the material is if you can explain what is being asked without being prompted. This makes answering multiple-choice questions much easier.
General Chemistry
Dr. Mike’s videos are the key to this section. This was the section I was most concerned about since I had not taken a general chemistry course in about four years. The videos included on Bootcamp sufficiently covered what I was exposed to on the DAT. In my opinion, if you can do the more complex problems included in the practice tests, you are prepared. If you are struggling, do not get discouraged. Come test day, there were still several question types that I was not fully confident about. The most important thing for general chemistry is to learn from the practice tests!
Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry was the topic I was least concerned about since I was simultaneously taking an organic chemistry course while studying. That being said, my practice exam scores were nowhere near the 30 I obtained on the real exam. Similar to general chemistry, the practice exams were saturated with the material. Take these questions seriously and learn from them. Also, knowing the reaction cheat sheet was key. With my whiteboard, I would go through the reaction cheat sheet at least twice a week. Tagging the Reaction Bites is a great way to learn as well.
PAT
Having a growth mindset for this section of the DAT is important. In the beginning, it will be frustrating. Given my engineering background, I was naturally able to work out TFE and keyhole questions, but angle ranking and pattern folding were particularly difficult. A piece of advice I would give about this section is to be aware of how you are allocating your time to each question time. I found myself practicing the same amount for angle ranking as I was for TFE. If I could go back, I would focus on the question types I was struggling with while still lightly practicing those I was consistently getting correct. Also, watch the videos for the questions that have them. There were many strategies I picked up on, especially for pattern folding, that were outlined in the explanation.
Quantitative Reasoning
Math was a subject I was strong in as it was heavily integrated into my engineering curriculum. However, this was a different kind of math and I struggled. Similar to the other sections, my practice exam scores were depressed compared to my score on the actual exam. Like organic chemistry, it is important to be able to rewrite the cheat sheet with confidence. After getting through the videos, it is all about practice. All of the problems and associated videos provided on Bootcamp helped build my understanding and efficiency.
Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension was a section that did not come naturally. The most important aspect of this section is finding a strategy that works for you. Everyone is different, so don’t get stuck on strategies others attributed to a great score, and don’t be afraid to pivot if something isn’t working. In my opinion, it is difficult to comprehend what you’re reading if you don’t know what you're looking for. My strategy consisted of reading all the questions for one passage and writing down one or two words that stood out. This took no more than three minutes. While reading the passage, I was able to highlight information that seemed to correlate to possible answers and even answer questions in real-time by using the ‘Review’ tool.
Overall
Studying for the DAT is a task that requires an immense amount of time, effort, and sacrifice. Everyone’s journey is different, but using the schedule Bootcamp offers and tailoring it to your learning style is a great way to beat this exam while still excelling in other aspects of life. Get through the material, assess your understanding, and repeat. Take the practice exams seriously, and learn everything you can from them. Hard work pays off!
