Struggling with Bio

[FabihaBushra]

Hello, I have been studying for the DAT for past few month with full time classes. I have Studied feralis bio notes at that time. Now I am on my summer break and practicing the biology extra questions on DATBooster. I was surprised to see I forgot most of the material and getting 80% of the questions wrong! Other subjects are okay. Only struggling with biology. I test on July 12th.

Should I move my test date to august and start going through feralis bio again?

Or do I keep practicing the questions and take the test on time?

Feeling hopeless right now. Would really appreciate some advice.

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[ChemistryDentist]

If you feel like you're getting questions wrong because you don't know the materials being tested in those questions, I think it's pretty important to go and review the basic concepts again! Always keep in mind practice test questions can only partially gauge how well you will do on test day - it matters much more how well you know the material itself rather than how well you can answer questions.

July is still pretty far from now, so you should have time to review. But, if you feel like you're having the same problem moving closer to test date, it may be worth pushing it back some. It may also be worth diversifying your biology resources if the ones you used originally did not stick. I know some people like Cliff's AP bio, but I was a huge fan of the Orgoman Dynamite Bio review (and of course the Destroyer!). It really had all of the important concepts highlighted in a way that worked well with my learning style. Plus, it was free, which was a huge bonus.

Regardless, don't feel hopeless! The biology section is tough, but not impossible if you put in the time learning the foundational concepts and building on your knowledge from there. Hopefully this helps some. Best of luck!

 

[fafa_99]

Hello,

That is some of the things I did for the bio section to earn a 21

1. Read over the entire 2019 destroyer bio book (although I took the test this year, the material covered on the 2019 version was sufficient) and took physical notes. I also went over feralis and Bootcamp's short notes
2. Downloaded Bootcamp's ANKI deck and went over as much as I can every day (this was VERY helpful because of repetition and Bootcamp did a great job to include all the material)
3. Did as much practice questions as I can to get the exposure needed on this section in particular
4. I suggest you also take the last 5 practice full lengths a week before exam on Booster as they have VERY high yield questions
5. Repetition is the key so make sure you go over the destroyer notes frequently along with ANKI

Just like what ChemistryDentist said, you have plenty of time to improve until July so with repeated review and more exposure to questions, I think you will start to feel more comfortable as test day approaches. Don't feel desperate, I wasn't feeling too comfortable about bio less than a month before my exam and I ended up getting a fair score, so I strongly believe you can improve until July. I wish you the best of luck and I hope this helps you!