Finally done with my DAT! Such a relief. Not really an outstandingly amazing science score, but I feel like I should post this breakdown to describe my personal experience with the test. I am going to try to keep this short.
These are my scores on the real DAT (BIO/GC/OC/PAT/RC/QR/TS/AA) -> 23/26/25/22/30/21/24/25
Preparation: I don't think it's necessary to include the resources I used, since I used the general resources that everyone else who posted their breakdowns used - cliff's AP, feralis bio notes, Chad's videos, DAT bootcamp, DAT genius, etc. I also used Kaplan for all the physiological systems, as I felt that Cliff's was seriously lacking in that aspect. I started studying four months ago. Yes, I know its a long time, but I didn't wanna risk it. I would recommend is doing the DAT genius before Bootcamp, and that will definitely help a lot with review of concepts, esp. with bio. Although I found DAT Genius to be very specific and lengthy for the scope of DAT, I still believe that it is one of the best DAT resources out there just because you can get exposure to some new kind of questions and it can also help with time management. DAT bootcamp is hands-down the best resource. Most representative of the real test. Do this last, as you will be able to predict the likely of performing well on the real DAT based on your scores on bootcamp. One misunderstanding among most people is thinking that the practice test scores correlate directly with the real DAT. But as many other DAT takers have mentioned here, this is just not true. There is a right and wrong way of doing things. You can expect to get a similar score on the real DAT as the practice test, IF you use the practice resources the correct way. What I did is that I reviewed all questions after taking a test, even though I was familiar with the concept and was confident with the answer I picked. The reason for this is that the explanations will usually involve something that you are not familiar, and there will always be something new to take away from the explanation. Also, go over these explanations as many times as you can. Going over these multiple times reconsolidates the concepts in your hippocampus, and puts more AMPA receptor in your neurons. Gotta increase those AMPA receptors (sorry, neuroscience major here). I went over all my bootcamp and genius tests like 2-3 times. DAT destroyer is just an outstanding resource - helped me boost my GC and orgo from 18-19 to 27-30 on my last bootcamp tests. Make sure you understand every concept from the sciences. Know why the wrong answer is the wrong answer and why the correct answer is the correct answer. I literally went into "research mode" every time I saw a new word/concept on any of the practice resources. I made notes on every question/concept I got wrong on destroyer/practice tests.
The real test: Gen chem and RC were probably the easiest. Way easier compared to bootcamp. A 30 on reading was still a surprise, since I only did a few CrackDAT, bootcamp and genius RC tests, and did not read from scientific American everyday. However, bio and OC were pretty challenging. Bio had some questions that had terminology that I have never been exposed to before - not from cliff's, Kaplan, or feralis. OC had some weird wording and some really tough acid-base ranking questions. Don't even ask me about QR - HOLY MOTHER OF HARD TESTS. Some really weird questions. Nothing that I haven't seen before, but they really made me think. I thought I did terrible, but ended up getting a 21, which I don't mind lol. PAT was easy for most part, expect for keyholes and angles, which I found to be really challenging (similar to bootcamp's). DAT bootcamp is the best resource for PAT.
Other Advices: Get good sleep the week leading up to the exam. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep for more than 4 hours the night before my exam due to my effed up sleep schedule. So I would also recommend getting your sleep schedule in check if you usually stay up late. Also, read something in the morning before the exam -could be anything like newspaper or scientific American. The test should not be the first thing your brain sees in the morning. Lastly, cut back on TV. I watched whole Iron Fist and watched 2 seasons of another TV show on Netflix ~2 weeks before the exam. I wish I didn't - I could've probably used that time to brush up some of the concepts.
Special shoutout and thanks to @Ari Rezaei for creating a phenomenal resource like DAT bootcamp (I really don't know how he gets all the questions types so on point), @orgoman22 for DAT destroyer and Nancy's helpful replies on questions posted here on SDN, and @FeralisExtremum for his amazing bio note. Also thanks to everyone on SDN for being so helpful!
Now I am going to make food, and binge more on Netflix.
These are my scores on the real DAT (BIO/GC/OC/PAT/RC/QR/TS/AA) -> 23/26/25/22/30/21/24/25
Preparation: I don't think it's necessary to include the resources I used, since I used the general resources that everyone else who posted their breakdowns used - cliff's AP, feralis bio notes, Chad's videos, DAT bootcamp, DAT genius, etc. I also used Kaplan for all the physiological systems, as I felt that Cliff's was seriously lacking in that aspect. I started studying four months ago. Yes, I know its a long time, but I didn't wanna risk it. I would recommend is doing the DAT genius before Bootcamp, and that will definitely help a lot with review of concepts, esp. with bio. Although I found DAT Genius to be very specific and lengthy for the scope of DAT, I still believe that it is one of the best DAT resources out there just because you can get exposure to some new kind of questions and it can also help with time management. DAT bootcamp is hands-down the best resource. Most representative of the real test. Do this last, as you will be able to predict the likely of performing well on the real DAT based on your scores on bootcamp. One misunderstanding among most people is thinking that the practice test scores correlate directly with the real DAT. But as many other DAT takers have mentioned here, this is just not true. There is a right and wrong way of doing things. You can expect to get a similar score on the real DAT as the practice test, IF you use the practice resources the correct way. What I did is that I reviewed all questions after taking a test, even though I was familiar with the concept and was confident with the answer I picked. The reason for this is that the explanations will usually involve something that you are not familiar, and there will always be something new to take away from the explanation. Also, go over these explanations as many times as you can. Going over these multiple times reconsolidates the concepts in your hippocampus, and puts more AMPA receptor in your neurons. Gotta increase those AMPA receptors (sorry, neuroscience major here). I went over all my bootcamp and genius tests like 2-3 times. DAT destroyer is just an outstanding resource - helped me boost my GC and orgo from 18-19 to 27-30 on my last bootcamp tests. Make sure you understand every concept from the sciences. Know why the wrong answer is the wrong answer and why the correct answer is the correct answer. I literally went into "research mode" every time I saw a new word/concept on any of the practice resources. I made notes on every question/concept I got wrong on destroyer/practice tests.
The real test: Gen chem and RC were probably the easiest. Way easier compared to bootcamp. A 30 on reading was still a surprise, since I only did a few CrackDAT, bootcamp and genius RC tests, and did not read from scientific American everyday. However, bio and OC were pretty challenging. Bio had some questions that had terminology that I have never been exposed to before - not from cliff's, Kaplan, or feralis. OC had some weird wording and some really tough acid-base ranking questions. Don't even ask me about QR - HOLY MOTHER OF HARD TESTS. Some really weird questions. Nothing that I haven't seen before, but they really made me think. I thought I did terrible, but ended up getting a 21, which I don't mind lol. PAT was easy for most part, expect for keyholes and angles, which I found to be really challenging (similar to bootcamp's). DAT bootcamp is the best resource for PAT.
Other Advices: Get good sleep the week leading up to the exam. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep for more than 4 hours the night before my exam due to my effed up sleep schedule. So I would also recommend getting your sleep schedule in check if you usually stay up late. Also, read something in the morning before the exam -could be anything like newspaper or scientific American. The test should not be the first thing your brain sees in the morning. Lastly, cut back on TV. I watched whole Iron Fist and watched 2 seasons of another TV show on Netflix ~2 weeks before the exam. I wish I didn't - I could've probably used that time to brush up some of the concepts.
Special shoutout and thanks to @Ari Rezaei for creating a phenomenal resource like DAT bootcamp (I really don't know how he gets all the questions types so on point), @orgoman22 for DAT destroyer and Nancy's helpful replies on questions posted here on SDN, and @FeralisExtremum for his amazing bio note. Also thanks to everyone on SDN for being so helpful!
Now I am going to make food, and binge more on Netflix.
. Well done, dr!
A 30 in reading and your high science scores will open the door to many schools, including Ivy League with a mathing GPA.
