***MOST IMPT, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLZ DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK, I will try and answer as quickly as possible; I really hope I can help as many as you do well as I did
***(Also, if there is anything I can do to improve my DAT breakdown in terms of helping you let me know!)
Contents of this incredibly long post:
1) Scores
2) My 2cents of the DAT, which I think, at least, is insightful (...lol)
3) Everything I used for the DAT
4) How I studied and Thoughts on the Stuff I Used for the DAT
5) Closing
DAT BREAKDOWNS:
QR= 30 (100%)--- WTF
RC= 21 (88.9%)---Expected
Biology= 24 (99.6%) expected better (read below)
GC= 26 (99.2%) " "
OC= 24 (97.9%) " "
TS= 24 (99.7%) " "
AA= 25 (100%) Yay!
PAT= 19 (69.4%)---Don't Really Know How to React
Before I begin, I would like to thank the SDN community for all their help. I never commented but just took; so I think its time I paid back the community a little. I hope my advice can be of some use. And before I begin, I would also like to say a little about the DAT and what is really is (a monster).
I studied so long for this test; when I say I did not leave my room for 2.5 months, that can be taken to heart. Everyday I would wake up, and I would just study (besides eating and working out). I would say that is probably the only reason I did well. The reason I say that is because I really am not a smart kid, or if "I am," I do not think so. The most important thing for the DAT is to take it seriously; if you don't, IT WILL OWN YOU.
Going into the DAT, after having literally gone through everything, I still found it EXTREMELY difficult. During the practice tests, including those most similar to the DAT (i.e. TOPSCORE AND 2009 ADA TEST), the questions on the actual DAT seemed alot harder. Ironically, I still did as well as I generally did on those practice tests. So I guess ill just REPEAT what has been said so many times on SDN, the TOPSCORE and 2009 ADA Tests are your best bet for what you will get on the actual DAT.
The questions on the DAT require an extreme level of thinking, especially the sciences. The only way to do well, I BELEIVE, and it is only my opinion, is to understand the information cold (I did not stop studying till the hour before my test). I will get into exactly what I studied, but the tests on Topscore and even the 2009 ADA were easier than my test (at least for the sciences). That being said, I could have just recieved a really hard version on the test.
After the test, I was shocked at my scores. I thought I bombed; and that actually seems to be the general concesus; how you feel doesn't always mirror your grades. In other words, don't feel upset because you "feel" like you didn't do well, because if I felt that way; I would have completely screwed up QR (and RC).
I want to also state what I thought I would get going into the DAT. Going in, after having taken the TOPSCORE AND ADA 2009 DAT, among all the other practice stuff (which I will get into- and believe me it is ALOT) I was hoping for close to 30 on the orgo, gchem, and biology. I am not trying to sound condescending or silly, but that really is how much effort I thought I put in. ---> Which just brings me back to the overall thesis of these (as I am starting to feel, pointless dribble) paragraphs, the DAT requires you know everything.
When I say everything, don't take to mean Oh S**t. All I mean is that everything given on the SDN and general concensus of WHAT YOU NEED to do well on the DAT...... (which is listed below)
--> Which brings me to what I did...
During studying, my routine was basically this: go over everything, and then rego over everything, that way it was continuously being drilled into my head
What I used:
Kaplan Blue Book (went over once fully, and then only biology again)
AP Cliff Notes (went through three times)
DESTROYER AND MATH DESTROYER (went over both twice)
CHAD'S VIDEOS (went over three times--once through video, twice through notes, see below)
DAT Q VAULT (math, orgo, gchem, and biology)
2007 ADA & 2009 ADA Released Tests (2009 is most impt)
TOPSCORE
GOOOOOOGGGGGGLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEE is your best friend
Flash Cards for Equstions from Kaplan Blue Book (see below)
Chad's Outlines
1) Read over Kaplan's DAT Blue Book First (1 WEEK)
--> this relaly is jsut a cursory book, it does not go over newhere near everything you ened to know, but it does give you your basics considering some of this stuff you might have done two-three years ago; but in terms of the front cover "this will give you a higher score,"
thats a whole load of bull
- Nething I did not understand or was unsure about, I GOOGLED and jotted notes in the margin
-Underlined impt stuff so that when I reread it (which i did-more on that below), I would make sure to try and memorize it bc I knew I would forget it two months from now
-I made flash cards starting w gen chem, and continued with orgo and math and went over them when i felt like it
2) WENT over Cliifs AP Bio Notes (1 WEEK)
--> in order to do well on biology, you need this book; it really does give a copmlete and throgough thorough comprehesnion of everything biology has to offer (or most of it)-- its as simple as that
-just went over the book once and GOOGLED anythign i did not know
3)Went over CHAD'S VIDEOS for gchem and orgo; (1 WEEK)
---> Okay as it has been said before, AND I DO MEAN to beat it in the ground, you really need this; For orgo and gchem, I would say at minimal, at least 90% of everything you need to know is in here (especially for gchem)
-Took absolutly srupulous notes (legit wrote down everythign he said) so that I would NOT have to go bak and watch the videos again
In other words, its must faster to read what you wrote then rewatched three days worth of videos again (that just becomes a waste of time)
-DID THE QUIZES AT THE END!, after I finished the videos and went over my notes; I do not see the point of doing them right after, this defeats the purpose as the information is fresh in your head and obviosuly u willl get the questions correct-- my opnion its better to first make sure you understand it by going over your notes
***As a side note, print all the outlines for gchem and orgo, espeically for orgo, most of his reagents and reactiosn are listed and when your on the go, its a great way to study (I would say I reviewed those at least 4x over before my test)
4) Went over Destroyer (Ochem and Gchem only- for now)-- 3 DAYS
----> once again, wo this, u r screwed; its very funny how i would say MOST (i dont want to throw a % out there) but alot alot alot of these questiosn were very similar to or identical on my DAT and this will make sure u understand everything from chad's videos-- more so than chad's quizes
-before doing anything, i looked at the "ROADMAPs" in the middle of the book as those just refresh all the reagents for ochem from chad's videos and much more
-then I went over all of ochem, and then gchem, makign sure if i dindnt understand anything or the answer key was not enuff, TO GOOGLE IT
5) Went over Biology Destroyer- 3 DAYS
---> the biology in the destroyer is not meant to a example of DAT type questions like Ochem or gchem, but jsut to make sure YOU UNDERSTAND most of the biology that is representative of the DAT
-for this, its critical you mark all the answers for the multiple choice questions that you do not know the definition of and SEARCH IT UP and write it in the book so that when you go over the book again, YOU DO NOT have to research it up
-After going over the questiosn, I went thorugh it again (yes thats right, again) but wo doing the questiosn; this time I just looked at the questiosn and the explanations along with the answer choices
6) DID DAT Q VAULT Bio, Orgo, and Gchem(excpet for QR, which I did later, and RC, which I never did) -1 WEEK
---> this is really only good for biology and to a certain degree, QR and Ochem, but gchem is terrible, absolutley terrible; that being said, all of it is still good practice and the biology section from DAT Q VAULT is as close to the real thing (the real is much harder) but this will prepare you to a great extent
-just go over all the questions and SAVE those questions (there is an option for it) so you can rego over the questions before the test
-make sure to GOOGLE everything you don't know
7) Went over Chad's Math Videos (1 Day)
---> this will give you at least an overall idea of where you stand and most imptly, it will get you insync w the QR after a really really really long time (i.e. the SAT),
-i took notes, but you dont really have to and in hindsight, it was a bad idea, just listen and absorb
-it might be a good idea to write down all his formulas, although you can just get those from the MATH DESTROYER (most of them), but writing them down is good
8) Did MATH DESTROYER (5 Days)
---> this is phenomenal, my DAT QR WAS EXACTLY LIKE THIS, i mean every single question taht was asked on my DAT was in some shape or form EXACTLY like the math sections in this book
-make sure to go over the formulas in the beginning befoer you start
-do the questions in the time alotted-- this is IMPERATIVE, bc when you first start, you are going to suck; its just so hard bc your not used to it
-for most of them, the FIRST time around, I did not finish bc I jsut got stuck on so many of the questions; but I made sure to, even if i did not finish in time, to first attempt all those i missed before looking at the answers
sometimes you just have to give up and look, but give it your all before you do
***did the math in the DESTROYER first, but its just basic review and nothing like the MATH DESTROYER, but its good practice
9) Did DAT QVAULT Math (3 days)
--> its good practice, but the questions as you will see are not like the MATH DESTROYER, they are easier but they certainly dril into you the practice taht you need for this section
From here on out, it was just review, review, review; at this piotn, I was probably 1 month to 1.5 months into studying, and the rest goes so much quicker bc now you should have at minimum 60% of everything you learned ready to go and its just applying it from here
A Quick Synopsis of What I Did After this Point:
-Reread over Kaplan Blue Book, BIOLOGY ONLY, all ochem and gchem you will ever need is DESTROYER AND CHADS
-Reread Over Cliffs Twice (not in a row, but once after Kaplan and then again just before the exam, this time it only took me two days and then one day)
-Reread over Chad's notes
-Redid Gchem, Orgo, and Biology in DESTROYER (not math, save this for the MATH DESTROYER)
-Redid, yes thats right, redid ALL the MATH DESTROYER QUESTIONS, these are once again amazing, they are exactly like the DAT, every single one in format and type
the second time, it should be so much easier and that means you are getting it, not because you memorized the answers (after this long most of it should be like new) but bc it makes sense
-looked at flash cards that I created from the Kaplan blue book and the outlines from chads when I could
-went over all the saved questiosn from DATQVAULT for Math, Bio, Orgo, and Gchem
-continually went over the ROADMAP in DESTROYER
Started doing practice tests:
TOPSCORE AND 2009 ADA will your best bet for what you will get
Days Before Test (no rest for the weary)
-Went over Alan's BIOLOGY NOTES, found on the DDS site
-Went over ROADMAP
-Other stuff, whatever you think you need to go over
***One thing I want to say about biology. It seems that alot of people on SDN and in general say that its memorization. At least for my DAT, most of it was understanding concepts-- as surprising as that sounds. It was, for me at least, mostly conceptual (all the stuff I saw on there was not new, but some were just difficult because the questions themselves were hard, not because it was something I had not seen before)
Note: this could just have been my DAT, but its what I can gather from my DAT (i.e. you have to understand more than memorize, but memorize helps you understand... if that makes any sense)
***For the PAT, I dont feel like I have a right to comment considering I did not do so well. The PAT is much harder than even CRACK DAT PAT, but it is certainly your best bet for doing well. On CRACK DAT PAT, I started getting 17's and ended w 22's, w my high being a 24 and still got a 19.
All this being said, people might say I overdid it, but the DAT is a monster and it really does deserve respect; if you take it for granted it will own you
My studying as outlined got me what I got and I cannot say it wll do the same for you (as I am sure there is no fullproof way to get a 100%) but then again, and as the ADA puts it, there is no "alternate to learning" and the DAT makes sure you understand that by kicking your a**
If there is anythign I can expand on or assist in, just let me know and I will do my best.
***(Also, if there is anything I can do to improve my DAT breakdown in terms of helping you let me know!)
Contents of this incredibly long post:
1) Scores
2) My 2cents of the DAT, which I think, at least, is insightful (...lol)
3) Everything I used for the DAT
4) How I studied and Thoughts on the Stuff I Used for the DAT
5) Closing
DAT BREAKDOWNS:
QR= 30 (100%)--- WTF
RC= 21 (88.9%)---Expected
Biology= 24 (99.6%) expected better (read below)
GC= 26 (99.2%) " "
OC= 24 (97.9%) " "
TS= 24 (99.7%) " "
AA= 25 (100%) Yay!
PAT= 19 (69.4%)---Don't Really Know How to React
Before I begin, I would like to thank the SDN community for all their help. I never commented but just took; so I think its time I paid back the community a little. I hope my advice can be of some use. And before I begin, I would also like to say a little about the DAT and what is really is (a monster).
I studied so long for this test; when I say I did not leave my room for 2.5 months, that can be taken to heart. Everyday I would wake up, and I would just study (besides eating and working out). I would say that is probably the only reason I did well. The reason I say that is because I really am not a smart kid, or if "I am," I do not think so. The most important thing for the DAT is to take it seriously; if you don't, IT WILL OWN YOU.
Going into the DAT, after having literally gone through everything, I still found it EXTREMELY difficult. During the practice tests, including those most similar to the DAT (i.e. TOPSCORE AND 2009 ADA TEST), the questions on the actual DAT seemed alot harder. Ironically, I still did as well as I generally did on those practice tests. So I guess ill just REPEAT what has been said so many times on SDN, the TOPSCORE and 2009 ADA Tests are your best bet for what you will get on the actual DAT.
The questions on the DAT require an extreme level of thinking, especially the sciences. The only way to do well, I BELEIVE, and it is only my opinion, is to understand the information cold (I did not stop studying till the hour before my test). I will get into exactly what I studied, but the tests on Topscore and even the 2009 ADA were easier than my test (at least for the sciences). That being said, I could have just recieved a really hard version on the test.
After the test, I was shocked at my scores. I thought I bombed; and that actually seems to be the general concesus; how you feel doesn't always mirror your grades. In other words, don't feel upset because you "feel" like you didn't do well, because if I felt that way; I would have completely screwed up QR (and RC).
I want to also state what I thought I would get going into the DAT. Going in, after having taken the TOPSCORE AND ADA 2009 DAT, among all the other practice stuff (which I will get into- and believe me it is ALOT) I was hoping for close to 30 on the orgo, gchem, and biology. I am not trying to sound condescending or silly, but that really is how much effort I thought I put in. ---> Which just brings me back to the overall thesis of these (as I am starting to feel, pointless dribble) paragraphs, the DAT requires you know everything.
When I say everything, don't take to mean Oh S**t. All I mean is that everything given on the SDN and general concensus of WHAT YOU NEED to do well on the DAT...... (which is listed below)
--> Which brings me to what I did...
During studying, my routine was basically this: go over everything, and then rego over everything, that way it was continuously being drilled into my head
What I used:
Kaplan Blue Book (went over once fully, and then only biology again)
AP Cliff Notes (went through three times)
DESTROYER AND MATH DESTROYER (went over both twice)
CHAD'S VIDEOS (went over three times--once through video, twice through notes, see below)
DAT Q VAULT (math, orgo, gchem, and biology)
2007 ADA & 2009 ADA Released Tests (2009 is most impt)
TOPSCORE
GOOOOOOGGGGGGLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEE is your best friend
Flash Cards for Equstions from Kaplan Blue Book (see below)
Chad's Outlines
1) Read over Kaplan's DAT Blue Book First (1 WEEK)
--> this relaly is jsut a cursory book, it does not go over newhere near everything you ened to know, but it does give you your basics considering some of this stuff you might have done two-three years ago; but in terms of the front cover "this will give you a higher score,"
thats a whole load of bull
- Nething I did not understand or was unsure about, I GOOGLED and jotted notes in the margin
-Underlined impt stuff so that when I reread it (which i did-more on that below), I would make sure to try and memorize it bc I knew I would forget it two months from now
-I made flash cards starting w gen chem, and continued with orgo and math and went over them when i felt like it
2) WENT over Cliifs AP Bio Notes (1 WEEK)
--> in order to do well on biology, you need this book; it really does give a copmlete and throgough thorough comprehesnion of everything biology has to offer (or most of it)-- its as simple as that
-just went over the book once and GOOGLED anythign i did not know
3)Went over CHAD'S VIDEOS for gchem and orgo; (1 WEEK)
---> Okay as it has been said before, AND I DO MEAN to beat it in the ground, you really need this; For orgo and gchem, I would say at minimal, at least 90% of everything you need to know is in here (especially for gchem)
-Took absolutly srupulous notes (legit wrote down everythign he said) so that I would NOT have to go bak and watch the videos again
In other words, its must faster to read what you wrote then rewatched three days worth of videos again (that just becomes a waste of time)
-DID THE QUIZES AT THE END!, after I finished the videos and went over my notes; I do not see the point of doing them right after, this defeats the purpose as the information is fresh in your head and obviosuly u willl get the questions correct-- my opnion its better to first make sure you understand it by going over your notes
***As a side note, print all the outlines for gchem and orgo, espeically for orgo, most of his reagents and reactiosn are listed and when your on the go, its a great way to study (I would say I reviewed those at least 4x over before my test)
4) Went over Destroyer (Ochem and Gchem only- for now)-- 3 DAYS
----> once again, wo this, u r screwed; its very funny how i would say MOST (i dont want to throw a % out there) but alot alot alot of these questiosn were very similar to or identical on my DAT and this will make sure u understand everything from chad's videos-- more so than chad's quizes
-before doing anything, i looked at the "ROADMAPs" in the middle of the book as those just refresh all the reagents for ochem from chad's videos and much more
-then I went over all of ochem, and then gchem, makign sure if i dindnt understand anything or the answer key was not enuff, TO GOOGLE IT
5) Went over Biology Destroyer- 3 DAYS
---> the biology in the destroyer is not meant to a example of DAT type questions like Ochem or gchem, but jsut to make sure YOU UNDERSTAND most of the biology that is representative of the DAT
-for this, its critical you mark all the answers for the multiple choice questions that you do not know the definition of and SEARCH IT UP and write it in the book so that when you go over the book again, YOU DO NOT have to research it up
-After going over the questiosn, I went thorugh it again (yes thats right, again) but wo doing the questiosn; this time I just looked at the questiosn and the explanations along with the answer choices
6) DID DAT Q VAULT Bio, Orgo, and Gchem(excpet for QR, which I did later, and RC, which I never did) -1 WEEK
---> this is really only good for biology and to a certain degree, QR and Ochem, but gchem is terrible, absolutley terrible; that being said, all of it is still good practice and the biology section from DAT Q VAULT is as close to the real thing (the real is much harder) but this will prepare you to a great extent
-just go over all the questions and SAVE those questions (there is an option for it) so you can rego over the questions before the test
-make sure to GOOGLE everything you don't know
7) Went over Chad's Math Videos (1 Day)
---> this will give you at least an overall idea of where you stand and most imptly, it will get you insync w the QR after a really really really long time (i.e. the SAT),
-i took notes, but you dont really have to and in hindsight, it was a bad idea, just listen and absorb
-it might be a good idea to write down all his formulas, although you can just get those from the MATH DESTROYER (most of them), but writing them down is good
8) Did MATH DESTROYER (5 Days)
---> this is phenomenal, my DAT QR WAS EXACTLY LIKE THIS, i mean every single question taht was asked on my DAT was in some shape or form EXACTLY like the math sections in this book
-make sure to go over the formulas in the beginning befoer you start
-do the questions in the time alotted-- this is IMPERATIVE, bc when you first start, you are going to suck; its just so hard bc your not used to it
-for most of them, the FIRST time around, I did not finish bc I jsut got stuck on so many of the questions; but I made sure to, even if i did not finish in time, to first attempt all those i missed before looking at the answers
sometimes you just have to give up and look, but give it your all before you do
***did the math in the DESTROYER first, but its just basic review and nothing like the MATH DESTROYER, but its good practice
9) Did DAT QVAULT Math (3 days)
--> its good practice, but the questions as you will see are not like the MATH DESTROYER, they are easier but they certainly dril into you the practice taht you need for this section
From here on out, it was just review, review, review; at this piotn, I was probably 1 month to 1.5 months into studying, and the rest goes so much quicker bc now you should have at minimum 60% of everything you learned ready to go and its just applying it from here
A Quick Synopsis of What I Did After this Point:
-Reread over Kaplan Blue Book, BIOLOGY ONLY, all ochem and gchem you will ever need is DESTROYER AND CHADS
-Reread Over Cliffs Twice (not in a row, but once after Kaplan and then again just before the exam, this time it only took me two days and then one day)
-Reread over Chad's notes
-Redid Gchem, Orgo, and Biology in DESTROYER (not math, save this for the MATH DESTROYER)
-Redid, yes thats right, redid ALL the MATH DESTROYER QUESTIONS, these are once again amazing, they are exactly like the DAT, every single one in format and type
the second time, it should be so much easier and that means you are getting it, not because you memorized the answers (after this long most of it should be like new) but bc it makes sense
-looked at flash cards that I created from the Kaplan blue book and the outlines from chads when I could
-went over all the saved questiosn from DATQVAULT for Math, Bio, Orgo, and Gchem
-continually went over the ROADMAP in DESTROYER
Started doing practice tests:
TOPSCORE AND 2009 ADA will your best bet for what you will get
Days Before Test (no rest for the weary)
-Went over Alan's BIOLOGY NOTES, found on the DDS site
-Went over ROADMAP
-Other stuff, whatever you think you need to go over
***One thing I want to say about biology. It seems that alot of people on SDN and in general say that its memorization. At least for my DAT, most of it was understanding concepts-- as surprising as that sounds. It was, for me at least, mostly conceptual (all the stuff I saw on there was not new, but some were just difficult because the questions themselves were hard, not because it was something I had not seen before)
Note: this could just have been my DAT, but its what I can gather from my DAT (i.e. you have to understand more than memorize, but memorize helps you understand... if that makes any sense)
***For the PAT, I dont feel like I have a right to comment considering I did not do so well. The PAT is much harder than even CRACK DAT PAT, but it is certainly your best bet for doing well. On CRACK DAT PAT, I started getting 17's and ended w 22's, w my high being a 24 and still got a 19.
All this being said, people might say I overdid it, but the DAT is a monster and it really does deserve respect; if you take it for granted it will own you
My studying as outlined got me what I got and I cannot say it wll do the same for you (as I am sure there is no fullproof way to get a 100%) but then again, and as the ADA puts it, there is no "alternate to learning" and the DAT makes sure you understand that by kicking your a**
If there is anythign I can expand on or assist in, just let me know and I will do my best.
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