andrewtriez
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- Aug 28, 2022
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Hey everyone, I took my DAT this past Friday and thought I would share my experience. I found it very helpful reading and learning others breakdowns and study methods so I hope I can provide some of the same benefit to others.
Background:
I am a rising Junior at a smaller christian university with a current 3.95 GPA. I studied for my DAT for a little less than 3 months and took a few breaks for illness, work, and vacation. For most of the timeline I chose to follow DAT Boosters' 10 week study schedule. While I was following the schedule I found that they expected you to cover a considerable amount of information which required me to study for an average of 35 hours a week. Then, with about a month until my test I began taking two practice tests a week and studying areas where I felt weak or did poorly on practice tests. What was key during the last month was making studying my full time job by studying 6 days a week for an average of about 45 hours a week devoted to focused study. To keep my sanity during the last two months, I would try to do one thing fun/active everyday. Overall, I feel like this study plan worked well for me as it forced me to put in a ton of work and really devote my summer to the test. However, it is important to recognize that everyone has their own study habits and routines which should dictate how they choose to study.
Resources used:
I almost exclusively used DAT Booster and Anki to study. I supplemented a little bit of Chad’s prep videos and Bootcamps bio academy and questions of the day. I found DAT Booster to be a phenomenal resource that is both cost efficient and provides plenty of resources to help learn and prepare for the DAT. The practice tests were excellent and provided good explanations for a majority of questions. The only criticism I had of Booster was that it made me learn way more detail than what I found on my actual DAT in all the science sections. While this likely helped me to be over prepared and confident on my DAT, I did feel like I spent a significant amount of time learning details that I maybe didn’t need to learn as in-depth. ANKI is another awesome resource for anyone who learns well through flashcards and repetition. Their software can be very confusing initially, especially if you aren’t extremely computer savvy. However, once you get over the initial learning curve it becomes very easy and efficient to use. One thing I would say about ANKI is make sure you don’t make/download more notes than you can review. I found myself reviewing 200-700 flashcards a day over the last 2 months of studying and I was still not able to review even close to all my Biology cards.
Breakdown:
Bio (22):
Similar to most, I found this section to be the most difficult and require a majority of my study efforts. I started with Booster videos and Feralis notes which were good but very detailed. I made ANKI flashcards as my notes from Feralis and the Booster videos and reviewed them after I got through all the content which was about 1.5 months into studying. I also utilized Bootcamps BioAcademy notes in the last month which I found to be excellent. I probably would prefer BioAcademy over Feralis but both are good and are free. The key for this section I would say was reviewing my Booster practice tests. What I learned from other breakdowns which was helpful was going through every question and taking notes on why each answer is written or wrong. Overall, it is just very important here to have a good broad grasp of every topic. My biggest tip would be to just not get caught up in the specific details as those did not appear frequently on my DAT.
Gen Chem (25):
While I have a very good chemistry background, I found myself struggling with this section at times on practice tests and was very pleased with my actual score. Boosters notes and videos with Professor Dave were very good for studying this section. I also utilized some of Chad's videos which were excellent. I would say he was slightly better at explaining things compared to Prof. Dave on Booster but both were good. The key here in my opinion is practice problems. Boosters question banks and practice tests are great for reinforcing concepts. The DAT was very much similar to Boosters practice tests except with less calculations.
Organic (27):
This was by far my best subject as I just finished taking both Organic I and II and did very well in the class. I would highly recommend taking the DAT soon after completing organic. I would also recommend continuing recall practice through ANKI to make sure you still know reactions and spectroscopy. The exam was very much similar to Booster and covered most of the big topics. Just like the other science sections, doing practice questions is key.
PAT (21):
This section I spent a lot of time working on and was really hoping to do a few points better. My recommendation is to do generators or practice questions every day AND read the explanations. I believe that I really could have done better in this section if I had really learned from every question I got wrong. On my test I chose to start with hole punching and then finish with keyhole and TFE. I would recommend that as you are first learning to do PAT questions that you go slowly and then begin to speed up and make yourself do questions in a specified time as you get better.
RC (24):
Reading on Booster is WAY harder than the actual DAT. While the passages on my DAT were just as difficult if not more difficult than Booster, the questions were much easier. Many times I would have it on Booster where I would answer the same as the majority and get the answer wrong. The DAT was not quite this mean and questions were more straightforward. Overall, I was very pleased with how this section went and was honestly surprised I did this well. My recommendation, make sure to do lots of practice passages and don’t lose hope if you are scoring around 20 on Booster.
QR (22):
This was a section I struggled with at first but was able to improve significantly through review and practice. After my first few practice test, I recognized how little time we are given and that I had forgotten much of the algebra and geometry from high school. So, I reached out to my Grandma who taught calculus and high school math for many years and had her tutor me to help me recall how to do certain questions and provide tips to shave time. This was the biggest help for me as we met once a week to review practice tests and content. So my recommendation is don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are struggling in this section or other sections. Additionally, it is very important to develop tips to move fast through this section and practice taking this section at the end of a full-length test so you know the fatigue.
Final Remarks
If I have learned one thing from this it is that the DAT is very hard. There were days where I felt overwhelmed, humbled, and unmotivated about how hard this test is and how much content is covered. However, it is not impossible to score well. As I have discussed, I found it to be incredibly helpful to stick to a study schedule and do as many practice problems/tests as you have access to. Additionally, it is so important to have a support system of those encouraging you, praying for you, and just being there to talk after long study days. You also cannot neglect your own physical and mental health. Exercising, working occasionally, and hanging out with friends really helped me to stay mentally sharp throughout this process. Overall, I did not think I did well on my DAT after taking it. I was really truly upset during the post-test survey because I thought for sure I would need to retake. To my surprise I got the score I was striving for all summer, all glory to God. To all those studying, I hope my breakdown helps and I would encourage you to reach out if you have any questions.
Background:
I am a rising Junior at a smaller christian university with a current 3.95 GPA. I studied for my DAT for a little less than 3 months and took a few breaks for illness, work, and vacation. For most of the timeline I chose to follow DAT Boosters' 10 week study schedule. While I was following the schedule I found that they expected you to cover a considerable amount of information which required me to study for an average of 35 hours a week. Then, with about a month until my test I began taking two practice tests a week and studying areas where I felt weak or did poorly on practice tests. What was key during the last month was making studying my full time job by studying 6 days a week for an average of about 45 hours a week devoted to focused study. To keep my sanity during the last two months, I would try to do one thing fun/active everyday. Overall, I feel like this study plan worked well for me as it forced me to put in a ton of work and really devote my summer to the test. However, it is important to recognize that everyone has their own study habits and routines which should dictate how they choose to study.
Resources used:
I almost exclusively used DAT Booster and Anki to study. I supplemented a little bit of Chad’s prep videos and Bootcamps bio academy and questions of the day. I found DAT Booster to be a phenomenal resource that is both cost efficient and provides plenty of resources to help learn and prepare for the DAT. The practice tests were excellent and provided good explanations for a majority of questions. The only criticism I had of Booster was that it made me learn way more detail than what I found on my actual DAT in all the science sections. While this likely helped me to be over prepared and confident on my DAT, I did feel like I spent a significant amount of time learning details that I maybe didn’t need to learn as in-depth. ANKI is another awesome resource for anyone who learns well through flashcards and repetition. Their software can be very confusing initially, especially if you aren’t extremely computer savvy. However, once you get over the initial learning curve it becomes very easy and efficient to use. One thing I would say about ANKI is make sure you don’t make/download more notes than you can review. I found myself reviewing 200-700 flashcards a day over the last 2 months of studying and I was still not able to review even close to all my Biology cards.
Breakdown:
Bio (22):
Similar to most, I found this section to be the most difficult and require a majority of my study efforts. I started with Booster videos and Feralis notes which were good but very detailed. I made ANKI flashcards as my notes from Feralis and the Booster videos and reviewed them after I got through all the content which was about 1.5 months into studying. I also utilized Bootcamps BioAcademy notes in the last month which I found to be excellent. I probably would prefer BioAcademy over Feralis but both are good and are free. The key for this section I would say was reviewing my Booster practice tests. What I learned from other breakdowns which was helpful was going through every question and taking notes on why each answer is written or wrong. Overall, it is just very important here to have a good broad grasp of every topic. My biggest tip would be to just not get caught up in the specific details as those did not appear frequently on my DAT.
Gen Chem (25):
While I have a very good chemistry background, I found myself struggling with this section at times on practice tests and was very pleased with my actual score. Boosters notes and videos with Professor Dave were very good for studying this section. I also utilized some of Chad's videos which were excellent. I would say he was slightly better at explaining things compared to Prof. Dave on Booster but both were good. The key here in my opinion is practice problems. Boosters question banks and practice tests are great for reinforcing concepts. The DAT was very much similar to Boosters practice tests except with less calculations.
Organic (27):
This was by far my best subject as I just finished taking both Organic I and II and did very well in the class. I would highly recommend taking the DAT soon after completing organic. I would also recommend continuing recall practice through ANKI to make sure you still know reactions and spectroscopy. The exam was very much similar to Booster and covered most of the big topics. Just like the other science sections, doing practice questions is key.
PAT (21):
This section I spent a lot of time working on and was really hoping to do a few points better. My recommendation is to do generators or practice questions every day AND read the explanations. I believe that I really could have done better in this section if I had really learned from every question I got wrong. On my test I chose to start with hole punching and then finish with keyhole and TFE. I would recommend that as you are first learning to do PAT questions that you go slowly and then begin to speed up and make yourself do questions in a specified time as you get better.
RC (24):
Reading on Booster is WAY harder than the actual DAT. While the passages on my DAT were just as difficult if not more difficult than Booster, the questions were much easier. Many times I would have it on Booster where I would answer the same as the majority and get the answer wrong. The DAT was not quite this mean and questions were more straightforward. Overall, I was very pleased with how this section went and was honestly surprised I did this well. My recommendation, make sure to do lots of practice passages and don’t lose hope if you are scoring around 20 on Booster.
QR (22):
This was a section I struggled with at first but was able to improve significantly through review and practice. After my first few practice test, I recognized how little time we are given and that I had forgotten much of the algebra and geometry from high school. So, I reached out to my Grandma who taught calculus and high school math for many years and had her tutor me to help me recall how to do certain questions and provide tips to shave time. This was the biggest help for me as we met once a week to review practice tests and content. So my recommendation is don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are struggling in this section or other sections. Additionally, it is very important to develop tips to move fast through this section and practice taking this section at the end of a full-length test so you know the fatigue.
Final Remarks
If I have learned one thing from this it is that the DAT is very hard. There were days where I felt overwhelmed, humbled, and unmotivated about how hard this test is and how much content is covered. However, it is not impossible to score well. As I have discussed, I found it to be incredibly helpful to stick to a study schedule and do as many practice problems/tests as you have access to. Additionally, it is so important to have a support system of those encouraging you, praying for you, and just being there to talk after long study days. You also cannot neglect your own physical and mental health. Exercising, working occasionally, and hanging out with friends really helped me to stay mentally sharp throughout this process. Overall, I did not think I did well on my DAT after taking it. I was really truly upset during the post-test survey because I thought for sure I would need to retake. To my surprise I got the score I was striving for all summer, all glory to God. To all those studying, I hope my breakdown helps and I would encourage you to reach out if you have any questions.
