Hi! Attached is my score breakdown. I took the exam August 10th, 2023
Score breakdown (26 AA, 28TS):
PAT: 23
QR: 22
RC:23
BIO: 30
GC: 27
OC: 27
My Bootcamp practice test averages:
I’m a biology major and took the DAT in the summer between my junior and senior year. I studied full time (8-10 hours a day) for a little under three months following Ari’s schedule pretty religiously, with a few extra days at the end for review/extra Bootcamp practice tests. If you have an opportunity to have a study partner, definitely use it! I only used DAT Bootcamp to prep, and I loved it.
PAT:
If I could start over, I’d probably be more consistent with PAT from the beginning. I would do a lot of PAT one day, then skip a few days, which wasn’t the best way to learn it. PAT is all about training your brain to think a certain way, so doing it every day (just a little) is the best way to learn and feel comfortable with the patterns. I didn’t finish all the PAT question banks (I didn’t even come close on keyholes or TFE), but I tried to get to as many questions as possible. I ended up doing better on the actual test than on the practice tests by 4 points. Figuring out PAT timing was a huge obstacle for me and the best way to figure this out is the practice tests. Do ALL the practice tests if you can!! They were by far the most helpful PAT resource for me. Practice is the biggest thing here, I was super frustrated with certain sections (especially TFE and pattern folding) at first, but with time I got much more comfortable with the thought processes.
QR:
I was pretty variable with QR. I didn’t have a lot of trouble with the question banks/concepts, but the practice tests were a little more challenging. I had trouble with finishing the section in time and a lot of times would have to make educated guesses on the last 2-3 questions. My practice test scores varied a lot, from 20-30, with an average of 26. I ended up scoring on the lower end of that spectrum on the actual DAT (22), which I think was mostly due to timing issues (I had to guess on the last few) and testing fatigue. By the last section of the DAT, you’re going to be super tired and a little foggy, so do your best to practice taking the entire exam at once to prepare in a realistic way. Again, this section is about practice. There’s only a certain amount of topics you can be tested on, so doing as much of the question banks and practice tests as you can will help expose you to every high-yield topic.
RC: I practiced using the question banks and practice tests. This section is hard to predict, and practice definitely helps, but there’s no linear learning process here. I tried out a lot of methods, but what ended up working best for me was just to quickly read/annotate the whole passage then answer the questions. Try out different methods even if you don’t think they sound like they’ll work for you! My Bootcamp average was a 27 and I ended up getting a 23. I guess I just happened to get harder passages than in practice tests (although I didn’t feel like they were super hard as I was taking it, maybe some curveball questions went over my head).
BIO:
There is SO much material in this section, and the only way to really get better is to study as much as you can. I read the bio notes primarily and only watched a video if I really didn’t understand something. I did all the bio bites and question banks after reading the notes to solidify the concepts. My biggest tip here is USE ANKI!! I was skeptical at first, but it is a lifesaver. It’s definitely a time commitment each day, but I don’t think I would have retained everything if I didn’t review with Anki throughout my studying. I used the deck the Bootcamp provides and added my own cards as I read through the notes/saw practice questions. Also definitely take the practice exams and read the explanations, even if you get a question right. The explanations were really good refreshers. My Bootcamp average was a 26 and I ended up getting a 30. I thought the questions on test day were much more surface level than most Bootcamp questions, but there were one or two questions that covered concepts I had never seen on Bootcamp.
GC:
Pretty much same as above. I did the Dr. Mike videos (which were awesome), did the question banks, and took the practice tests. Just like QR, there’s only a certain number of types of questions they’ll ask you, so if you get comfortable with the process of each question, you’re in good shape. I make Anki cards for GC as well. My GC Bootcamp average was a 29 and I ended up getting a 27.
OC:
I have a pretty strong background in organic chemistry, but I had never had to memorize reactions/concepts before (my COVID classes were open note), so that was my biggest difficulty with this section. I watched Dr. Mike’s videos, did the question banks and reaction bites, and made my own Anki cards for this section. Anki was huge for me for OC. Like Bio, there’s a ton of material, so staying on top of the concepts is super important. My Bootcamp average was a 25 and I got a 27 on exam day. Repetition is huge, and definitely prioritize practice tests over anything else.
Score breakdown (26 AA, 28TS):
PAT: 23
QR: 22
RC:23
BIO: 30
GC: 27
OC: 27
My Bootcamp practice test averages:
I’m a biology major and took the DAT in the summer between my junior and senior year. I studied full time (8-10 hours a day) for a little under three months following Ari’s schedule pretty religiously, with a few extra days at the end for review/extra Bootcamp practice tests. If you have an opportunity to have a study partner, definitely use it! I only used DAT Bootcamp to prep, and I loved it.
PAT:
If I could start over, I’d probably be more consistent with PAT from the beginning. I would do a lot of PAT one day, then skip a few days, which wasn’t the best way to learn it. PAT is all about training your brain to think a certain way, so doing it every day (just a little) is the best way to learn and feel comfortable with the patterns. I didn’t finish all the PAT question banks (I didn’t even come close on keyholes or TFE), but I tried to get to as many questions as possible. I ended up doing better on the actual test than on the practice tests by 4 points. Figuring out PAT timing was a huge obstacle for me and the best way to figure this out is the practice tests. Do ALL the practice tests if you can!! They were by far the most helpful PAT resource for me. Practice is the biggest thing here, I was super frustrated with certain sections (especially TFE and pattern folding) at first, but with time I got much more comfortable with the thought processes.
QR:
I was pretty variable with QR. I didn’t have a lot of trouble with the question banks/concepts, but the practice tests were a little more challenging. I had trouble with finishing the section in time and a lot of times would have to make educated guesses on the last 2-3 questions. My practice test scores varied a lot, from 20-30, with an average of 26. I ended up scoring on the lower end of that spectrum on the actual DAT (22), which I think was mostly due to timing issues (I had to guess on the last few) and testing fatigue. By the last section of the DAT, you’re going to be super tired and a little foggy, so do your best to practice taking the entire exam at once to prepare in a realistic way. Again, this section is about practice. There’s only a certain amount of topics you can be tested on, so doing as much of the question banks and practice tests as you can will help expose you to every high-yield topic.
RC: I practiced using the question banks and practice tests. This section is hard to predict, and practice definitely helps, but there’s no linear learning process here. I tried out a lot of methods, but what ended up working best for me was just to quickly read/annotate the whole passage then answer the questions. Try out different methods even if you don’t think they sound like they’ll work for you! My Bootcamp average was a 27 and I ended up getting a 23. I guess I just happened to get harder passages than in practice tests (although I didn’t feel like they were super hard as I was taking it, maybe some curveball questions went over my head).
BIO:
There is SO much material in this section, and the only way to really get better is to study as much as you can. I read the bio notes primarily and only watched a video if I really didn’t understand something. I did all the bio bites and question banks after reading the notes to solidify the concepts. My biggest tip here is USE ANKI!! I was skeptical at first, but it is a lifesaver. It’s definitely a time commitment each day, but I don’t think I would have retained everything if I didn’t review with Anki throughout my studying. I used the deck the Bootcamp provides and added my own cards as I read through the notes/saw practice questions. Also definitely take the practice exams and read the explanations, even if you get a question right. The explanations were really good refreshers. My Bootcamp average was a 26 and I ended up getting a 30. I thought the questions on test day were much more surface level than most Bootcamp questions, but there were one or two questions that covered concepts I had never seen on Bootcamp.
GC:
Pretty much same as above. I did the Dr. Mike videos (which were awesome), did the question banks, and took the practice tests. Just like QR, there’s only a certain number of types of questions they’ll ask you, so if you get comfortable with the process of each question, you’re in good shape. I make Anki cards for GC as well. My GC Bootcamp average was a 29 and I ended up getting a 27.
OC:
I have a pretty strong background in organic chemistry, but I had never had to memorize reactions/concepts before (my COVID classes were open note), so that was my biggest difficulty with this section. I watched Dr. Mike’s videos, did the question banks and reaction bites, and made my own Anki cards for this section. Anki was huge for me for OC. Like Bio, there’s a ton of material, so staying on top of the concepts is super important. My Bootcamp average was a 25 and I got a 27 on exam day. Repetition is huge, and definitely prioritize practice tests over anything else.
