Alex Sun
New Member
- Joined
- May 26, 2023
- Messages
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Hello Everyone, I recently took my DAT. I like to share my experience.
PAT - 22
QR - 22
RC - 27
Bio - 30
GC - 30
OC - 27
TS - 30
AA - 27
Material Use
How I studied in each section:
BIO (30): I think you should broadly study all the biological topics that are listed for test, instead of studying heavy detail in a specific area. For example, you simply need to know the Southern blotting is used to identify DNA - you don’t have to know the exact details of how the tech functions. Try to read as many bio notes from different resources as possible. I know some people are really good at memorization, but I am not. I read out the notes at least 3 times. After studying all the notes, I took the sample exam questions to test what area I was forgetting—same strategies for general chem, and organic chem.
GC (30): I personally think I learned gen chem well during my undergrad classes. I simply went over the videos, took notes while watching the videos, and finished the question banks. Make sure you know all the little details, such as units, rules, and wording.
OC (27): First, don’t try to memorize all the formulas/reactions at once. Knowing the mechanism behind each reaction is what you want to primarily understand. You may forget a reaction on test day, but by trying to draw out the mechanism you can reconstruct the outcome.
On the test day, I felt everything went pretty well. I was pretty confident for each section. However, I found the organic chem part was pretty tricky and I had one or two questions that I was not sure about.
PAT (22): This section was the biggest headache for me, and the one I feared most. Try to do as many questions as possible to train your brain. Be calm during the test. For TFE, start with the simple figures first, and try to memorize them in your mind. I find that even the most complex figures in TFE are just combinations of simpler figures.
Reading (27): My score here was higher than I got on any of my practice tests. I used a method that I created on my own. I would split the passage into half, read the first half, then answer as many questions as I could manage. Then I would read the second part of the passage, and answer the remaining questions. Timing is an essential thing to practice for this section. I had a passage with more than 20 paragraphs, with each of the paragraphs being pretty short.
Math (22): Most problems were probability, applied math, and statistics. I had about 10 minutes leftover but I was so tired I didn’t check my answers carefully since it is the last section. Make sure you have tried all the practice questions and practice exams before taking the test.
Ending Advice:
PAT - 22
QR - 22
RC - 27
Bio - 30
GC - 30
OC - 27
TS - 30
AA - 27
Material Use
- DAT Booster: I believe this program is the most representative of the real exam. I did have a few questions that appeared similarly to the ones on the actual exam. The program itself is relatively new, and they made a few changes to improve the quality of the tests. The videos for bio are what I didn’t see done as well in other programs. They really helped me to understand cell division and embryology especially. The question banks after each section are a fantastic tool to refresh your memory and strengthen your understanding of the topics. The PAT section is definitely the best on the market. I did lots of questions for each area (keyhole, TFE, angle, cube counting, and pattern folding).
- DAT Bootcamp: This program is good for preparing for the test. For each of the subjects, it covers most (probably 90%, I can’t say 100%) of the knowledge that you should remember for the test. The high-yield notes for biology are pretty good. I did enjoy Mike’s videos for general chem and organic chem. Using different tags (easy, medium, and hard) is helpful to let you find out your weak topics and have a precise target for your study plan.
How I studied in each section:
BIO (30): I think you should broadly study all the biological topics that are listed for test, instead of studying heavy detail in a specific area. For example, you simply need to know the Southern blotting is used to identify DNA - you don’t have to know the exact details of how the tech functions. Try to read as many bio notes from different resources as possible. I know some people are really good at memorization, but I am not. I read out the notes at least 3 times. After studying all the notes, I took the sample exam questions to test what area I was forgetting—same strategies for general chem, and organic chem.
GC (30): I personally think I learned gen chem well during my undergrad classes. I simply went over the videos, took notes while watching the videos, and finished the question banks. Make sure you know all the little details, such as units, rules, and wording.
OC (27): First, don’t try to memorize all the formulas/reactions at once. Knowing the mechanism behind each reaction is what you want to primarily understand. You may forget a reaction on test day, but by trying to draw out the mechanism you can reconstruct the outcome.
On the test day, I felt everything went pretty well. I was pretty confident for each section. However, I found the organic chem part was pretty tricky and I had one or two questions that I was not sure about.
PAT (22): This section was the biggest headache for me, and the one I feared most. Try to do as many questions as possible to train your brain. Be calm during the test. For TFE, start with the simple figures first, and try to memorize them in your mind. I find that even the most complex figures in TFE are just combinations of simpler figures.
Reading (27): My score here was higher than I got on any of my practice tests. I used a method that I created on my own. I would split the passage into half, read the first half, then answer as many questions as I could manage. Then I would read the second part of the passage, and answer the remaining questions. Timing is an essential thing to practice for this section. I had a passage with more than 20 paragraphs, with each of the paragraphs being pretty short.
Math (22): Most problems were probability, applied math, and statistics. I had about 10 minutes leftover but I was so tired I didn’t check my answers carefully since it is the last section. Make sure you have tried all the practice questions and practice exams before taking the test.
Ending Advice:
- Don’t drink too much water before the test like I did. I had to go to the bathroom halfway through the test before reaching the break section.
- Don’t be stressed when you come across a question you don’t know how to do. Mark it, skip it, and then come back at the end if you have more time. You may get some ideas from answering other related questions.
- While studying, fully concentrate without being affected by other things (e.g. phones, having a TV on in the background).
- While taking a break, enjoy your time without thinking about studying at all. This is advice I got from my elementary school math teacher, and I’ll remember it forever.
- I want to thank both resources and the support I received from friends, family, and partners.
