DAT Breakdown (530 AA)
Hi everyone! I wanted to post a breakdown of when I was preparing for the DAT so I can help others, since reading others’ breakdowns helped me a lot. :)
My scores were 530 AA, 530 TS, 580 PAT, 510 QR, 550 RC, 550 BIO, 510 GC, 530 OG.
This was my first time taking the DAT. I'm a senior and took the DAT after studying for a long time and through my winter break.
I used Booster as my main study source and a bit of Anki, which I HIGHLY recommend! The practice tests and full length tests were super representative of the exam. During my final month, I kept going over the FL’s. Anki just really helped with spaced repetition, and making sure I still remembered everything I had learned.
I did a diagnostic exam, and it honestly was not a good score and I was discouraged, but it does get better gradually. I recommend everyone do this, so you can see the areas you're weak in. I started with the 12 week schedule, but I realized I needed to go at my own pace and rearranged the schedule so it fit better to me.
BIO: I first started with watching videos and made my own notes on them. I would look at study notes and use Anki, so it helped me remember all the content. There is A LOT of content for bio, but don’t get too overwhelmed! Just take it day by day. After I was done with content, I would do the practice tests. If I didn’t score good on practice tests I would also sometimes look at my notes or go back to the videos. The Anki cards, bio bits, and cheat sheets are all good ways to review and study.
PAT: Honestly for this section, you need to practice to get better. I basically just watched the videos to pick up different strategies, which was helpful, and then took the practice tests.
QR: Similar to PAT where you honestly just need to practice, practice, and practice to get better at it. Review the formulas and the basics and then do practice tests (you can see the pattern here lol). The formula sheet was really useful for memorization.
RC: I honestly recommend reading scientific articles or books to help you get faster at reading, it’ll save you a bunch of time. I used some of the recommended articles offered, but even if you don’t want to read science related stuff, just read in general to bump up your speed! Search and destroy does not work for every question, you need a couple of different strategies to use depending on the type of questions asked in my opinion.
GC: The real exam was a mix of calculation and worded questions, which was most similar to the practice tests. Pay attention to the questions marked as high yield since many of them showed up on my exam. I also used the game challenges and crash courses and think they helped me a lot as well. I went through the cheat sheets and found them to be super helpful for reviewing everything last minute right before my exam. My best advice is to use everything Booster has to offer.
OC: I preferred learning ochem over genchem a lot more which is probably why I did a little better at this section over genchem lol. I used Anki a lot for this section too. From what I remember, there were a lot more conceptual questions than reaction based.
Main advice is to honestly stay motivated and keep being consistent. I remember when I had stopped being as consistent when I was studying, my scores dropped, and as soon as I picked up, my scores got a lot better. You have to put in the work. Although it's hard to do that, especially if you have other things going on like school or a job, staying consistent will help you a lot. Also, at the test centre, use the 30 mins break time they give you! Your mind needs a break from the long testing.
I hope this is helpful, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out!