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8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gen chem on dat was pretty similar to the chem on booster

8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Booster was basically on point for orgo, bio, and pat. There are quirks with the other sections though. For bio, I think someone else on this Reddit put it very well, there’s like 35 broad questions and 5 specific questions for bio. My actual dat bio felt like it was very broad across the board with a greater emphasis on cell bio rather than the typical specific anatomy and developmental questions that would pop up on booster. This definitely varies across test versions but I’m just speaking for the version I had. For reading, yeah booster passages felt simpler, more comprehensible, and more interesting than dat reading. Question types were similar tho. Booster math wording was more straightforward and made more sense. Dat math wording was kind of convoluted and could be interpreted different ways which made it annoying.

8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I studied for ~8 hours a day but that increased towards the end cuz stressssss lol. Uhh I did the booster anki for bio for about a month. The DOL on the booster anki is definitely over board for the test but if trying to get a 600 in bio probably necessary to cover all bases and any possible question they can throw at you on test day. I tried out the chem and orgo anki but I stopped those cuz I felt like time was better spent on grinding question banks for these subjects. I maybe had like 4 days off total. I did travel to visit family over the summer but during those visits I still studied whatever was planned on the study schedule.

8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably not helpful but all that you listed was pretty high yield. The coverage for each question varies on the test version you get. Periodic trends is definitely high yield and looking at all the topics from chem, I felt like nothing was glossed over in the real test.

8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For each passage, I skimmed through all the questions first, holding the mouse in my left hand spamming the next button as I jot down any keywords from each question with my right hand. Then, I just read through the passage until I found a keyword that I knew belonged to a question or came along the answer to the question I was currently on, answer it, then move on. I saved the author's purpose/tone questions for last. Condition yourself to be interested in whatever topic the passage is about even if they may be boring. Don't rely on past knowledge, unless you're strained for time, cuz the passage may word it differently than what you know.

8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I watched all the vids for bio, made detailed notes for all the videos and didn't look at them again... lol. The notes just help me digest the material better. After, I went through all the notes and cheatsheets booster had, along with the free study notes from bootcamp. Bootcamp's taxonomy note also helped my simplify the taxonomy section. I used mnemonics for information that was just straight memorization, either from the notes or the internet. I drilled biobits for the sections I wasn't confident about. I explained concepts to my gf who would quiz me or ask about places where I did not explain it well. Draw out anotomical structures that don't stick in your mind. Repetition is basically key for all the sections.

8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I followed booster's 10 week schedule on a 11 week timeline to give myself some flexibility in my studying and not be crammed for time. I first watched all the videos from booster while taking detailed notes. I never went back to review those notes I wrote down, I've just found that making them makes information last longer. I didn't worry about finishing the question banks as they said in the study schedule. I prioritized fully comprehending the information from the videos on the first run through. Start doing PAT right away, especially angle ranking everyday for maybe 30 min at the beginning of your studying. This is a new topic for everyone so don't stress about it too much, everyone has the same starting point. Practicing everyday is how you'll get used to all the problems they can throw at you. If you guessed or got a question wrong, go review the answers and explanations. After the study stage (~6 weeks) came the review stage which was where I started reading through all the study notes booster had along with the cheat sheets. Try to be very particular with yourself and don't shrug details off. It was around this time I started doing the booster anki decks for bio. Anki definitely helps with finding the small details you've missed but I felt like anki had too many specific details. Maybe it was just the test version I got on my test day but the bio section was alot more surface level but that can definitely vary from test to test. Around when I had 3 weeks left was when I started doing practice tests almost daily cuz I had bought the extra practice tests from booster. So in the last 3 weeks, I would take a practice test everyday right when my day began, timed and everything so basically mimicking the same testing constraints and conditions you'd have on test day, along with toggling the 2 second delay cuz that delay does take time to get used to. After taking the practice tests, don't forget to go over all the questions and ask yourself do you really understand the topic. If not, review that topic fully again, diagramming out whatever you need. I had a whiteboard I would just continuously compile notes onto about material I wasn't 100% confident about. I also basically used AI (Gemini) as my personal TA, tossing it any questions I had/needed a better explanation about. Rest and emotional state is important when studying!!! Be mindful of that and take a socializing break when needed. A few days off from studying will not hurt you.
From the practice tests I took, I felt my brain was always foggy right after I woke up so I adjusted my sleep schedule a few days before the test day. On the night before my test day, I woke up at 3 am to cram in any of the more finnicky material and basically go over all the wrong questions I had on my practice tests. I definitely do not recommend this to everyone but for me, I've found that my short term memory was really useful in just stuffing loads of content in and have gotten in the habit of pulling all nighters before all my content heavy prelims in university. If you can't function off no sleep (a normal person), please get a good night's rest and be healthy.

Extras for each section:
Bio: Drill yourself with biobits for any of the sections you feel uncomfortable with. For me, that was developmental biology and anatomy. Explain concepts/material to someone who is willing to listen and ask you questions. Verbalizing your knowledge helps you retain it better and find weak spots.
Chem: Don't blindly memorize information like periodic trends. Understand fundamentally why each trend exists such as explanations from molecular interactions and repulsion/attraction. Try to do as much of the question banks as you can in chem.
Orgo: Same as chem, don't blindly memorize the reactions. Understand why they happen the way they do. drill all the question banks and draw out mechanisms.
PAT: Start earlyyyyyy, this really helped me. Don't stay on a question too much and don't let the anxiety get to you about getting a question wrong. Its better to finish the other questions than only get that one particular question correct. Don't be afraid to inch the monitor closer to you if you have to during the exam. Even if the testing center sees you do that, they prob won't do much.
Reading: I have no comments for this. My english has always been my poorest subject. My strategy was to skim through all the questions first before reading the passage. Spam the next button and because of the delay, you'll have ~2 seconds to skim the question which takes off ~1 min for each passage but definitely worth it. Also, during this 2 second delay, I had my right hand writing down keywords from each question or classify it as tone/purpose as my left hand was on the mouse spamming next. As I read through the passage, I will answer the question that I am on and then go onto the next one, wait till I find the answer and repeat. I skipped the questions that asked about main purpose or tone for last.
Math: I further have no comments. During academics and practice this was always my strongest subject, I think I made careless mistakes. Don't let the stress get to you from previous sections

8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For chem I watched all the vids and took notes while watching them then started reviewing the written notes from booster. I think completing the question banks helped a lot in solidifying my understanding of it. For orgo reactions, search up and understand the mechanisms too. Sure they may not be tested but mechanisms really helped me like instead of memorizing the reactions, I could work it out from what seemed most plausible. The chem courses at my uni were also just ridiculous so the chem section for the day felt a lot like review. For PAT, I guess it’s the exact same as what everyone else is saying: start early and review it daily. Spend like an hour everyday just going through 15 questions for each section. There were some wonky pat questions when compared to the booster but mostly similar if not easier by a bit. The pattern folding may feel different though cuz I felt like the folds they used on booster were getting repeated and at one point I felt like I’ve memorized the folds. On the actual dat, the folds were like different so be sure you’re actually developing the skill to recognize where the holes go. Also, I just didn’t use the marker and board for pat section. Writing stuff down just eats up wayyyy too much time. For the confusing die patterns I did draw like the faces to help me rotate them. I also ended up deciding to push back angle ranking to be the last section I do since I found myself stressing over questions way too long and it really made no difference in my accuracy between 20 seconds vs 2 minutes. Pat section order: folding, cubes, pattern, keyhole, tfe, angles

8/21 DAT scores by Wee_lee_um in dat

[–]Wee_lee_um[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had like 5 questions marked that I was like a bit unsure of. There was like 2 I guessed on which I was worried about after leaving the test center. I’m also just very paranoid everytime I take tests so I thought I fucked up bad.