During my studies for the DAT, I felt that reading these posts tremendously helped me know what to study and how to tackle this huge exam. I used DATBooster to study for the DAT and I highly recommend it for anyone taking the DAT in the future.
Background: I am a current fourth-year student studying biology. I have a 4.0 GPA and spent 90 days studying for the DAT during the 2024 Summer. I was also working full-time and volunteering. Because of my tight schedule, I could only study roughly two hours each day Monday to Friday, and ten hours total on the weekends. I would take a break from studying one day a week for every other week.
Materials used:
DatBooster was the main and only program I used to study. I did not use Anki and only utilized the notes, readings, and videos provided in the program. DATBooster provides a 12-week study guide which I followed very closely for the first four-ish weeks to learn and memorize the content. However, I already had certain strengths coming into the program by taking organic chemistry and biochemistry just before starting the first phase. Because of that, I adjusted my schedule and strayed away from the study guide when I was reviewing to focus more on things I knew I would struggle with (Bio, gen chem, math, and reading) and focused less on things I felt confident about (Ochem and PAT).
How I Studied Each Section:
Bio: With me being a biology major, I already had a strong background in most of the sections that will appear on the DAT. I took notes and watched all the lecture videos that the program provided to review. In hindsight, I felt that I should’ve only watched the lectures that I knew I needed extra help with (taxonomy and human physiology). I felt that the Bio Cheat Sheets were VERY comprehensive on what you needed to know for the DAT. I didn’t utilize it when I first started studying but I realized its importance and relevance after I started taking the practice exams. I would look at 1-3 cheat sheets a week until I felt that I could recall everything that was on that cheat sheet. I started off answering bio bits but eventually felt that It didn’t help me retain information because it was too overwhelming.
Gen Chem: I was most insecure about this subject. I haven’t taken general chemistry since freshman year and didn’t remember a single thing from that class. To study for this section, I watched the lecture while simultaneously looking at the readings that were provided. I would highlight certain words/sentences that were emphasized in the video. I went over the readings many times and would do the question banks associated with the readings to solidify my understanding. I felt that the question banks provided were a healthy balance of conceptual and math questions which were representative of my DAT exam.
Ochem: I pushed this section off because I knew I had a solid understanding. However; I wish I kept up with this section to maybe perform better on the actual DAT. DATBooster has a reaction worksheet that I felt was very helpful in learning all the reactions and their associated reagents. I looked at 2-3 pages every week to memorize the reactions. I struggled with IUPAC in the beginning and felt that it was important for me to really nail it down since a lot of the questions will give you a chemical name instead of what it looks like in a reaction problem.
Reading: English is not my first language so I knew I would heavily struggle with this section. Thankfully, there was a lot of reading practice available in the program. I would do 2 to 3 passages a week until I felt that the questions on the full practice exams were sufficient enough for me to practice. How I tackled RC is by reading maybe ⅔ of a passage, answering the first few questions, finishing the last third of the passage, and then finishing the rest of the questions. I would only highlight the main topic of this paragraph, listed content, names, and dates. With this strategy, I was able to finish reading passages very early- in which I use the extra time to go back and recheck my answers.
Math: I watched videos on topics that I didn’t have much exposure to. I then memorized all the formulas that were provided in the formula sheet. There is a mix of just math problems and word problems that involve interpretation. I familiarized myself with how to interpret the word problems by doing all the math question banks. This was important because a lot of your time is spent just thinking of how to formulate an equation that you can solve. I was not prepared for how wordy and difficult to interpret the question would be on the actual exam.
PAT: I LOVE THIS SECTION. Although notorious for being a difficult section, I knew that I would have an interest in this section because of my artistic background. I watched their associated videos because they provide tricks on how to solve these problems. Then, I did as much practice as I could in my free time. My only advice for this section is to practice, practice, practice. I do think that you just gain a better grasp of how to interpret questions if you are exposed to them frequently.
Practice Exams:
I took eight practice exams from start to finish. Exam 1-5 was taken once a week for five weeks. Exam 6-10 was taken every other day for two weeks leading up to my exam. I think I felt a little burnt out towards the end so I ended up taking sections that I was nervous about on two of the practice exams. (scores attached)
Day of the Exam:
I woke up at 6 am and ate a huge breakfast because I knew that I would be hungry due to stress. I also knew that I would be hungry during my break (lol) so I brought a huge sandwich and mango to eat. I arrived at the testing center 45 minutes early. During my break, I did not go on my phone and just spent my time munching away at my sandwich as a form of relaxation. I received a Bio (23), Chem (24), Ochem (22), Reading (26), Math (19), PAT (23), TS (23), and AA (23).
