u/Financial_Print6026

Hi everyone! I wanted to write a breakdown of my DAT experience. 

Background:

I have 4.0 sGPA and a 4.0 GPA and a strong science background. I have taken a lot of chemistry and biology-heavy coursework, so I definitely did not go into DAT studying from scratch. I want to be honest about that because my actual dedicated DAT studying was very short, around a grueling 30 days.

For the sciences especially, I relied heavily on repetition and active recall. I would watch the videos, summarize the material out loud to myself, go back through the notes to fill in gaps, and then use question banks to test whether I actually knew it. Since Bio is so broad, I tried to expose myself to the material as many times as possible in a short window. By the end, I had essentially brute-forced the science content through repeated review, practice questions, and constant reinforcement. I will say if you are cramming like this, short naps throughout the day are essential. They honestly work like magic for retention.

Materials Used:

1. DATBooster Videos

DATBooster was my main resource and the one I relied on the most. I felt like the sciences were very representative, and the practice questions helped me quickly figure out what I actually knew versus what I only thought I knew. The biology resources were especially helpful because Bio can feel endless, and Booster helped me narrow my focus toward what was actually testable.
For general chemistry and organic chemistry, Booster was also very useful. I already had a strong chemistry background, so I mainly used the questions and explanations to sharpen timing, catch careless mistakes, and make sure I was comfortable with DAT-style wording.

2. Feralis Biology Notes / Biology Review (in DATBooster)

 

For biology, I used Feralis-style notes and videos heavily. Since my timeline was compressed, I did not have time to slowly memorize everything over several months. Instead, I focused on repeated exposure, high-yield concepts, and making sure I understood the major systems, processes, and vocabulary.

I think Bio rewards both breadth and pattern recognition. You do not need to know every microscopic detail, but you do need to be familiar with a lot of topics so that nothing feels completely foreign on test day.

3. Qbanks Practice Questions and Practice Exams / Wrong Answer Review (All in DATBooster)

 

This was probably the most important part of my studying. Since I only had about a month, I could not afford to passively reread notes for hours and assume I was improving. Practice questions showed me immediately where I was weak. The DATBooster Qbanks really helped me reinforce concepts right after learning them, and the logic from the explanations was very helpful.
Whenever I got something wrong, I tried to understand the reason. Was it a content gap? Misreading? A careless math mistake? Not knowing a formula? Confusing two similar concepts? That helped me decide whether I needed to relearn the topic or just be more careful.

Study Timeline:

My timeline was very compressed. I studied for about 30 days total, with the most intense period being around 25 days. I want to emphasize that this was not a relaxed schedule, and I would not recommend waiting this long unless you already have a strong science foundation.

Because my time was limited, I prioritized the sciences. Looking back, this helped my TS and AA a lot, but it also meant I did not give PAT and RC as much attention as I should have. That is probably the biggest thing I would change.

My general approach was:

1. Review high-yield content quickly from videos and notes.
2. Summarize what I have learned by speaking it loud to myself.
3. Doing questions banks.
4. Review mistakes carefully.
5. Repeat weak areas.
6. Take practice tests to build stamina and timing.
   I did not try to make everything perfect before moving on. With only about 30 days, I had to accept that some topics would be weaker and focus on improving the areas that would give me the biggest return.

Day of Exam / Section Breakdown:

Biology:

Bio felt manageable overall. The section is broad, so I think the best preparation is repeated exposure to high-yield material and lots of practice questions. My advice is not to get stuck trying to know every tiny detail. Make sure you understand the major concepts and can recognize them in different wording. I cannot understate how effective Feralis’s notes and videos were.

Prep: For prep, I started with the units I was most comfortable with and usually watched the videos on 1.5x speed. After watching the videos, I would summarize what I learned and then rewatch the videos on 2x speed. After completing a full unit, I would go to the Feralis notes and fill in any missing gaps or reinforce what I had already learned. Toward the end, I would complete that unit’s question banks. I did this process for all 6 biology units. My approximate study time for biology was around 72–81 hours.

General Chemistry:

GC felt very comfortable for me. I have a strong chemistry background, so this section was one of my strengths. My biggest advice is to focus on conceptual understanding, not just calculations. 
A lot of DAT general chemistry is knowing what should happen and why. For calculations, my recommendation is to practice until you begin to understand what each part of the formula represents, rather than just memorizing equations.

Prep: I used a similar process to biology, except I broke the 13 chapters into 3 chunks. After reviewing the videos and notes, I would do the Qbanks. I spent a total of 30 hours of prep.

Organic Chemistry:

OC was also manageable, but I would recommend knowing acid/base trends, stability, spectroscopy basics, lab techniques, and the major reaction patterns. Do not just memorize reactions blindly. Understanding why a reaction happens makes it much easier to answer unfamiliar questions.

The way I like to think about reactions is that each one is a mini story with a climax. If you understand the movement of electrons and the stability behind the intermediates, the exceptions become much easier to understand.

Prep: For prep, I used a similar process to GC, except I also reviewed the reaction bits after doing the Qbanks. I spent a total of 30 hours here too.

PAT:

PAT was my weakest area and the section I neglected the most. I honestly did not practice it enough due to the time constraints. My advice is simple: do not ignore PAT just because it feels annoying or less content-based. It is a skill section, and it improves with consistent practice over time. I would recommend practicing around 1 hour every day until your exam because it has a gradual learning curve.

Prep: For prep, I spent a total of around 18 hours, with most of my energy going into keyholes, angle ranking, hole punching, and cube counting. Since I had limited time, I prioritized those sections to squeeze out a 420. If you have ample time to prepare, also really practice TFE and pattern folding and spend the bulk of ur PAT hours on them after getting the other 4 sections down. Try to understand why you got problems wrong.

Reading Comprehension:

RC was another section I should have respected more. I focused so heavily on the sciences that I did not train RC enough. My advice is to practice timing and find a strategy that works for you before test day.

I would have benefited a lot from a higher reading speed. I think reading 30–45 minutes per day leading up to the exam would have helped a lot, but do not just read passively for pleasure. Practice retaining what you are reading. If you do not have much time to improve your reading speed, practice forming a passage map so you can use a more effective search-and-destroy method. Highlight important names, terms, dates, lists, and transitions as you read.

Prep: I did roughly 3 passages daily and review the types of questions I missed. I was honestly too scared to do a full-length reading comprehension test, so I mostly used the RC Qbank passages. I completed around 21 passages total and spent roughly 10–12 hours prepping for RC.

Quantitative Reasoning:

QR was mostly algebra, probability, rates, and word problems. My advice is to drill common question types and be very careful with wording.

A lot of QR mistakes come from rushing or setting up the problem incorrectly rather than not knowing the math. Reread the problems a couple of times and try to solve them without looking at the answer choices if possible unless the question is data sufficiency or value comparison. 

Prep: For prep, I completed the DATBooster QR Qbank and felt that it prepared me adequately.

Practice Exams:

I took all 10 practice exams for Bio, QR, GC, and OC. During the last 10 days of my prep, I would take one practice exam for each of these subjects, for a total of 4 subject exams per day. Afterward, I reviewed the questions I missed.

For RC and PAT, I only took 1 practice exam each due to prioritizing the other subjects. I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT NEGLECT THESE SECTIONS.

Time wise I spent a total of around 35-40 hours on all the practice exams I did put together. This includes the time it takes for the exam and the review process.

Biggest Takeaways:

The biggest thing I learned is that a strong science foundation can carry you very far on the DAT, but it does not replace targeted practice. My previous coursework in college helped me a lot, especially for the science sections, but the DAT is still its own exam with its own timing, wording, and strategy.

I also learned that you should not neglect your weaker sections. For me, that was PAT and RC. I put most of my energy into the sciences, and while that worked out well for my TS and AA, I definitely could have had a more balanced score if I had practiced those sections earlier.

I spent over half my time answering and reviewing questions, and I feel like that is the best way to learn. You need those constant shots of dopamine from answering questions to reinforce the concepts. 

Advice:

If you have several months, use them. Studying for the DAT in around 30 days is extremely stressful and risky, especially if you are learning a lot of the science material for the first time. 

However, if you are on a short timeline, be honest with yourself, prioritize high-yield material, do a lot of practice questions, and review your mistakes carefully. Passive studying is not enough when time is limited.

Also, if you are pulling very long study days, make sure to take breaks and protect your sleep. Short naps helped me a lot during my prep. I would take around 3-4 x 30 minute naps per day with then being spaced roughly 3 hours apart. Sleep works like magic when it comes to learning and retention.

Overall, I am very grateful for how things turned out. The DAT is stressful, but your hard work does show. Focus on understanding, stay consistent, and do not let one weak section make you feel like your whole score is ruined.