u/Researcher-Similar

Scores: 
QR - 440
RC- 420
Bio- 520
GC- 450
OC- 490
TS- 490
AA- 470

Background: 
Currently a first year Master’s student with a 4.0 GPA. My undergrad GPA was a ~3.5. 

Materials Used: 

1. DAT Booster- I would definitely recommend using this program! It was very representative of the exam and the only resource I used to study for the DAT. I ended up buying a discounted 3 month subscription from a black Friday deal and then froze my account until I needed it to start studying. The biology section was super representative with even some questions being word for word on my actual DAT. I ended up not needing to pay for the extra exams or the classes, they are not needed in my opinion. Booster offers cheat sheets for all the subjects which I thought were really helpful with focusing on what to memorize when I was reviewing my notes. 
2. ANKI- I read online that anki is what really helped them get a good score on the bio section but personally, it’s too much information. I think using it is a good resource but I ended up giving up on it two weeks in because there were so many cards to memorize. If using it is helpful for you, go for it!

 

Study Timeline:

I gave myself 3 months to study, from March 1st to June 1st. During that time, I was a full time master’s student (9 credits ) while also working ~10 hours per week at a dental office. 
 I made it harder for myself than I really needed to study but it was definitely doable! All I have to say is consistency over everything! I studied every single day for three months. Some days when I was feeling a bit burnt out I would still study for 30 mins to an hour. Generally, I followed the booster schedule and if I got behind I would spend my weekends trying to catch up.
The first month I watched all the content videos and learned the material, second month I completed all the subject specific practice problems, then the last month was reviewing and taking the full length practice exams. 

Typically on weekdays, I would get back home from work around 7 pm, make dinner, and study until 11pm or midnight. Weekends are where I did most of my studying and I treated it like a full time job, studying from 9am-5pm. 

Subject Breakdown 

1. Bio (520) - Probably the best resource you can study with is booster. I watched all the videos while reviewing the notes. I’m a bit traditional so I printed all of the cheat sheets while I was in my reviewing phase and would write down mnemonics or extra notes on the sheet so I could look them over before going to bed. During my final month everyday I would spend about 30 minutes reviewing a cheat sheet, flip it over, and then write down everything I could remember on a whiteboard. I would do this for ALL 27 or so cheat sheet topics multiple times. On the actual exam, it was super straightforward. It’s either you know it or you don't type of situation. Remember you don’t need to know every single detail about every subject. I would focus on cell/organelles, prokaryotic vs eukaryotic, Bacteria vs Archaea vs eukarya, topics related to the cell and DNA!  
2. GC (450)- I found that the cheat sheets and notes were more useful than the videos themselves. Most of my learning came from repeatedly reviewing the notes, annotating them, and revisiting any difficult concepts. On the actual exam, there were a lot of conceptual questions rather than math problems.  
3. OC (490)- the booster videos focused heavily on reaction mechanisms and reaction memorization, but I found the actual DAT to be less reaction heavy than expected. If I were to study again, I would spend more time on topics like acidity/basicity, stability trends, ranking questions, lab techniques. Make sure to understand the reasoning rather than memorizing every reaction.
4. PAT (440)- I started practicing PAT from day one! Daily repetition makes a huge difference since this subject is not something you can memorize. Every morning, I did 5 practice problems from  each section on my phone then later in the day, I spent an additional 20 mins working through the booster generators. I would say the full length practice exams were representative of the actual DAT. 
5. QR (450) - For QR, I memorized the booster formula sheet and practiced all the math problems they offered, multiple times. Similar to my bio review strat, I would study the formula sheet for a few mins, flip it over, then rewrite as many formulas as possible from memory. The key here is to practice as many math problems you can so you understand what kind of formula they’re asking from you. On the actual DAT, I found that they asked a lot of absolute value equation questions and the quantity A vs quantity B type questions. 
6. RC (420)- I mostly followed the Booster schedule. The practice passages and full length exams were very representative of the real DAT. Since I’m naturally a slower reader, my strategy was to read around half of the passage first while highlighting important dates, names, and numbers. Then I would answer the corresponding questions before returning to finish the passage.

 

Full practice exam Review : 
My practice exam scores generally predicted an AA around 440. 
Whenever I took a full length exam, I tried to replicate actual testing conditions as close as I could. I arrived at the library before my scheduled start time, took the full 5 hours and even scheduled out my break. I think the most important part of the full length practice exams is to review your mistakes! The day after each exam, I reviewed every wrong answer. I would write down on my notebook 

1. Why I got it wrong

2. The concept being tested 

3. How I could avoid making the same mistake again 
   Then I would spend time reviewing that concept in detail.

 

Final advice: The DAT is not a measure of your intelligence!!!! It’s honestly just a measure of your preparation, consistency, and commitment. Please don’t compare your scores, timeline, or journey to anyone else’s. And remember studying for the DAT is a marathon, not a sprint! I am not someone who considers myself naturally smart at standardized tests. So to achieve my score I had to fully commit to studying for three months. That meant making sacrifices like skipping family vacations, turning down graduation events, and missing out on social outings. Although that might not work for everyone, it helped me to stay on track with my schedule.  Keep showing up for yourself every day and trust the process, just remember that scores are not a measure of your worth, it’s just one portion of your application!