Eva's Key Advice for Scoring a 580 in RC

Hi! I’m Eva and I’m currently a junior studying Health Science.

The first month of studying was done during my winter break and that’s when I took in all of the content. I watched all the videos, took notes, and completed all of the question banks. I didn’t worry too much about accuracy and instead focused on accumulating as many red-tagged questions for later. The next 3 months were dedicated to reviewing all the questions I got wrong, and taking every single practice test. This plan allowed me to have enough time to study for school and focus on high-yield topics during the moments I could study for the DAT. Quality over quantity!

DAT Bootcamp was the only thing I used to study and I felt extremely prepared on test day. I found the actual test to be very reflective of Bootcamp’s practice tests, if not easier.

Here are some tips for each section:

Biology (460)

Start studying biology as early as you can. Bootcamp’s Anki decks are an incredible resource, if you have the time to do them! I realized that I wouldn’t have enough time to complete the Anki decks, so I just focused on doing tagged questions and listening to Bootcamp’s biology podcast during my free time. Bootcamp’s biology podcast is so underrated!

General Chemistry (480)

The general chemistry Anki deck was great. I already felt confident in general chemistry but found the Anki deck good for solidifying quick high-yield facts. I highly recommend doing this deck if chemistry isn’t your jam. Don’t stress out if there are 1 or 2 question types you can’t wrap your mind around, understanding the foundational topics is the most important.

Organic Chemistry (440)

I was anticipating this section to be my worst. I didn’t utilize the organic chemistry resources for a while because I was taking it at school while studying for the DAT, and I wish I had used them sooner. As I got closer to test day I started focusing more on the organic chemistry resources provided by Bootcamp and brought my scores from the mid-high 300s to 440 within a couple of weeks! Dr. Mike is an amazing teacher and explains the topics succinctly, his organic chemistry reaction cheat sheet was a lifesaver.

Reading Comprehension (580)

My biggest tip for the DAT is to not ignore the sections you already feel comfortable with! Many people I’ve spoken with said they didn’t study for RC because they already felt confident with it. Although I already felt good about RC, I still decided to watch all the videos and complete the question banks. The RC Academy videos provided me with so many different strategies that I would have never thought of. I recommend giving each strategy a chance. Even if you realize that you only prefer 1 or 2, at least you’re confident that you’ve come up with the most efficient plan. The reading comprehension section goes by so quickly, so practicing and maintaining speed is very important. Have a plan in case you get one really long passage on test day. Remain consistent with your RC studying, especially if you’re not used to reading so quickly or for extended periods. On test day, I highly suggest not reading any notes or looking at your phone during the break since RC comes right after and it’s best to rest your eyes before starting the section.

Quantitative Reasoning (410)

Bootcamp really prepares you for the quantitative reasoning section. I found this section to be much easier than I was expecting. It caught me off guard and I started moving through the section too slowly. My biggest tip is to spend just as much time practicing time management as you do reviewing the content. I would have done so much better if I didn’t get hung upon random questions.

Perceptual Ability (420)

My biggest tip for PAT is to try out different orders for the section. I noticed that starting with angles, continuing to the end, and then coming back around to keyholes and TFE at the end was best for me. The PAT section can be draining and stamina is key so be sure to complete all of the timed practice tests.

One last tip…

Mindset is so important! Try to stay positive while studying and understand that this is just a short period of your life. You’ve spent months preparing for test day, try to enjoy the moment and recognize that this is amajor milestone. You’ll do so much better if you keep your spirits high on test day. Good luck :)