From Falling Behind to a 27 AA: Hallie’s DAT Study Schedule

My Study Schedule

When I originally started studying for the DAT, I planned on following Ari’s 3 month study plan. However, my course load during the time was pretty heavy and I ended up falling behind by week 4, so I had to alter my game plan a little bit. Studying for my classes was my main priority during the semester, which unfortunately meant I had to ease up on my DAT studying. During the school year, I ended up slowly going through the biology and general chemistry videos and taking notes. My goal by the end of the semester was to know what I needed to know, regardless of whether I had the information memorized. This helped me prioritize where I should put my focus. Luckily I had recently taken organic chemistry, so the information was fresh. I did not have to study that for more than a few hours. It was mostly just brushing up. I am also a TA for general chemistry so I could skip past those videos as well. Putting effort into my weak spots like biology and quantitative reasoning helped save my time and my sanity.

During the school year, I studied maybe 2 hours a day plus PAT practice. Once the semester ended, however, I really dove in. I studied about 8-10 hours a day. My goal of getting through the videos was accomplished, so I knew what I knew and didn't know. That was a helpful start. By that point I had 3 weeks to study before my exam date. I started going through my notes and doing bio bite after bio bite and question bank after question bank. If I didn't know a question I would go back to the notes on it and review until I could thoroughly explain it to someone else.

I wanted my practice test scores to be as closely representative of the real thing as possible so I waited to take them until I felt confident that I knew as much as I could. It would have been a hit to my confidence to see a low score, so I started taking practice exams 13 days before my exam. I took one a day for 10 days, and there were definitely some humbling moments. Even though I had been practicing PAT for as long as I'd been studying the rest of the material, I never scored above a 19. I had to cut my losses with that section and focus on things I knew I could improve. I took each test in sections (mostly because I'm too impatient to wait to finish the exam before knowing my score). After each section, I would go through the incorrect questions then move on. After 10 days my brain was absolutely worn out. I used the two days prior to the exam to chill and rest.

How the Practice Material Compared to the Real Thing

I thought the practice exams were EXTREMELY similar to the actual exam, if not harder than the real thing. Some questions were almost word for word repeats of the practice exams. I felt relieved when the math section in particular showed me almost no questions that I hadn't seen at least a variation of before. In addition to the PAT, quantitative reasoning was my struggle section.

How Bootcamp Helped Me + My Favorite Features

I solely studied using Bootcamp’s program and I felt well prepared going into the exam on test day.

Bootcamp’s bites and question banks were, for me, hands down my most used feature. I reviewed the general chemistry section’s question banks two times for practice and seeing the different color learning levels was a good indicator of where I was struggling. I also used Dr. Mike's explanation videos. They are simultaneously entertaining and helpful and were used in surplus after the practice exams.

I also used the high yield biology notes a ton. The hundred and some pages definitely seemed daunting, but I chipped away at it piece by piece, and in the end it was a helpful source to go back to when I struggled with a topic.