How Lewis Scored a 27 AA After Not Taking Science Courses for 3+ Years

1) What is one piece of advice you would give to another student preparing to take the DAT?

Don’t panic. If you go by Ari’s schedule, or have a schedule that is similar to Ari’s, you are in good hands. There’s a reason why Ari set the schedule the way he set it up, and it’s because it helps you retain the information that you study as well as train you for the PAT. Also, even if you make low scores on the practice tests, do not panic and do not get discouraged. Rather, closely inspect the questions and analyze the answers and really get to the bottom of why you got that question wrong. The questions in Bootcamp are equivalent or harder than the questions on the DAT.

2) What words of advice do you have for other non-traditional students who have graduated and are taking the DAT?

Closely review and learn subjects you forgot. In particular, I personally took Biology I and II as well as General chemistry and Organic chemistry 3 to 4 years ago. For biology, the Bootcamp Academy was the most helpful, and I highly recommend going through each chapter at least once before you start to depend on the summarized notes. After going over all of the chapters and taking a couple of practice tests, I targeted my weak points. Anatomy was particularly trivial to me, so instead of going chronologically with the chapters, I first concentrated on studying the endocrine system and the nervous system (since they pretty much control everything) and connected the dots to each system in relation to the endocrine/nervous system). For both chemistry sections, Dr. Mike’s videos were spot on in what you need to know for the DAT. For chemistry, I personally broke each section down by major theories/laws, and learned the small details in relation to those theories/laws. I did this because I feel that the chemistry section was more so about applying than memorizing. PAT, I did 15 problems in three sections, and alternated each day. I solved 20 math problems daily for QR practice, and I read 2 science articles every day for reading prep. I also do not think that taking all of the practice tests are beneficial (at least for me). There’s always that sweet spot that you have to determine for yourself, because there might be a chance that you could overwork yourself.

3) What was your favorite part of DAT Bootcamp?

Everything was laid out by DAT Bootcamp and the study strategy and guide was what helped me the most. I definitely am an independent learner where I choose not to work with study groups because I quickly lose focus, and DAT Bootcamp had all of the necessary tools for me to succeed at my own pace.

Honestly, just to add, I feel like if I didn’t have my hobbies, I would have gone insane at just studying for the DAT. I usually do a lot of rubik’s cubes as well as beatbox. Interestingly enough Rubik’s cubes (if you don’t solve them with the algorithms) help you in spatial awareness and intelligence, and it’s a good way to boost your PAT practice in a fun way. I got up to 6 by 6, but 3 by 3s are also very good to practice with. Beatboxing also helped me escape, since I love to create music, and it was a productive way to engage my brain outside of studying. So, make sure you have hobbies that keeps you occupied as you study for the DAT!

You can reach out to Lewis here if you have any questions: lewis@fundamentalsecretsteam.com