Nickawn's Tips to get a 550 AA in Organic Chemistry

Hey Pre-Dents!

I’m Nickawn, a junior Biology major. I took the DAT in April 2025 and scored a 470 AA / 500 TS / 530 PAT. It’s a massive mountain to climb, but trust me, it’s possible. Bootcamp gave me every tool I needed to succeed.

I studied while taking a full spring course load during junior year. Was it easy? No. Was it doable? Absolutely.

I will break down my experience by section.

Study Approach

I followed Ari’s study schedule like my life depended on it. No skipped days, no excuses. If it was on the list, I did it, even when I was exhausted, behind on classwork, or just didn’t feel like it. That discipline is easily the biggest factor in what carried me to my score.

Biology (490)

The Bio section is daunting. It is dense, detailed, and broad. A lot of it was brand new to me. My biggest advice is to take it one day at a time. Watch every video, take thorough notes, and do every practice question. Even if you got it right, review the explanation. That is how it sticks. I studied Bio 3+ hours a day, every day. Don’t fall into the “they probably won’t ask this” trap. They might. Prepare like they will because they definitely can.

General Chemistry (470)

This one was hit or miss for me. My practice scores varied a lot, but Dr. Mike is amazing. Watch all his videos and follow along with the notes. Memorize the equation sheet, then do the practice problems. There are only so many ways they can ask you a stoichiometry or kinetics question, so get familiar with the types of questions for this section.

Organic Chemistry (550)

This was my highest score. Why? I did the reaction sheet every single day. Yes, all 30+ pages. It takes time and focus, but looking back, it is the #1 thing that helped me succeed in this section. Dr. Mike’s videos are crucial, but the reaction sheet is everything. Learn the mechanisms, electron movement, and reactivity trends. I found in this section that even when I didn’t know the exact answer, understanding the basics let me make smart guesses. This section rewards chemistry intuition.

PAT (530)

I hated PAT at first. I remember watching my first Keyholes lesson on day 1, which nearly broke me. In this section, practice transforms you. I did a simulated PAT test almost every day: 15 questions per type, and I timed myself for 60 minutes like the real exam. Then I reviewed my weak question types. My biggest tip is not to second guess yourself. By the end of my time studying, I found my initial instinct to be correct most of the time, so trust your gut. Time is tight, and I found that hesitation kills scores.

Reading Comp (400)

This was my weakest section. I’ve always been a slow reader, and that followed me into the DAT. I used Search and Destroy and just did my best. To be honest, I chose to invest more energy into other sections where I could score higher. I found it hard to study for this section, and reviewing the problems I missed felt unproductive for me. Don’t neglect RC, but I would suggest putting more effort into other sections, especially if time is tight.

QR (450)

Don’t brush this section off. It’s the last section, and mental fatigue is real. The math isn’t particularly hard, but the wording is tricky, and pair that with fatigue, it makes this section sneakily challenging. I did 20-30 problems a day and always watched the video explanations, even for the ones I got right. Like Gen Chem, I felt like there was a limited question pool in the things they would ask, so try to get familiar with the patterns.

Final Advice

Bootcamp has everything you need. Just show up every day, even when you’re tired or behind. The questions you see on Bootcamp are almost identical to the real exam across every section. Take it one question at a time on practice tests and on the real exam. Have the mindset that the only thing that matters is the question right in front of you, not the next one, not the one before. Thinking of the test as a whole can be overwhelming, so focus all of your energy on that one question you are looking at and move on. By the time you know it, the exam will be over.

You’ve got this. One day, one video, one question at a time.