Turning Summer Into Success: Sally's 3-Month DAT Bootcamp Journey

I decided to take the DAT the summer before my senior year so this way I could be focused solely on studying without the pressures and stress during the school year. I started studying at the beginning of June when my quarter was over and studied for almost three months until my test date at the end of August. For the most part, I was studying full time and acted as if it was my full time job. However, I also continued to shadow half days twice a week as well as volunteer. DAT Bootcamp provided me with all of the tools to be successful on this exam and I was able to take the DAT once and be done. I followed the three month laid out schedule but also adjusted it according to what my other commitments were for the day. This made it so I was not overwhelmed by the material I needed to go through but also made sure that I was keeping up with the information so as not to fall behind. I also decided to stay on campus through the summer which helped with my studying because I would go to the library everyday and that allowed me to remain focused.

Biology

As a Biology major, I felt that this section would be one of the strongest and in fact I scored the highest on this section on test day. I found that flashcards were very helpful for this section particularly using the Anki decks downloaded from Bootcamp. I made sure to do my flashcards every day and I downloaded the Anki app on my phone which made it so I could practice on the go and make the most of my time. Another critical part of my Biology studying was redoing the questions banks and the bio bites. I found that given the large amount of information, it was easy to forget what you had learned earlier. This is why it is so important to review previous information in question format in tandem with flashcards to make sure you are retaining the information. Lastly, I also enjoyed the Bio podcasts from Bootcamp because it was another way I could reinforce the information on the go and as someone who loves podcasts, this was especially enjoyable for me.

General Chemistry

I found that Dr. Mike's chemistry videos for this section were very helpful in relearning a lot of this information that I had previously learned in my general chemistry courses. I also used Anki for this section because it gave me another way to reinforce the specific details that I would be required to know. The most important tool I used to study for the general chemistry section was the practice tests. I made sure to do them multiple times to practice not only my timing but also getting accustomed to the types of questions being asked. In addition, it was important to make sure I knew the formulas being tested which is another way flashcards were especially helpful.

Organic Chemistry

When it came to this section, I found that redoing the reaction bites to make sure I got the different reactions down was really important. Also, making sure I understood the different techniques being tested by doing the question banks because I noticed that this was a concept being tested heavily on in the practice tests. Once again, I used Anki to reinforce the information on a daily basis. I also found that the practice tests on Bootcamp were very representative and I redid them multiple times leading up to my test date.

PAT

My main tip for this section is to practice almost everyday. I tried my best to do 5 of each type of question 5-6 times a week. It was sometimes difficult for me to get motivated to do this, however, it is important to understand that this section does matter and you need to put in the practice to improve. At first, I struggled a lot with timing and would consistently run out of time. However, with different adjustments to my strategy, especially using information from the videos on Bootcamp, I was able to come up with a specific order in which I would tackle the questions as well as how I would organize my sheet of paper for the hole punch and the cube counting sections. I decided to start with the sections I was strongest in and then move from there and by doing this I improved on my timing greatly.

Reading Comprehension

This section requires a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for you personally. I liked that on Bootcamp there were many different strategies to try. I ended up doing a combination of search and destroy and highlighting. While initially I struggled to finish on time, after I figured out what strategy worked best for me, I was able to finish on time. I also think using the practice passages was essential for getting my timing down.

Quantitative Reasoning

For this section, I think it is important to focus on the types of questions that you struggle with or take a lot of time for you to finish. I had a hard time finishing this section on time especially due to the word problems and my strategy was to skip and tag questions I felt would take longer to finish. While the algebra questions were pretty straightforward, I would make sure you understand how to do the other comparison and data sufficiency problems because you are likely less familiar with how to go about these types of problems.

Overall

I would recommend to anyone to study over the summer if they can as it allowed me to be more focused and get a larger amount of studying done in less time. I think it is equally important to stick to your goals that you set for the day but also understand that you can adjust the schedule as needed. I also think it is critical to do all of the practice tests towards the end of your studying and make sure to go over them as well. These last few weeks was where I saw the most amount of progress. Lastly, I will emphasize the importance of taking care of yourself while studying and making sure to make time for being with family and friends and other fun activities and hobbies. This will make the studying process more enjoyable and prevent you from burning out.