Karin Zaki | 25 AA
In my opinion the most important thing to do when preparing for the DAT is to come up with a timeline that is realistic to your schedule and not to follow pre-set timelines that you can find online. Yes these could be helpful some times, but might also overwhelm and discourage you, as people study at different pace. So most importantly find what suits you best and don’t compare yourself to others.
Moreover, start looking at practice questions as early as possible as these are a good indicator of whether your study strategies are working well or need some changes. It’s very important that you not let these practice questions scare you in the beginning, as you might not know the solution to every question you encounter. You are still in the beginning of your preparation, so make sure you use those questions as a guide to your studying.
How did you use Crack the DAT to prepare for the DAT?
Crack the DAT was one of the most helpful and efficient resources when it comes to preparing for the DAT specially if you are under a strict timeline. Their practice questions were a great representative of what you’ll see on both the American and the Canadian DAT. The PAT section was the most challenging to me, however using the practice questions on Crack the DAT definitely made me more confident and comfortable around challenging questions on the day of the real DAT test.
What would you do differently to prepare for the DAT?
One thing that i guess I should have done differently during my preparation for the DAT is how I studied for the different sections. I used to focus on each section separately, allocating 2-3 weeks for each section until I finish it, then I do practice questions for that one section before moving to the next section. This wasn’t the best strategy as on the exam you need to be comfortable switching between the different sections in a limited amount of time. Thus I would say not to be scared to switch between the different sections during studying for the DAT.