DAT PAT study plan
DAT PAT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability
Inventory the Survey of the Natural Sciences topic list (biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry) and mark each subtopic as strong, shaky, or unknown based on a timed 40-question diagnostic
Build a spaced-repetition deck covering the 60 highest-yield biology facts (cell structures, organ systems, genetics vocabulary) and begin daily reviews
Set up a daily 15-minute Perceptual Ability routine: practice angle ranking and hole punching for 10 minutes, then log accuracy by item type
Establish a baseline PAT score by completing one full 90-question PAT section under timed conditions and recording per-subtest accuracy
Your checkpoint
A one-page diagnostic scorecard listing per-subtest accuracy for the PAT baseline and a strong/shaky/unknown tally for all Natural Sciences subtopics
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability
Master general chemistry stoichiometry, molarity, and gas-law problem types by working 30 mixed calculation problems without notes
Memorize the major organic chemistry functional groups and their characteristic reactions, then self-quiz until you can identify each from a structure in under 5 seconds
Practice cube counting and folded-paper PAT item types in daily 15-minute blocks, targeting 80% accuracy on each
Review every missed Natural Sciences diagnostic question and write a two-sentence rule explaining the correct reasoning
Your checkpoint
A 30-problem chemistry worked set with all errors annotated and a functional-group self-quiz scored at 90% or better
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability
Cover human physiology systems (circulatory, respiratory, digestive, nervous) and self-test with 50 recall questions
Drill PAT 3D-form development and aperture-passing items daily, tracking time per item to build speed
Complete 20 organic chemistry mechanism and nomenclature problems
Re-review all week 1-2 flashcards marked as missed at least twice
Your checkpoint
A timed 25-question physiology quiz scored and logged, plus a PAT practice log showing average seconds per item for each subtest
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability
Consolidate Natural Sciences by completing a full 100-question mixed science set under exam timing
Complete a second full timed PAT section and compare per-subtest accuracy against the week 1 baseline
Target the two weakest PAT subtests with 30 focused practice items each
Rewrite condensed summary sheets for the five weakest science subtopics
Your checkpoint
A mid-point comparison report showing full-length science and PAT scores side by side with the week 1 baseline and a ranked list of remaining weak areas
Reading Comprehension & Quantitative Reasoning
Practice the Reading Comprehension strategy of mapping passage structure before answering, completing 4 timed passages
Build a math formula sheet covering algebra, ratios, percentages, and unit conversions, then solve 25 problems using it
Learn to translate word problems into equations by working 15 Quantitative Reasoning word problems and labeling each step
Identify the three most common error patterns in your reading and math work so far
Your checkpoint
Four completed reading passages with structure maps and a scored 25-problem quantitative set with an error-pattern list
Reading Comprehension & Quantitative Reasoning
Complete 6 timed Reading Comprehension passages, aiming to cut average time per passage while holding accuracy
Drill Quantitative Reasoning topics of probability, statistics, and geometry with 30 mixed problems
Practice inference and tone questions specifically, since these are the highest-miss reading item types
Revisit two weak science subtopics from week 4 with 20 recall questions each to prevent decay
Your checkpoint
A reading and quantitative progress log showing per-passage time, accuracy, and a list of the top five recurring error types across both domains
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability & Reading Comprehension & Quantitative Reasoning
Take one full-length timed practice test across all four domains and record section scores
Review every missed question from the full-length test and classify each error as content gap, timing, or misreading
Run two 30-minute mixed-domain review sessions targeting the lowest-scoring sections
Rehearse the PAT pacing plan so no subtest runs over its allotted time
Your checkpoint
A full-length practice test score report with every error categorized and a written remediation plan for the final week
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability & Reading Comprehension & Quantitative Reasoning
Execute the week 7 remediation plan by re-drilling the specific missed content in each domain
Complete two final timed PAT sections and two timed reading passages to confirm pacing
Do a final pass of all flashcards and formula sheets, retiring cards you answer correctly twice in a row
Simulate exam-day conditions once with a full timed section block and no breaks
Your checkpoint
A final readiness summary listing scores on the last timed practice in each domain, confirmed pacing times, and a short list of any topics still flagged for last-minute review
Milestones
Week 2: Natural Sciences strong/shaky/unknown tally shows at least 40% of subtopics moved to strong, and PAT cube counting and hole punching each reach 80% accuracy
Week 4: Full-length science and PAT scores both improve over the week 1 baseline, and no PAT subtest remains below 60% accuracy
Week 6: Reading Comprehension accuracy holds at or above target while average time per passage drops, and Quantitative Reasoning mixed sets score at least 70%
Week 8: Final timed practice in all four domains meets or exceeds your target score, with PAT pacing confirmed under subtest time limits