DAT study plan
DAT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Survey of the Natural Sciences
Build a one-page map of the four biomolecule classes and label where each is digested and metabolized.
Solve 60 general chemistry stoichiometry and solution problems in timed sets of 15.
Draw and label a eukaryotic cell from memory, then attach one function and one clinical correlate to each organelle.
Write 40 flashcards on amino acid properties and self-quiz until 90% are recalled cold.
Your checkpoint
A 45-question timed biology and general chemistry quiz scored at 65% or better, with every miss rewritten as a corrected one-line rule.
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability
Work 100 angle-ranking comparisons in blocks of 25 and chart accuracy after each block.
Fold and punch 30 paper models by hand, then verify each against your hole-punch prediction.
Drill 60 questions on bonding, molecular geometry, and intermolecular forces until each shape is named in under 20 seconds.
Condense acid-base and equilibrium relationships onto a single index card and solve 25 problems using only that card.
Your checkpoint
A two-column error log with at least 40 entries from perceptual and chemistry practice, each tagged with a cause.
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability
Complete 40 cube-counting and 40 pattern-folding items with a 60-second cap per item.
Apply a memorized three-step routine to 25 keyhole items and record where the routine broke down.
Redraw 30 organic structures from the name alone after covering functional-group charts.
Run 50 mechanics questions on kinematics, forces, and energy without consulting a formula sheet.
Your checkpoint
A full perceptual ability simulation of 90 questions in 60 minutes, with the raw score recorded as your baseline.
Perceptual Ability & Survey of the Natural Sciences
Time-box angle ranking to 15 seconds per item across 80 items.
Complete 30 top-front-end items using a fixed elimination order and note which view you misread most.
Reread all week 2-3 error tags and rewrite the ten most frequent mistakes as explicit rules.
Take a 40-question biology section test and name the three weakest organ systems it exposes.
Your checkpoint
A perceptual ability retake improved by at least 15% over the week-3 baseline, plus a written rule sheet for each of the six question types.
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability
Drill 60 organic mechanism questions covering substitution, elimination, and addition, annotating each rate-determining step.
Solve 40 physics problems on fluids, optics, and circuits and record which formula you reached for first.
Review two organ systems per day and close each with ten blank-recall prompts.
Hold perceptual timing with 20 minutes of cube counting and hole punching on five days.
Your checkpoint
A one-page mechanism sheet across five reaction families plus a 50-question organic and physics quiz at 70% or better.
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Reading Comprehension
Run a search-and-destroy reading strategy on six science passages and mark the supporting sentence for every answer chosen.
Write a three-sentence main-idea summary for 20 passages after one timed read each.
Complete 50 mixed biology questions weighted toward physiology and genetics.
Re-solve 30 previously missed natural science questions from scratch without looking at old notes.
Your checkpoint
A reading comprehension simulation of three passages in 20 minutes at 70% accuracy, with every correct answer traced to its supporting sentence.
Quantitative Reasoning & Reading Comprehension & Perceptual Ability
Drill 80 quantitative reasoning problems in 25-minute sets spanning ratios, rates, and data interpretation.
Work through the ten most common algebra and geometry shortcuts, validating each against a hand-computed example.
Run two 25-minute perceptual mini-sections to hold pace under 45 seconds per item.
Answer inference questions on four humanities and social science passages, returning to the text no more than once per question.
Your checkpoint
A 40-question quantitative reasoning set finished in 45 minutes at 75% accuracy or better.
Survey of the Natural Sciences & Perceptual Ability & Reading Comprehension & Quantitative Reasoning
Sit two full-length timed practice exams on separate days and log every section score.
Re-solve all missed questions from both exams and write a one-line fix beside each.
Rebuild the perceptual rule sheet and the formula card from memory, then diff them against your notes.
Run a 30-question mixed science speed set at 60 seconds per question.
Your checkpoint
A full-length score report with all four sections at or above target, plus a one-page final review sheet readable in 20 minutes.
Milestones
Week 2: At least 40 tagged errors logged, and a 30-question biology and general chemistry set scored at 65% or better.
Week 4: Perceptual ability full-length improves at least 15% over the week-3 baseline, and the biology section test reaches 65%.
Week 6: Reading comprehension simulation at 70% accuracy with supporting-sentence annotations, and natural science error re-solve at 80% or better.
Week 8: Both full-length exams completed under time with all four sections at or above target and a written fix for every missed question.