Hi guys i have about a little more than a year. And the DAT is starting to lurk into the back of my mind. I'm almost done with all bios and chem's except O chem. Which section or sections do u guys think needs the most practice and time that i can begin studying and will also stay in head by the time test time comes?

PATs. but keep all your bio/chem notes from your classes, and when you do get to ochem, remember that only the basics will be on the DATs.

another question you should be asking is WHEN during the year you should take it--i would highly highly recommend the winter break/christmas time. why? you aren't distracted by classes as it is between semesters, you probably just got done with a bunch of the bio/ochem classes, and it also allows you enough time to retake the test if you need to (unlike the later dates after the school year, may/june can be a little late if you need to retake the test 30 days later). granted, that also means no going out during that time, but you'll just have to weigh your priorities.

Hi guys i have about a little more than a year. And the DAT is starting to lurk into the back of my mind. I'm almost done with all bios and chem's except O chem. Which section or sections do u guys think needs the most practice and time that i can begin studying and will also stay in head by the time test time comes?

I thought the PAT required the most practice. BIO was also tough. If you are going to study with Kaplan, I would use additional sources for the bio section.

As for when to take the exam... May is good beccause that's when the applcation opens and you still have time to retake it if need be. I didnt take the exam till August but had my app submitted in May. I guess the point is to apply as early as poosible so that you stay ahead of the crowd.

PS if you aren't already doing it, get your LORs ready to go.

Good luck for 2006

hey thanks a lot guys. I'll get right to it then. Pats and bio here i come :idea:

PATs. but keep all your bio/chem notes from your classes, and when you do get to ochem, remember that only the basics will be on the DATs.

another question you should be asking is WHEN during the year you should take it--i would highly highly recommend the winter break/christmas time. why? you aren't distracted by classes as it is between semesters, you probably just got done with a bunch of the bio/ochem classes, and it also allows you enough time to retake the test if you need to (unlike the later dates after the school year, may/june can be a little late if you need to retake the test 30 days later). granted, that also means no going out during that time, but you'll just have to weigh your priorities.

You want my opinion, take the DAT during the summer. Your christmas break is your christmas break!!! And it really isn't long enough for you to focus and study in my opinion. Take it during the summer - where you have a few solid uninterupted weeks to study.

And listen to this, best piece of advice you'll ever hear from anyone: don't even think about the possibility of having to retake the test. That is loser talk plain and simple. :mad: :mad: Prepare for the test right the first time, be serious about it, get outside evaluation (mock tests). If you know your stuff, you know your stuff, and you'll do well. It's not like the MCAT where you can know everything and still screw up.

You want my opinion, take the DAT during the summer. Your christmas break is your christmas break!!! And it really isn't long enough for you to focus and study in my opinion. Take it during the summer - where you have a few solid uninterupted weeks to study.

And listen to this, best piece of advice you'll ever hear from anyone: don't even think about the possibility of having to retake the test. That is loser talk plain and simple. :mad: :mad: Prepare for the test right the first time, be serious about it, get outside evaluation (mock tests). If you know your stuff, you know your stuff, and you'll do well. It's not like the MCAT where you can know everything and still screw up.

Ah ha!! I was right!! Under Vandy Yanky's name it says registered loser. :laugh: :laugh:

Originally Posted by delicious
You want my opinion, take the DAT during the summer. Your christmas break is your christmas break!!! And it really isn't long enough for you to focus and study in my opinion. Take it during the summer - where you have a few solid uninterupted weeks to study.

wrong. 2.5-3 weeks is plenty of time, if you're going full steam. this is assuming after a semester of classes, where you're learning ochem and reviewing bio/chem in your other classes. summertime may seem like uninterrupted weeks to study, but for the average joe there is such a thing as summer jobs. christmas time, luckily, usually means the student is at home and just sitting on his ass and not working anyway.

And listen to this, best piece of advice you'll ever hear from anyone: don't even think about the possibility of having to retake the test. That is loser talk plain and simple.
it is realistic talk with a cool head, instead of garnering a warm, false sense of security. it is the talk of someone who has seen numerous ppl who didn't have the foresight to plan enough time to retake the DATs, just in case (trust me, i tutor the DATs). take it in may, fine by me, but once you reach the june/july mark, you'll have to wait 90 days until you can even register, which will then put you into ocotober and later. and if you are aiming for a top school, we all know that interview invites are sent out well before then for the first batch.

To the OP - I was actually "sweating bullets" when it came time to study for the gen chem part of the DAT. I took GCI in Jan, 2003 and GCII in July, 2003. I started studying for the DAT in the Summer of 2004 and I felt like I had forgotten EVERYTHING!!! Best advice... when you have a break, any break, take a look at your notes, mainly the concepts and keep them sort of fresh in your mind. I wish I would have done so, since I had a hard time studying for this section... at the end, most of it came back but it took a while. Good luck!

wrong. 2.5-3 weeks is plenty of time, if you're going full steam. this is assuming after a semester of classes, where you're learning ochem and reviewing bio/chem in your other classes. summertime may seem like uninterrupted weeks to study, but for the average joe there is such a thing as summer jobs. christmas time, luckily, usually means the student is at home and just sitting on his ass and not working anyway.


it is realistic talk with a cool head, instead of garnering a warm, false sense of security. it is the talk of someone who has seen numerous ppl who didn't have the foresight to plan enough time to retake the DATs, just in case (trust me, i tutor the DATs).

To the OP: don't listen to this guy. He says 2.5 - 3.0 weeks is plenty of time; that's probably why he's seen numerous people who needed to retake the DAT. I dare say that anyone who says 2.5 weeks and plenty in the same sentence when it comes recommended studying time is an absolute moron. :eek:

And as for the "average joe" working during the summer, well us future dental students aren't really average are we. That's because we are motivated individuals that can study and work at the same time. That's what I did.

I kinda agree with this yankee guy though; he says you should have foresight. Have the foresight to see that you might not be ready for the DAT, cancel the test and take it a few weeks later. Be mature and honest with yourself.

this is assuming after a semester of classes, where you're learning ochem and reviewing bio/chem in your other classes.

also, who is constantly reviewing bio/chem that is covered by the DAT in other classes?! Especially bio - I mean I never learned any of that plant stuff, or any of the family, genus, species stuff.

So does this mean I take in december so that I have second chance and still be early with the apps Just in case if something goes wrong and DAT just isn't good enough?

qarmonist,

take it in dec/jan ONLY if you have been studying and feel ready. jan would also work as you've just returned from (hopefully study filled) winter break, and the beginning of the school semester is usually pretty loose. you're never going to feel 110% ready, but when you can feel the info oozing out of your head, you're about done. when i took the DATs last winter i went into it thinking, "ok, i think i'm ready but if i do bomb it THEN that'll be the signal for me to study even harder during the summer, maybe even get kaplan help or something." but funny how things work out, because i was pleasantly surprised by my score on the jan test.

also, who is constantly reviewing bio/chem that is covered by the DAT in other classes?! Especially bio - I mean I never learned any of that plant stuff, or any of the family, genus, species stuff.
i give you junior year physiology. covers all of human bio, which is essentially half of the DATs. plant and family, it's just memorization of the basics. i actually dug out the sat2 bio books for the plant and family stuff.

I dare say that anyone who says 2.5 weeks and plenty in the same sentence when it comes recommended studying time is an absolute moron.
a very resourceful moron who ended up faring just fine. the kids i tutored didn't study 2.5 weeks, they studied months during the summer (but distracted by work? the summer weather?) and still didn't do satisfactory.

Hey yanky, I was just trying to stir up trouble here-i was in a weird mood last night. What you've said is good advice. I mean yeah, things can go really screwy on test day-even if you're ready you might have a proctor that screws up or your computer crashes and you get stressed. But I think in general, 2.5-3 weeks isn't enough time to study for the average person: you may be really smart and good at memorization. In my opinion to the OP, I think you need like 4 to 5 weeks to study. But that's just my opinion! Others have theirs. Anybody else have suggestions?!