DAT advice and preparation!

[beatricejames]

I want to start off by saying thank you to everyone whose posts helped me in studying and navigating how to best approach the DAT exam. Your help was greatly appreciated!

After three months of studying, I took my DAT this past Saturday morning and here are my scores:

PA/QR/RC/Bio/GC/OC/TS/AA:
21/19/21/22/20/21/21/21

My study materials strictly consisted of the DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer, Cliff's AP Bio (3rd edition), Crack the DAT PAT, and DAT Bootcamp.

In my experience DAT Destroyer and DAT Bootcamp are invaluable resources that made all of the difference in my studying. If you have a solid science background, I would highly recommend Destroyer. I've seen threads complaining about the price and worth of Destroyer-but in my experience that was the best money I spent in preparation. Math Destroyer was helpful but the questions in the QR section were more represented by the problems in the Destroyer itself. Overall, I went through the Destroyer twice in the three months and it was plenty when supplemented with Bootcamp.

For practice tests and extra study materials, Bootcamp was amazing. The tests were the closest thing to the actual DAT that I could find and explanations and study materials that come along with membership are well worth it.

Crack DAT PAT gets a bad rep on here for not being representative of the real DAT, but I would disagree. My scores on Crack were the most consistent with my performance on the real DAT AND I found them to be very representative of the actual questions.

If I had any advice for the test day itself, it would be to dress in layers and bring caffeine for the break! The testing room got very hot as there were about ten other people taking various exams and the door remained shut. So dress in layers you can take off! Also, bring caffeine. Coming off of the science and PAT sections you are tired and your eyes are glued over. Drink some caffeine in the fifteen minute break because you want to tackle the reading sections as fast as you can for timing sake.

Thanks everyone for all your help and please take this post lightly! Do what works for you, this is what worked for me.

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[saypaneeer]

Hi, I take my exam in a few days. How were your science sections in comparison to bootcamp and destroyer? Did you find any questions you never saw or had no idea about?

 

[Aamiracle]

I want to start off by saying thank you to everyone whose posts helped me in studying and navigating how to best approach the DAT exam. Your help was greatly appreciated!

After three months of studying, I took my DAT this past Saturday morning and here are my scores:

PA/QR/RC/Bio/GC/OC/TS/AA:
21/19/21/22/20/21/21/21

My study materials strictly consisted of the DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer, Cliff's AP Bio (3rd edition), Crack the DAT PAT, and DAT Bootcamp.

In my experience DAT Destroyer and DAT Bootcamp are invaluable resources that made all of the difference in my studying. If you have a solid science background, I would highly recommend Destroyer. I've seen threads complaining about the price and worth of Destroyer-but in my experience that was the best money I spent in preparation. Math Destroyer was helpful but the questions in the QR section were more represented by the problems in the Destroyer itself. Overall, I went through the Destroyer twice in the three months and it was plenty when supplemented with Bootcamp.

For practice tests and extra study materials, Bootcamp was amazing. The tests were the closest thing to the actual DAT that I could find and explanations and study materials that come along with membership are well worth it.

Crack DAT PAT gets a bad rep on here for not being representative of the real DAT, but I would disagree. My scores on Crack were the most consistent with my performance on the real DAT AND I found them to be very representative of the actual questions.

If I had any advice for the test day itself, it would be to dress in layers and bring caffeine for the break! The testing room got very hot as there were about ten other people taking various exams and the door remained shut. So dress in layers you can take off! Also, bring caffeine. Coming off of the science and PAT sections you are tired and your eyes are glued over. Drink some caffeine in the fifteen minute break because you want to tackle the reading sections as fast as you can for timing sake.

Thanks everyone for all your help and please take this post lightly! Do what works for you, this is what worked for me.

Amazing scores, I am aiming for something similar...can you take a look at my recent thread and just see if I'm on the right path?

 

[clutchfans]

Very nice scores, congratulations!

 

[beatricejames]

Hi, I take my exam in a few days. How were your science sections in comparison to bootcamp and destroyer? Did you find any questions you never saw or had no idea about?

They were right on par with Bootcamp and similar in content but not difficulty with Destroyer. Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry were both very similar to Bootcamp, and overall my practice scores were slightly lower than my real scores (so don't worry if you're in the high "teens"). Destroyer has some good questions, but I would focus less on # correct and incorrect and focus more on the content covered. If there are areas you feel shaky on, then review them further, but both resources were more than enough preparation. Also, Biology is hard because of the vast amount that can be covered, but Bootcamp really helped me hone in on topics I needed further reviewing. Also on DAT Bootcamp under the Biology heading is the Feralis Notes which is THE comprehensive study guide for Biology. I have heard great things about Feralis, but I focused on The Cliffs AP Bio as that was much easier for me to read. Best of luck.

 

[beatricejames]

Amazing scores, I am aiming for something similar...can you take a look at my recent thread and just see if I'm on the right path?

Hey, I looked at what you were doing and it looks great! I was in a similar situation. Began studying in January and went through Destroyer once then. When school started for me in late Jan./early Feb. I began studying harder and went through Destroyer again (only the ones I got incorrect.) To supplement with Bio it looks like you're doing Ferralis which is great! Cliffs AP Bio worked for me, but I've heard great things with Ferralis, so keep using that!

For PAT, continue with DAT Bootcamp. Utilize their generators and keep practicing! QR was definitely my weakest section as well and during the test I was convinced I was scoring less than a 16 on it because of lack of time and general tiredness, but I somehow pulled out a 19. Destroyer was great in helping me learn how to use the formulas but you will NOT find as hard of questions on the real DAT QR as you do in Math Destroyer. Bootcamp is pretty similar so maybe if you have a month left, start transitioning to Bootcamp and check your progress. This would help identify weak areas you can put more effort in. Hope this helps!

 

[Aamiracle]

Hey, I looked at what you were doing and it looks great! I was in a similar situation. Began studying in January and went through Destroyer once then. When school started for me in late Jan./early Feb. I began studying harder and went through Destroyer again (only the ones I got incorrect.) To supplement with Bio it looks like you're doing Ferralis which is great! Cliffs AP Bio worked for me, but I've heard great things with Ferralis, so keep using that!

For PAT, continue with DAT Bootcamp. Utilize their generators and keep practicing! QR was definitely my weakest section as well and during the test I was convinced I was scoring less than a 16 on it because of lack of time and general tiredness, but I somehow pulled out a 19. Destroyer was great in helping me learn how to use the formulas but you will NOT find as hard of questions on the real DAT QR as you do in Math Destroyer. Bootcamp is pretty similar so maybe if you have a month left, start transitioning to Bootcamp and check your progress. This would help identify weak areas you can put more effort in. Hope this helps!

Definitly did! & I only use Ferralis more because I have it all printed out & read it during my shift at work sometimes. Appreciate it! Good luck with Apps!

 

[FutureDDS_11]

Great job! What was your average day while studying for the DAT? How many hours would you say were spent studying for the DAT per day?

 

[beatricejames]

Great job! What was your average day while studying for the DAT? How many hours would you say were spent studying for the DAT per day?

My studying definitely varied over the three month period. In January my school has a J-term, so I was home and would study about four hours/day. I found out my maximum focus time was 4-5 hours and there was no use trying to push it that early. In January I worked through Destroyer for the first time and read Cliffs AP Bio. I also began making notecards for Biology questions and any formulas pertinent to the sciences. Starting in February, school and work dampened my studying but I was still managing to study about 8-10 hours of DAT/week.

I focused on QR and began to utilize Bootcamp when I was back at school. About a month and a half out I created a schedule that focused on reviewing every subject for one week before I went home for our Spring break (which is when I took the DAT.) Fortunately I was able to stick to that and began trying to review DAT material 2-3 hours/night during school which was made possible by cutting out social activities. It was only for a short time, so looking back definitely worth it, but it's not fun! I also tried to have nothing scheduled on the weekends and used those days for getting ahead on homework/studying DAT stuff. Over Spring break, I had a week before my exam where I was studying 8 hours/day and I began my Reading Comprehension practice. (Looking back I could've started taking practice tests for this sooner, but it worked out!) I took the 2009 full length a few days before my exam which definitely psyched me out, so don't let that scare you! I was scoring solid 18s and 19s on all of the sections except QR because it was ridiculous. On the real DAT my scores went up on average ~3 points so don't take that as a sole predictor. Hope this helps!

 

[saypaneeer]

My studying definitely varied over the three month period. In January my school has a J-term, so I was home and would study about four hours/day. I found out my maximum focus time was 4-5 hours and there was no use trying to push it that early. In January I worked through Destroyer for the first time and read Cliffs AP Bio. I also began making notecards for Biology questions and any formulas pertinent to the sciences. Starting in February, school and work dampened my studying but I was still managing to study about 8-10 hours of DAT/week.

I focused on QR and began to utilize Bootcamp when I was back at school. About a month and a half out I created a schedule that focused on reviewing every subject for one week before I went home for our Spring break (which is when I took the DAT.) Fortunately I was able to stick to that and began trying to review DAT material 2-3 hours/night during school which was made possible by cutting out social activities. It was only for a short time, so looking back definitely worth it, but it's not fun! I also tried to have nothing scheduled on the weekends and used those days for getting ahead on homework/studying DAT stuff. Over Spring break, I had a week before my exam where I was studying 8 hours/day and I began my Reading Comprehension practice. (Looking back I could've started taking practice tests for this sooner, but it worked out!) I took the 2009 full length a few days before my exam which definitely psyched me out, so don't let that scare you! I was scoring solid 18s and 19s on all of the sections except QR because it was ridiculous. On the real DAT my scores went up on average ~3 points so don't take that as a sole predictor. Hope this helps!

I just took the 2009 yesterday and was freaking out! The RC and QR was ridiculous. Bio and PAT seemed too easy, and last few questions of orgo seemed alien to me. I really hope I get lucky with not so dry articles/ searchable questions and doable QR. Thank you for the reassurance!

 

[SDDDAT]

I just took the 2009 yesterday and was freaking out! The RC and QR was ridiculous. Bio and PAT seemed too easy, and last few questions of orgo seemed alien to me. I really hope I get lucky with not so dry articles/ searchable questions and doable QR. Thank you for the reassurance!

Don't worry about those last few 2009 OC questions and the QR questions about mirrors and stuff, those were not representative of problems on the real DAT. The PAT however is pretty similar so you should do very well if you found it too easy

 

[AntiDentite19]

Hey Congrats on the score! I'm 6 weeks out and haven't started consistent math and Reading studying yet. How long would you say you gave to these two sections, and how many times did u do destroyer


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[beatricejames]

Hey Congrats on the score! I'm 6 weeks out and haven't started consistent math and Reading studying yet. How long would you say you gave to these two sections, and how many times did u do destroyer


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You definitely have enough time if you have already started reviewing the sciences. All together I went through Destroyer twice and Math Destroyer once, ultimately because I was bored and hate math. I took notes on Destroyer questions I got wrong and studied from those a few times as well. As far as reading and math, I started reviewing math about 6 weeks out but not heavily until I was 3-4 weeks out. I didn't start reading until the week of my test which looking back was not the smartest decision. All in all I took four reading practice tests and called it good because my score was consistent in the low 20s on bootcamp. If you could take RC practice tests until you get a decent strategy down, you should be fine!

 

[AntiDentite19]

You definitely have enough time if you have already started reviewing the sciences. All together I went through Destroyer twice and Math Destroyer once, ultimately because I was bored and hate math. I took notes on Destroyer questions I got wrong and studied from those a few times as well. As far as reading and math, I started reviewing math about 6 weeks out but not heavily until I was 3-4 weeks out. I didn't start reading until the week of my test which looking back was not the smartest decision. All in all I took four reading practice tests and called it good because my score was consistent in the low 20s on bootcamp. If you could take RC practice tests until you get a decent strategy down, you should be fine!

Thanks for the advice! Not sure if you ever looked at an LSAT book or any other standardize reading section but is the DAT straight forward where you can apply S&D or is it also conceptual where you have to dissect every adjective, verb, noun, tone, setting etc in order to get the right answers?

 

[beatricejames]

Thanks for the advice! Not sure if you ever looked at an LSAT book or any other standardize reading section but is the DAT straight forward where you can apply S&D or is it also conceptual where you have to dissect every adjective, verb, noun, tone, setting etc in order to get the right answers?

It is definitely straightforward enough. Arguable easier than the RC sections of both the ACT and SAT I took four years ago. With that being said, you are also given less time, so it balances out. I didn't use search and destroy necessarily. I read (fast) until the seventh paragraph when I started answering questions. As I was reading I also jotted down key words and dates on my laminated sheet that I went back to for a mental map-I would definitely advise doing this! Saved me a lot of time searching. If I didn't know a question, I would skim further until I come across it and by the time you have answered all of the questions, you've nearly skimmed the whole passage anyway. For the questions not on specific details, they are pretty straightforward and you can usually find the answers by searching, but there are a few tone or comparison ones that you need to dig deeper on. Nothing too bad though!

 

[zyzzbruh]

How did you go about utilizing practice exams/questions to their fullest potential?

for example, an average day during the Review phase would consist of taking a Math Destroyer test, Bootcamp subject test, 30 bio/gc/oc Destroyer problems.

would you complete each of the sections back to back, then grade each section and then refer back to your notes to better understand each incorrect question and its answer choices?
or did you have a different tactic?

 

[DAT Destroyer]

I want to start off by saying thank you to everyone whose posts helped me in studying and navigating how to best approach the DAT exam. Your help was greatly appreciated!

After three months of studying, I took my DAT this past Saturday morning and here are my scores:

PA/QR/RC/Bio/GC/OC/TS/AA:
21/19/21/22/20/21/21/21

My study materials strictly consisted of the DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer, Cliff's AP Bio (3rd edition), Crack the DAT PAT, and DAT Bootcamp.

In my experience DAT Destroyer and DAT Bootcamp are invaluable resources that made all of the difference in my studying. If you have a solid science background, I would highly recommend Destroyer. I've seen threads complaining about the price and worth of Destroyer-but in my experience that was the best money I spent in preparation. Math Destroyer was helpful but the questions in the QR section were more represented by the problems in the Destroyer itself. Overall, I went through the Destroyer twice in the three months and it was plenty when supplemented with Bootcamp.

For practice tests and extra study materials, Bootcamp was amazing. The tests were the closest thing to the actual DAT that I could find and explanations and study materials that come along with membership are well worth it.

Crack DAT PAT gets a bad rep on here for not being representative of the real DAT, but I would disagree. My scores on Crack were the most consistent with my performance on the real DAT AND I found them to be very representative of the actual questions.

If I had any advice for the test day itself, it would be to dress in layers and bring caffeine for the break! The testing room got very hot as there were about ten other people taking various exams and the door remained shut. So dress in layers you can take off! Also, bring caffeine. Coming off of the science and PAT sections you are tired and your eyes are glued over. Drink some caffeine in the fifteen minute break because you want to tackle the reading sections as fast as you can for timing sake.

Thanks everyone for all your help and please take this post lightly! Do what works for you, this is what worked for me.

Congratulations beatricejames!

Fantastic scores and very consistent in all areas. Dental schools take notice of your excellent science and reading scores, A 21/21 will stand out. The DAT Beast was no match for you. Thank you for the very detailed breakdown, it will definitely help students still preparing. You had an excellent approach to your studies and your hard work and determination paid off!

Wishing you the very best in along your journey to becoming a dentist!

Nancy and Dr. Jim Romano