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I took the DAT yesterday (8/27) and I'm very happy with my scores!
PAT - 21 (90.2)
QR - 20 (95.1)
RC - 22 (93.2)
BIO - 21 (95.5)
GC - 25 (98.9)
OC - 25 (98.4)
TS - 23 (99.3)
AA - 23 (99.7)
Practice:
Topscore: AA/TS/Bio/GC/OC/PAT/QR/RC
#1-19/18/19/17/18/21/21/21 (8/4 -nearing finish of initial review)
#2-20/19/18/23/18/23/19/22 (8/11 - after finishing initial review)
#3-22/22/21/23/23/24/21/22 (8/21)
ADA: AA/TS/Bio/GC/OC/PAT/QR/RC
2007- 22/21/21/23/23/24/x/22 (8/20)
2009- 21/21/20/23/21/26/21/22 (8/24)
Before breaking down each section some general background on my preparation and some tips:
I spent about a week before I started studying going through these forums (mostly breakdowns from people scoring 20+) and predds articles researching and buying study materials. I wrote up a study schedule for myself using DentalWorks 6-week plan as an outline, but made some pretty heavy edits to accommodate my schedule and personalize it to my developing strengths/weaknesses as my studies progressed.
I reviewed 6 weeks in total. I started reviewing in mid-July and reviewed content for about 4 weeks (~6 hrs/day during the work week and ~12 hrs/day on the weekends), but worked on developing my PAT and RC skills during that period and also took two full-lengths during the 4th week of review. I think it is important to practice PAT, and to some extent, RC from the beginning rather than waiting until you start taking practice tests/problems, because these sections require practice and the development of a personal strategy over time. It makes more sense to do it this way rather than devote extra time to developing these skills after your content review where you extend the amount of time between your review and your DAT, decreasing the amount of specific content info (bio) that you remember on exam day.
After content, I took the last 2 weeks off from work and devoted every day (~10hrs/day) to just doing practice section tests, full tests, and studying specific areas of weakness (fun vacation, right?). IMO, this is by far the most critical part of preparing for the DAT and also the period that yields the greatest amount of return on investment. Definitely make room in your schedule to fit in a few full lengths, but, more important than doing a crazy amount of full exams or practice problems, leave time to THOROUGHLY review ALL your exams and practice problems to determine your weak and strong areas. Concentrate on building up any weaknesses, so that you can achieve a balanced score, but also particularly focus on a strength or two of yours, because these are the areas you will be able to raise your scaled scores in most easily and bring up your AA.
I didn't bother with acheiver, because most everyone in these forums said it was too hard/demoralizing and I wanted something that was more realistic to what the actual DAT is like. I also didn't see the point in being demoralized when I was going to be giving up my social life for about 6 weeks between studying for this test and working full time. I ended up taking the three TopScore tests and the 2007/2009 ADA tests.
Topscore reflected the real DAT pretty well – GC and OC were tougher and Bio was about dead equal, and quantitative reasoning and reading comprehension were about equal in difficulty. PAT was also about equal - keyholes a bit tougher on real thing, TFE about the same, angles a bit easier on real test, hole punching equal, cube counting equal, and pattern folding a little harder on Dday. The 2007 ADA and 2009 ADA tests were the most similar in the types of questions you get, wording, and difficulty. I took them both within a week of the real exam and reviewed them both the day before my exam. I'm not sure why people say the 2007 ADA is way too easy, I thought it was a pretty accurate representation. My AA was actually better on the real test than on ANY of my practice tests, though I did do additional focused studying of OC and GC (my strengths) between my last practice exams and the real thing.
Bio: Cliff's AP, KBB, TopScore, ADA tests, Alan's notes, a very little DAT Destroyer
I thoroughly read through Cliff's once, then took TopScore 1+2, and reviewed these tests to determine my weaknesses. I downloaded Alan's notes, went through them deleting any content I was very familiar with, and then spent two days adding to the notes by going through each section of KBB Bio (good for Ear, Eye, and invertebrate systems that Cliff's doesn't cover) and Cliff's in my weak areas. I think customizing Alan's outline to my needs really helped me with this section. I reviewed this outline a week later and then once more the day before my exam. I did a little Destroyer (30 problems), but I thought my time was better spent focusing on content, since this section of the test is exactly that, a test of bio content knowledge.
This section was not as random as a lot of people have made it seem. Yes, there are some (~5 on my exam) random questions that may not be covered in Cliff's AP or that may require some upper-level bio knowledge. But the remaining 35 questions are drawn from basic content that is covered in cliff's. Even if you missed all 5 random Qs (chances are you won't), you can still get a 20+ by just getting most of the remaining 35 Qs. Your time is still best spent focusing on the basics. Know your basics well and you will do well!
OC: CHAD videos, TopScore, ADA tests, a very little DAT Destroyer
Chad's videos are the **** for this section! I went from being completely lost and not even knowing where to begin reviewing to feeling VERY confident with this material by simply watching Chad, taking notes, doing his practice Qs, and reviewing my Chad notes. I thought taking the TopScore and ADA tests were essential too, because they give you a sense for how the Qs will be presented and how you have to be able to apply your content knowledge to the test. Also, they demonstrate the areas you need to focus on. I do not think that Destroyer is essential (I did 45 Qs total), though it can only help if you have the time. I, however, felt the practice tests were enough application practice and that my remaining time was better spent reviewing my Chad notes. I read through my notes 4 or 5 times and felt extremely confident in this section.
GC: CHAD videos, TopScore, ADA tests, a very little DAT Destroyer
Same as OC above.
PAT: Sama's Wicked Sick PAT Tutorial, Ross's videos, Barron's DAT, Crack DAT PAT, TopScore, ADA tests
My PAT score was quite a bit lower on the actual exam then in my practice (I was averaging about 24 in CDP and in full-lengths), but that was my fault and not because the practice material inaccurately reflected the section. I didn't pace myself in PAT on the real day like I did in practice. I took too long in keyholes and TFE trying to perfect everything and then had to rush through patterns at the end. Just test how you practiced!
For this section, practice is critical and you should start doing it right away! I started by looking at some strategies in Barron's DAT, as well as the practice problems, and I found that to be a great intro to PAT, much better than KBB's intro. Barron's details line counting (do not solely rely on this strategy, but it is a good tool if used as detailed in Samba's tutorial) and cube counting strategies pretty well. I also read through some of Sama's thread on SDN and watched Ross's videos. Then I just practiced with Crack DAT PAT (I did 6 exams) and full-lengths. Crack DAT PAT is a great resource, because there is so much material there, but I thought TopScore and ADA tests were actually slightly more accurate to what you will see on the exam.
RC: Crack DAT Reading, TopScore, ADA test
This section requires you to work quickly so find a strategy that works for you and stick with it! Most Qs are detail based, so Search and Destroy works for some people. However, there are some (maybe 10 of the 50) that are based on the main idea. For me, just reading the passage and taking notes on each paragraph (a few key words) helped. Taking the notes made me concentrate on each paragraph and provided me mini breaks. This helped me, because I was able to answer most Qs from memory, but my notes also provided me a reference for tough Qs so that I was able to quickly look up the answer in the correct paragraph. The main idea Qs were actually very easy after reading the whole passage too. They became my favorites!
I thought TopScore and ADA tests were the most similar to what you will see on test day. However, Topscore is ONLY detail Qs and there will be some main idea ones. Also, TopScore and ADA tests have passages that are all in the range of 10-14 paragraphs, so they don't prepare you for a worst case scenario where you get a passage that is ~20 paragraphs long (I got one of these on my DAT) and you become increasingly time pressured. Crack DAT reading (I did 4 tests) is good practice for the main idea Qs (over half are main idea Qs, the real test is not like this) as well as getting practice with long passages, so you don't freak if you get one on test day. The earlier CDR tests have shorter passages but the later ones have very long ones (some with passages over 20 paragraphs). I'd skip CDR 1-5 and just do the later tests.
QR: CHAD videos, Math DAT Destroyer, TopScore, ADA 2009
I loved Chad's videos for OC/GC, so I decided to watch his math ones too. They were great for teaching you time-saving techniques for comparing fractions, doing algebra, trig, and combinations/permutations. However, practice is the most important thing in this section. This is the one section I feel I didn't prepare sufficiently for and that I probably left points on the table in. I didn't do enough practice. I used the TopScore/ADA tests and they were great, but I didn't do enough Math Destroyer (3 tests). I would definitely suggest doing all of Math destroyer at least once. Practice is key here in order to be familiar with all the types of problems they will through at you and to be able to do them quickly.
Last few things: don't take the exam until you feel comfortable. I actually moved my exam date back 1.5wks in order to really focus on practice and pointed review. I am glad I did, because my practice scores leaped by the greatest amount during that period. Study hard and study smart and a good score is within reach!
My cGPA is 3.61 and sGPA is 3.51. I have been out of school working full-time for a year, have lots of extracurriculars, and, I think, a strong personal statement. I submitted my AADSAS app July 30th, it has been processed, and is ready to be sent out. I will be filling out my secondaries and sending all my app materials to schools while my DAT score is being processed. I am a Minnesota resident and U of MN is my top choice school right now. I realize I am late in the application process, but I hope I still have a shot at some interviews.
Thanks to everyone on SDN who spent time posting helpful information and breakdowns! I used a lot of it and it helped a ton!
PAT - 21 (90.2)
QR - 20 (95.1)
RC - 22 (93.2)
BIO - 21 (95.5)
GC - 25 (98.9)
OC - 25 (98.4)
TS - 23 (99.3)
AA - 23 (99.7)
Practice:
Topscore: AA/TS/Bio/GC/OC/PAT/QR/RC
#1-19/18/19/17/18/21/21/21 (8/4 -nearing finish of initial review)
#2-20/19/18/23/18/23/19/22 (8/11 - after finishing initial review)
#3-22/22/21/23/23/24/21/22 (8/21)
ADA: AA/TS/Bio/GC/OC/PAT/QR/RC
2007- 22/21/21/23/23/24/x/22 (8/20)
2009- 21/21/20/23/21/26/21/22 (8/24)
Before breaking down each section some general background on my preparation and some tips:
I spent about a week before I started studying going through these forums (mostly breakdowns from people scoring 20+) and predds articles researching and buying study materials. I wrote up a study schedule for myself using DentalWorks 6-week plan as an outline, but made some pretty heavy edits to accommodate my schedule and personalize it to my developing strengths/weaknesses as my studies progressed.
I reviewed 6 weeks in total. I started reviewing in mid-July and reviewed content for about 4 weeks (~6 hrs/day during the work week and ~12 hrs/day on the weekends), but worked on developing my PAT and RC skills during that period and also took two full-lengths during the 4th week of review. I think it is important to practice PAT, and to some extent, RC from the beginning rather than waiting until you start taking practice tests/problems, because these sections require practice and the development of a personal strategy over time. It makes more sense to do it this way rather than devote extra time to developing these skills after your content review where you extend the amount of time between your review and your DAT, decreasing the amount of specific content info (bio) that you remember on exam day.
After content, I took the last 2 weeks off from work and devoted every day (~10hrs/day) to just doing practice section tests, full tests, and studying specific areas of weakness (fun vacation, right?). IMO, this is by far the most critical part of preparing for the DAT and also the period that yields the greatest amount of return on investment. Definitely make room in your schedule to fit in a few full lengths, but, more important than doing a crazy amount of full exams or practice problems, leave time to THOROUGHLY review ALL your exams and practice problems to determine your weak and strong areas. Concentrate on building up any weaknesses, so that you can achieve a balanced score, but also particularly focus on a strength or two of yours, because these are the areas you will be able to raise your scaled scores in most easily and bring up your AA.
I didn't bother with acheiver, because most everyone in these forums said it was too hard/demoralizing and I wanted something that was more realistic to what the actual DAT is like. I also didn't see the point in being demoralized when I was going to be giving up my social life for about 6 weeks between studying for this test and working full time. I ended up taking the three TopScore tests and the 2007/2009 ADA tests.
Topscore reflected the real DAT pretty well – GC and OC were tougher and Bio was about dead equal, and quantitative reasoning and reading comprehension were about equal in difficulty. PAT was also about equal - keyholes a bit tougher on real thing, TFE about the same, angles a bit easier on real test, hole punching equal, cube counting equal, and pattern folding a little harder on Dday. The 2007 ADA and 2009 ADA tests were the most similar in the types of questions you get, wording, and difficulty. I took them both within a week of the real exam and reviewed them both the day before my exam. I'm not sure why people say the 2007 ADA is way too easy, I thought it was a pretty accurate representation. My AA was actually better on the real test than on ANY of my practice tests, though I did do additional focused studying of OC and GC (my strengths) between my last practice exams and the real thing.
Bio: Cliff's AP, KBB, TopScore, ADA tests, Alan's notes, a very little DAT Destroyer
I thoroughly read through Cliff's once, then took TopScore 1+2, and reviewed these tests to determine my weaknesses. I downloaded Alan's notes, went through them deleting any content I was very familiar with, and then spent two days adding to the notes by going through each section of KBB Bio (good for Ear, Eye, and invertebrate systems that Cliff's doesn't cover) and Cliff's in my weak areas. I think customizing Alan's outline to my needs really helped me with this section. I reviewed this outline a week later and then once more the day before my exam. I did a little Destroyer (30 problems), but I thought my time was better spent focusing on content, since this section of the test is exactly that, a test of bio content knowledge.
This section was not as random as a lot of people have made it seem. Yes, there are some (~5 on my exam) random questions that may not be covered in Cliff's AP or that may require some upper-level bio knowledge. But the remaining 35 questions are drawn from basic content that is covered in cliff's. Even if you missed all 5 random Qs (chances are you won't), you can still get a 20+ by just getting most of the remaining 35 Qs. Your time is still best spent focusing on the basics. Know your basics well and you will do well!
OC: CHAD videos, TopScore, ADA tests, a very little DAT Destroyer
Chad's videos are the **** for this section! I went from being completely lost and not even knowing where to begin reviewing to feeling VERY confident with this material by simply watching Chad, taking notes, doing his practice Qs, and reviewing my Chad notes. I thought taking the TopScore and ADA tests were essential too, because they give you a sense for how the Qs will be presented and how you have to be able to apply your content knowledge to the test. Also, they demonstrate the areas you need to focus on. I do not think that Destroyer is essential (I did 45 Qs total), though it can only help if you have the time. I, however, felt the practice tests were enough application practice and that my remaining time was better spent reviewing my Chad notes. I read through my notes 4 or 5 times and felt extremely confident in this section.
GC: CHAD videos, TopScore, ADA tests, a very little DAT Destroyer
Same as OC above.
PAT: Sama's Wicked Sick PAT Tutorial, Ross's videos, Barron's DAT, Crack DAT PAT, TopScore, ADA tests
My PAT score was quite a bit lower on the actual exam then in my practice (I was averaging about 24 in CDP and in full-lengths), but that was my fault and not because the practice material inaccurately reflected the section. I didn't pace myself in PAT on the real day like I did in practice. I took too long in keyholes and TFE trying to perfect everything and then had to rush through patterns at the end. Just test how you practiced!
For this section, practice is critical and you should start doing it right away! I started by looking at some strategies in Barron's DAT, as well as the practice problems, and I found that to be a great intro to PAT, much better than KBB's intro. Barron's details line counting (do not solely rely on this strategy, but it is a good tool if used as detailed in Samba's tutorial) and cube counting strategies pretty well. I also read through some of Sama's thread on SDN and watched Ross's videos. Then I just practiced with Crack DAT PAT (I did 6 exams) and full-lengths. Crack DAT PAT is a great resource, because there is so much material there, but I thought TopScore and ADA tests were actually slightly more accurate to what you will see on the exam.
RC: Crack DAT Reading, TopScore, ADA test
This section requires you to work quickly so find a strategy that works for you and stick with it! Most Qs are detail based, so Search and Destroy works for some people. However, there are some (maybe 10 of the 50) that are based on the main idea. For me, just reading the passage and taking notes on each paragraph (a few key words) helped. Taking the notes made me concentrate on each paragraph and provided me mini breaks. This helped me, because I was able to answer most Qs from memory, but my notes also provided me a reference for tough Qs so that I was able to quickly look up the answer in the correct paragraph. The main idea Qs were actually very easy after reading the whole passage too. They became my favorites!
I thought TopScore and ADA tests were the most similar to what you will see on test day. However, Topscore is ONLY detail Qs and there will be some main idea ones. Also, TopScore and ADA tests have passages that are all in the range of 10-14 paragraphs, so they don't prepare you for a worst case scenario where you get a passage that is ~20 paragraphs long (I got one of these on my DAT) and you become increasingly time pressured. Crack DAT reading (I did 4 tests) is good practice for the main idea Qs (over half are main idea Qs, the real test is not like this) as well as getting practice with long passages, so you don't freak if you get one on test day. The earlier CDR tests have shorter passages but the later ones have very long ones (some with passages over 20 paragraphs). I'd skip CDR 1-5 and just do the later tests.
QR: CHAD videos, Math DAT Destroyer, TopScore, ADA 2009
I loved Chad's videos for OC/GC, so I decided to watch his math ones too. They were great for teaching you time-saving techniques for comparing fractions, doing algebra, trig, and combinations/permutations. However, practice is the most important thing in this section. This is the one section I feel I didn't prepare sufficiently for and that I probably left points on the table in. I didn't do enough practice. I used the TopScore/ADA tests and they were great, but I didn't do enough Math Destroyer (3 tests). I would definitely suggest doing all of Math destroyer at least once. Practice is key here in order to be familiar with all the types of problems they will through at you and to be able to do them quickly.
Last few things: don't take the exam until you feel comfortable. I actually moved my exam date back 1.5wks in order to really focus on practice and pointed review. I am glad I did, because my practice scores leaped by the greatest amount during that period. Study hard and study smart and a good score is within reach!
My cGPA is 3.61 and sGPA is 3.51. I have been out of school working full-time for a year, have lots of extracurriculars, and, I think, a strong personal statement. I submitted my AADSAS app July 30th, it has been processed, and is ready to be sent out. I will be filling out my secondaries and sending all my app materials to schools while my DAT score is being processed. I am a Minnesota resident and U of MN is my top choice school right now. I realize I am late in the application process, but I hope I still have a shot at some interviews.
Thanks to everyone on SDN who spent time posting helpful information and breakdowns! I used a lot of it and it helped a ton!
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