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I just completed the DAT on 8/17. I get the sense that lots of students post their high scores because they are smug. They rarely tell you how much the process sucked for them too, how many hundreds of hours they spent studying, how many times they broke down, full of self-doubt and fear. But these feelings are natural. If you dont experience the lows, youre either brilliant, or you dont want it enough.
Before the test, I felt like my intestines were unraveling. I was a nervous wreck and almost postponed my test date (again). But I sucked it up and wound up scoring a 26 overall. This was shocking to me, because the highest I scored on any full-length practice exam was a 23. In fact, I scored a 17 on Kaplans diagnostic. I skipped the first PAT section I ever encountered, thinking, What the hell is this?
Im posting my scores to provide some hope for other test-takers. I am not smarter than you. I am you. I am one of those people, just like you, who freaks out and always imagines the worst. I also havent had a great track record with standardized tests in the past, and I often get frustrated and despondent throughout the studying process. Still, I was shooting for a 22 on the exam overall. Needless to say, I found the actual test MUCH easier than any practice exam. But I studied like a psycho for 10 weeks this summer, anywhere from 6-11 hours/day, every day.
This test is breakable. You can crack it with hours and hours of studying the right resources. You will improve.
PA 22 90.9
QR 21 94.0
RC 25 97.2
Bio 26 99.7
GC 28 99.0
OC 29 99.3
TS 28 99.9
AA 26 99.9
For what its worth, here are a few things that might help others prepare:
1) I took the Kaplan online-only course (I realize this isnt financially feasible for some, but its a fraction of the cost of dental school). This will give you all the fundamental material you need. In fact, there was nothing on the test that I hadnt already encountered. Another benefit of Kaplan is that everything is consolidated, and you dont have to amass a laundry list of resources. That said, I also supplemented the sciences with the DAT Destroyer, but this was definite overkill. Destroyer questions were MUCH more complex than the material I encountered on the actual test. I finished the science questions in a record 48 minutes, whereas I often ran out of time on Kaplans convoluted, calculation-intensive practice tests. In fact, Kaplan Science made me wonder if I had actually taken undergraduate science classes I felt like I was starting from scratch this summer, scoring 60-70% on most sections the first time around.
2) The PAT has always been a struggle for me. Although Kaplans strategies and tricks here helped get me started, you must use another resource in addition to / instead of Kaplan. I must say I was rather disappointed. Just days before my test, I ordered the $100 CRACK DAT PAT software based on recommendations from this forum I felt like puking when I saw the level of difficulty of their cube counting, angle ranking, and hole punching questions. The actual PAT was definitely harder than Kaplans (I consistently scored 24 through Kaplan), but comparable to the 5 CRACK DAT PAT exams I ordered (I scored 22s on these). Its not that Kaplan doesnt prepare you it will but youll be better prepared if you focus on CRACK DAT I wish I had. In fact, youll probably see easier cube-counting and hole-punching problems on the real test, although I found the actual keyholes and angles a little more difficult, mostly because the pictures seemed a bit fuzzy.
3) I completed all the Math Destroyer mock exams. I found that the probability / permutations / word problems on the actual test were much easier than this material; straight-up algebra was comparable. I was well prepared, but I did encounter 3 trig problems, which I glossed over in my studies big mistake. Dont neglect your trig. It will show up!
4) Reading comp is different for everyone. My approach wont work for a lot of people. I didnt prep much for this section, mostly because I hated it, but also because it made me feel dumb. I consistently scored 65-75% on these sections through Kaplan. That was until I realized that if I just read the entire stupid passage and jot some keywords on my scratch paper, I would have a better feel for the overall passage and a better idea of where to direct my searches for additional detail. Without reading the passage, what often happened to me is that Id drop valuable minutes frantically looking for the answers, and then Id panic and lose focus. So instead, I spent 5-6 minutes reading each passage, skimming the last three paragraphs for keywords only (at that point in the reading, you get the gist). Again, I found the actual RC questions much more straightforward than in my practice exams, although the passages definitely got technical. You cant space out on the reading dig down deep and pretend like you want to learn about quantum mechanics. As others have said, the most important thing here is finding what works best for you so that you dont freak out.
5) Dont hang on every word you read in these forums! I almost cr@pped myself 2 days before the test after reading commentary about Kaplans outdated PAT database, and how unprepared Kaplan students felt on this section. Was Kaplan the single best resource here? No, but I wish I hadnt logged onto this forum so close before my test it shattered my confidence. I mean, I realize how valuable the advice here is, but just dont let other people completely dictate how you study and how you feel about the test. You know yourself best.
Good luck!
Before the test, I felt like my intestines were unraveling. I was a nervous wreck and almost postponed my test date (again). But I sucked it up and wound up scoring a 26 overall. This was shocking to me, because the highest I scored on any full-length practice exam was a 23. In fact, I scored a 17 on Kaplans diagnostic. I skipped the first PAT section I ever encountered, thinking, What the hell is this?
Im posting my scores to provide some hope for other test-takers. I am not smarter than you. I am you. I am one of those people, just like you, who freaks out and always imagines the worst. I also havent had a great track record with standardized tests in the past, and I often get frustrated and despondent throughout the studying process. Still, I was shooting for a 22 on the exam overall. Needless to say, I found the actual test MUCH easier than any practice exam. But I studied like a psycho for 10 weeks this summer, anywhere from 6-11 hours/day, every day.
This test is breakable. You can crack it with hours and hours of studying the right resources. You will improve.
PA 22 90.9
QR 21 94.0
RC 25 97.2
Bio 26 99.7
GC 28 99.0
OC 29 99.3
TS 28 99.9
AA 26 99.9
For what its worth, here are a few things that might help others prepare:
1) I took the Kaplan online-only course (I realize this isnt financially feasible for some, but its a fraction of the cost of dental school). This will give you all the fundamental material you need. In fact, there was nothing on the test that I hadnt already encountered. Another benefit of Kaplan is that everything is consolidated, and you dont have to amass a laundry list of resources. That said, I also supplemented the sciences with the DAT Destroyer, but this was definite overkill. Destroyer questions were MUCH more complex than the material I encountered on the actual test. I finished the science questions in a record 48 minutes, whereas I often ran out of time on Kaplans convoluted, calculation-intensive practice tests. In fact, Kaplan Science made me wonder if I had actually taken undergraduate science classes I felt like I was starting from scratch this summer, scoring 60-70% on most sections the first time around.
2) The PAT has always been a struggle for me. Although Kaplans strategies and tricks here helped get me started, you must use another resource in addition to / instead of Kaplan. I must say I was rather disappointed. Just days before my test, I ordered the $100 CRACK DAT PAT software based on recommendations from this forum I felt like puking when I saw the level of difficulty of their cube counting, angle ranking, and hole punching questions. The actual PAT was definitely harder than Kaplans (I consistently scored 24 through Kaplan), but comparable to the 5 CRACK DAT PAT exams I ordered (I scored 22s on these). Its not that Kaplan doesnt prepare you it will but youll be better prepared if you focus on CRACK DAT I wish I had. In fact, youll probably see easier cube-counting and hole-punching problems on the real test, although I found the actual keyholes and angles a little more difficult, mostly because the pictures seemed a bit fuzzy.
3) I completed all the Math Destroyer mock exams. I found that the probability / permutations / word problems on the actual test were much easier than this material; straight-up algebra was comparable. I was well prepared, but I did encounter 3 trig problems, which I glossed over in my studies big mistake. Dont neglect your trig. It will show up!
4) Reading comp is different for everyone. My approach wont work for a lot of people. I didnt prep much for this section, mostly because I hated it, but also because it made me feel dumb. I consistently scored 65-75% on these sections through Kaplan. That was until I realized that if I just read the entire stupid passage and jot some keywords on my scratch paper, I would have a better feel for the overall passage and a better idea of where to direct my searches for additional detail. Without reading the passage, what often happened to me is that Id drop valuable minutes frantically looking for the answers, and then Id panic and lose focus. So instead, I spent 5-6 minutes reading each passage, skimming the last three paragraphs for keywords only (at that point in the reading, you get the gist). Again, I found the actual RC questions much more straightforward than in my practice exams, although the passages definitely got technical. You cant space out on the reading dig down deep and pretend like you want to learn about quantum mechanics. As others have said, the most important thing here is finding what works best for you so that you dont freak out.
5) Dont hang on every word you read in these forums! I almost cr@pped myself 2 days before the test after reading commentary about Kaplans outdated PAT database, and how unprepared Kaplan students felt on this section. Was Kaplan the single best resource here? No, but I wish I hadnt logged onto this forum so close before my test it shattered my confidence. I mean, I realize how valuable the advice here is, but just dont let other people completely dictate how you study and how you feel about the test. You know yourself best.
Good luck!
