- Joined
- Oct 24, 2017
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 9
Hi y'all! So I just took my DAT yesterday, after it being prolonged for 2 months (due to COVID-19). I know a lot of us have faced difficulty in terms but scheduling our exams, but just hang in there! I read a lot of helpful DAT-related threads on SDN when I was studying, so I wanted to share my feedback as well. Here's the breakdown of my test:
Biology: 30
General Chemistry: 24
Organic Chemistry: 22
PAT: 20
Reading: 30
QR: 24
TS: 25
AA: 26
TLDR; DATBootcamp is the BEST resource out there. There's a reason it's so popular and is probably the most widely-used. It comprehensively covers everything you will need to know in a user-friendly way. The program motivated me to study more - all of the video explanations and videos were full of energy and made me excited about learning. The practice tests were most similar to the real DAT, out of any other resource that I used. I also highly recommend PATBooster for the PAT, and DATDestroyer for the sciences and math. There's no need to worry if you don't have time to use all of these resources - in my opinion, it's definitely possible to get a super exceptional score with purely using DATBootcamp. The only reason I used so many is because I started to run out of new practice test material and questions when the exam kept getting postponed.
Biology score: 30
Resources used: DATBootcamp (notes, practice tests, and chapter questions); CrackDAT (practice tests); DAT Destroyer (did all 800 questions); Kaplan (practice questions)
Review of resources: DATBootcamp is truly all you need for the biology section - it is SO comprehensive and does an amazing job of covering pretty much any topic that would show up on the test. In terms of difficulty and format of questions, DATBootcamp practice tests are far more similar to the real DAT than the other resources. I spent a lot of time doing practice tests and questions from CrackDAT, DAT Destroyer, and Kaplan - most of these questions were pretty random and not necessarily the scope of what was covered by the real DAT (they were typically much harder); however, if you have time, I recommend using DAT Destroyer, to review which topics you may need to review after going through DATBootcamp at least once - this will help you master the material, potentially beyond what is needed for a MC test (but you will feel VERY confident going into test day).
Study Tips: I was constantly overwhelmed by the scope of the biology section, especially since I've never taken any plant biology classes, histology, or embryology. However, DATBootcamp does an AMAZING job of explaining everything in a way that is completely understandable for newcomers, but also covers everything you need to know. DATBootcamp offers flashcards via Quizlet for review, but I HIGHLY recommend making your own decks through Anki. This way, you can choose how you quiz yourself, and focus on only information that you don't know (since there's so much, it is CRUCIAL to only study what you don't know). Lastly, I recommend explaining biological processes a few hours or days after learning - for example, if you just learned the clotting cascade, you can explain the process to your mom, who I'm sure will be FASCINATED. I've found that for me, teaching someone else is the best way of reinforcing new material.
General Chemistry score: 24
Resources used: DATBootcamp (notes, practice tests, and chapter questions); CrackDAT (practice tests); DAT Destroyer (practice questions); Kaplan (practice questions)
Review of resources: HIGHLY recommend DATBootcamp again - I really struggled with General Chemistry as an undergrad, but Dr. Mike does an amazing job explaining everything (I now feel like I understand the subject better than when I had taken the year-long course). DAT Destroyer is helpful if you want some extra practice, but I would avoid CrackDAT and Kaplan.
Study tips: I would definitely recommend creating an Anki deck for some of the lab reactions and equipment. I created mini study guides for myself to review concepts that were more difficult for me. If you feel like you have a solid foundation from DATBootcamp, I recommend moving onto the DAT Destroyer practice questions. The scope of these questions is appropriate for the DAT, though they are more difficult - it will DEFINITELY help reinforce concepts and help you become more competitive in this section.
Organic Chemistry score: 22
Resources used: DATBootcamp (notes, practice tests, chapter questions); CrackDAT (practice tests); Kaplan (practice questions)
Review of resources: DATBootcamp is really all you need to do well in this section. Dr. Mike covers all of the reactions comprehensively, and there weren't any types of reactions on my real DAT that weren't covered by DATBootcamp. If you notice that other resources include a bunch of extra reactions, I wouldn't worry about it, and would mainly focus on Bootcamp.
Study tips: Definitely another subject where Anki is useful - I would make separate decks for reactions vs lab tests.
PAT score: 20
Resources used: DATBootcamp (notes, practice tests); CrackDAT (practice tests); PATBooster
Review of resources: PATBooster is the BEST! I highly recommend using this in conjunction with DATBootcamp. A few weeks prior to the tests, I was using CrackDAT practice tests and scoring like a 25+..I found these tests were too easy compared to the real DAT.. in fact, in my personal opinion, there were no resources that matched the difficulty of the real DAT. The Keyholes section is much harder on the real DAT than practice tests!
Study tips: Sooo this wasn't my best section.. but I can definitely tell you what not to do. I was told to do at least a little bit of PAT practice pretty much every day, which I definitely did not do. Focus intensely on your weak areas and it will really pay off! One important note is that Prometric is NO LONGER supplying graph paper (due to COVID-19) - this was a huge surprise for me going into the test, and definitely made Hole Punching a LOT harder.
Reading score: 30
Resources used: DATBootcamp (practice tests); CrackDAT (practice tests); Kaplan (practice questions)
Review of resources: DATBootcamp again is by FAR the best resource for this section; the questions on the real DAT were a bit easier than the Bootcamp practice tests, so I felt very prepared. CrackDAT and Kaplan's practice tests are unnecessarily hard and CrackDAT is a very different format.
Study tips: I was an Anthropology major in undergrad, and did TONS of reading, which I think helped. I am also an SAT and ACT tutor. As most people will say, I recommend reading a couple of scientific articles every week. Be prepared to be able to analyze articles that are unrelated to the biological sciences or dentistry/medicine.
QR score: 24
Resources used: DATBootcamp (practice tests); CrackDAT (practice tests); DAT Destroyer (practice questions)
Review of resources: DATBootcamp and DATDestroyer were very helpful and had a similar level of difficulty and format, when compared to the real DAT.
Study tips: Some of these concepts may come a little bit easier to you because you remember them from your previous math classes. If you have a strong background in math, you can definitely skip the content videos and go straight to practice tests/questions. I recommend focusing on anything that you need to review, but spending a lot of time on "data sufficiency" and "quantitative comparison".
This was a long post, but I invested a lot into studying for this test, and I really hope this helps you decide which resources may be best for you. We have all gone through so much over the past few months and I really hope this helps at least one person.
Happy studying everyone!
Biology: 30
General Chemistry: 24
Organic Chemistry: 22
PAT: 20
Reading: 30
QR: 24
TS: 25
AA: 26
TLDR; DATBootcamp is the BEST resource out there. There's a reason it's so popular and is probably the most widely-used. It comprehensively covers everything you will need to know in a user-friendly way. The program motivated me to study more - all of the video explanations and videos were full of energy and made me excited about learning. The practice tests were most similar to the real DAT, out of any other resource that I used. I also highly recommend PATBooster for the PAT, and DATDestroyer for the sciences and math. There's no need to worry if you don't have time to use all of these resources - in my opinion, it's definitely possible to get a super exceptional score with purely using DATBootcamp. The only reason I used so many is because I started to run out of new practice test material and questions when the exam kept getting postponed.
Biology score: 30
Resources used: DATBootcamp (notes, practice tests, and chapter questions); CrackDAT (practice tests); DAT Destroyer (did all 800 questions); Kaplan (practice questions)
Review of resources: DATBootcamp is truly all you need for the biology section - it is SO comprehensive and does an amazing job of covering pretty much any topic that would show up on the test. In terms of difficulty and format of questions, DATBootcamp practice tests are far more similar to the real DAT than the other resources. I spent a lot of time doing practice tests and questions from CrackDAT, DAT Destroyer, and Kaplan - most of these questions were pretty random and not necessarily the scope of what was covered by the real DAT (they were typically much harder); however, if you have time, I recommend using DAT Destroyer, to review which topics you may need to review after going through DATBootcamp at least once - this will help you master the material, potentially beyond what is needed for a MC test (but you will feel VERY confident going into test day).
Study Tips: I was constantly overwhelmed by the scope of the biology section, especially since I've never taken any plant biology classes, histology, or embryology. However, DATBootcamp does an AMAZING job of explaining everything in a way that is completely understandable for newcomers, but also covers everything you need to know. DATBootcamp offers flashcards via Quizlet for review, but I HIGHLY recommend making your own decks through Anki. This way, you can choose how you quiz yourself, and focus on only information that you don't know (since there's so much, it is CRUCIAL to only study what you don't know). Lastly, I recommend explaining biological processes a few hours or days after learning - for example, if you just learned the clotting cascade, you can explain the process to your mom, who I'm sure will be FASCINATED. I've found that for me, teaching someone else is the best way of reinforcing new material.
General Chemistry score: 24
Resources used: DATBootcamp (notes, practice tests, and chapter questions); CrackDAT (practice tests); DAT Destroyer (practice questions); Kaplan (practice questions)
Review of resources: HIGHLY recommend DATBootcamp again - I really struggled with General Chemistry as an undergrad, but Dr. Mike does an amazing job explaining everything (I now feel like I understand the subject better than when I had taken the year-long course). DAT Destroyer is helpful if you want some extra practice, but I would avoid CrackDAT and Kaplan.
Study tips: I would definitely recommend creating an Anki deck for some of the lab reactions and equipment. I created mini study guides for myself to review concepts that were more difficult for me. If you feel like you have a solid foundation from DATBootcamp, I recommend moving onto the DAT Destroyer practice questions. The scope of these questions is appropriate for the DAT, though they are more difficult - it will DEFINITELY help reinforce concepts and help you become more competitive in this section.
Organic Chemistry score: 22
Resources used: DATBootcamp (notes, practice tests, chapter questions); CrackDAT (practice tests); Kaplan (practice questions)
Review of resources: DATBootcamp is really all you need to do well in this section. Dr. Mike covers all of the reactions comprehensively, and there weren't any types of reactions on my real DAT that weren't covered by DATBootcamp. If you notice that other resources include a bunch of extra reactions, I wouldn't worry about it, and would mainly focus on Bootcamp.
Study tips: Definitely another subject where Anki is useful - I would make separate decks for reactions vs lab tests.
PAT score: 20
Resources used: DATBootcamp (notes, practice tests); CrackDAT (practice tests); PATBooster
Review of resources: PATBooster is the BEST! I highly recommend using this in conjunction with DATBootcamp. A few weeks prior to the tests, I was using CrackDAT practice tests and scoring like a 25+..I found these tests were too easy compared to the real DAT.. in fact, in my personal opinion, there were no resources that matched the difficulty of the real DAT. The Keyholes section is much harder on the real DAT than practice tests!
Study tips: Sooo this wasn't my best section.. but I can definitely tell you what not to do. I was told to do at least a little bit of PAT practice pretty much every day, which I definitely did not do. Focus intensely on your weak areas and it will really pay off! One important note is that Prometric is NO LONGER supplying graph paper (due to COVID-19) - this was a huge surprise for me going into the test, and definitely made Hole Punching a LOT harder.
Reading score: 30
Resources used: DATBootcamp (practice tests); CrackDAT (practice tests); Kaplan (practice questions)
Review of resources: DATBootcamp again is by FAR the best resource for this section; the questions on the real DAT were a bit easier than the Bootcamp practice tests, so I felt very prepared. CrackDAT and Kaplan's practice tests are unnecessarily hard and CrackDAT is a very different format.
Study tips: I was an Anthropology major in undergrad, and did TONS of reading, which I think helped. I am also an SAT and ACT tutor. As most people will say, I recommend reading a couple of scientific articles every week. Be prepared to be able to analyze articles that are unrelated to the biological sciences or dentistry/medicine.
QR score: 24
Resources used: DATBootcamp (practice tests); CrackDAT (practice tests); DAT Destroyer (practice questions)
Review of resources: DATBootcamp and DATDestroyer were very helpful and had a similar level of difficulty and format, when compared to the real DAT.
Study tips: Some of these concepts may come a little bit easier to you because you remember them from your previous math classes. If you have a strong background in math, you can definitely skip the content videos and go straight to practice tests/questions. I recommend focusing on anything that you need to review, but spending a lot of time on "data sufficiency" and "quantitative comparison".
This was a long post, but I invested a lot into studying for this test, and I really hope this helps you decide which resources may be best for you. We have all gone through so much over the past few months and I really hope this helps at least one person.
Happy studying everyone!
