pineappleonpizza
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Hi friends, hope studying is going well! Ever wondered how you can make summer feel long? You guessed it, study for the DAT LOL !
Okay but seriously, one of the best decisions I have ever made was to dedicate my entire summer to study for the DAT since this test really does require your full attention. To those of you that have no choice but to take it during other times, I do recommend getting started earlier if you do not have a strong academic background. While preparing, I remember sometimes wishing someone would have told me how I could have gotten a head-start prior to starting so that when I officially started I knew exactly what I needed to focus on based on prior exposure.
Some ways to get a head-start/ ease into the DAT grind:
Some general advice regarding prep:
DAT Sections:
Bio (27)
I watched Bootcamp videos, did a mix of reading the Bootcamp Academy notes and booster Feralis notes. They are both pretty great in terms of content. Use Bootcamp Academy notes for a deeper understanding of the topics, but if you are pressed for time or mind long readings stick to Feralis. Bio Vids from both resources are great and I used that along with the question banks and the tests offered by both. Learn from your mistakes and move on ! There is no time to get into your own head over not knowing a bio term or fact.
GC (24)
I personally used bootcamps Dr. Mike Vids based on personal preference. I also completed the associated question banks and all of the tests offered by Bootcamp and booster. on personal preference. I didn’t use chad or other resources for content review, but I sometimes would find myself doing Gen chem anki deck from booster before bed. I was never an avid user of anki so this is the only section you will see me mention anki.
OC (30)
I took the test after finishing ochem series at UCI so I felt pretty prepared. Regardless, I went through Dr. Mikes vids and question banks again based on personal preference. Prof. Dave from booster is also great; I had watched a few of his videos on YouTube when I went through my ochem courses and I actually didn’t know he was on booster until after I got my subscription. So I guess you could check out a vid of his on YouTube to see if it works for you before you decide which resource to go with. (I think Dr. Mike might also have his own YouTube channel but I didn’t check there since I watched him on Bootcamp).
I knew my reactions, reagents and mechanisms prior to start studying for this test. Content wise, you should focus on knowing the reactions and reagents associated with them as well as the basics in other chapters. Also, I actually never learned nomenclature in my courses because my Profs skipped over those sections in my OChem textbook so it fully on me to learn that. To do so, I watched YouTube’s organic chemistry tutor video series on nomenclature. Note: my particular test didn’t ask a confusing nomenclature question but In other questions it could ask you about stereochemistry but give you the name of the molecule so i knew it’s worthwhile to learn it in case.
PAT (18)
Practice routinely and watch the answer explanation videos to help you think and see through the PAT lenses.
RC (21)
I always dreaded this type of tests since the SAT, but let me assure you that this is much more doable. First you gotta find a strategy that works and then keep practicing. If you can’t find a strategy that works (me!) don’t be shy to mix n match and create your own combo. I did vanilla for first passage and based on how big of a time crunch I was on, I did SD (search n destroy) for the last two passages. This may or may not work for you and I know it’s a weird way to go about this (I personally have never seen it recommended in any other breakdown I have read) but basically after trying everything, I realized vanilla helps me get most answers correct because you can’t do poorly if you truly read and understand the whole thing. My issue was time though. Being a non native English speaker, after much skill building practice, I still couldn’t get my reading speed to fit the 10 min you theoretically have to read each passage with the other 10 min being spent on the Qs. For passage 2, ofc I always was on a much larger time crunch, having taken too long to read the first so I would do SD or a combo of SD and vanilla. Lastly, I just used SD for the last passage to maximize my points and never left any blank. If I had to name my technique I will call it “Gradient “. Think of it as a door gradient but for SD !
QR (19)
I went through the entire QR academy on Bootcamp as well as watched videos on the topics I had trouble with on booster. I also did the question banks on both resources for more practice. I also took almost all of the practice tests on both resources and reviewed the questions I got wrong and made sure for the ones I guessed, I learned how to solve. This section is so brutal with time allotted. I felt prepared but I just couldn’t finish on time so I had to Mark an answer towards the end because I just ran out of time. This section is definitely easier than booster tests so don’t panic !
Lastly, believe in you ! I kept telling myself days before the test “She believed she could, so she did” ... and she truly did
)
Okay but seriously, one of the best decisions I have ever made was to dedicate my entire summer to study for the DAT since this test really does require your full attention. To those of you that have no choice but to take it during other times, I do recommend getting started earlier if you do not have a strong academic background. While preparing, I remember sometimes wishing someone would have told me how I could have gotten a head-start prior to starting so that when I officially started I knew exactly what I needed to focus on based on prior exposure.
Some ways to get a head-start/ ease into the DAT grind:
- Reading Feralis Biology notes available for free on DAT booster website or the DAT Bootcamp version on their website.
- YouTube channels to expose you to the PAT strategies or an overview
- Practicing your PAT skills often with the Dat Bootcamp free app (note: this is great for starters; the real dat tends to be more advanced)
Some general advice regarding prep:
- Take as many practice tests as possible. It is essential to take a few full length exams so that you get a sense of the timing of the exam.
- Do not underestimate any section of the dat by waiting until the very end to start prepping for a section.
- Know yourself and how you learn best. Breakdowns can be just as detrimental as helpful if you choose to get overwhelmed by them. People learn differently so my biggest advice reading these posts are to take the advice and make your own version of it that suits you. I would change my study plan way too often just after reading any breakdown but stop yourself from that and keep doing what works for you.
- Schedule breaks into your study plan and don’t wait until you NEED one to take one because by that time you may already be feeling burn out without being aware.
- If you can, it helps to get involved in the dental field by shadowing or volunteering as you study for the test because seeing the end goal helps to keep you committed. I volunteered at a dental clinic that provided free dental services to the underserved community, and that was a great motivator for me to keep pushing.
- Right when you know you are about to quit and when it gets really hard, don’t give up! Instead, reach out. Countless people contributed to my success on this exam through a simple chat and I’m forever grateful for them.
- Use all of your resources offered by the program you wish to purchase. I personally was lucky to be able to use both Bootcamp and Booster which helped me see more types of questions, change things up a bit if I got tired of one resource but most importantly, I just needed to have as many practice tests as I could possibly get. Booster is the more affordable choice for any test taker and basically offers majority of what you get on Bootcamp, but at this time, I personally recommend both together if that’s an option for you for the reasons mentioned above.
DAT Sections:
Bio (27)
I watched Bootcamp videos, did a mix of reading the Bootcamp Academy notes and booster Feralis notes. They are both pretty great in terms of content. Use Bootcamp Academy notes for a deeper understanding of the topics, but if you are pressed for time or mind long readings stick to Feralis. Bio Vids from both resources are great and I used that along with the question banks and the tests offered by both. Learn from your mistakes and move on ! There is no time to get into your own head over not knowing a bio term or fact.
GC (24)
I personally used bootcamps Dr. Mike Vids based on personal preference. I also completed the associated question banks and all of the tests offered by Bootcamp and booster. on personal preference. I didn’t use chad or other resources for content review, but I sometimes would find myself doing Gen chem anki deck from booster before bed. I was never an avid user of anki so this is the only section you will see me mention anki.
OC (30)
I took the test after finishing ochem series at UCI so I felt pretty prepared. Regardless, I went through Dr. Mikes vids and question banks again based on personal preference. Prof. Dave from booster is also great; I had watched a few of his videos on YouTube when I went through my ochem courses and I actually didn’t know he was on booster until after I got my subscription. So I guess you could check out a vid of his on YouTube to see if it works for you before you decide which resource to go with. (I think Dr. Mike might also have his own YouTube channel but I didn’t check there since I watched him on Bootcamp).
I knew my reactions, reagents and mechanisms prior to start studying for this test. Content wise, you should focus on knowing the reactions and reagents associated with them as well as the basics in other chapters. Also, I actually never learned nomenclature in my courses because my Profs skipped over those sections in my OChem textbook so it fully on me to learn that. To do so, I watched YouTube’s organic chemistry tutor video series on nomenclature. Note: my particular test didn’t ask a confusing nomenclature question but In other questions it could ask you about stereochemistry but give you the name of the molecule so i knew it’s worthwhile to learn it in case.
PAT (18)
Practice routinely and watch the answer explanation videos to help you think and see through the PAT lenses.
RC (21)
I always dreaded this type of tests since the SAT, but let me assure you that this is much more doable. First you gotta find a strategy that works and then keep practicing. If you can’t find a strategy that works (me!) don’t be shy to mix n match and create your own combo. I did vanilla for first passage and based on how big of a time crunch I was on, I did SD (search n destroy) for the last two passages. This may or may not work for you and I know it’s a weird way to go about this (I personally have never seen it recommended in any other breakdown I have read) but basically after trying everything, I realized vanilla helps me get most answers correct because you can’t do poorly if you truly read and understand the whole thing. My issue was time though. Being a non native English speaker, after much skill building practice, I still couldn’t get my reading speed to fit the 10 min you theoretically have to read each passage with the other 10 min being spent on the Qs. For passage 2, ofc I always was on a much larger time crunch, having taken too long to read the first so I would do SD or a combo of SD and vanilla. Lastly, I just used SD for the last passage to maximize my points and never left any blank. If I had to name my technique I will call it “Gradient “. Think of it as a door gradient but for SD !
QR (19)
I went through the entire QR academy on Bootcamp as well as watched videos on the topics I had trouble with on booster. I also did the question banks on both resources for more practice. I also took almost all of the practice tests on both resources and reviewed the questions I got wrong and made sure for the ones I guessed, I learned how to solve. This section is so brutal with time allotted. I felt prepared but I just couldn’t finish on time so I had to Mark an answer towards the end because I just ran out of time. This section is definitely easier than booster tests so don’t panic !
Lastly, believe in you ! I kept telling myself days before the test “She believed she could, so she did” ... and she truly did
)
