8/16/22
Hiii everyone!
Reading all of the past DAT breakdowns helped me a lot throughout my studying journey, so I wanted to share my personal experience. I only had 2 weeks to study, so it was pretty stressful, but I’m glad it turned out well. To those who only have a short period of time to prepare for the DAT, you can do it! Even though it may not be ideal, work hard and try your best!
Scores:
PAT - 21
QR - 27
RC - 24
Bio - 23
GC - 21
OC - 20
TS - 22
AA - 23
Background:
I’m currently in my second gap year, so I forgot a lot of the science material I learned during college. I had an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.89. I decided to take some time off after college to get my double jaw surgery done!
Materials:
1. DAT Booster
I heard a lot of good things about Booster from my sister’s friends in dental school. I decided to try it out, and I used it as my main source of studying. I thought it was extremely helpful, especially all of the videos to help you review content as well as the practice tests. I also took the Biology crash courses, which I found to be most helpful when studying for the Biology portion of the DAT.
2. DAT Bootcamp’s High-Yield Biology Notes
It had been a while since I took a biology course, so I decided to use these notes as a refresher for biology. I found the Feralis notes to be pretty lengthy, and I didn’t have a lot of time to study, so the Bootcamp notes were definitely helpful.
Study Timeline:
June-July 2022: I tried to start studying about 2 months before my exam. However, during these 2 months, life got in the way and I struggled a lot with personal issues. I was barely able to study at all during these months.
August 2022: Two weeks before my exam was when I was finally able to concentrate on studying for the DAT. During the first 3 days, I watched the videos for PAT and did a lot of practice problems using the generators. I took 1 PAT practice test. I also began skimming through Bootcamp’s high-yield biology notes. During the next 3 days, I finished skimming through the biology notes and tried to retain as much information as I could from the notes. I also watched all of the Quantitative Reasoning videos and took notes on the problem types that were unfamiliar to me. I took 2 QR practice tests. During the next 3 days, I watched all of Professor Dave’s General Chemistry videos and took notes on unfamiliar concepts. I tried to memorize all the chemistry formulas on the Booster formula sheet. I took 2 GC practice tests. During the next 3 days, I watched all of Professor Dave’s Organic Chemistry videos and tried my best to memorize as many ochem reactions as I could. I took 1 OC practice test. During this time, I also took Dr. Sohraby’s biology crash courses and reviewed my notes from the sessions. Two days before my exam, I had a serious migraine, so I took the day off. The day before my exam, I was freaking out because I wanted more time to complete practice tests, but I couldn’t push back my exam because I had to catch a flight to Vietnam the day after. I tried my best to stay calm and think positive thoughts. I did 3 biology practice tests and 1 RC practice test. I reviewed all the questions I missed from my practice tests. I also reviewed my notes on the concepts that I was still unsure of.
Day of Exam:
Biology (23)
Most of the questions were simple, and some of them were extremely similar to those in Booster’s practice tests. There were only a few questions that I felt unsure of because I didn’t remember encountering them during my studies. Booster’s Biology crash courses were most helpful for this section.
General Chemistry (21)
The questions I got on my exam were mostly conceptual. I only got a few questions in which I had to use a formula. A lot of my questions involved stoichiometry. Going through Booster’s chemistry videos were super helpful for this section.
Organic Chemistry (20)
I hadn’t taken OChem for a while, so I did not remember any reactions going into my studying. I tried to memorize as many reactions as I could before my exam, but I wish I had more time to go over more reactions. I came into the exam feeling most unsure about this section. My exam had a couple questions involving reactions I was unfamiliar with. My exam also had some questions ranking acidity. The DAT booster reaction sheet was my biggest friend for this section.
PAT (21)
The TFE questions on my exam were easier than the ones I encountered on Booster, but everything else was a bit more difficult in my opinion. I got 2 floating cubes and 3 rock keyholes on my actual exam. My contacts were dry and blurry during angle-ranking, so the angles all looked the same to me. I definitely think blinking more often and more practice would have helped me in this section.
Reading Comprehension (24)
I didn’t really study at all for this section aside from the 1 practice test that I took. I used the Search & Destroy method. The passages were longer than I expected, but most of the questions were pretty straightforward. I had difficulty on 2 or 3 conceptual questions, so I made my best guesses for those.
Quantitative Reasoning (27)
I have always loved math, so this section was my favorite. Most of the questions were simple, and I only struggled to solve maybe 1 or 2 questions. Watching Booster’s QR videos definitely helped me the most for this section. The practice tests were also really helpful!
Ending Remarks:
Looking back, I wish I had more time to study, but I am glad my exam is finally over. I wasn’t able to go through very many practice tests, but you should definitely try to go through all of them if you have the time! My biggest advice for those who are limited on studying time is to make the most of your time by studying actively and trying your hardest to really absorb the material as you go through it. I also recommend creating your own study schedule and sticking to it. Always keep a positive mindset and tell yourself you can do it!
If you have any questions about my studying process or my experience with double jaw surgery, feel free to PM me! I would be happy to answer any questions.
Study hard!
Hiii everyone!
Reading all of the past DAT breakdowns helped me a lot throughout my studying journey, so I wanted to share my personal experience. I only had 2 weeks to study, so it was pretty stressful, but I’m glad it turned out well. To those who only have a short period of time to prepare for the DAT, you can do it! Even though it may not be ideal, work hard and try your best!
Scores:
PAT - 21
QR - 27
RC - 24
Bio - 23
GC - 21
OC - 20
TS - 22
AA - 23
Background:
I’m currently in my second gap year, so I forgot a lot of the science material I learned during college. I had an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.89. I decided to take some time off after college to get my double jaw surgery done!
Materials:
1. DAT Booster
I heard a lot of good things about Booster from my sister’s friends in dental school. I decided to try it out, and I used it as my main source of studying. I thought it was extremely helpful, especially all of the videos to help you review content as well as the practice tests. I also took the Biology crash courses, which I found to be most helpful when studying for the Biology portion of the DAT.
2. DAT Bootcamp’s High-Yield Biology Notes
It had been a while since I took a biology course, so I decided to use these notes as a refresher for biology. I found the Feralis notes to be pretty lengthy, and I didn’t have a lot of time to study, so the Bootcamp notes were definitely helpful.
Study Timeline:
June-July 2022: I tried to start studying about 2 months before my exam. However, during these 2 months, life got in the way and I struggled a lot with personal issues. I was barely able to study at all during these months.
August 2022: Two weeks before my exam was when I was finally able to concentrate on studying for the DAT. During the first 3 days, I watched the videos for PAT and did a lot of practice problems using the generators. I took 1 PAT practice test. I also began skimming through Bootcamp’s high-yield biology notes. During the next 3 days, I finished skimming through the biology notes and tried to retain as much information as I could from the notes. I also watched all of the Quantitative Reasoning videos and took notes on the problem types that were unfamiliar to me. I took 2 QR practice tests. During the next 3 days, I watched all of Professor Dave’s General Chemistry videos and took notes on unfamiliar concepts. I tried to memorize all the chemistry formulas on the Booster formula sheet. I took 2 GC practice tests. During the next 3 days, I watched all of Professor Dave’s Organic Chemistry videos and tried my best to memorize as many ochem reactions as I could. I took 1 OC practice test. During this time, I also took Dr. Sohraby’s biology crash courses and reviewed my notes from the sessions. Two days before my exam, I had a serious migraine, so I took the day off. The day before my exam, I was freaking out because I wanted more time to complete practice tests, but I couldn’t push back my exam because I had to catch a flight to Vietnam the day after. I tried my best to stay calm and think positive thoughts. I did 3 biology practice tests and 1 RC practice test. I reviewed all the questions I missed from my practice tests. I also reviewed my notes on the concepts that I was still unsure of.
Day of Exam:
Biology (23)
Most of the questions were simple, and some of them were extremely similar to those in Booster’s practice tests. There were only a few questions that I felt unsure of because I didn’t remember encountering them during my studies. Booster’s Biology crash courses were most helpful for this section.
General Chemistry (21)
The questions I got on my exam were mostly conceptual. I only got a few questions in which I had to use a formula. A lot of my questions involved stoichiometry. Going through Booster’s chemistry videos were super helpful for this section.
Organic Chemistry (20)
I hadn’t taken OChem for a while, so I did not remember any reactions going into my studying. I tried to memorize as many reactions as I could before my exam, but I wish I had more time to go over more reactions. I came into the exam feeling most unsure about this section. My exam had a couple questions involving reactions I was unfamiliar with. My exam also had some questions ranking acidity. The DAT booster reaction sheet was my biggest friend for this section.
PAT (21)
The TFE questions on my exam were easier than the ones I encountered on Booster, but everything else was a bit more difficult in my opinion. I got 2 floating cubes and 3 rock keyholes on my actual exam. My contacts were dry and blurry during angle-ranking, so the angles all looked the same to me. I definitely think blinking more often and more practice would have helped me in this section.
Reading Comprehension (24)
I didn’t really study at all for this section aside from the 1 practice test that I took. I used the Search & Destroy method. The passages were longer than I expected, but most of the questions were pretty straightforward. I had difficulty on 2 or 3 conceptual questions, so I made my best guesses for those.
Quantitative Reasoning (27)
I have always loved math, so this section was my favorite. Most of the questions were simple, and I only struggled to solve maybe 1 or 2 questions. Watching Booster’s QR videos definitely helped me the most for this section. The practice tests were also really helpful!
Ending Remarks:
Looking back, I wish I had more time to study, but I am glad my exam is finally over. I wasn’t able to go through very many practice tests, but you should definitely try to go through all of them if you have the time! My biggest advice for those who are limited on studying time is to make the most of your time by studying actively and trying your hardest to really absorb the material as you go through it. I also recommend creating your own study schedule and sticking to it. Always keep a positive mindset and tell yourself you can do it!
If you have any questions about my studying process or my experience with double jaw surgery, feel free to PM me! I would be happy to answer any questions.
Study hard!
