alecdental
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- Jul 10, 2024
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I took my DAT for the THIRD time!! I was always reading this group so I thought I’d post to pay it forward. If it’s been a journey for you too, be encouraged that your goals are achievable!!
PAT: 23
QR: 22
RC: 30
BIO: 27
GC: 22
OC: 21
TS: 23
AA: 24
BACKGROUND:
I decided late into my junior year to switch to pre-dental and tried to take the DAT without really understanding it during the school year (which didn’t really work out, my goal was at least a 19 in each section). After severely underestimating its difficulty in my first attempt, I took the following summer to study using DAT Bootcamp again and was predicted to score a 21 but yielded the same result of a 19 on my second attempt. :'') This (along with other personal reasons) led me to decide to graduate early this past March and try the DAT just one more time using DAT Booster! (Past test scores posted below in a chart!)
STRATEGY:
I decided to take a gap year (2024-2025) after college when I wanted to try to retake and the application cycle ended for 2023. I graduated in March, started studying around March 19 - June 19 (exam day), with one planned vacation. I did the 10 week plan for the content portion then switched to the 8 week plan for a faster pace for the review phase. This allowed me to have an extra 2 weeks to retake the practice tests (as suggested by someone on here). I took tests 1-5 full length and tests 6-10 only science sections. Then the plan was over so I just followed the last 2 weeks again to take tests 1-5 sciences only then 6-10 full length. Retaking the tests was KEY for me!! I was so much more confident going into the real test and saw so many familiar questions! (Booster practice test scores posted below!)
BREAKDOWN:
I only used DATBooster this time! I also made a GC and OC quizlet for my unfamiliar content/missed practice test questions with info from Booster.
RETAKE!!! PRACTICE!!! EXAMS!!!
BIO: 27
I followed the plan and watched all the videos except for the human anatomy ones I felt confident in. I also read all the notes through one time when the plan suggested to. The Cheatsheets are all I used to review the content after that (read through them twice in the last month), highlighting what I was not familiar with and erasing when I learned it. Cheatsheets make content review so much more digestible!!
GC: 22
I did the videos and questions on the plan. The key for me was to make a quizlet with my missed practice test questions and formulas I didn’t know. I went through it twice the week before my test. The calculations on the DAT were much simpler than the practice questions, but the concepts tested on were similar in depth to DATBooster questions. I would recommend making your own, but here is my quizlet (missed questions, info, mnemonics): https://quizlet.com/914511696/dat-gen-chem-random-review-flash-cards/?i=4q1t2u&x=1jqt
OC: 21
I watched the videos, read the notes, and did the practice questions and reaction bites. I made a quizlet for my missed practice test questions and unfamiliar formulas (reviewed twice the week of the test). I also read through the reaction sheet multiple times and tried to come up with reasons to remember hard reactions/reagents. When in doubt, draw it out! Wrap your head around where your carbons and hydrogens are and think through what is most likely to happen. Memorize IR values, SN1/SN2/E1/E2, OMP directors, Reaction sheet, and the lab tests. You should personalize one for yourself, but here is my quizlet with some mnemonics included: https://quizlet.com/916857904/dat-ochem-random-review-flash-cards/?i=4q1t2u&x=1jqt
PAT: 23
I had already taken it twice and so I had tooons of practice. Even so, the strategies on Booster were so helpful! The DAT felt easier than the practice questions.
BREAK: I ate lunch, used the bathroom, and tried to stretch and wake up. My goal was to not think about the sciences or PAT and focus on the future with confidence… “I LOVE reading!!! I love reading about random obscure science topics!!! QR is so FUN! I just can’t wait to solve some inequalities!!!” among other LIES I told myself! After taking the DAT 3 times, I can tell you that each time I have felt like I had no idea how I was performing and was tempted to allow the feelings of “flailing” overtake me. The test is designed to be hard to test us! Stay motivated and positive and fight that temptation to get discouraged and panic. YOU GOT THIS!
RC: 30
This was shocking… I definitely did not feel like I was confident in every answer when I was taking it. This exam was very similar to the practice tests for me, but my other DAT attempts had 2 easy passages and 1 very dense one.
I go to the first question and search for it as I skim through and highlight paragraph topic, definitions, dates, names, and lists to find easily later. I establish a general understanding of the passage but don’t get bogged down in reading into any detail unless specifically asked about it. When I found the answer to one question, I stopped reading and went to the next question, skimming as I went along on the search.
QR: 22
I was struuugggling on QR the past two attempts, falling victim to the short amount of time and letting panic and fatigue overtake me. I watched the videos and did all the practice questions (twice to feel extra prepared). When I got started I always told myself to go as fast as I can. If I read the question and was confused or got an unavailable answer, I picked the best guess, marked it, and moved on. It feels scary to not have 100% confidence on each answer, but I always ended up having some extra time at the end to try to plug in answer choices and try to solve tricky ones.
I had no geometry on my exam. I had a few statement sufficiency and a few comparison questions but overall similar to Booster practice exams. Other DAT attempts I had were heavier on probability and applied math, but Booster would have still prepared me well for them.
OVERALL:
After using different resources multiple times and not seeing much improvement, I can say that DATBooster is the way to go! It is all you need. If something hasn't worked for you, this is your sign to try something new! It was like night and day for me. It was so much better for how I learn things and SO representative of the DAT! The reviews and cheatsheets really helped me approach this attempt with SO much more confidence than before. I was also able to really target my weak areas. If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: RETAKE THE PRACTICE EXAMS!!!! Practice makes permanent: use scratch paper, markers, and turn on the lag setting!
I felt sooo nervous the week before my exam! After the practice exams, I left myself 2-3 days to leisurely review the bio cheatsheets, OC quizlet and reactions, and GC quizlet before my exam.
Ultimately the thing that kept me calm and focused was support from my family and my faith. I read my bible that morning (John 14:27- 15:11 if you need something about peace and abiding in Him!) and was filled with so much PEACE in the Lord’s plan and confidence that my identity is in Him! No matter how discouraging at times, I know I am more than a test score and He has a plan, even if it surprises me sometimes! All glory of any success to Him!!
PAT: 23
QR: 22
RC: 30
BIO: 27
GC: 22
OC: 21
TS: 23
AA: 24
BACKGROUND:
I decided late into my junior year to switch to pre-dental and tried to take the DAT without really understanding it during the school year (which didn’t really work out, my goal was at least a 19 in each section). After severely underestimating its difficulty in my first attempt, I took the following summer to study using DAT Bootcamp again and was predicted to score a 21 but yielded the same result of a 19 on my second attempt. :'') This (along with other personal reasons) led me to decide to graduate early this past March and try the DAT just one more time using DAT Booster! (Past test scores posted below in a chart!)
STRATEGY:
I decided to take a gap year (2024-2025) after college when I wanted to try to retake and the application cycle ended for 2023. I graduated in March, started studying around March 19 - June 19 (exam day), with one planned vacation. I did the 10 week plan for the content portion then switched to the 8 week plan for a faster pace for the review phase. This allowed me to have an extra 2 weeks to retake the practice tests (as suggested by someone on here). I took tests 1-5 full length and tests 6-10 only science sections. Then the plan was over so I just followed the last 2 weeks again to take tests 1-5 sciences only then 6-10 full length. Retaking the tests was KEY for me!! I was so much more confident going into the real test and saw so many familiar questions! (Booster practice test scores posted below!)
BREAKDOWN:
I only used DATBooster this time! I also made a GC and OC quizlet for my unfamiliar content/missed practice test questions with info from Booster.
RETAKE!!! PRACTICE!!! EXAMS!!!
BIO: 27
I followed the plan and watched all the videos except for the human anatomy ones I felt confident in. I also read all the notes through one time when the plan suggested to. The Cheatsheets are all I used to review the content after that (read through them twice in the last month), highlighting what I was not familiar with and erasing when I learned it. Cheatsheets make content review so much more digestible!!
GC: 22
I did the videos and questions on the plan. The key for me was to make a quizlet with my missed practice test questions and formulas I didn’t know. I went through it twice the week before my test. The calculations on the DAT were much simpler than the practice questions, but the concepts tested on were similar in depth to DATBooster questions. I would recommend making your own, but here is my quizlet (missed questions, info, mnemonics): https://quizlet.com/914511696/dat-gen-chem-random-review-flash-cards/?i=4q1t2u&x=1jqt
OC: 21
I watched the videos, read the notes, and did the practice questions and reaction bites. I made a quizlet for my missed practice test questions and unfamiliar formulas (reviewed twice the week of the test). I also read through the reaction sheet multiple times and tried to come up with reasons to remember hard reactions/reagents. When in doubt, draw it out! Wrap your head around where your carbons and hydrogens are and think through what is most likely to happen. Memorize IR values, SN1/SN2/E1/E2, OMP directors, Reaction sheet, and the lab tests. You should personalize one for yourself, but here is my quizlet with some mnemonics included: https://quizlet.com/916857904/dat-ochem-random-review-flash-cards/?i=4q1t2u&x=1jqt
PAT: 23
I had already taken it twice and so I had tooons of practice. Even so, the strategies on Booster were so helpful! The DAT felt easier than the practice questions.
BREAK: I ate lunch, used the bathroom, and tried to stretch and wake up. My goal was to not think about the sciences or PAT and focus on the future with confidence… “I LOVE reading!!! I love reading about random obscure science topics!!! QR is so FUN! I just can’t wait to solve some inequalities!!!” among other LIES I told myself! After taking the DAT 3 times, I can tell you that each time I have felt like I had no idea how I was performing and was tempted to allow the feelings of “flailing” overtake me. The test is designed to be hard to test us! Stay motivated and positive and fight that temptation to get discouraged and panic. YOU GOT THIS!
RC: 30
This was shocking… I definitely did not feel like I was confident in every answer when I was taking it. This exam was very similar to the practice tests for me, but my other DAT attempts had 2 easy passages and 1 very dense one.
I go to the first question and search for it as I skim through and highlight paragraph topic, definitions, dates, names, and lists to find easily later. I establish a general understanding of the passage but don’t get bogged down in reading into any detail unless specifically asked about it. When I found the answer to one question, I stopped reading and went to the next question, skimming as I went along on the search.
QR: 22
I was struuugggling on QR the past two attempts, falling victim to the short amount of time and letting panic and fatigue overtake me. I watched the videos and did all the practice questions (twice to feel extra prepared). When I got started I always told myself to go as fast as I can. If I read the question and was confused or got an unavailable answer, I picked the best guess, marked it, and moved on. It feels scary to not have 100% confidence on each answer, but I always ended up having some extra time at the end to try to plug in answer choices and try to solve tricky ones.
I had no geometry on my exam. I had a few statement sufficiency and a few comparison questions but overall similar to Booster practice exams. Other DAT attempts I had were heavier on probability and applied math, but Booster would have still prepared me well for them.
OVERALL:
After using different resources multiple times and not seeing much improvement, I can say that DATBooster is the way to go! It is all you need. If something hasn't worked for you, this is your sign to try something new! It was like night and day for me. It was so much better for how I learn things and SO representative of the DAT! The reviews and cheatsheets really helped me approach this attempt with SO much more confidence than before. I was also able to really target my weak areas. If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: RETAKE THE PRACTICE EXAMS!!!! Practice makes permanent: use scratch paper, markers, and turn on the lag setting!
I felt sooo nervous the week before my exam! After the practice exams, I left myself 2-3 days to leisurely review the bio cheatsheets, OC quizlet and reactions, and GC quizlet before my exam.
Ultimately the thing that kept me calm and focused was support from my family and my faith. I read my bible that morning (John 14:27- 15:11 if you need something about peace and abiding in Him!) and was filled with so much PEACE in the Lord’s plan and confidence that my identity is in Him! No matter how discouraging at times, I know I am more than a test score and He has a plan, even if it surprises me sometimes! All glory of any success to Him!!
