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I took the DAT a few days ago. If you're reading this then you are doing exactly what I had done for the past two weeks straight it feels like. And reading about 24AA scores made me feel inadequate and dumb. Hopefully this helps out some more normal folks like myself. Remember that this is just a test. It will not determine your worth as a human being.
I am also a bit unique here among most SDNer's. My background is that of an engineering major. I'm still working on my undergrad, and two years ago I decided I wanted to attend dental school. My brain is wired a little differently than most, and I don't consider myself a super smart person so hopefully after reading my rambling post it will bring some encouragement to you! Sorry my formatting is weird, I don't know how to put indents at the beginning of paragraphs.
**Keep in mind that my breakdown is about my prep and test day experience. Everyone has different experiences.
Scores
Bio/GC/OC/PAT/RC/QR/TS/AA
My 2017 DAT 21/20/20/22/20/18/20/20
2007 DAT 20/21/26/22/24/22/22/23
Scored using This booklet found on DAT bootcamp
2009 DAT 21/21/21/28/17/15/20/19
Scored using a chart I found on SDN click here. Sorry I can't remember who originally posted it.
I also took the first 3 full length DAT Bootcamp practice exams. Ari doesn't provide a way to calculate the TS score so they are omitted in this section.
#1 18/30/19/23/19/17/XX/21
The Gen Chem score Is not accurate. I had reviewed that test the day before. See Bootcamp info below for how to avoid this.
#2 19/19/20/20/17/17/XX/18
#3 17/23/22/22/20/17/XX/20
Study Materials
2017 versions of DAT and Math Destoryer. DAT Bootcamp subscription (Mikes videos included here). Course saver subscription for Chad's videos. 2015 Kaplan DAT prep book. Cliffs 3rd edition biology. Feralis notes. Of course google, youtube, and the internet in general.
DAT Bootcamp 11/10
Like many others here say, this this program is AMAZING! It was by far the most accurate representation of the actual test day experience for me. He has timers set up in the exams, almost exactly as they are on test day (on test day the instruction screens already have the timers counting down, and Bootcamp doesn't start the clock till you hit begin exam). The look and feel of the exams here felt just like the real thing when I went to sit down and take my DAT.
I would say that even his question difficulties were closer to the real thing than any other sources I looked at. He also puts excellent explanations to questions during your review after tests. He includes 5 full length test, and 10 individual sections tests for each subject. Beware that the first 5 tests of each section are where he gets questions for the full length tests. If you want to go into the full length tests having not seen the questions before then don't take practice subject tests #1-5.
DAT Destroyer 7/10
I liked the regular DAT Destroyer book, as a learning and practice tool only. Do not try to use this as a predictor of how you will perform on the real test. Honestly I felt discouraged after doing questions from they destroyer book. It is a good reminder of how much random stuff you don't know, and probably will not even see on the DAT. That being said, it is a great tool to get your brain working and thinking critically. I wish I had managed my time better and been able to utilize this book more. I know that I would have scored better if I had used more of this book, but the difference would have been maybe 1 question per section.
I did about 150 gen chem questions, 100 Ochem questions, 50 bio questions, and 50 QR questions. I feel that this book was harder than the real DAT. I found that it was time consuming and so I had to stop using it and focus elsewhere
Math Destroyer 4/10
This book I don't feel helped me destroy the DAT, but it did destroy my confidence. I was taking the tests untimed but they took me several hours. Then going over the solutions took almost as long. Too time consuming and way overkill for the DAT. The questions in this book are HARD. I'm talking weird trig identities, geometry questions, and even algebra. You won't see any questions on the DAT at this difficulty level. There is weird math in here that I have not seen in my engineering courses. I would stick to the regular destroyer QR, it is closer to the real test but still harder IMO.
Chad's Videos 10/10
I only used this for gen chem. The videos are good, he does a great job reminding you of stuff from gen chem you haven't thought about in a while. I believe he covered every question I got on the DAT except one, and I maybe just don't remember him talking about that. Make sure if you use these videos to take really good notes!
Heads up, the camera guy is definitely not a pro.
Dr. Mikes Videos 10/10
I used these videos for o-chem, but halfway through my studies bootcamp added his gen chem videos. I really enjoyed his videos for organic. Very clear and concise, easy to hear, and easy to see. He really really loves chemistry and loves teaching it and you can tell. He is goofy, and says weird jokes.
I used some of his gen chem videos to review stuff I was still rusty on when practicing gen chem problems. I also thought his gen chem videos were excellent. If you are going to use Ari's study guide I would recommend saving your 50 bucks a month on course saver and use Dr. Mikes videos instead of Chads. They are both good, but I don't have very deep pockets.
Again, just like Chad's vids make sure you take good notes. You may think you will remember something but you will probably forget it later while doing practice problems.
2007 DAT
This test felt easier overall than the real DAT in all sections except PAT. Half the images in the PAT were blurry. I scored poorly in the PAT section because the questions were so bad so if it happens to you don't worry. It is awkward to take since it is not the same layout as the real thing.
2009 DAT
This test felt about the same in difficulty for the sciences. The RC was weird, and the first two pages of QR were insane. The PAT was easier than the real DAT.
Individual DAT sections
Bio
Honestly BIO and RC were the two sections I was most worried about. It is so random and broad. Do not neglect to read all of Cliffs Bio and take the quizzes at the end of each chapter. Ferali's is an excellent note set to go along with Cliffs. I also reviewed many sections of Feralis in the two weeks leading up to my exam which was helpful for me.
Bootcamp was on par with difficulty I feel like for this section, and he has great explanations. Destroyer is good to learn some random stuff as well that may show up on your test. No matter what you study you will see something you are unfamiliar with.
Destroyer was not terrible here, but still some quite difficult questions. You may get some random question on the real thing that you saw here.
Gen chem
Bootcamp was great practice. In my opinion his questions are a little more time consuming than the real DAT. He has some questions that require more calculation than you are likely to see on the real thing. The actual DAT felt easier than bootcamp. Excellent explanations on Bootcamp for his practice exams.
Destroyer had good practice questions, but they are much more difficult and in depth than the real DAT.
Organic
Bootcamp again was excellent here. Ari's questions were closer to the real DAT than anything else I saw. I'd say that the real DAT felt somewhat easier than bootcamp. Much easier than destroyer.
I finished my SNS with about 13 minutes to spare.
PAT
Boot camp was great for this section for all question types. Use his practice generators and extra questions daily. I was consistently scoring well in his practice exams so I thought I would have done a point or two better on the real thing. I think the stress of the real test got me a few points deduction here. Bootcamp practice tests felt harder than the real DAT. I didn't use any other prep for the PAT section. Use your notecards in this section for hole punching and cube counting, those are gimme points.
I used all of my time in this section, and was rushed for the last few questions.
Optional break
I wasn't sure how to prepare for this section, but I feel that I performed excellently here. I did utilize this time to use the bathroom, eat a small snack, and get a drink. I would recommend this. The second half of the DAT is just as stressful as the first half.
Reading comprehension
Bootcamp may feel hard to you while you practice, and it is difficult. However, I would not recommend skipping his prep. My first article on the real DAT actually felt as hard as bootcamp and it really stressed me out. My 2nd and third articles were not as difficult.
I never felt like I really ironed out a solid strategy for the DAT. My first article I tried using S&D which didn't work out I felt, but I didn't feel like I found any answers in this passage. I spent more time than I wanted to on the first article because I had to read it so much. Passages 2 and 3 the S&D method worked much better. My 3rd article was a breeze but I ended up running out of time, and guessing on the last two questions.
QR
I felt like Bootcamp was the closest to the real thing. Regular destroyer was a bit harder than the real thing. I wouldn't even mess with math destroyer if I were you, it is overkill in my opinion but it may help you.
Your biggest enemy here will be time management. I ran out of time and had to guess on about 5 questions. There was only a few questions (maybe 2 or 3) that I don't think I actually knew how to do. Luckily I was able to use the keypad for the calculator in this section, but you may not be able to at your center.
I am sure I've probably missed something here. Let me know if you have any questions!
I am also a bit unique here among most SDNer's. My background is that of an engineering major. I'm still working on my undergrad, and two years ago I decided I wanted to attend dental school. My brain is wired a little differently than most, and I don't consider myself a super smart person so hopefully after reading my rambling post it will bring some encouragement to you! Sorry my formatting is weird, I don't know how to put indents at the beginning of paragraphs.
**Keep in mind that my breakdown is about my prep and test day experience. Everyone has different experiences.
Scores
Bio/GC/OC/PAT/RC/QR/TS/AA
My 2017 DAT 21/20/20/22/20/18/20/20
2007 DAT 20/21/26/22/24/22/22/23
Scored using This booklet found on DAT bootcamp
2009 DAT 21/21/21/28/17/15/20/19
Scored using a chart I found on SDN click here. Sorry I can't remember who originally posted it.
I also took the first 3 full length DAT Bootcamp practice exams. Ari doesn't provide a way to calculate the TS score so they are omitted in this section.
#1 18/30/19/23/19/17/XX/21
The Gen Chem score Is not accurate. I had reviewed that test the day before. See Bootcamp info below for how to avoid this.
#2 19/19/20/20/17/17/XX/18
#3 17/23/22/22/20/17/XX/20
Study Materials
2017 versions of DAT and Math Destoryer. DAT Bootcamp subscription (Mikes videos included here). Course saver subscription for Chad's videos. 2015 Kaplan DAT prep book. Cliffs 3rd edition biology. Feralis notes. Of course google, youtube, and the internet in general.
DAT Bootcamp 11/10
Like many others here say, this this program is AMAZING! It was by far the most accurate representation of the actual test day experience for me. He has timers set up in the exams, almost exactly as they are on test day (on test day the instruction screens already have the timers counting down, and Bootcamp doesn't start the clock till you hit begin exam). The look and feel of the exams here felt just like the real thing when I went to sit down and take my DAT.
I would say that even his question difficulties were closer to the real thing than any other sources I looked at. He also puts excellent explanations to questions during your review after tests. He includes 5 full length test, and 10 individual sections tests for each subject. Beware that the first 5 tests of each section are where he gets questions for the full length tests. If you want to go into the full length tests having not seen the questions before then don't take practice subject tests #1-5.
DAT Destroyer 7/10
I liked the regular DAT Destroyer book, as a learning and practice tool only. Do not try to use this as a predictor of how you will perform on the real test. Honestly I felt discouraged after doing questions from they destroyer book. It is a good reminder of how much random stuff you don't know, and probably will not even see on the DAT. That being said, it is a great tool to get your brain working and thinking critically. I wish I had managed my time better and been able to utilize this book more. I know that I would have scored better if I had used more of this book, but the difference would have been maybe 1 question per section.
I did about 150 gen chem questions, 100 Ochem questions, 50 bio questions, and 50 QR questions. I feel that this book was harder than the real DAT. I found that it was time consuming and so I had to stop using it and focus elsewhere
Math Destroyer 4/10
This book I don't feel helped me destroy the DAT, but it did destroy my confidence. I was taking the tests untimed but they took me several hours. Then going over the solutions took almost as long. Too time consuming and way overkill for the DAT. The questions in this book are HARD. I'm talking weird trig identities, geometry questions, and even algebra. You won't see any questions on the DAT at this difficulty level. There is weird math in here that I have not seen in my engineering courses. I would stick to the regular destroyer QR, it is closer to the real test but still harder IMO.
Chad's Videos 10/10
I only used this for gen chem. The videos are good, he does a great job reminding you of stuff from gen chem you haven't thought about in a while. I believe he covered every question I got on the DAT except one, and I maybe just don't remember him talking about that. Make sure if you use these videos to take really good notes!
Heads up, the camera guy is definitely not a pro.
Dr. Mikes Videos 10/10
I used these videos for o-chem, but halfway through my studies bootcamp added his gen chem videos. I really enjoyed his videos for organic. Very clear and concise, easy to hear, and easy to see. He really really loves chemistry and loves teaching it and you can tell. He is goofy, and says weird jokes.
I used some of his gen chem videos to review stuff I was still rusty on when practicing gen chem problems. I also thought his gen chem videos were excellent. If you are going to use Ari's study guide I would recommend saving your 50 bucks a month on course saver and use Dr. Mikes videos instead of Chads. They are both good, but I don't have very deep pockets.
Again, just like Chad's vids make sure you take good notes. You may think you will remember something but you will probably forget it later while doing practice problems.
2007 DAT
This test felt easier overall than the real DAT in all sections except PAT. Half the images in the PAT were blurry. I scored poorly in the PAT section because the questions were so bad so if it happens to you don't worry. It is awkward to take since it is not the same layout as the real thing.
2009 DAT
This test felt about the same in difficulty for the sciences. The RC was weird, and the first two pages of QR were insane. The PAT was easier than the real DAT.
Individual DAT sections
Bio
Honestly BIO and RC were the two sections I was most worried about. It is so random and broad. Do not neglect to read all of Cliffs Bio and take the quizzes at the end of each chapter. Ferali's is an excellent note set to go along with Cliffs. I also reviewed many sections of Feralis in the two weeks leading up to my exam which was helpful for me.
Bootcamp was on par with difficulty I feel like for this section, and he has great explanations. Destroyer is good to learn some random stuff as well that may show up on your test. No matter what you study you will see something you are unfamiliar with.
Destroyer was not terrible here, but still some quite difficult questions. You may get some random question on the real thing that you saw here.
Gen chem
Bootcamp was great practice. In my opinion his questions are a little more time consuming than the real DAT. He has some questions that require more calculation than you are likely to see on the real thing. The actual DAT felt easier than bootcamp. Excellent explanations on Bootcamp for his practice exams.
Destroyer had good practice questions, but they are much more difficult and in depth than the real DAT.
Organic
Bootcamp again was excellent here. Ari's questions were closer to the real DAT than anything else I saw. I'd say that the real DAT felt somewhat easier than bootcamp. Much easier than destroyer.
I finished my SNS with about 13 minutes to spare.
PAT
Boot camp was great for this section for all question types. Use his practice generators and extra questions daily. I was consistently scoring well in his practice exams so I thought I would have done a point or two better on the real thing. I think the stress of the real test got me a few points deduction here. Bootcamp practice tests felt harder than the real DAT. I didn't use any other prep for the PAT section. Use your notecards in this section for hole punching and cube counting, those are gimme points.
I used all of my time in this section, and was rushed for the last few questions.
Optional break
I wasn't sure how to prepare for this section, but I feel that I performed excellently here. I did utilize this time to use the bathroom, eat a small snack, and get a drink. I would recommend this. The second half of the DAT is just as stressful as the first half.
Reading comprehension
Bootcamp may feel hard to you while you practice, and it is difficult. However, I would not recommend skipping his prep. My first article on the real DAT actually felt as hard as bootcamp and it really stressed me out. My 2nd and third articles were not as difficult.
I never felt like I really ironed out a solid strategy for the DAT. My first article I tried using S&D which didn't work out I felt, but I didn't feel like I found any answers in this passage. I spent more time than I wanted to on the first article because I had to read it so much. Passages 2 and 3 the S&D method worked much better. My 3rd article was a breeze but I ended up running out of time, and guessing on the last two questions.
QR
I felt like Bootcamp was the closest to the real thing. Regular destroyer was a bit harder than the real thing. I wouldn't even mess with math destroyer if I were you, it is overkill in my opinion but it may help you.
Your biggest enemy here will be time management. I ran out of time and had to guess on about 5 questions. There was only a few questions (maybe 2 or 3) that I don't think I actually knew how to do. Luckily I was able to use the keypad for the calculator in this section, but you may not be able to at your center.
I am sure I've probably missed something here. Let me know if you have any questions!
