Well, I just finished my DAT today and found all the tips and suggestions on this board extremely helpful in preparing for the test. I think it is only proper to reciprocate and share my own suggestions and impressions of the test.
I warn you this is a lengthy post.
My scores...
AA 25 100.0
PA 20 95.5
QR 28 100.0
RC 24 97.5
Bio 23 99.4
GC 25 98.9
OC 25 99.4
TS 24 99.8
Overall impression: Science more straightforward than Topscore. The testing environment (my test center was in Culver City,CA) was very pleasant, quiet and the screens were just fine. I finished about 20 minutes early on the science section because I had adjusted my timing to Topscore's heavy math G-Chem, which is not really what the actually DAT is like. The topscore program is really great for getting the format of the DAT and practicing the timing, but some of the types of questions are a little off.
Overall study strategy/mantra: 1. Quickly read through Kaplan. 2. Take topscore 1 and find weaknesses. 3. Go in depth on the weakness and do lots of relavent problems. 4. Repeat 2 and 3 for topscores 2 and 3.
Bio: Again, straightforward questions. My recommendation is to do as many problems as you can. Get a bunch of AP bio books and do all the practice exams. It is quite likely that you will see some of the same questions (with slight variations) on the DAT. Dont forget to note which areas are your weakest and go back and work on this in depth. I did this right from the start and I felt this was very time effective. This is especially wise if your science background is already strong. I liked using Schaum's bio to brush up on areas I was weak in. Also, another effective strategy I used was reviewing both Schaum's and KAPLAN together. If you review a topic in two different sources each with its own details, chances are you will at least remember the general concepts. I also bought Examkrackers 1001 Bio... a complete waste. Unlike GC and OC, this book is tailored to MCAT and really would be less helpful than AP bio stuff.
GC: I am a math oriented person, so memorizing and applying equations is not as dificult for me as memorizing how many heart chambers an annelid has. Kaplan is pretty sufficient for this section. I also got Examkrackers GC 1001, which was very helpful because doing a lot of questions is the best way to prepare. Also, topscore's GC section is way more math oriented than the real thing. This makes a big difference because it gives you more time to focus on bio and OC. Someone posted recently that you should memorize all the little equations in KAPLAN. I did not do this and this strikes me as a waste of time. Just make sure you know the big equations (probably not more than ten or so).
OC: Again, Kaplan pretty sufficient here and Examkrackers 1001 OC very helpful (do a lot of questions!) I would say topscore is right on for this section. Just memorize the reactions and all the stereochemistry rules and everything else in Kaplan and you should be fine. There were not any weird reactions on my DAT.
PAT: Do problems. As many as you can. Eventually the 2D images just start popping out at you. Topscore is pretty realistic except for the angle rankings which are more dificult. My recommendation is dont spend too much time on the angle rankings (15 sec max). Come on, what's going to change by looking at an angle longer. Either you see it or you dont. Take your best shot, move on and spend your time on problems which require it. The best prep for PAT is from acethedat.com. Their angle rankings are REALLY hard, but it is better preparing this way than using easy problems and panicking on the real thing.
RC: Its not reading comprehension, but rather skillful skimming. Just find a good keyword in the question (ex. "Hardy-Weinberg" or "Rhombencephalon", not common words like "best" or "except") and find it in the passage. It is likely the answer to the question is nearby. As you do this for each question you get a better idea of the passage as a whole and at the end of the questions for a certain passage you can return and answer the more general questions (themes, "What is the best ending sentence?", etc.). Forget the making a map of the passage and all the other "techniques". This seems like a huge waste of valuable testing time. Other than taking topscore I didnt prep for this.
QR: Be comfortable with algebra and general conversion formulas. I am strong in math so I didnt really study for this section, but I heard doing gmat prep is helpful and i could see how this may be true.
You may have noticed that I have invested in quite a few DAT prep materials: KAPLAN, Barrons (PAT), acethedat.com (PAT), Examkrackers 1001 OC, GC, and Schaum's Bio (I had the AP bio stuff from before-REA and Kaplan). All I can say is that my investment paid off and these resources helped tremendously. I feel very strongly about doing problems because when you get to that test center, they arent flipping flashcards or asking you to write essays. You are being asked MC questions and knowing how to answer them is a skill on its own.
One last thing... this advice is probably most relevant to people with strong science backgrounds to begin with. I went to a very competitve high school and a competitive college so I learned how to learn quickly, which is crucial for getting a great score on the DAT and probably for succeeding in dental school.
I am at UC Berkeley and have a 3.5/3.5 science/overall.
I warn you this is a lengthy post.
My scores...
AA 25 100.0
PA 20 95.5
QR 28 100.0
RC 24 97.5
Bio 23 99.4
GC 25 98.9
OC 25 99.4
TS 24 99.8
Overall impression: Science more straightforward than Topscore. The testing environment (my test center was in Culver City,CA) was very pleasant, quiet and the screens were just fine. I finished about 20 minutes early on the science section because I had adjusted my timing to Topscore's heavy math G-Chem, which is not really what the actually DAT is like. The topscore program is really great for getting the format of the DAT and practicing the timing, but some of the types of questions are a little off.
Overall study strategy/mantra: 1. Quickly read through Kaplan. 2. Take topscore 1 and find weaknesses. 3. Go in depth on the weakness and do lots of relavent problems. 4. Repeat 2 and 3 for topscores 2 and 3.
Bio: Again, straightforward questions. My recommendation is to do as many problems as you can. Get a bunch of AP bio books and do all the practice exams. It is quite likely that you will see some of the same questions (with slight variations) on the DAT. Dont forget to note which areas are your weakest and go back and work on this in depth. I did this right from the start and I felt this was very time effective. This is especially wise if your science background is already strong. I liked using Schaum's bio to brush up on areas I was weak in. Also, another effective strategy I used was reviewing both Schaum's and KAPLAN together. If you review a topic in two different sources each with its own details, chances are you will at least remember the general concepts. I also bought Examkrackers 1001 Bio... a complete waste. Unlike GC and OC, this book is tailored to MCAT and really would be less helpful than AP bio stuff.
GC: I am a math oriented person, so memorizing and applying equations is not as dificult for me as memorizing how many heart chambers an annelid has. Kaplan is pretty sufficient for this section. I also got Examkrackers GC 1001, which was very helpful because doing a lot of questions is the best way to prepare. Also, topscore's GC section is way more math oriented than the real thing. This makes a big difference because it gives you more time to focus on bio and OC. Someone posted recently that you should memorize all the little equations in KAPLAN. I did not do this and this strikes me as a waste of time. Just make sure you know the big equations (probably not more than ten or so).
OC: Again, Kaplan pretty sufficient here and Examkrackers 1001 OC very helpful (do a lot of questions!) I would say topscore is right on for this section. Just memorize the reactions and all the stereochemistry rules and everything else in Kaplan and you should be fine. There were not any weird reactions on my DAT.
PAT: Do problems. As many as you can. Eventually the 2D images just start popping out at you. Topscore is pretty realistic except for the angle rankings which are more dificult. My recommendation is dont spend too much time on the angle rankings (15 sec max). Come on, what's going to change by looking at an angle longer. Either you see it or you dont. Take your best shot, move on and spend your time on problems which require it. The best prep for PAT is from acethedat.com. Their angle rankings are REALLY hard, but it is better preparing this way than using easy problems and panicking on the real thing.
RC: Its not reading comprehension, but rather skillful skimming. Just find a good keyword in the question (ex. "Hardy-Weinberg" or "Rhombencephalon", not common words like "best" or "except") and find it in the passage. It is likely the answer to the question is nearby. As you do this for each question you get a better idea of the passage as a whole and at the end of the questions for a certain passage you can return and answer the more general questions (themes, "What is the best ending sentence?", etc.). Forget the making a map of the passage and all the other "techniques". This seems like a huge waste of valuable testing time. Other than taking topscore I didnt prep for this.
QR: Be comfortable with algebra and general conversion formulas. I am strong in math so I didnt really study for this section, but I heard doing gmat prep is helpful and i could see how this may be true.
You may have noticed that I have invested in quite a few DAT prep materials: KAPLAN, Barrons (PAT), acethedat.com (PAT), Examkrackers 1001 OC, GC, and Schaum's Bio (I had the AP bio stuff from before-REA and Kaplan). All I can say is that my investment paid off and these resources helped tremendously. I feel very strongly about doing problems because when you get to that test center, they arent flipping flashcards or asking you to write essays. You are being asked MC questions and knowing how to answer them is a skill on its own.
One last thing... this advice is probably most relevant to people with strong science backgrounds to begin with. I went to a very competitve high school and a competitive college so I learned how to learn quickly, which is crucial for getting a great score on the DAT and probably for succeeding in dental school.
I am at UC Berkeley and have a 3.5/3.5 science/overall.
All I can say is, this is the most impressive DAT numbers I've seen since I've been around (almost 3 years). I know there are DAT scores higher, but none so consistent and solid! Congrats and have fun choosing between dental schools.
