predent1088
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- Jul 17, 2024
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Scores:
PAT: 19
QR: 24
RC: 26
Bio: 25
GC: 22
OC: 24
TS: 23
AA: 24
This was my second time taking the DAT. The first time around was in 2023 and I scored a 19AA/19TS/20PAT. The only score that went down on my retake was my PAT score by 1 point, which I think is due to the fact that I really was focusing on improving my math and science scores over my PAT score.
Resources that I used the first time I took the DAT in 2023:
1. DAT Bootcamp: I saw so many ads for it as being the best resource for DAT preparation, so I bought it. Bootcamp only offered a 2.5 month study schedule which was very daunting. I ultimately could not maintain a regimented study schedule like the provided one and studied during my ‘off work’ times which were extremely random since I was working retail.
2. Kaplan DAT Prep Book: I wouldn’t recommend even buying a study book unless you love a paper format for everything. Since the DAT itself is an online exam I think paper books are not super useful.
Resources that I used for my retake:
1. DAT Booster: This resource has almost everything you need for the DAT and at a lower cost than Bootcamp. I chose this the second time since I did not want to reuse Bootcamp and saw reviews about Booster being more accurate to the test — it was. I tried to use their 8 week program to study in 6 weeks, and I condensed 2 days into 1 for the first 2 weeks so that I could fit in all the practice tests/etc. This ended up working well, it just meant that I didn’t have any breaks and was mostly studying/note-taking/watching videos from about 9-4pm every day during those 2 weeks. But I was dedicated to crushing the DAT this time around and knew that the time commitment would be worth it.
My study schedule (I took no days off except for 1 day on my birthday)
Monday-Saturday: 5-8 consistent hours of studying following Phase 1 of DAT booster’s video and notes schedule (I did not complete any resources for Reading Comprehension since this came naturally to me).
Sunday: 3-5 Hours.
I would cross out tasks on the study schedule from Booster as I completed them. I did not complete most of the ‘read these notes’ tasks, since I found that watching the videos and taking notes was the best way for me to learn information. I also would do some impromptu studying in the evening, usually just about 20-30 minutes of reviewing concepts using the ‘game’ feature on Booster for Bio/PAT sections.
Last 2 weeks before exam:
I was taking practice exams every other day/every 2 days following the Booster schedule. This really helped me because at this point in my studying I had finished most of the content review and needed to focus on practice exams and wrong answers to see my weaknesses.
PAT (19): I didn’t dedicate the recommended amount of time to this section since I felt like I had a good understanding of PAT from my last exam. I really struggled with TFE, and ended up completing that section last and guessing on the last 5 TFE questions. Cube counting/hole punch/angle ranking/folding/TFE were all very similar to the Booster practice exams. I was averaging 19 on my practice exams and scored a 19.
QR (24): The first time I took the DAT I got a 15 on this section. I ran out of time and stamina. Part of the reason also had to do with a migraine… which did not help with the mental exhaustion you feel after completing every other section. This time around I studied math consistently, watched almost all of the videos and short cut hacks (especially for rate-work problems). I felt pretty comfortable completing this section come test day and I ended up having 3 minutes to review a couple marked questions: Mark questions that are super wordy and hard!!! Do not stare at them excessively— move on. That’s the best advice I have.
RC(26): Reading comprehension comes pretty naturally to me so I didn’t do a lot of preparation for this section. I just did the practice tests on Booster and consistently was scoring above a 22 on each so I felt prepared.
Bio (25): This is super content heavy. I spent a bulk of my study time watching all the Bio videos on Booster and taking notes. During the 2 weeks before my test I reviewed the cheat sheets which are high yield and these are super indicative of content that will show up on your DAT. I struggled with Taxonomy… so I looked at all the cheat sheets and wrote them down (writing helps me memorize). I also spoke and read aloud some of my own notes. Fun fact: I did not use Anki and I still don’t know how to best use it. If you don’t like Anki like me, try writing down notes and reading them aloud. That really helps. Also go through ALL your practice test questions, not just the incorrect ones for bio. Watch the answer explanations and make sure you didn’t just get the practice test question right due to guessing… you really need to know your fundamentals. I was scoring an average of 22 on my Booster practice exams. The practice exams were SUPER representative of this section.
GC (22): I hadn’t taken Gen Chem 2 before taking this so I relied heavily on the videos to teach me the content. Watch the videos! Take notes on them! It is sufficient to do well on this section. Make sure you complete the practice question banks that go along with each topic too, those were essential to helping me learn how to do questions like equilibrium calculations, rates, etc. I was averaging 20 on my Booster practice exams.
OC (24): Booster did not have the best videos on Orgo in comparison to what I saw on Bootcamp. However, the question banks, notes, and reaction question banks were very helpful in practicing all the necessary mechanisms. The practice exams were somewhat indicative of the real test— I was averaging a 20– I ended up doing much better than my average on this section because I was determined to really relearn the basics and build a stronger foundation than what I had from my organic classes. I also found that Leah4Sci on Youtube is SUPER helpful if you need refreshers on mechanisms, concepts, etc.
The biggest factor in improving my DAT score was my time and dedication. I had no conception of how intense the DAT was and thought having a job at the same time as studying would be fine. The first time I took the DAT I was still seeing friends a lot, working, and trying to study. This time I saw friends a couple times a week only after I had completed all of my studying for the day and never stayed out too late to keep a good sleep schedule. Remember how badly you want to go to dental school and drill into your brain: this is a hard test and requires hard work. You got this!
PAT: 19
QR: 24
RC: 26
Bio: 25
GC: 22
OC: 24
TS: 23
AA: 24
This was my second time taking the DAT. The first time around was in 2023 and I scored a 19AA/19TS/20PAT. The only score that went down on my retake was my PAT score by 1 point, which I think is due to the fact that I really was focusing on improving my math and science scores over my PAT score.
Resources that I used the first time I took the DAT in 2023:
1. DAT Bootcamp: I saw so many ads for it as being the best resource for DAT preparation, so I bought it. Bootcamp only offered a 2.5 month study schedule which was very daunting. I ultimately could not maintain a regimented study schedule like the provided one and studied during my ‘off work’ times which were extremely random since I was working retail.
2. Kaplan DAT Prep Book: I wouldn’t recommend even buying a study book unless you love a paper format for everything. Since the DAT itself is an online exam I think paper books are not super useful.
Resources that I used for my retake:
1. DAT Booster: This resource has almost everything you need for the DAT and at a lower cost than Bootcamp. I chose this the second time since I did not want to reuse Bootcamp and saw reviews about Booster being more accurate to the test — it was. I tried to use their 8 week program to study in 6 weeks, and I condensed 2 days into 1 for the first 2 weeks so that I could fit in all the practice tests/etc. This ended up working well, it just meant that I didn’t have any breaks and was mostly studying/note-taking/watching videos from about 9-4pm every day during those 2 weeks. But I was dedicated to crushing the DAT this time around and knew that the time commitment would be worth it.
My study schedule (I took no days off except for 1 day on my birthday)
Monday-Saturday: 5-8 consistent hours of studying following Phase 1 of DAT booster’s video and notes schedule (I did not complete any resources for Reading Comprehension since this came naturally to me).
Sunday: 3-5 Hours.
I would cross out tasks on the study schedule from Booster as I completed them. I did not complete most of the ‘read these notes’ tasks, since I found that watching the videos and taking notes was the best way for me to learn information. I also would do some impromptu studying in the evening, usually just about 20-30 minutes of reviewing concepts using the ‘game’ feature on Booster for Bio/PAT sections.
Last 2 weeks before exam:
I was taking practice exams every other day/every 2 days following the Booster schedule. This really helped me because at this point in my studying I had finished most of the content review and needed to focus on practice exams and wrong answers to see my weaknesses.
PAT (19): I didn’t dedicate the recommended amount of time to this section since I felt like I had a good understanding of PAT from my last exam. I really struggled with TFE, and ended up completing that section last and guessing on the last 5 TFE questions. Cube counting/hole punch/angle ranking/folding/TFE were all very similar to the Booster practice exams. I was averaging 19 on my practice exams and scored a 19.
QR (24): The first time I took the DAT I got a 15 on this section. I ran out of time and stamina. Part of the reason also had to do with a migraine… which did not help with the mental exhaustion you feel after completing every other section. This time around I studied math consistently, watched almost all of the videos and short cut hacks (especially for rate-work problems). I felt pretty comfortable completing this section come test day and I ended up having 3 minutes to review a couple marked questions: Mark questions that are super wordy and hard!!! Do not stare at them excessively— move on. That’s the best advice I have.
RC(26): Reading comprehension comes pretty naturally to me so I didn’t do a lot of preparation for this section. I just did the practice tests on Booster and consistently was scoring above a 22 on each so I felt prepared.
Bio (25): This is super content heavy. I spent a bulk of my study time watching all the Bio videos on Booster and taking notes. During the 2 weeks before my test I reviewed the cheat sheets which are high yield and these are super indicative of content that will show up on your DAT. I struggled with Taxonomy… so I looked at all the cheat sheets and wrote them down (writing helps me memorize). I also spoke and read aloud some of my own notes. Fun fact: I did not use Anki and I still don’t know how to best use it. If you don’t like Anki like me, try writing down notes and reading them aloud. That really helps. Also go through ALL your practice test questions, not just the incorrect ones for bio. Watch the answer explanations and make sure you didn’t just get the practice test question right due to guessing… you really need to know your fundamentals. I was scoring an average of 22 on my Booster practice exams. The practice exams were SUPER representative of this section.
GC (22): I hadn’t taken Gen Chem 2 before taking this so I relied heavily on the videos to teach me the content. Watch the videos! Take notes on them! It is sufficient to do well on this section. Make sure you complete the practice question banks that go along with each topic too, those were essential to helping me learn how to do questions like equilibrium calculations, rates, etc. I was averaging 20 on my Booster practice exams.
OC (24): Booster did not have the best videos on Orgo in comparison to what I saw on Bootcamp. However, the question banks, notes, and reaction question banks were very helpful in practicing all the necessary mechanisms. The practice exams were somewhat indicative of the real test— I was averaging a 20– I ended up doing much better than my average on this section because I was determined to really relearn the basics and build a stronger foundation than what I had from my organic classes. I also found that Leah4Sci on Youtube is SUPER helpful if you need refreshers on mechanisms, concepts, etc.
The biggest factor in improving my DAT score was my time and dedication. I had no conception of how intense the DAT was and thought having a job at the same time as studying would be fine. The first time I took the DAT I was still seeing friends a lot, working, and trying to study. This time I saw friends a couple times a week only after I had completed all of my studying for the day and never stayed out too late to keep a good sleep schedule. Remember how badly you want to go to dental school and drill into your brain: this is a hard test and requires hard work. You got this!
