Courses for DAT's Bio section

[Eagles123456]

Hello All, I plan on taking the DAT soon. As an engineering major, I can only fit 2-3 Bio courses this academic year. Cell biology is a class I know I will take; what other courses should I take to prepare for the Bio section? I've heard micro, anatomy, and physiology are good ones, but I've also heard that taking an anatomy/physiology course is way too in-depth. Thoughts?

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[intoblondesnow]

I'd definitely recommend anatomy & physiology. Microbiology, embryology, comparative anatomy, and zoology are also some good courses you could take to help you out if they are offered at your school. Taxonomy, anatomy, and embryology were concepts I seemed to have the most questions on in my bio section of the DAT, but everyone's is different and the bio section is especially variable due to vast variety of topics to prepare for. Good luck!

 

[artist2022]

A&P is extremely detailed, but it'll help. Before I took my DAT, these are the Bio classes I had taken (in no particular order):
Gen Bio 1 & 2 - obviously
Genetics
Cell (& Molecular) Biology
Evolution
Brain Biology
Biodiversity
Cellular Physiology + lab
Plant Physiology + lab
Biochem+ lab
Microbiology + lab- Lower Div course
Animal Biology + lab
Human Anatomy

I did score a 25, and to be honest, all of these classes had helped. What sucks is that they're so specific on one subject, and there really isn't one course that focuses on all the "upper division" material you need from each of these classes. The ones that may have helped the most were the ones in blue. In fact I'm taking Human Physiology right now for my second minor, and I'm sure this would have helped too. But, I hope this list helps you a little in deciding what classes to take!

 

[Daniel Schruth]

Between anatomy and physiology, the material on the biology section of the DAT seems to emphasize physiology more (especially since physiology courses will also teach you some anatomical terms). As far as the "best classes" to take, it is hard to say since each version of the bio section of the DAT will have a different emphasis. If you can only take three, I would recommend physiology, cell/molecular biology, and microbiology. These courses should prepare you for the DAT and dental school. Good luck studying!

 

[Eagles123456]

Thanks for the replies! Hopefully Cliff's AP bio book, Feralis notes, and Youtube will be enough for me to learn the material that I will be lacking from not taking more bio courses.

 

[dmd.22]

Thanks for the replies! Hopefully Cliff's AP bio book, Feralis notes, and Youtube will be enough for me to learn the material that I will be lacking from not taking more bio courses.

I hadn't taken any upper-level bio courses before I took the DAT (I did, however, take them after because they're useful for dental school). I had just taken the intro courses and studied cliffs notes, destroyer, bootcamp etc. and managed to earn a 24 on the bio section. By no means are the courses necessary to do well, but they may help you with retaining the information and make the bio section a bit easier, with the added bonus of being a touch more prepared for dental school.