DAT 20 and up club-Study tips for us rookies?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

mcataz

Senior Member
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2003
Messages
480
Reaction score
7
Hi everyone,

I know most people in here have successfull averaged 20+ on the academic and PAT section of the DAT. Could you answer the following.

1. What were your DAT scores?

2. What books/prep courses did you use?

3. When did you start studying for the DAT?

4. How did you prepare for the exam? How many hours a day did you study?

5. What study methods were a waste of time? What methods do you wish you spent more time working on?

6. How much material did you remember prior to studying for the DAT? Were you clueless in the beginning or did you feel that you had a firm understanding of the material?

7. Do you believe that you can work your way to a 20 regardless of your intelligence and test-taking ability?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Okay, rookies, you want to score well on the DAT?

1. I'm not gonna tell u my scores, because it's irrelevant to your DAT prep. Just tell you that I scored well enough to get me into quite a few very good schools.

2. I used Princeton review book. In addition, I used gre sample tests (downloand from gre website) to practice math and english. I also used Campbell to study bio. Solomons to study O-chem, and my old college text for g-chem.

3. My DAT rock and roll started in June 10. I took the test on Aug 19, and I studied only DAT for the whole time.

4. I spent all day long study and study, practice test after practice test. You know the saying.

5. I think getting 20 for aa is what one should get if he/she studies in his/her undergrad time. Getting above 20 is totally a doable thing. The DAT is not an earth shaking, killing test or CA dental board.

EVERY THING IS DOABLE.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE ROOKIES OUT THERE.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
The secret to the DAT is TIME. Spend a lot of it studying. Study the sciences using text books and study guides at the library. I particularly liked Schaumm's Biology review. Just study everything you can get your hands on. I even studied an AP Biology review book. I studied full-time. I started beginning May 1st and took the test June 20th. I studied at least 6 hours a day. I had already studied in my free time during my last semester of school, so I spent all this time working on my weak areas. My recommendation to you is to study your arse off and then study some more. My GPA was very bad my freshman and sophmore year so I knew that my only shot at dental school was to do well on the DAT. I think everyone should study like their future depends on that test, because it actually does.

I scored a 22 in every category except I got 21s in math and perception. On the practice test that the DAT people send you I got a 26/26. Needless to say I feel the real exam is much more difficult. Some people disagree, but it is probably just attributed to a little luck either way. The real DAT was much more difficult than I expected. I really thought I would pull off a score in the mid-twenties. While I was taking the test I felt my dream of being a dentist slip through my fingers. I figured I was only gonna get like a 17 at best. When it came time to hit the button to see my scores I was about to break down. When I saw I got a 22 I almost passed out with relief. Still, I immediately felt that I should have studied even more. Still, my score was good enough to get me into 5 schools.

Just a FYI on why I was so paranoid, I took freshman Biology 3 times. Got a C-, F, and C- in that order. Not to mention a C in Calculus, C- in Gen. Chem I, C+ in Botany, and a D+ in Gen. Chem II. They were all in my first 2 years. My next to year were much, much better.

Moral of the story- STUDY, STUDY, STUDY. And as a side note don't drink too many beers your first 2 years, particularly when you go to a school like BYU. Needless to say I didn't quite fit in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
To give you a lil background, I graduted in 99 and took the DAT in 2001 so I was 2 years out of hard science courses and 3-5 years removed from the pre-requisites needed for dental school! And I averaged around a B- to a B on those pre-req's I took. Undoubtedly, I was really rusty on the material you need to know for the DAT.

So I made it a point to study as hard as I could for the DAT because I knew that would be the only way to redeem myself. And it is definitely possible to kick a$$ on the test! You just have to put in the work.

I basically didn't see the sun between June to end of August. I took the Kaplan course which was EXTREMELY helpful...not because of the instruction, but because of the amount of material and practice tests they had. I also looked into a couple of retail books for some extra test questions and tricks. Here's the rundown:

1) Kaplan course - The live classes are useless...however, their taped classes are helpful. Do ALL the practice tests and look at the explanations for each answer you got wrong.

2) Barron's DAt prep book - I needed more help on math and PAT. They had some good tricks for the PAT and their explanations for the math questions were actually better than Kaplan.

3) TopScore DAT CD - Do ALL the tests. These tests are the most similar to the real DAT in terms of test layout and difficulty of questions.

I didn't open my old textbooks at all. :)
21 AA, 20 PAT. 27 on my general chem section (my weakest subject) and 17 :( on math.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hit the sciences hard! I scored 27 gchem, 23 ochem and 20 bio. My other sections were average and I scored over 20 still. I prepared using the Kaplan DAT book, topscore and the texts form class. Studied for seven weeks over the summer on my own. The week before the exam I studied around the clock.
 
I think you should try and get your hands on as many practice tests as possible. By doing this you will become very familiar with the test format, find out what you might need to brush up on, and ultimately you will breeze through the DAT. It's definately not a difficult test and I agree with RSXer; you can definately do awesome on it.

1. My scores ranged from 21-29

2. I used the Kaplan guide and some class notes to review material

3. Probably a month before my scheduled DAT exam

4. I got my hands on as many practice tests/sections as possible.

5. I think you should put as much time into the different sections that you feel you need....Only you know if you are confident in certain areas.

6. I actually thought I was going to have to relearn alot, but fortunately I remembered alot more than I thought I was going to.

7. Prepare yourself and be confident. You will do fine.
 
Thanks everyone for the amazing replies. Your advice is helping me and many other students. I'll let you know how I did...good or bad. :cool:

And if anyone else would like to add his or her plan, feel free to chime in. I'm still reading.
 
hey mcataz..
thanks for posting this thread.. it's nice of all you guys who've been spending time giving us some good feedback. I've been studying for the DAT and plan to take it in a couple months. All these posts have been helping me a lot. Good luck to everyone in all your endevors.
 
I agree with Brand that the key is time. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY until your completely sick of looking at the same material. I have around a 3.2 gpa and new I really needed to do well, so I waited until I knew I was ready.

I read the Kaplan book cover to cover in the sciences more times than I'd like to remember, this is very good to cover the generals of every concept. I read my bio book through, and then read the sections I didn't feel comfortable with again. I used my old O-Chem book to study, and only looked at Kaplan for the stuff I didn't know yet to help with general ideas (I haven't taken O-Chem 2 yet). Gen Chem I got the basics with Kaplan and then found as many practice problems as I could, including AP, SAT II, anything that covered Gen Chem. I agree, take as many practice tests as possible.

Anyways, I studied from August to Feb when I finally took my test. I was working full time while studying, so it took me a long time, and then took a week off work right before the test. I ended up with 23 academic (24 science), 19 PAT and could have done even better on PAT if I would have spent more time on it.
 
mcataz,

I wasn't able to spend that much time studying each day, as I was working full time, plus had over an hour bus ride each way to work every day. I did study on the bus, but it is very difficult to study on public transportation, and often my travel was very early in the morning or late at night, so I ended up sleeping. This created like 12 hour days with work every day. The days I worked early shifts, I would go to the library after from around 5-9, then take the bus back home, and I studied a lot on my days off. Most of the time, though, I just studied on my way to work and back. However, I was so busy, there were a lot of days I didn't study at all, and felt like I had to catch up because I wasn't seeing the material every day. Also, since I haven't taken O-Chem 2, I had to teach myself all of that material, and I hadn't takedn GChem or Bio in 2 1/2 years. It was a long, stressful process where I felt like I had it hanging over my head, but I didn't want to take the test before I was ready, and I knew I didn't want to re-take the exam because I did poorly. Maybe I over did it, but maybe that extra month gave me a couple of extra points in my sciences. Looking back it was all worth it, but I'm sure glad to be finished, knowing I did well.

Kevin
 
1) Overall 25, Science 24, PAT 23

2) Bought $50 Kaplan book from Barnes and Noble

3) 2 weeks before test

4) I memorized the book from front to back. Spent 10+ hours a day for 14 days. Ended up going over the book about 5 or 6 times. Took 1 practice test from Kaplan book (useless) and the one included in the DAT application packet (very helpful)

5) 1) All you have to do is write down every O-Chem reaction on several sheets of paper (6 for me) and then memorize them. I found that to be the most helpful. 2) You don't need to study for the reading section - all that is involved is being able to speed read and look for keywords (in other words, read the question first and then find the answer within. NO need to read the passage). 3) Practice the PAT! The angles are going to kill you regardless, but the other parts of it are easy to conquer. 4) If you're not used to taking timed tests (and remaining calm), then I guess you should practice taking more practice tests than I did (I had practice taking MCAT)

6) Firm understanding of the material.

7) I think that perhaps the best way to succeed on the DAT is to know HOW to take it. Be confident, understand how to manage time, work fast and efficiently, know how to quickly eliminate incorrect answer choices, etc.. If you are good at memorizing information, you should do fine. Not much of the DAT requires analytical type of thinking so don't expect to see anything too surprising on the test. Another thing, I found that the DAT is different from the MCAT by the answer choices that they give you. The MCAT will always give you a "trick" answer that a significant number of people will select since it is the answer you would get if you did the problem the wrong way. On the DAT, I found that most every question had one clear answer and that's it. I did not have a hard time eliminating the wrong answers quickly.

Good Luck!
 
I focused on my weak areas. I knew going in that I would be up against a lot of bio people & this was my weakest area; so I studied it way more than any other area. Little to no studying math & chem since these were my major & minor 5 years ago. I also just finished up my orgo courses just before DAT so I did not study it. I scored about a 20 (almost an exact 20) in every section. This surpised me. My math & chem scores were lower than expected (20/19) and my bio was higher than expected (20). All in all I looked to be well rounded w/ 20's in every category. What would I do different? Study my math & chem a little more, that is about it. BTW, I used the Kaplan book exclusively & studied the bio section inside out.
GOOD LUCK!
matt
 
Hi guys, I'm applying this summer, so I don't know the effects of my scores on admittance and such, but here's the info i can give:

1. my scores were all in the low 20s, except a 26 in reading and a 19 on PAT :(
so my scores aren't amazing, but good enough that I'm not too worried about them keeping me out of any schools

2. I used a Kaplan course, and I hafta agree that for me the live classes were useless, but the books and all the practice tests at the center were INCREDIBLY useful, to me at least
the only problem I have with Kaplan is their prep for the PAT. They use all these huge figures and I got a rude awakening when these tiny figures appeared on my screen during the test. So I'd look for a more accurate PAT prep than Kaplan

3/4. Yeah, so I'm one of those procrastinators and I also was working until the end of July, so I just started really studying 2 weeks ahead of time, hence the not so amazing scores, but still not bad for just two weeks. I would drive up to New Brunswick (where the Kaplan center is), spend a few hours in the Rutgers library reading through the Kaplan DAT book, taking notes, and taking the practice test at the end of each section. Then at the end of the day I would go to the Center and take the practice tests there. At the end I took all the comprehensive tests too, which helped.

5. Again, I wish I had used a different prep book for the PAT part of the test -though I still got some useful tips from Kaplan. I also wish I had looked over more science. I was under the impression that everything that could be on the test was in the Kaplan prep book, which looking back is obviously not true. So looking at old text books from bio especially would have helped.

6. Hehe, I can't even remember now how much I remembered before the test, all i know is it seemed like alot. And the entire test is practically blocked out of my mind now, so I don't remember how I felt during it.

7. As everyone has said, as long as you study lots, you should be fine. It's not like the SATs at all, just straight questions.

And the thing helped me stay calm during that summer was thinking how grateful I was that I wasn't taking the MCATs :p
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Spring Haze

You are being much too humble my friend. You did very well on the DAT. I think most of us would be thrilled to achieve the same score.
 
My academic average was a 24. I got a 19 on the PAT. It's not just the time but it's how you use that time. Anyone jackass can say he studied 6 months for the DAT but if he is only putting in 2 hours a day, then that should tell you something. Also be aware of people telling you about studying for only 2 weeks. Trust me, it takes more than 2 weeks to prepare for the DAT. It takes at least 6 weeks and in my opinion a good 12 weeks to score well. Those who studied for only 2 weeks are people who already knew the material really well and they just needed to review. For your average Joe Applicant who is not a genius, I would say put in 12 weeks of at least 5 hour days. Here is what you should do.

1. Memorize the Kaplan book. Read it three times first. Then start memorizing the book by breaking it into flash cards. Go over these flash cards every day until the material becomes innate.

2. Do tons of practice problems. Do each practice problem at least twice.

3. This is something that no one has brought up, but improve your conceptual understanding of the material each day. Go bother professors, fellow students anyone. Try to see if you can understand it in a different way. Try to recite it to yourself. A concept should be crystal clear on the DAT. If there is any haziness to the concept you won't do well. You should know the material so that it is innate.

4. Print out the Top Score exams and understand why the wrong answers are wrong. Then take the Top Score exam a couple times.

5. I agree in that you should buy the GRE math book. The algrebra is much more difficult on the real thing. This is what I did as well. I did a lot of GRE Math.

6. Do a lot of MCAT verbal reasoning passages. Buy 101 passages from Examkrackers.

7. Mentally prepare yourself to be miserable for 3 months. It's okay to be unhappy. Just deal with it and don't whine like a sissy.

8. Study ecology, intverterbrate biology and genetics. Those were the most non-emphasized topics in Kaplan that are heavily emphasized on the real DAT.

9. The PAT will come to you. Don't give up. Just practice. Your brain starts adopting to PAT perspective. It's weird. Just do it. Get help if you need to.

10. Don't give up. There will be times that you will want to quit. The most important thing in life is not quitting. Don't quit even if you are tired, hungry or unmotivated. Push yourself. You will need it. This is good discipline.

Now you know what to do. Whether you do it or not is up to you. I took you to the water. Now let's see if you can drink
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
great post by zazzookode!!!! Thanks for the motivation!!!
 
My scores ranged from 20 to 23 (except for 18 in bio... :p ....it's funny too cuz that was my undergrad major)......overall average was 21 and PAT was 23.

I took the unconventional method of studying. I went out and bought MCAT review books (Berkeley Review for MCAT) and started attacking it 3 months before the exam date.....I was also in school full time, so I probably spent ~2 hr a nite on the materials. It was a very comprehensive book with detailed explanations.....it tells you why the other choices are stupid! Just like the guy who posted earlier (forgot the name)......know what answers to eliminate! Dont just memorize the correct answers when you do the practice tests......know why the other choices are wrong!! It really re-inforces you of the terms and what nots that will be used in the DAT"s.

I kinda forgot what the DAT's are like, to be honest......hehe. So I probably wont be too helpful to you guys.

Just make sure you study on a regular basis so you can keep on drilling in what you have studied the day before.

Oh....one more thing.....some of you probably know this trick already.....but...... When doing the PAT section, for the angle comparisons.........hold the tip of you pencil and use it as a reference point......it's gonna make it a lot easier! :D
 
This is a great thread, but now it belongs in the new DAT discussions forum. I'm moving all these as a favor to DesiDentist, the new mod over there!! So follow the link....
 
wow lots of good scores. i think the percentiles cannot be accurate. it said i was in the top 1% with my academic average (23) but yet Ive seen enough posters on this board with scores that meet or beat it... hmm...

either there are a lot more people taking the DAT and scoring poorly or those percentiles are inaccurate. oh well hopefully you all can get in this year and everyone next year will be more modest :-D
 
Veterans,
how much of your success is attributed to smart test taking skills(i.e. eliminate the wrong answers until you are down to 2 possible answers and guess if not sure) vs. actually knowing the subject matter?
 
know the subject matter all the way! You can only guess so much, but it usually goes against you.
 
Originally posted by Yah-E
know the subject matter all the way! You can only guess so much, but it usually goes against you.

How is the subject matter tested in DAT compare to the course work? I know the coursework is probably a bit more detailed in general.
 
My score is kinda average.
Donno y. science, bio, chem, ochem have the same score of 21.
Bio was a struggle for me since I didnt have evolution, classification, and other topics, so I focused on those.
Quite importantly, study what u donno.
I read somewhere in kaplan that students just study what they know for too long and too less time for what they donno.

Be careful. I think this is the major key to determine your success. Read the question and answer choices carefully, since the test-makers will always try to "trick" you.

BTW, I bought the Kaplan book and Barron.
For bio, Kaplan is quite good.
For GChem, I have to use my textbook. There are only certain ways to ask questions, so the textbook provides method and practice to solve these problems.
So is ochem. For me, I cant remember any rxn just by reading the Kaplan book. I need to review mechanisms in order to understand each rxn better.

I used barron for PAT section. the reading portion will boost your confidence. (but this is my worst section, so find other supp)
 
This might be a repost since I wrote a lengthy response to Daelroy's inquiry

My scores were 26 AA, 21 PAT.

I know most of you will read that and think I'm some genius but I really studied hard. I never studied in college so I barely passed my classes. My recollection of ochem, gen chem and math was quite weak. I had some recollection of biology.

I spent 6 months of intense preparation. I put no less than 5 hours of study each day. 3 weeks prior to the exam, I put in 10-12 hour days. I also incorporated many different styles of preparation. I used flash cards and reread the Kaplan book twice from cover to cover. I used Exam crackers to do problem sets and I bought used Kaplan practice exams from my friends.

The key to do welling on the DAT is really understanding the material. If you understand what you are studying, it makes it much easier to remember the concepts. There is some stuff that you just have to memorize. I think if you do this, you achieve a score of 18-20 on AA.

But if you want above 20 which is what I sought then it comes down to practice. I did tons of practice sets until I couldn't stand it any longer. Repetition is key to succeeding on the DAT. The more you go over something and practice, the more innate the material will be to you.
The most important thing is to do timed practice sets and simulate actual testing conditions. As a result I never ran out of time on the real DAT.

The PAT is all about repetition and practice. That's all I can say for that. There are no short cuts to the PAT.

My GPA was less than stellar (3.15) but I received interviews to every school I applied including some of the Ivy schools.

It just takes hard work, sacrafice and commitment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
The thing that I'm wondering is how do I retain what I learned in class. There's nothing worse than getting a A and when it comes time to prep for the DAT you barely remember the stuff and don't do so well on the DAT because it's just tons of stuff to refresh.
Right now I'm having a lame holiday break. Can't believe I was studying on christmas day(actually reviewing) last semester's material.
 
I know most people in here have successfull averaged 20+ on the academic and PAT section of the DAT. Could you answer the following.

1. What were your DAT scores?

2. What books/prep courses did you use?

3. When did you start studying for the DAT?

4. How did you prepare for the exam? How many hours a day did you study?

5. What study methods were a waste of time? What methods do you wish you spent more time working on?

6. How much material did you remember prior to studying for the DAT? Were you clueless in the beginning or did you feel that you had a firm understanding of the material?

7. Do you believe that you can work your way to a 20 regardless of your intelligence and test-taking ability?

I will stick to the originals posters format.

1. AA/TS/PAT = 21/24/19: Bio 22, Chem 25, Ochem 27, RC 18, QR 14
2. What books/ prep course did you use? I used Kaplan Blue book, Top score cd, Rudman's questions and answers on the DAT (highly NOT recommended), and college text books.
3. I started studying for the DAT after spring quarter, around June and finished Sept. 30.
4. I studied at least 5 hours a day. I also studied with a partner. I would refresh my self on materials well known, and take notes on materials not known. With these notes, I would regularly review them.
5. I found trying to improve RC as a waste of time. I personally can not increase my reading speed. I do not like to read in the first place.
6. For those people who are starting there freshman year, Ace Ochem, Gchem, and Bio. Then you can get a job as a tutor and get paid to refresh your self. I only recently decided to become a dentist, and I was lucky that I did tutor Ochem and Gchem. When I first started, I would score 17, and 16 on the Kaplan practice DAT. I did a lot of review and am pleased. It was amazing how fast I forget every thing even after tutoring the classes. I did underestimate the QR portion of DAT big time.
7. I use to believe that anyone could score 20 if they tried hard enough, until I witness my study partner score 16 and 15's. She worked harder them I. I felt very bad for her, and it was her second time taking it. I still think it is possible to do, but at what expenses.
 
Recommended time to take to study for the DAT? 2 months before the exam date? 1 month before?

How do you study for the DAT subjects? Do you study a specific subject area for a whole day or do you mix it instead of dedicating whole days in one area?

How much info do you retain from the classes and what grade did you get from the class(gen. chemistry, organic, and biology)?

Did any of you do any review of the class materials(notes, homework problem sets, etc..) before officially beginning the studying of the DAT? What I mean is when you were taking the courses after finishing up on one did you go back and review it before moving on to the next course?
 
Originally posted by mcataz
Hi everyone,

I know most people in here have successfull averaged 20+ on the academic and PAT section of the DAT. Could you answer the following.

1. What were your DAT scores?

2. What books/prep courses did you use?

3. When did you start studying for the DAT?

4. How did you prepare for the exam? How many hours a day did you study?

5. What study methods were a waste of time? What methods do you wish you spent more time working on?

6. How much material did you remember prior to studying for the DAT? Were you clueless in the beginning or did you feel that you had a firm understanding of the material?

7. Do you believe that you can work your way to a 20 regardless of your intelligence and test-taking ability?

This is a great thread. Even though it's relatively old, it seems very useful. I wish I knew of SDN before I took my DAT. There's a lot of info that would have been useful to me...but that being said, hopefully my thoughts might help someone.

1. AA = 24, TS = 24, PAT = 20

2. I used Kaplan book, Kaplan Subject Tests (part of the class), Top Score, and my science textbooks (for reference purposes). I wish I would have looked at ExamKrackers and more reading comp material. I could have used a tutor.

3. Took exam in July, and started studying lightly in Jan but crammed in May and Jun. In the last two month, I studied 40 - 60 hrs/wk. I wish I would have started studying hard about 4 months before the DAT. You need time to memorize some material. You need time to understand the methods to some problems. Both those things take time.

4. I studied up to 60 hrs/wk for 2 months leading up to the exam. I did not have anything else on my plate (no work, no school). I wish I would have started earlier.

5. What worked? Working as many problems as you can, over and over again. When you understand how to do the problem (not just memorize the answer choice), then go over wrong answer choices and understand the definition of every wrong answer and/or why it's wrong.

6. At the time I started studying for the DAT, I was strong in GChem, OChem, QR. My weakness was in Bio and RC. Regardless of prior knowlege, I studied all areas because the DAT tests very specific content. There are only certain types of questions the DAT asks, so again, practice by working a lot of problems. And yes, it is possible to improve your RC score. It just takes practice.

7. IMO, almost anyone can get 20's. It's more a matter of how much time and resolve you have. You DAT scores depend on how highly motivated you are, your level of understanding of the material (which can be improved with time), your ability to assess your weaknesses and strengths.

Good luck all.
 
what do you guys think of the examkrackers 1001 chem and ochem books? what is the best book for the qr section?
 
I am posting because I think it may be helpful to some non-traditional applicants who work full-time and who have a family to care for.

1. What were your DAT scores?

I just took it today.
AA: 24
TS: 22
PAT: 19 (but I still qualify for this tread, right?)

Bio: 20
Gchem: 23
Ochem: 23
RC: 27
QR: 28

2. What books/prep courses did you use?

Kaplan red book with CD (old edition)
Kaplan review book for MCAT biology (1999 edition)
Topscore CD
Barrons DAT book (only for PAT)
Kaplan course (video taped lectures, practice exams and problem sets)

3. When did you start studying for the DAT?

2 years ago. To be more exact, I took Kaplan course in summer, 2002 and began studying for DAT.

4. How did you prepare for the exam? How many hours a day did you study?

I read and memorized the Kaplan review books several times. Since I took gchem, ochem, and bio about 10 years ago, I needed to go through the review books 3-4 times.

On average, I studied for 1-2 hours a week over two years.
I am a graduate student working full time as a research assistant, and I am also a mother with a preschooler. Thus, my studying time was very limited. Once in a while, I needed to take off a few months from studying for DAT because of school works or family matters. After taking off a few months, I would forget I had studied. So I had to begin reviewing again.

A month before taking DAT, I had a spring break. So I studied for DAT 6 hours a day for five weekdays. After then, I just practiced on Topscore for 1-2 hours a day afterward.

I am especially surprised at my score on RC, because English is not my first language. But I guess reading a lot of science journals helped me. (I need to read lots of papers for my research at school.) Reading newspapers (NY times) on internet also helped me to get used to reading articles on screen.

5. What study methods were a waste of time? What methods do you wish you spent more time working on?

Kaplan lectures (video-taped) were useless.

If I have to study for it again,
I will get a Kaplan book from any book store, and study it by myself.
After I get used to basic concepts, then I will practice problems.
I will register for Kaplan course, and just use their problem sets to practice (and not go to lectures)
I will also get Examkrackers books and practice problems.
By solving a lot of problems, I can identify my weak points, and I can go back to text books or review books to study them again??.

6. How much material did you remember prior to studying for the DAT? Were you clueless in the beginning or did you feel that you had a firm understanding of the material?

I got 12-13 for my diagnostic exam at Kaplan. I was totally lost on gchem, orchem, and bio.

7. Do you believe that you can work your way to a 20 regardless of your intelligence and test-taking ability?

Yes.
Practice, practice, practice??
Repeat, repeat, repeat??
 
mnrji,

I just wanted to tell you that I find your story very inspirational. Working full time and being a mother. That's two full time jobs!!! Plus making time to study and acing the DAT. That's incredible.

HBomb.
 
Thank you so much, HBomb888!

It was very very very helpful and encouraging for me to read postings on SDS.
So I thought now it is my turn to make some contribution by sharing my story. :)

Now, I need to go through all the threads about writing SOP, applcation process, and interviews.
I hope I can also share good stories about those steps too...
 
Originally posted by marshall
wow lots of good scores. i think the percentiles cannot be accurate. it said i was in the top 1% with my academic average (23) but yet Ive seen enough posters on this board with scores that meet or beat it... hmm...

either there are a lot more people taking the DAT and scoring poorly or those percentiles are inaccurate. oh well hopefully you all can get in this year and everyone next year will be more modest :-D

Actually a 23 AA --> 99 percentile sounds about right. The percentiles change with scaled scores every year depending on how people do in the test. I'll bet that the test started out centered at 15 across the board which would be 15 at the 50th percentile. Now it takes something between 16 and 17 (usually closer to 17) to get be in the 50th percentile depending on the section. The official DAT registration booklet offers some conversions that are good to look at but probably already outdated. If dental admissions get more and more competitive the centering might end up being as high as 18 or 19. This is when they might need to recenter the test as they did for the SAT around 1995/1996. The test is standardized so a scaled score from years ago should be equivalent to a scaled score today, but the percentiles will be different. At least that's how I understand it.
 
Originally posted by HBomb888
This is a great thread. Even though it's relatively old, it seems very useful. I wish I knew of SDN before I took my DAT. There's a lot of info that would have been useful to me...but that being said, hopefully my thoughts might help someone.

1. AA = 24, TS = 24, PAT = 20

2. I used Kaplan book, Kaplan Subject Tests (part of the class), Top Score, and my science textbooks (for reference purposes). I wish I would have looked at ExamKrackers and more reading comp material. I could have used a tutor.

3. Took exam in July, and started studying lightly in Jan but crammed in May and Jun. In the last two month, I studied 40 - 60 hrs/wk. I wish I would have started studying hard about 4 months before the DAT. You need time to memorize some material. You need time to understand the methods to some problems. Both those things take time.

4. I studied up to 60 hrs/wk for 2 months leading up to the exam. I did not have anything else on my plate (no work, no school). I wish I would have started earlier.

5. What worked? Working as many problems as you can, over and over again. When you understand how to do the problem (not just memorize the answer choice), then go over wrong answer choices and understand the definition of every wrong answer and/or why it's wrong.

6. At the time I started studying for the DAT, I was strong in GChem, OChem, QR. My weakness was in Bio and RC. Regardless of prior knowlege, I studied all areas because the DAT tests very specific content. There are only certain types of questions the DAT asks, so again, practice by working a lot of problems. And yes, it is possible to improve your RC score. It just takes practice.

7. IMO, almost anyone can get 20's. It's more a matter of how much time and resolve you have. You DAT scores depend on how highly motivated you are, your level of understanding of the material (which can be improved with time), your ability to assess your weaknesses and strengths.

Good luck all.

A lot of people have recommended EXAMCRACKER. CAn someone please tell me where I can buy it? I don't think I have seen it at any bookstore. Thanks for you help. Reading this thread is really inspiring.It makes me really want to study. It's comforting to know that a good performance is very possible.
 
How were you guys doing on practice tests? I am tired of studying for the DAT now!!!! I keep getting around 18 to 20 overall on practice tests. On the topscore tests I got an 18 on the first one, and 19 on the last two. I guess I will just take the test next week when I registered for it. Just wanted to know how you guys did on your practice tests!!!! thanx
 
All my scores generally went up a point or two from TopScore, except for the PAT, which went down a couple points. In general, I think that is fairly consistent with other people who have posted on this topic. Most people's actual DAT scores go up (or stay the same) except in the PAT.
 
Originally posted by stealth-sigrho
How were you guys doing on practice tests? I am tired of studying for the DAT now!!!! I keep getting around 18 to 20 overall on practice tests. On the topscore tests I got an 18 on the first one, and 19 on the last two. I guess I will just take the test next week when I registered for it. Just wanted to know how you guys did on your practice tests!!!! thanx

My actual score improved by 4-6 points for AA from the practice test scores. For PAT my actual score dropped by 1 point from the practice test.
 
I guess I'm a member of the 20 and up club of rookies. :laugh: I spent about 2 hours studying for the DAT the night before and ended up with 22 PAT, 21 AA, and 20 TS. My low score was 18 on organic and my best was 27 on reading.

My secret? Studying for the MCAT. The only thing that sucks is I took the MCAT before the DAT but I still don't have my score from it. Oh well, its great being done :)
 
I have my DAT scores posted in my signature, at the bottom.

I studied for about 4-7 hours/day for a month and a half. I took the weekends off to relax except for the last two during which I took extra practice exams.

Materials used: Kaplan book form local books store, Topscore, and DATachiever.

Method: I made outlines for each sections of all the material, then as I did practice questions I would add info that I would miss. Everyday I reviewed my outlines a few sections at a time. By the exam date I knew it all very well. As for the PAT, that is just practice. Some people are naturally good spatial thinkers while others have to build up their skills.

Take all the practice exams you can, then before looking at the answers go through the exam again and see if you change any of the answers and ONLY then got to the exam key. The best study took is to understand the concept behind the questions and not to memorize the correct answer.

If you guys have any more questions email me, I will be glad to help.
 
Hi everyone,


1. My scores are 23/21/21 (25gc, 20bio, 20 oc, 29rc, 20 qr) so kinda consisitant...

2. What books/prep courses did you use? I used the Kaplan blue book, topscore CDs, and an extra bio prep book (don't remember which one, not very good)

3 - 4. I started studying about 3 months before my exam but in the middle of my studying I got engaged and hence distracted for a couple weeks and only studied about 2 hours a day during that time. The rest of the time I studied about 5-6 hours a day.

5. I think that none of my study methods were a waste of time. I didn't study at all for RC (I'm just a fast reader, always my strong area) and barely studied for the PAT and QR. PAT, once I knew how to do each type of problem, kinda got the hang of it. I scored about the same as I did on the practice exams on the PAT. QR I just went as fast as I could. It is just like SAT math in my opinion, not much you can study for. I also barely studied for the organic chem section because I just got out of O chem at school. I really spent the bulk of my time studying bio (like a maniac) and chem (because I got a C+ in chem 2). I memorized the kapan bio section and went over flashcards everyday but it was not enough by a long shot. Chem studying paid off.

6. I knew literally no gchem before the exam. I have a very weak background in the area so I was really behind. Lucky for me, the gchem on the exam was easier than I expected/studied for. In bio, you can never know it all/enough in my opinion. I studied bio nonstop.

7. Do you believe that you can work your way to a 20 regardless of your intelligence and test-taking ability? I think it is possible with lots of work to get a 20 in most sections no matter what. However, I know plenty of ppl who aren't fast enough readers or quick enough at math do get a 20 on those sections. I think those sections are more innate ability, in my opinion.
 
mcataz said:
Hi everyone,

I know most people in here have successfull averaged 20+ on the academic and PAT section of the DAT. Could you answer the following.

1. What were your DAT scores?

2. What books/prep courses did you use?

3. When did you start studying for the DAT?

4. How did you prepare for the exam? How many hours a day did you study?

5. What study methods were a waste of time? What methods do you wish you spent more time working on?

6. How much material did you remember prior to studying for the DAT? Were you clueless in the beginning or did you feel that you had a firm understanding of the material?

7. Do you believe that you can work your way to a 20 regardless of your intelligence and test-taking ability?

Just took the DAT today, thought I could share some thoughts since I got so many valuable tips from this forum.

1. My DAT score is 23 (TS), 23 (AA) and 20 PAT.

2.
Biology: Kaplan, Schaum (very helpful after reading kaplan- Thank you SDN for recommending this book- This is a must read), Campbell (very useful for connecting different concepts together, but may be too much detail), Topscore (most similar to the real DAT), DAT achiever (harder than the real thing), Barron (lots of mistakes, but the difficulties is about the same as the real one).

Chemistry: Kaplan, Barron, Topscore, and DAT achiever. For this section, Kaplan is enough, but some of the concepts are not well explained. I just browsed through the web. it's amazing how many useful websites there are. The most important thing in this section is practice, practice and practice a lot of problems. The real thing is a lot more easier than all of the practice tests.

Organic Chemistry: Kaplan, Topscore, Barron and DAT achiever. Also went through my textbook and study guides for the textbook, and make up reaction sheets. Again, just do a lot of problems from practice tests and textbook. I find the real organic chem test harder than the practice tests. Know your concepts: Markovnikov, anti-Markovnikov, radical stability and stereoisomers (chirality).

Reading Comprehension: The passages were very easy (easier than all of the practice tests), I was a little surprised at the test. I just scan the passage for the first 8 minutes (I just jot down numbers and names of studies only). The questions are very similar to top score, but there are also a lot of tone and purpose questions. There's no need to practice for this section, just make sure you manage your time well. Once you know you can finish the test on time, thre is no problem at all.

Quantitative: There weren't that many words problems, mainly a lot of algebra. Know your probability and trignometry relations. The section isn't that hard. Just pace yourself throughout the test. My strategy is to skip the hard questions and do all the easy ones as fast as possible. Then I go back to the hard questions. Just make sure you get at least 30 questions right. The real test is about the level of Barron, and easier than Kaplan and DAT achiever.

PAT: This is the hardest section of the DAT. I thought I was ready because I did so many practice tests. The real thing is easier than DAT achiever, but harder than Kaplan, Barron and topscore. I guess you can't really improve on perceptual ability. The angles were pretty hard, some angles were very similar. Top front end, keyholes and cube counting were extremely easy and very similar to that of Topscores. Aperture passing and pattern recognition were very hard. The most important thing is to pace yourself, just make sure you can finish the test on time. I finished it with 3 minutes to go. DAT achiever is the best for studying PAT! Study DAT achiever first and then do the other practice tests.

3,4. Started studying at May this year, and at least 7 hours every day. However, I thought I overstudied for the DAT. I probably was ready at August.

5. Study method:
First of all, the Kaplan course is useless. Just buy the book and the review material and don't waste money on the course. I can't believe I wasted close to a thousand dollar on this bad review course. The instructors just basically repeat the same thing in the textbook. I get better studying by myself than in class.

I thought Kaplan reading comprehension method was useless. The keyword method really wasted a lot of time. I just jot down numbers and names of specific study only. There's just too many scientific terms to jot down. I regretted practicing so much for the reading comprehension, I did like 18 reading comprehension tests.

6. Before studying for the DAT, I only know the molecular biology and microbiology stuff. Never took any human biology, physiology and Ecology courses in University. Schaum was the best in integrating all the concepts together. I was totally clueless with all the classification and ecology concepts until I read Schaum (kaplan is really bad at explaining ecology and classification concepts).

I took Organic chem like 3 years ago. I forgot everything already. I just read through Kaplan and then my textbook again.

7. I think hard work can lead to a respectable score, but test taking ability is the most important thing for the DAT. You need to know how to pace yourself for the whole test. Also, don't dwell too much time on one question, and make sure you do all the easy questions on the test as fast as possible.
Just study a lot and do a lot of practice tests, and you will do fine.

Thank you SDN for many advices on the DAT!
 
Well, I got 23 AA ...

The only materials I used were the Kaplan book and TopScore CD. All the materials you need to know are in the Kaplan book. Don't waste money by taking the course. Generally, TopScore q's are a lot tougher than the actual exam, except for PAT. In terms of PAT, practice practice practice. I studied semi-intensively (~2-3 hours a day) for a month and it was good enough. Then again, I was a Bio major in college and also got a masters degree in microbio and immuno, so that probably helped.
 
I started at the very beginning (don't know what DAT is and what application to file for dental schools) at the end of April this year. Then things picked up speed as I googled and researched online all days long. I signed up for Kaplan course in May and finished it at the end of June. In early July I also finally finished all application materials and sent them in except DAT (taken mid-August).

During the time I studied about 6 hours a day in average. On good days I was able to finish more pages, while on bad days I felt paralyzed and only to study a couple of pages. Of course, I started off as a senior with chemistry BS in research. So the DAT was not too much to bear originally. For Biology I focused on Kaplan and actually "carpet-bombed" the tome textbook by Campbell & Reece.

At the end of August I got my DAT AA 24, TS 25, PAT 27 (my parents are both textile/ fashion artists and I used to draw comics) and immediately faxed the scores. 10 days later the Columbia interview letter was the first to arrive.
 
mcataz said:
Hi everyone,

I know most people in here have successfull averaged 20+ on the academic and PAT section of the DAT. Could you answer the following.

1. What were your DAT scores?

2. What books/prep courses did you use?

3. When did you start studying for the DAT?

4. How did you prepare for the exam? How many hours a day did you study?

5. What study methods were a waste of time? What methods do you wish you spent more time working on?

6. How much material did you remember prior to studying for the DAT? Were you clueless in the beginning or did you feel that you had a firm understanding of the material?

7. Do you believe that you can work your way to a 20 regardless of your intelligence and test-taking ability?

1. 25AA, 24TS, 22PAT
2. TPR MCAT Biological Sciences for Bio, Found online notes for plant bio, Textbooks for G chem and O chem. (I got a 29 in Ochem, reading the textbook helps a lot. I never got an A in any Ochem class.)
3. Studied for 1.5 months, although practiced PAT for a while before
4. Spent 6 hours daily. Eventually read Gchem/Ochem textbooks 3-4 times over. Read TPR bio book in the bathroom :)
5. Nothing was a waste of time, maybe rereading what an atom was.
6. G chem and O chem were hazy just review and repetition. Bio, I had to teach myself plant bio and ecology. Other than that, I learned new concepts from the TPR MCAT bio book (great detail).
7. Most definitely, its just absorbing material for the sciences. The rest is practice.
 
Top