DAT-Advice?

[blackwolf43]

I took the DAT last year and scored a 19 on it. It wasn’t exactly the score I wanted but nevertheless I went ahead and applied to dental school this cycle. I’m scheduled to retake the DAT in about 3 weeks. I’ve scored a 22AA on the first 6 bootcamp test and I’m not sure if that’s because I’ve seen these questions previously. I’ve been using destroyer for this prep and the questions are incredibly hard (getting about 50-60% right). Should I be worried or just go ahead and take it. I do feel 10X more confident this time around.

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[abba124]

Destroyer is certainly one of those resources that is significantly harder than the scope of the DAT, and is designed as such. 50% is on par with what most people experience on their first run through the material, just make sure you're paying attention to the answer key and prioritize understanding why you got a question wrong. Most run through it multiple times to check for understanding.

Your Bootcamp scores are great and are far more realistic to test conditions. If you're 3 weeks out, you have plenty of time to continue improving and reviewing high-yield material. You got this!

 

[ChemistryDentist]

I took the DAT last year and scored a 19 on it. It wasn’t exactly the score I wanted but nevertheless I went ahead and applied to dental school this cycle. I’m scheduled to retake the DAT in about 3 weeks. I’ve scored a 22AA on the first 6 bootcamp test and I’m not sure if that’s because I’ve seen these questions previously. I’ve been using destroyer for this prep and the questions are incredibly hard (getting about 50-60% right). Should I be worried or just go ahead and take it. I do feel 10X more confident this time around.

Confidence is definitely key, so that's a good sign. But you definitely should not be using BC to gauge your preparedness for the exam based on your test scores. Seeing those questions before could definitely help, but you also have to realize the DAT may test completely differently aspects of each subject than your BC practice tests. That's why the test scores can be so deceiving.

My first time through the Destroyer, I was similarly getting a low percentage of problems correct. I always suggest going through it more than once to make sure you master the material. Mark questions you get wrong and make sure you know the concepts and materials behind the ones you are unsure of. If you do that, you'll be on the right track to doing better.

Best of luck!

 

[sierra1303]

I got an 18TS/19AA the first time I took the DAT. I went in thinking I would do great because of practice test scores. That's a mistake!

When I retook I have to say confidence helped more than knowledge. Whatever you see on biology on bootcamp won't necessarily be on your exam due to the entire breadth of the information; those are just meant to help you practice the question styles and applying the information you've learned. I just focused on learning as much as I possibly could over a wide range of information.

Don't focus too much on practice test scores. Just focus on learning from the mistakes and jotting down as much info as possible. I used to obsess over my scores thinking it completely determined how the test would go. Bookmark whatever you aren't sure about and go through bookmarks constantly. Even if you think you've memorized the answer, force yourself to read through carefully and verbally explain why each question is right or wrong. Try to take that question topic and come up with more questions off of it. Expand and annotate the questions; that way you are using the practice tests in the maximum way.

Destroyer was definitely much harder. It's main purpose, I think, is to just expose you to some pretty detailed questions. Chances are you might not get those but it really helps with giving you additional facts. Remember, these practice tests are not meant to check your accuracy, just your knowledge. It's okay if you're not acing every Destroyer question!!! The point is to learn as much as you can and not make similar mistakes on the real test.

Hope this makes sense. The DAT is a journey I'll never forget lol, and if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

 

[basskleff]

I like what others are saying about reviewing where you went wrong on your answers. Review your courses' textbooks' theory if you can and try a few problems. Go back to some fundamentals if you have time and read and try their exercises. It's time consuming, but I think it will payoff.
Sierra1303, that's a great improvement to the scores in your signature. If you could have one popular supplemental practice aid choice, what would it be? Destroyer? Did destroyer help you the most as a supplement to your self-study? Need one have both bootcamp and destroyer?

I took the DAT once in 2014, applied 3 cycles: 2015, 2016 and 2018. I got into school in 2018. I had to leave due to a health issue. Big bummer.
6 interviews total. 3 waitlists and one acceptance. My scores were 21 Bio, 20 GC, 19 Orgo, 19 RC, 17 PAT and 16 QRT, 19AA and 20TS. I self-studied with Princeton Review book, textbooks and classnotes. I did buy CrackTheDat towards the end, primarily for PAT study. I remember not having had the 2nd semester of Orgo Chem before sitting for the DAT, and that caused panic and stress as I looked at the full year of Orgo in the review book! So, I felt that I rushed and somewhat half-heartedly practiced and cheated certainly QRT and PAT.
I am looking to buy one popular supplemental aid to complement the Princeton book and my process.
Cheers!