Hi Everyone!
I am finally done with studying for my DAT. Personally, looking at DAT breakdowns has been EXTREMELY helpful and encouraging (overall at least. Some of them did put me in a state of panic.) I hope mine will instill some confidence in those who are feeling discouraged by the seemingly insurmountable task before them.
Background: I graduated 2 years ago with a GPA of ~3.2 in Biology. I was immature and at a lost with what I was doing with my life, which greatly affected my studies. Long story short, I learned a lot about myself through my experiences abroad and at home in the past 2 years, which have ultimately led me to go into dentistry.
Time spent studying: ~4 weeks (not including the Kaplan course I took earlier this summer)
IF YOU CAN, START STUDYING EARLY. SPREAD YOUR STUDY SCHEDULE AND DON'T CRAM EVERYTHING INTO 4 WEEKS LIKE I DID. Be flexible with your study schedule and constantly adjust them based on your status. Try as best to stick to it. I probably did half of what my first study plan originally outlined. It's also important to figure out what way of learning works best for you to maximize efficiency and absorption of material.
Scores:
PAT 19
QR 21
RC 23
Bio 26
GC 28
OC 29
TS 28
AA 25
I did take a Kaplan course in the early summer, but I was working during that time and did not take the sessions as seriously as I should have. My teacher was a pre-med who scored well on the MCAT. He was not helpful at all, and even told me that we would be getting scratch paper and a pencil instead of the markers and laminated paper! The most useful thing for me about that Kaplan course was probably the online tests, and I don't mean it's content. It was just a good representation of the format and feeling of this computerized test with timer, markings, etc. It's setup was pretty similar to the real DAT. Basically, I didn't really learn anything new from them except for the test structure and rules of the PAT. I don't want to say that Kaplan is horrible. Their online resources seem to be ok, but for what I needed and for my learning style, it just wasn't a match. What little I may have learned from them was quickly forgotten after the end of the course. I did not touch any DAT material again until the last week of November when I signed up for my DAT and was forced to buckle down. I took time off work and seriously studied for the past 4 weeks.
I would like to point out that I did not really remember ANY of my chemistry, which ironically became my highest scores. I couldn't remember what chiral meant or even how to draw a Lewis structure. The subject has always been a weakness of mine. I started out with ~11-13 on my Chemistry sections for my first Kaplan tests (the rest of my subjects were around 16). Have hope! It's possible to raise your scores significantly.
Materials:
Chad's Videos (A MUST FOR THE DAT)
DAT Destroyer (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IF YOU ARE WEAK IN THE CHEMS)
Math Destroyer (ANOTHER GOOD PRACTICE MATERIAL IF YOU ARE WEAK IN THE SUBJECT)
DAT Bootcamp (VERY GOOD FOR TESTING YOUR LEVEL, DEVELOPING STRATEGIES, & INCREASING EXPOSURE TO POSSIBLE Qs AND THE WAY THEY ARE PHRASED ON THE TEST)
Feralis notes (GOOD COMPILATION SUMMARY. I WOULD SUGGEST IT IN COMBO WITH VIDEO AND ALL THE PRACTICE TESTS YOU CAN DO. IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, MEMORIZE IT.)
PAT: I was freaking out the day before my test because my scores for PAT were not where I wanted them to be. I did not have too much problem with Kaplan's PAT, so I decided to focus more on the other sections. It wasn't until after reading other people's breakdowns that I learned that Kaplan's PAT is easier than the real DAT. I started practicing for this section 2 days before my real DAT on DAT Bootcamp, hence the freak out and subsequent lack of sleep. I was scoring ~17-20 after a whole day's worth of focusing on this section. My scores were actually getting lower with each test, but that was probably due to lack of sleep, continuous practice, and the panic that consumed me. Everything started looking the same, and I started doubting myself more and more. My advice is to start early and practice a little each time. Learn from my mistake and do this. This is a section that takes time to build if you aren't naturally good at it. If you don't have that type of time, DON'T FREAK OUT! The actual PAT is easier than DAT Bootcamp's. Honestly, I should have done slightly better on this section. I didn't follow my original strategy (jumping to my stronger sections first and going back to do the harder ones). I got worried about clicking through all the problems, since the computer required me to click and drag down the scroll bar before I could see and click the NEXT button. For some reason, I decided that doing that for each question until I reached my strong sections would waste too much time and went ahead with going through the sections in order. BIGGEST REGRET EVER!!! I am the stubborn type that stares at a question to try and figure them out. I noticed this during my PAT practices with Bootcamp, which is why I decided to do the jumping strategy that gave me a better score on the practices. STICK TO YOUR PLANS PEOPLE! It was all downhill from there. I started panicking because I knew I was running out of time, which hampered my accuracy in the sections I was actually good at. I was really glad I answered everything. I basically marked B for all of my cube counting and blazed through the pattern folding. I had some time left to go back and count the cubes, but time really affected my accuracy and state of mind.
Sum: Start practicing early. Review your strengths and weaknesses. Develop a strategy that gains you the most points and stick with it. Most important of all, SLEEP. I was so nervous and had less than 4 hours of sleep. Everything looks the same after a while, so you should get the rest you need to go in with a clear mind, especially for this section.
QR: I never really liked math and was always slow at it. I went through tests 1-8 in the math destroyer, watched Chad's videos at 2.5x speed, and did the DAT Bootcamp tests.The questions on my test were probably closest in type and difficulty to the Math Destroyer ones. Chad's videos are too simple, and DAT Bootcamp's timing is KILLER! I did better on the Math Destroyer tests than the DAT Bootcamp tests (both timed). For QR, Math destroyer was definitely the biggest help out of the 3. Go through them and learn from your mistakes. Math Destroyer basically repeats the same types of questions with some minor adjustments, if any, so it really helps you learn the concepts and train your timing. You'll definitely see improvement as you practice and go through your mistakes. Like the PAT, I studied this section for ~2.5 days. (1 day: Math destroyer 1-7 and Chad's videos, the other: DAT Bootcamp, day before the test: Math destroyer test 8 and reviewing some of the questions I got wrong from other tests). During the later tests of Math destroyer, I was getting 6-9 wrong (timed). All were careless mistakes. On the real DAT, I didn't know how to do some problems and was actually worried about my time. Had a few minutes to go through the ones I marked, but that didn't really help. If I had more time to study, I would have probably finished Math Destroyer, gone through Bootcamp's answers more thoroughly, and worked on my weaknesses more.
Sum: KNOW MATH DESTROYER! As with all Destroyer material, if you don't do well the first time, it's COMPLETELY FINE! Go over the answers and really understand how to do it. Then practice these concepts again through the other tests. If you do this, you will eventually improve. DAT Bootcamp will expose you to other types of problems that may pop up on the test, but it's timing is KILLER so don't PANIC! I was never really able to finish a test and was probably getting only about 1/2 the questions right. Remember, the real DAT is easier, so don't panic and focus on learning from your mistakes. Also, practice recognizing whether you can do a problem or not within the time constraint and using that MARK button.
RC: I used DAT Bootcamp for RC. The RC is easier on the real DAT, so don't worry about your scores on Bootcamp too much. Use the Bootcamp tests to find a strategy that you are comfortable with and practice it. The real DAT will have a lot more straight forward Qs, so Bootcamp will help develop your speed and get you used to the type of questions/tricks you'll see on the real thing. I was getting 19-20 on the Bootcamp tests. I actually switched strategies from semi-reading to S&D on the second and last passages of the real DAT because I was getting so many of those types of Qs. I got a couple really weird ones that I think required me to have a little geographical knowledge (which I don't really have). I even did math for one. Never thought I would do math on RC.
Sum: Use Bootcamp to find strategy you are comfortable with and practice it.
Biology: As everyone says, the biology section is random. Everything I reviewed thoroughly, didn't show up on the test. I had a really good AP Biology teacher in high school, so almost everything I know from this section comes from her. My bio background is pretty solid, so I spent more time studying for my main weakness, chemistry. Plus, bio is random, so I knew devoting more time to Chem would be the safest way to ensuring a better overall score. I just briefly reviewed certain concepts and jumped into the Bio DAT Destroyer and DAT Bootcamp tests. I did SKIM through Feralis Notes, but I really couldn't get through it. I can recognize that the content is useful, but the way the info is presented is too hard for me to absorb. If I had time, I'd know it in and out, but I'm a slow reader with limited time to study, and pages of dense text is just not my style of learning. I took a couple of days to go through all of the Bio DAT Destroyer. Around a week before my test, I watched a few videos on youtube (mostly from Khan Academy) at 2-3x speed to help me visualize and review the more difficult concepts again. Youtube is a great source for biology. I can remember what happens in developmental biology way better by watching a few different videos about it rather than reading the text describing it. I then took the DAT Bootcamp tests to check where I would be around. I scored ~2 points higher than the average of my Bootcamp tests.
Sum: My bio was good to begin with, but if it wasn't, I would suggest going through youtube videos like Khan Academy for review. I would then go through Feralis notes. Do all the Bio tests you can get your hands on. Go through Feralis notes again (You'll most likely see the Qs you missed in Feralis notes, so this will help it stick) Then do more tests and go over them.
GC & OC: CHAD AND DESTROYER ALL THE WAY! CHAD IS YOUR CHEM GURU FOR THE DAT! The chemistry sections were the ones I dreaded most when I first started studying because I knew I had to relearn all of my chemistry, and it just seemed impossible to do in 4 weeks. I started out with destroyer and had no idea what was going on, so I stopped and got Chad's videos based on everyone's DAT breakdown on SDN. THANKS! I went through all the GChem and OChem videos in ~3-4 days, taking notes on EVERYTHING he says. I paused and rewinded a lot, so don't be afraid of doing this. I then started doing the DAT Destroyer. I STILL GOT A LOT WRONG! Don't worry, if this happens. Just go through the answers and try to understand them. Going through Chad's videos and quizzes really helps with getting your basics down. Destroyer forces you to really apply and learn these concepts. Use it to hone in on your weaknesses then review Chad's videos and your notes on his videos based on the Qs you got wrong. I can understand why people say the Destroyer is overkill, but it's a really useful tool for practicing and pointing out weaknesses, especially if you are like me and don't know where to even begin with chemistry. I did not memorize the roadmaps, but went over it and Chad's videos/notes enough times to be able to predict the products given the reagents. I went from slowly, kind of possibly knowing the product based on vague memories of Chad drawing out the mechanism, to almost instantly knowing the product given the reagents. I guess that's what happens with repetition and exposure. I didn't go over the Destroyer 3-4x like some people recommend. I actually went and answered every question of all the sections of the DAT Destroyer first. Marked all the questions I got wrong on my excel sheet. Reviewed Chad's notes and then went through EVERY question and the answer of Destroyer. Before I looked at the answers, I tried to do the problem again to see if I would still get it wrong after reviewing Chad's notes. I NEVER DID ANY OF THIS TIMED. DAT Destroyer is for learning the material. I then did the Bootcamp Tests. My scores varied from 18-26. If I did well on Gchem, I did poorly on Ochem and vice versa. haha. Overall My scores for Ochem were lower. Thus, it was back to reviewing Chad. I get lazy or am too tired to read my notes after a long day of practice tests and many sighs/exclamations of frustration, so watching videos at 2.5x speed and fast forwarding to parts I'm weak on really helps instead of staring at paper/flashcards.
Sum: CHAD + DESTROYER + BOOTCAMP = REAL TEST WILL BE A BREEZE (IT'S A LOT EASIER THAN ALL OF THESE PRACTICE MATERIALS SO DON'T FREAK OUT IF YOU ARE DOING LESS THAN SATISFACTORY. FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING YOUR MISTAKES)
On test day, I was highly caffeinated, lacked sleep from nervousness (crammed the day before because I was freaking out), and just couldn't focus. It was pretty bad. Even the proctor lady, who I thought was going through everything too quickly for me to comprehend, told me to FOCUS. She was actually kind of mean, but I was pretty out of it. I couldn't even read the rules she handed me because I couldn't focus on the words. I set up my hole punching grids during the tutorial (which I couldn't even do correctly because I was sooooo out of it. kept on drawing 4x5 grids -__-) and took the extra time to breathe and calm myself down. DON'T BE LIKE ME. DON'T PANIC. RELAX THE DAY BEFORE. GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP. IT REALLY ISN'T THAT BAD AND YOU PROBABLY KNOW MORE THAN YOU THINK!
Somehow this got really long. Sorry about that. Anyway, hope this helps some of you future test takers.
Oh, and if anyone can tell me how my chances are looking for getting into a decent dental school in California, please let me know! I want to apply next year, but I know my GPA is subpar and my PAT score doesn't help, but I'm hoping my AA and TS for the DAT will show that I really can handle dental school. I'm planning on taking some extension courses this upcoming winter quarter to further prove I can handle my academics. I'm also starting to volunteer at a dental clinic. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I am finally done with studying for my DAT. Personally, looking at DAT breakdowns has been EXTREMELY helpful and encouraging (overall at least. Some of them did put me in a state of panic.) I hope mine will instill some confidence in those who are feeling discouraged by the seemingly insurmountable task before them.
Background: I graduated 2 years ago with a GPA of ~3.2 in Biology. I was immature and at a lost with what I was doing with my life, which greatly affected my studies. Long story short, I learned a lot about myself through my experiences abroad and at home in the past 2 years, which have ultimately led me to go into dentistry.
Time spent studying: ~4 weeks (not including the Kaplan course I took earlier this summer)
IF YOU CAN, START STUDYING EARLY. SPREAD YOUR STUDY SCHEDULE AND DON'T CRAM EVERYTHING INTO 4 WEEKS LIKE I DID. Be flexible with your study schedule and constantly adjust them based on your status. Try as best to stick to it. I probably did half of what my first study plan originally outlined. It's also important to figure out what way of learning works best for you to maximize efficiency and absorption of material.
Scores:
PAT 19
QR 21
RC 23
Bio 26
GC 28
OC 29
TS 28
AA 25
I did take a Kaplan course in the early summer, but I was working during that time and did not take the sessions as seriously as I should have. My teacher was a pre-med who scored well on the MCAT. He was not helpful at all, and even told me that we would be getting scratch paper and a pencil instead of the markers and laminated paper! The most useful thing for me about that Kaplan course was probably the online tests, and I don't mean it's content. It was just a good representation of the format and feeling of this computerized test with timer, markings, etc. It's setup was pretty similar to the real DAT. Basically, I didn't really learn anything new from them except for the test structure and rules of the PAT. I don't want to say that Kaplan is horrible. Their online resources seem to be ok, but for what I needed and for my learning style, it just wasn't a match. What little I may have learned from them was quickly forgotten after the end of the course. I did not touch any DAT material again until the last week of November when I signed up for my DAT and was forced to buckle down. I took time off work and seriously studied for the past 4 weeks.
I would like to point out that I did not really remember ANY of my chemistry, which ironically became my highest scores. I couldn't remember what chiral meant or even how to draw a Lewis structure. The subject has always been a weakness of mine. I started out with ~11-13 on my Chemistry sections for my first Kaplan tests (the rest of my subjects were around 16). Have hope! It's possible to raise your scores significantly.
Materials:
Chad's Videos (A MUST FOR THE DAT)
DAT Destroyer (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IF YOU ARE WEAK IN THE CHEMS)
Math Destroyer (ANOTHER GOOD PRACTICE MATERIAL IF YOU ARE WEAK IN THE SUBJECT)
DAT Bootcamp (VERY GOOD FOR TESTING YOUR LEVEL, DEVELOPING STRATEGIES, & INCREASING EXPOSURE TO POSSIBLE Qs AND THE WAY THEY ARE PHRASED ON THE TEST)
Feralis notes (GOOD COMPILATION SUMMARY. I WOULD SUGGEST IT IN COMBO WITH VIDEO AND ALL THE PRACTICE TESTS YOU CAN DO. IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, MEMORIZE IT.)
PAT: I was freaking out the day before my test because my scores for PAT were not where I wanted them to be. I did not have too much problem with Kaplan's PAT, so I decided to focus more on the other sections. It wasn't until after reading other people's breakdowns that I learned that Kaplan's PAT is easier than the real DAT. I started practicing for this section 2 days before my real DAT on DAT Bootcamp, hence the freak out and subsequent lack of sleep. I was scoring ~17-20 after a whole day's worth of focusing on this section. My scores were actually getting lower with each test, but that was probably due to lack of sleep, continuous practice, and the panic that consumed me. Everything started looking the same, and I started doubting myself more and more. My advice is to start early and practice a little each time. Learn from my mistake and do this. This is a section that takes time to build if you aren't naturally good at it. If you don't have that type of time, DON'T FREAK OUT! The actual PAT is easier than DAT Bootcamp's. Honestly, I should have done slightly better on this section. I didn't follow my original strategy (jumping to my stronger sections first and going back to do the harder ones). I got worried about clicking through all the problems, since the computer required me to click and drag down the scroll bar before I could see and click the NEXT button. For some reason, I decided that doing that for each question until I reached my strong sections would waste too much time and went ahead with going through the sections in order. BIGGEST REGRET EVER!!! I am the stubborn type that stares at a question to try and figure them out. I noticed this during my PAT practices with Bootcamp, which is why I decided to do the jumping strategy that gave me a better score on the practices. STICK TO YOUR PLANS PEOPLE! It was all downhill from there. I started panicking because I knew I was running out of time, which hampered my accuracy in the sections I was actually good at. I was really glad I answered everything. I basically marked B for all of my cube counting and blazed through the pattern folding. I had some time left to go back and count the cubes, but time really affected my accuracy and state of mind.
Sum: Start practicing early. Review your strengths and weaknesses. Develop a strategy that gains you the most points and stick with it. Most important of all, SLEEP. I was so nervous and had less than 4 hours of sleep. Everything looks the same after a while, so you should get the rest you need to go in with a clear mind, especially for this section.
QR: I never really liked math and was always slow at it. I went through tests 1-8 in the math destroyer, watched Chad's videos at 2.5x speed, and did the DAT Bootcamp tests.The questions on my test were probably closest in type and difficulty to the Math Destroyer ones. Chad's videos are too simple, and DAT Bootcamp's timing is KILLER! I did better on the Math Destroyer tests than the DAT Bootcamp tests (both timed). For QR, Math destroyer was definitely the biggest help out of the 3. Go through them and learn from your mistakes. Math Destroyer basically repeats the same types of questions with some minor adjustments, if any, so it really helps you learn the concepts and train your timing. You'll definitely see improvement as you practice and go through your mistakes. Like the PAT, I studied this section for ~2.5 days. (1 day: Math destroyer 1-7 and Chad's videos, the other: DAT Bootcamp, day before the test: Math destroyer test 8 and reviewing some of the questions I got wrong from other tests). During the later tests of Math destroyer, I was getting 6-9 wrong (timed). All were careless mistakes. On the real DAT, I didn't know how to do some problems and was actually worried about my time. Had a few minutes to go through the ones I marked, but that didn't really help. If I had more time to study, I would have probably finished Math Destroyer, gone through Bootcamp's answers more thoroughly, and worked on my weaknesses more.
Sum: KNOW MATH DESTROYER! As with all Destroyer material, if you don't do well the first time, it's COMPLETELY FINE! Go over the answers and really understand how to do it. Then practice these concepts again through the other tests. If you do this, you will eventually improve. DAT Bootcamp will expose you to other types of problems that may pop up on the test, but it's timing is KILLER so don't PANIC! I was never really able to finish a test and was probably getting only about 1/2 the questions right. Remember, the real DAT is easier, so don't panic and focus on learning from your mistakes. Also, practice recognizing whether you can do a problem or not within the time constraint and using that MARK button.
RC: I used DAT Bootcamp for RC. The RC is easier on the real DAT, so don't worry about your scores on Bootcamp too much. Use the Bootcamp tests to find a strategy that you are comfortable with and practice it. The real DAT will have a lot more straight forward Qs, so Bootcamp will help develop your speed and get you used to the type of questions/tricks you'll see on the real thing. I was getting 19-20 on the Bootcamp tests. I actually switched strategies from semi-reading to S&D on the second and last passages of the real DAT because I was getting so many of those types of Qs. I got a couple really weird ones that I think required me to have a little geographical knowledge (which I don't really have). I even did math for one. Never thought I would do math on RC.
Sum: Use Bootcamp to find strategy you are comfortable with and practice it.
Biology: As everyone says, the biology section is random. Everything I reviewed thoroughly, didn't show up on the test. I had a really good AP Biology teacher in high school, so almost everything I know from this section comes from her. My bio background is pretty solid, so I spent more time studying for my main weakness, chemistry. Plus, bio is random, so I knew devoting more time to Chem would be the safest way to ensuring a better overall score. I just briefly reviewed certain concepts and jumped into the Bio DAT Destroyer and DAT Bootcamp tests. I did SKIM through Feralis Notes, but I really couldn't get through it. I can recognize that the content is useful, but the way the info is presented is too hard for me to absorb. If I had time, I'd know it in and out, but I'm a slow reader with limited time to study, and pages of dense text is just not my style of learning. I took a couple of days to go through all of the Bio DAT Destroyer. Around a week before my test, I watched a few videos on youtube (mostly from Khan Academy) at 2-3x speed to help me visualize and review the more difficult concepts again. Youtube is a great source for biology. I can remember what happens in developmental biology way better by watching a few different videos about it rather than reading the text describing it. I then took the DAT Bootcamp tests to check where I would be around. I scored ~2 points higher than the average of my Bootcamp tests.
Sum: My bio was good to begin with, but if it wasn't, I would suggest going through youtube videos like Khan Academy for review. I would then go through Feralis notes. Do all the Bio tests you can get your hands on. Go through Feralis notes again (You'll most likely see the Qs you missed in Feralis notes, so this will help it stick) Then do more tests and go over them.
GC & OC: CHAD AND DESTROYER ALL THE WAY! CHAD IS YOUR CHEM GURU FOR THE DAT! The chemistry sections were the ones I dreaded most when I first started studying because I knew I had to relearn all of my chemistry, and it just seemed impossible to do in 4 weeks. I started out with destroyer and had no idea what was going on, so I stopped and got Chad's videos based on everyone's DAT breakdown on SDN. THANKS! I went through all the GChem and OChem videos in ~3-4 days, taking notes on EVERYTHING he says. I paused and rewinded a lot, so don't be afraid of doing this. I then started doing the DAT Destroyer. I STILL GOT A LOT WRONG! Don't worry, if this happens. Just go through the answers and try to understand them. Going through Chad's videos and quizzes really helps with getting your basics down. Destroyer forces you to really apply and learn these concepts. Use it to hone in on your weaknesses then review Chad's videos and your notes on his videos based on the Qs you got wrong. I can understand why people say the Destroyer is overkill, but it's a really useful tool for practicing and pointing out weaknesses, especially if you are like me and don't know where to even begin with chemistry. I did not memorize the roadmaps, but went over it and Chad's videos/notes enough times to be able to predict the products given the reagents. I went from slowly, kind of possibly knowing the product based on vague memories of Chad drawing out the mechanism, to almost instantly knowing the product given the reagents. I guess that's what happens with repetition and exposure. I didn't go over the Destroyer 3-4x like some people recommend. I actually went and answered every question of all the sections of the DAT Destroyer first. Marked all the questions I got wrong on my excel sheet. Reviewed Chad's notes and then went through EVERY question and the answer of Destroyer. Before I looked at the answers, I tried to do the problem again to see if I would still get it wrong after reviewing Chad's notes. I NEVER DID ANY OF THIS TIMED. DAT Destroyer is for learning the material. I then did the Bootcamp Tests. My scores varied from 18-26. If I did well on Gchem, I did poorly on Ochem and vice versa. haha. Overall My scores for Ochem were lower. Thus, it was back to reviewing Chad. I get lazy or am too tired to read my notes after a long day of practice tests and many sighs/exclamations of frustration, so watching videos at 2.5x speed and fast forwarding to parts I'm weak on really helps instead of staring at paper/flashcards.
Sum: CHAD + DESTROYER + BOOTCAMP = REAL TEST WILL BE A BREEZE (IT'S A LOT EASIER THAN ALL OF THESE PRACTICE MATERIALS SO DON'T FREAK OUT IF YOU ARE DOING LESS THAN SATISFACTORY. FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING YOUR MISTAKES)
On test day, I was highly caffeinated, lacked sleep from nervousness (crammed the day before because I was freaking out), and just couldn't focus. It was pretty bad. Even the proctor lady, who I thought was going through everything too quickly for me to comprehend, told me to FOCUS. She was actually kind of mean, but I was pretty out of it. I couldn't even read the rules she handed me because I couldn't focus on the words. I set up my hole punching grids during the tutorial (which I couldn't even do correctly because I was sooooo out of it. kept on drawing 4x5 grids -__-) and took the extra time to breathe and calm myself down. DON'T BE LIKE ME. DON'T PANIC. RELAX THE DAY BEFORE. GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP. IT REALLY ISN'T THAT BAD AND YOU PROBABLY KNOW MORE THAN YOU THINK!
Somehow this got really long. Sorry about that. Anyway, hope this helps some of you future test takers.
Oh, and if anyone can tell me how my chances are looking for getting into a decent dental school in California, please let me know! I want to apply next year, but I know my GPA is subpar and my PAT score doesn't help, but I'm hoping my AA and TS for the DAT will show that I really can handle dental school. I'm planning on taking some extension courses this upcoming winter quarter to further prove I can handle my academics. I'm also starting to volunteer at a dental clinic. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
