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- Apr 26, 2018
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Hey guys! SDN has been such a phenomenal place over the last few months while preparing for my exam, and I am so thankful for all of the DAT breakdowns and study advice that are always floating around. I just took my DAT the other day, so I thought it would only be right to return the favor and do my part in giving back what I can!
A Little Background:
I'm a Bio major! My GPA is a 3.95 and my sGPA is a 3.92. After this summer i will be going into my third year of undergrad with 3 semesters left to graduate! I've had my eye on dentistry since I was very young with my interest dawning from a root canal that I had when I was about 9 due to some unfortunate circumstances. Since then, my passion for the field has done nothing but grow and flourish, and I can't express enough the joy that I feel finally being on the other side of this test!
Scores and Bootcamp Averages:
Actual Scores:
Bio: 18
GC: 24
OC: 22
PAT: 21
RC: 25
QR: 22
TS: 20
AA: 22
Bootcamp FULL LENGTH Averages:
Bio: 19.6
GC: 20.8
OC: 19.6
PAT: 20.3
RC: 21
QR: 20
Impressions of the Test:
Biology - 18
Bio was the section I think I was most nervous about and was definitely what I spent the most time with while studying. Seeing an 18 was a little disappointing, as I really felt I did better. I felt like the biology portion was pretty straight forward and definitely fair. None of the questions were too in depth and were on par or even more surface level than most of the bootcamp practice questions.
I'm sure I'm probably just beating a dead horse, but BREDTH over DEPTH for sure when it comes to biology.
General Chemistry - 24
I was just about as surprised seeing this score as I was seeing my biology score. I knew that GC was the area I felt the strongest in, but I was not expecting to see a 24. Studying the basics definitely pays off. I only had one or two actual calculations which was nice, and additionally those weren't even that difficult. I used Mike's videos mostly for this section and I'm positive they covered everything that I was asked, and I even saw some questions that were formatted almost identically to some of the practice questions in his videos.
Organic Chemistry - 22
Organic was the section that I felt the worst about while studying. I just finished Orgo I and II this last year, so it was all fresh in my mind, but for some reason I was struggling preparing for it. Im not really sure what it was that I couldn't get down, but I was just never satisfied with my bootcamp scores and I was feeling really anxious leading up to test day. I memorized all of the reactions/reagents I could and really hammered down aromaticity and a few other concepts in the last couple weeks, and apparently all of that really payed off! On my test I felt like the Orgo was quite a bit easier than every thing I had used to prepare though.
PAT - 21
I actually really enjoyed the PAT section. I picked all of it up relatively quickly and never had any severe issues on any of the different sections. (Except for angles... I was never good at angles.) I think a 21 is definitely fair and is around what I expected. I got a couple rocks unfortunately, but everything else was pretty on par with the bootcamp practice tests and generators difficulty wise. Keyhole was spot on. TFE was spot on. Angles were a little easier on the actual test. Hole punching was spot on. Cube counting and pattern folding were also very close! I was also struggling for time on the bootcamp tests but finished with about 5 minutes left on my actual exam!
Reading Comp. - 25
The reading was so much easier than bootcamp's practice. Most of the BC exams took me down to the last seconds answering the final questions, but I finished this section with over 10 minutes left on my actual exam. I've always had an innate ability when it comes to reading comprehension in test taking formats, however. Because of that, I didn't really prepare all that much aside from taking practice tests just to get the timing down. My passages were very simple and not overly scientific, and for the most part, my questions were in order chronologically.
I think the best way to prepare and increase your score on RC is just to find the strategy your'e most comfortable with. For me personally, I would read the first question before I ever started to read, figure out what it was looking for and then start from the first paragraph. I would read and really concentrate, trying to actually retain what I was reading until I could answer the first question. Then I would read the second question and determine if I could answer it from what I had already read. If not, I would pick back up where I left off. Doing it this way I could answer roughly the first 8-9 of the questions on my first time through the passage and would actually get a good grip of the tone and direction. Then I would just search and destroy for the rest.
Quantitative Reasoning - 22
QR was very straight forward. I did math destroyer 1.5x and did all of the practice tests on bootcamp to prepare and I think that was plenty enough for me. Those two covered every type of question I saw on the actual test and were slightly more difficult than the real thing which is honestly really nice. The comparison questions on my test were exceptionally simple and I didn't get any ridiculously tricky questions. I believe I only had 3 marked questions before I finished. Overall I thought this section was also really fair, and totally conquerable if you put in the time to learning the question types and strengthening yourself in the ones you struggle with.
Study Methods and Material Review:
I studied for roughly 12 weeks, 6 days a week (taking Sunday as my day to rest and spend time with my family). For the first 8 weeks or so I spent every morning my local coffee shop. I'd typically show up around 7 a.m. and would stay anywhere from 5-10 hours depending on the day. Initially I was sticking close to Ari's schedule, but that only lasted for about 4-5 weeks before I realized that I needed to give myself more time with some things. I broke off from that schedule and started making my own, trying to set goals every day about what specifically I wanted to accomplish to keep me on track. Around the end of that 8 week mark my life got a little hectic and my studying got quite a bit more sporadic. I was traveling a bit due to some unfortunate events and had a lot of things going on, so my study time got cut down a lot and was more along the lines of 4-5 days a week, 3-6 hours a day if I was lucky. A week before my original test date I hadn't even taken a practice test yet, so I had to push my test date back 2 weeks to give myself ample time to do and review them. I am SO thankful I did!
Here are the resources I used!
DAT BOOTCAMP - (11/10)
I have to say, this program is absolutely amazing. I really believe you could use nothing else and get a great score on the DAT. It has everything. The bio notes are wonderful and thorough and include illustrations and graphs that really help in learning some of the material. There are also tons of mnemonic devices that are so helpful. (many of which are STILL stuck in my head) Mike's videos were what I used mostly for the chemistries and they covered everything I encountered extremely well! The PAT academy does an awesome job at running through how to approach every section and tips to improve for each one. You won't find a better resource specifically for this anywhere. RC and QR are both a little less interactive but will definitely prepare, if not over prepare you for the real thing if you take and study the practice tests. The most valuable part of Bootcamp though is definitely the explanations. Ari and the team have done an amazing job writing full explanations for every single question, detailing why answers are right and why the others are wrong. This makes identifying and patching up weak spots in your knowledge so much easier.
Overall, if I could only recommend one resource, it would without a doubt be DAT Bootcamp.
DAT DESTROYER - (7/10)
I think Destroyer has it's place, I just think there are other things you could be doing to prepare more efficiently. I only completed half of the sections for GC and OC, and to be honest I found the questions to just be too difficult for what I was trying to get done. To really get the most out of it, I think you really need to start early and spend a ton of time answering questions and going over them, and in that situation I think you could learn a lot from it. I just didn't really have that kind of time to really spend with it, so it wasn't all that beneficial to me. The Bio section, however, I think is very useful. With biology in particular, the range of questions you can encounter is so broad that I feel that exposing yourself to as many questions as possible is one of the best things you can do to prepare. I went through the bio section 1.2x and would definitely recommend doing the same if you can find time for it.
Math Destroyer - (10/10)
Math Destroyer is phenomenal. I completed it 1.5 times through, doing the second time through with a timer to try and simulate the actual test. This covered every type of question I saw on my test and I really believe that spending the ample amount of time with it, studying the question types and how to solve them, can really set you up to smash the QR section. Great resource, can't recommend it enough.
Cliff's AP Bio 3rd - (8/10)
I used Cliff's as a way to brush up on things that I would forget. It's much more brief than the bootcamp notes and allows you to touch up on the basics and foundation of a lot of the biology. The A&P sections are pretty bare though, and with that being so important, I wouldn't really rely on it too much. I think its a phenomenal resource but should be used supplementally to something like the Bootcamp notes or Feralis' Notes.
Chad's Videos - (10/10)
I tried to use Chad's videos as a secondary source for both chemistries after I finished Mike's videos in the Bootcamp schedule. I never got all the way through them but I can tell you that Chad is a phenomenal teacher and the videos that I saw covered everything really in depth. I'm sure that you could rely solely on Chad to lock down GC and OC. Would definitely recommend.
Closing:
I just want to express how thankful I am to my support system for helping me whenever I needed it. I also want to give a massive thank you to @Ari Rezaei and @orgoman22 for putting together such amazing study resources and programs. There is no way I would have been able to accomplish this without you guys!
To anyone prepping for the DAT now: Make a plan and stick to it! Don't be nervous! Study hard and I promise you will have nothing to worry about, it's not as intimidating as it's made out to be!
Wishing you all good luck!
NeilDeMikeTyson
A Little Background:
I'm a Bio major! My GPA is a 3.95 and my sGPA is a 3.92. After this summer i will be going into my third year of undergrad with 3 semesters left to graduate! I've had my eye on dentistry since I was very young with my interest dawning from a root canal that I had when I was about 9 due to some unfortunate circumstances. Since then, my passion for the field has done nothing but grow and flourish, and I can't express enough the joy that I feel finally being on the other side of this test!
Scores and Bootcamp Averages:
Actual Scores:
Bio: 18
GC: 24
OC: 22
PAT: 21
RC: 25
QR: 22
TS: 20
AA: 22
Bootcamp FULL LENGTH Averages:
Bio: 19.6
GC: 20.8
OC: 19.6
PAT: 20.3
RC: 21
QR: 20
Impressions of the Test:
Biology - 18
Bio was the section I think I was most nervous about and was definitely what I spent the most time with while studying. Seeing an 18 was a little disappointing, as I really felt I did better. I felt like the biology portion was pretty straight forward and definitely fair. None of the questions were too in depth and were on par or even more surface level than most of the bootcamp practice questions.
I'm sure I'm probably just beating a dead horse, but BREDTH over DEPTH for sure when it comes to biology.
General Chemistry - 24
I was just about as surprised seeing this score as I was seeing my biology score. I knew that GC was the area I felt the strongest in, but I was not expecting to see a 24. Studying the basics definitely pays off. I only had one or two actual calculations which was nice, and additionally those weren't even that difficult. I used Mike's videos mostly for this section and I'm positive they covered everything that I was asked, and I even saw some questions that were formatted almost identically to some of the practice questions in his videos.
Organic Chemistry - 22
Organic was the section that I felt the worst about while studying. I just finished Orgo I and II this last year, so it was all fresh in my mind, but for some reason I was struggling preparing for it. Im not really sure what it was that I couldn't get down, but I was just never satisfied with my bootcamp scores and I was feeling really anxious leading up to test day. I memorized all of the reactions/reagents I could and really hammered down aromaticity and a few other concepts in the last couple weeks, and apparently all of that really payed off! On my test I felt like the Orgo was quite a bit easier than every thing I had used to prepare though.
PAT - 21
I actually really enjoyed the PAT section. I picked all of it up relatively quickly and never had any severe issues on any of the different sections. (Except for angles... I was never good at angles.) I think a 21 is definitely fair and is around what I expected. I got a couple rocks unfortunately, but everything else was pretty on par with the bootcamp practice tests and generators difficulty wise. Keyhole was spot on. TFE was spot on. Angles were a little easier on the actual test. Hole punching was spot on. Cube counting and pattern folding were also very close! I was also struggling for time on the bootcamp tests but finished with about 5 minutes left on my actual exam!
Reading Comp. - 25
The reading was so much easier than bootcamp's practice. Most of the BC exams took me down to the last seconds answering the final questions, but I finished this section with over 10 minutes left on my actual exam. I've always had an innate ability when it comes to reading comprehension in test taking formats, however. Because of that, I didn't really prepare all that much aside from taking practice tests just to get the timing down. My passages were very simple and not overly scientific, and for the most part, my questions were in order chronologically.
I think the best way to prepare and increase your score on RC is just to find the strategy your'e most comfortable with. For me personally, I would read the first question before I ever started to read, figure out what it was looking for and then start from the first paragraph. I would read and really concentrate, trying to actually retain what I was reading until I could answer the first question. Then I would read the second question and determine if I could answer it from what I had already read. If not, I would pick back up where I left off. Doing it this way I could answer roughly the first 8-9 of the questions on my first time through the passage and would actually get a good grip of the tone and direction. Then I would just search and destroy for the rest.
Quantitative Reasoning - 22
QR was very straight forward. I did math destroyer 1.5x and did all of the practice tests on bootcamp to prepare and I think that was plenty enough for me. Those two covered every type of question I saw on the actual test and were slightly more difficult than the real thing which is honestly really nice. The comparison questions on my test were exceptionally simple and I didn't get any ridiculously tricky questions. I believe I only had 3 marked questions before I finished. Overall I thought this section was also really fair, and totally conquerable if you put in the time to learning the question types and strengthening yourself in the ones you struggle with.
Study Methods and Material Review:
I studied for roughly 12 weeks, 6 days a week (taking Sunday as my day to rest and spend time with my family). For the first 8 weeks or so I spent every morning my local coffee shop. I'd typically show up around 7 a.m. and would stay anywhere from 5-10 hours depending on the day. Initially I was sticking close to Ari's schedule, but that only lasted for about 4-5 weeks before I realized that I needed to give myself more time with some things. I broke off from that schedule and started making my own, trying to set goals every day about what specifically I wanted to accomplish to keep me on track. Around the end of that 8 week mark my life got a little hectic and my studying got quite a bit more sporadic. I was traveling a bit due to some unfortunate events and had a lot of things going on, so my study time got cut down a lot and was more along the lines of 4-5 days a week, 3-6 hours a day if I was lucky. A week before my original test date I hadn't even taken a practice test yet, so I had to push my test date back 2 weeks to give myself ample time to do and review them. I am SO thankful I did!
Here are the resources I used!
DAT BOOTCAMP - (11/10)
I have to say, this program is absolutely amazing. I really believe you could use nothing else and get a great score on the DAT. It has everything. The bio notes are wonderful and thorough and include illustrations and graphs that really help in learning some of the material. There are also tons of mnemonic devices that are so helpful. (many of which are STILL stuck in my head) Mike's videos were what I used mostly for the chemistries and they covered everything I encountered extremely well! The PAT academy does an awesome job at running through how to approach every section and tips to improve for each one. You won't find a better resource specifically for this anywhere. RC and QR are both a little less interactive but will definitely prepare, if not over prepare you for the real thing if you take and study the practice tests. The most valuable part of Bootcamp though is definitely the explanations. Ari and the team have done an amazing job writing full explanations for every single question, detailing why answers are right and why the others are wrong. This makes identifying and patching up weak spots in your knowledge so much easier.
Overall, if I could only recommend one resource, it would without a doubt be DAT Bootcamp.
DAT DESTROYER - (7/10)
I think Destroyer has it's place, I just think there are other things you could be doing to prepare more efficiently. I only completed half of the sections for GC and OC, and to be honest I found the questions to just be too difficult for what I was trying to get done. To really get the most out of it, I think you really need to start early and spend a ton of time answering questions and going over them, and in that situation I think you could learn a lot from it. I just didn't really have that kind of time to really spend with it, so it wasn't all that beneficial to me. The Bio section, however, I think is very useful. With biology in particular, the range of questions you can encounter is so broad that I feel that exposing yourself to as many questions as possible is one of the best things you can do to prepare. I went through the bio section 1.2x and would definitely recommend doing the same if you can find time for it.
Math Destroyer - (10/10)
Math Destroyer is phenomenal. I completed it 1.5 times through, doing the second time through with a timer to try and simulate the actual test. This covered every type of question I saw on my test and I really believe that spending the ample amount of time with it, studying the question types and how to solve them, can really set you up to smash the QR section. Great resource, can't recommend it enough.
Cliff's AP Bio 3rd - (8/10)
I used Cliff's as a way to brush up on things that I would forget. It's much more brief than the bootcamp notes and allows you to touch up on the basics and foundation of a lot of the biology. The A&P sections are pretty bare though, and with that being so important, I wouldn't really rely on it too much. I think its a phenomenal resource but should be used supplementally to something like the Bootcamp notes or Feralis' Notes.
Chad's Videos - (10/10)
I tried to use Chad's videos as a secondary source for both chemistries after I finished Mike's videos in the Bootcamp schedule. I never got all the way through them but I can tell you that Chad is a phenomenal teacher and the videos that I saw covered everything really in depth. I'm sure that you could rely solely on Chad to lock down GC and OC. Would definitely recommend.
Closing:
I just want to express how thankful I am to my support system for helping me whenever I needed it. I also want to give a massive thank you to @Ari Rezaei and @orgoman22 for putting together such amazing study resources and programs. There is no way I would have been able to accomplish this without you guys!
To anyone prepping for the DAT now: Make a plan and stick to it! Don't be nervous! Study hard and I promise you will have nothing to worry about, it's not as intimidating as it's made out to be!
Wishing you all good luck!
NeilDeMikeTyson
