Alexa Souto
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- Jun 13, 2022
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Hi everyone!! I never thought I would be the one making this but here I am!! I just took my DAT this morning and I am very happy with my results, and I hope I can ease some stress with my breakdown! (It's kinda long sorry)
I started studying towards the end of March and took my DAT on June 15. I finished the 12-week study guide from booster a week before the exam, so my last week was spent with light review. All I used was booster to study and it was everything I needed. It definitely over prepares you, but in a good way. I couldn’t recommend this platform enough due to the helpful live chats, representative exams, and even repeats of questions on the actual DAT.
I only took 4 classes over the semester (spring of junior year) and then had a whole month to focus solely on the DAT. I have always been the type of person to not do as well on standardized tests vs “normal” tests since I was in elementary school, so even before I started studying I was intimidated. I did make sure I still had time to hang out with my family and my friends because it was a great way to relax which is really helpful during this time.
I just wanted to preface by saying: don’t get discouraged by your practice exam scores, use these as a tool to learn. Some days were anxiety-filled while studying, and I didn’t see a lot of personal improvement or confidence until I calmed down and realized that the DAT is JUST an exam. I would even freak out during practice exams because I thought I wasn’t going to do well.
I’m not sure if anyone is feeling this way, but during the learning portion of the study guide, I felt as though I was only trying to check things off the list rather than actually learning them, but phase two was when things started to finally click so DON’T GET DISCOURAGED if you’re feeling a little lost. Everything will work itself out as cheesy as it sounds.
ACTUAL DAT SCORES:
PAT: 20 QR: 20 RC: 21 BIO: 23 GC: 21 OC: 26 TS: 22 AA: 22
BIO: 16, 19, 20, 19, 19, 19, 20, 20, 21, 24
I always had a strong bio background, so my scores stayed consistent throughout my reviews. I started Anki on day 1 of studying, and I am so glad I did. That being said, the booster Anki deck is super dense with a ton of information, and a lot of people don’t have time to do all of it. I only did half of it because it got to be too much on top of everything else I had to do. Towards the end, I would write my own Anki cards on my missed questions. I would also type concise notes on questions I missed and was iffy on in phase 3. The explanations to the answers are also extremely helpful, and they’re concise and straight to the point. I also saw so many repeats from the practice exams on my actual exam that I bet someone could hear my jaw drop across my Prometric cubicle. The bio section is so random, but booster does a great job with high-yield questions. I went through the science section pretty fast and had 40 minutes left to review my marked questions to really read the questions. The ones I thought I didn’t know, I ended up knowing by reading the question slowly and being able to deduce things based on the answer choices.
GC: 15, 15, 18, 18, 17, 17, 18, 19, 22, 20
This was the section I was most worried about because I would always get questions that I would just guess on during the PEs. Even during the learning phase, I felt as though nothing was sticking. Then during phase 2, I met Chad <3. During this time I would watch his (Chad’s) videos pertaining to the chem subject I had to review for the day, take concise notes, and then redid the question bank for that topic. This helped SO much and I finally felt comfortable for chem by the 8th PE. There were also around 2 repeat questions from the booster practice, and everything else was pretty straightforward. I had around 3-4 calculation questions, but I was able to do them quickly on scratch paper. Practice questions help the most to study for this section.
OC: 17, 18, 21, 16, 20, 16, 18, 20, 20, 22
I loved ochem in college, so I felt pretty good for this section, but I definitely was not expecting the score I got. Around 3 weeks before my exam, booster updated all of the organic chemistry exams and I felt so blessed when they did this. I took all of those exams, and they were so close to the real thing. I did a crash course for the basic mechanisms because I would get tripped up on them, but I ended up watching chad’s videos on this topic again anyway, and it got the job done. I made my own reaction Anki because the booster one was a lot. I would also type concise notes (like my GC ones) and write out the mechanism for questions I missed. The main key to this section, and honestly any section in general, is to find the answer choice unlike the others (a lot of the time there was a similarity between all the other answers, so when in doubt, choose the one that doesn’t have a similarity). Practice makes perfect, and the more practice you do, the easier it gets to recognize trends.
PAT: 17, 18, 19, 17, 18, 19, 19, 19, 18, 19
I was really nervous about this section. I neglected practicing for the PAT for a good month or so, so I never really improved on TFE or keyholes. The practice exams are definitely harder than the real thing. Angle ranking was similar to the generator. Hole punching and pattern folding were easier than the PE. Cube counting was exactly the same, and almost all of the questions I got were floating cubes. TFE, keyhole, and pattern folding felt easier because the differences between answer choices were more apparent than in booster. Almost every PE, I would run out of time, but I was able to finish this one with some time remaining to quickly review my marked ones.
RC: 23, 18, 15, (skip), 18, 19, (skip), 16, 17, 19
Yea this section was all over the place. Apparently, after my first PE, booster updated this section to make it harder? Idk if that’s true, but it felt significantly harder. I never really studied for this section except for the practice exams. The passages were straight to the point, and easy to understand. I didn’t realize the time, but I ended up spending longer than anticipated on the first passage, and I think that was because I was scared to screw up on the actual DAT. Honestly, it was a lot easier than the booster practice exams and the answers can be easily found in the passage.
QR: 13, 13, 15, 13, 17, 13, 13, 19, 16, 19
I never was a math person. Ever. I thought I was so dumb for continuously getting 13s, and if you think that too, it’s okay because it’s not you, it’s booster. I did a QR crash course with the free promo thing, but it was so early on in my studying, that I forgot everything (but I'm so glad I had the notes they gave out). Anytime I did well on one practice exam, I would do significantly worse on the next, so this literally felt like a rollercoaster. My "strategy" for the booster QR was to mark the ones I didn’t know how to do, go through the ones I thought I knew, and by the end, I still ran out of time and marked “C” for everything I had blank. I didn’t start to really focus or study for this section until 2-3 weeks before my exam. I would recommend knowing how to do the shortcuts they give (like the alligator solubility trick and others); they also mention if a question is high yield in the math explanations so make sure to be on the lookout for those. The last three exams were easier, but still pretty hard for me. I was so shocked at how straightforward this section is on the actual DAT, AND I had five minutes left. I felt like I knew how to do most of the questions, and whatever I didn’t know, or took too long, I marked to go back to it later. The key to this section is to just keep going and don’t pause, because there’s lag, and you want to go through all the questions you definitely know how to do. Personally, I felt better going over some of my marked exam questions closer to my exam date because it felt fresher in my mind.
COMMENTS/OVERVIEW
I think what helped me the most was redoing all of the science practice tests separately under untimed conditions during the last two/three weeks of studying. I then spent the last week reviewing the marked questions from these practice exams and explaining my study guides out loud. I quit Anki like 4/5 days before my exam because at that point I just couldn’t take it anymore. There comes a point where you just have to say screw it, what I know is what I know, and that’s enough. The DAT is so broad, that it’s almost impossible to know everything on the exam, but it is possible to do well with continuous efforts.
The hardest part for me was keeping my stress/anxiety levels low. The first 7 booster practice exams felt hard and my confidence would falter looking at people who started with great scores, but I repeat, DO NOT get discouraged looking at your practice exam scores, and use those as a way to study and learn. I even had to delete Facebook for a bit because I felt as though I was comparing myself to everyone's scores. Even though I posted my previous exam scores, take those with a grain of salt. I know it can help some people, so I included them, but don’t compare yourself to me. Be confident in what YOU know, and you’ll be able to succeed. I even had a continuous feeling the week leading to the exam that I was going to forget or blank on different things and I became extra nervous (breathing exercises became my best friend). But hey! Look at me now!
It’s helpful to remember that your DAT score isn’t the end all be all. There are SO many other factors that go into the dental admissions process, along with your application, GPA, volunteer/shadowing/work experience, and more. Stay positive, and be proud of how much you’ve learned throughout the process. Always remember: don’t stress, try your best, it's just a test
I wish everyone the best!
I started studying towards the end of March and took my DAT on June 15. I finished the 12-week study guide from booster a week before the exam, so my last week was spent with light review. All I used was booster to study and it was everything I needed. It definitely over prepares you, but in a good way. I couldn’t recommend this platform enough due to the helpful live chats, representative exams, and even repeats of questions on the actual DAT.
I only took 4 classes over the semester (spring of junior year) and then had a whole month to focus solely on the DAT. I have always been the type of person to not do as well on standardized tests vs “normal” tests since I was in elementary school, so even before I started studying I was intimidated. I did make sure I still had time to hang out with my family and my friends because it was a great way to relax which is really helpful during this time.
I just wanted to preface by saying: don’t get discouraged by your practice exam scores, use these as a tool to learn. Some days were anxiety-filled while studying, and I didn’t see a lot of personal improvement or confidence until I calmed down and realized that the DAT is JUST an exam. I would even freak out during practice exams because I thought I wasn’t going to do well.
I’m not sure if anyone is feeling this way, but during the learning portion of the study guide, I felt as though I was only trying to check things off the list rather than actually learning them, but phase two was when things started to finally click so DON’T GET DISCOURAGED if you’re feeling a little lost. Everything will work itself out as cheesy as it sounds.
ACTUAL DAT SCORES:
PAT: 20 QR: 20 RC: 21 BIO: 23 GC: 21 OC: 26 TS: 22 AA: 22
BIO: 16, 19, 20, 19, 19, 19, 20, 20, 21, 24
I always had a strong bio background, so my scores stayed consistent throughout my reviews. I started Anki on day 1 of studying, and I am so glad I did. That being said, the booster Anki deck is super dense with a ton of information, and a lot of people don’t have time to do all of it. I only did half of it because it got to be too much on top of everything else I had to do. Towards the end, I would write my own Anki cards on my missed questions. I would also type concise notes on questions I missed and was iffy on in phase 3. The explanations to the answers are also extremely helpful, and they’re concise and straight to the point. I also saw so many repeats from the practice exams on my actual exam that I bet someone could hear my jaw drop across my Prometric cubicle. The bio section is so random, but booster does a great job with high-yield questions. I went through the science section pretty fast and had 40 minutes left to review my marked questions to really read the questions. The ones I thought I didn’t know, I ended up knowing by reading the question slowly and being able to deduce things based on the answer choices.
GC: 15, 15, 18, 18, 17, 17, 18, 19, 22, 20
This was the section I was most worried about because I would always get questions that I would just guess on during the PEs. Even during the learning phase, I felt as though nothing was sticking. Then during phase 2, I met Chad <3. During this time I would watch his (Chad’s) videos pertaining to the chem subject I had to review for the day, take concise notes, and then redid the question bank for that topic. This helped SO much and I finally felt comfortable for chem by the 8th PE. There were also around 2 repeat questions from the booster practice, and everything else was pretty straightforward. I had around 3-4 calculation questions, but I was able to do them quickly on scratch paper. Practice questions help the most to study for this section.
OC: 17, 18, 21, 16, 20, 16, 18, 20, 20, 22
I loved ochem in college, so I felt pretty good for this section, but I definitely was not expecting the score I got. Around 3 weeks before my exam, booster updated all of the organic chemistry exams and I felt so blessed when they did this. I took all of those exams, and they were so close to the real thing. I did a crash course for the basic mechanisms because I would get tripped up on them, but I ended up watching chad’s videos on this topic again anyway, and it got the job done. I made my own reaction Anki because the booster one was a lot. I would also type concise notes (like my GC ones) and write out the mechanism for questions I missed. The main key to this section, and honestly any section in general, is to find the answer choice unlike the others (a lot of the time there was a similarity between all the other answers, so when in doubt, choose the one that doesn’t have a similarity). Practice makes perfect, and the more practice you do, the easier it gets to recognize trends.
PAT: 17, 18, 19, 17, 18, 19, 19, 19, 18, 19
I was really nervous about this section. I neglected practicing for the PAT for a good month or so, so I never really improved on TFE or keyholes. The practice exams are definitely harder than the real thing. Angle ranking was similar to the generator. Hole punching and pattern folding were easier than the PE. Cube counting was exactly the same, and almost all of the questions I got were floating cubes. TFE, keyhole, and pattern folding felt easier because the differences between answer choices were more apparent than in booster. Almost every PE, I would run out of time, but I was able to finish this one with some time remaining to quickly review my marked ones.
RC: 23, 18, 15, (skip), 18, 19, (skip), 16, 17, 19
Yea this section was all over the place. Apparently, after my first PE, booster updated this section to make it harder? Idk if that’s true, but it felt significantly harder. I never really studied for this section except for the practice exams. The passages were straight to the point, and easy to understand. I didn’t realize the time, but I ended up spending longer than anticipated on the first passage, and I think that was because I was scared to screw up on the actual DAT. Honestly, it was a lot easier than the booster practice exams and the answers can be easily found in the passage.
QR: 13, 13, 15, 13, 17, 13, 13, 19, 16, 19
I never was a math person. Ever. I thought I was so dumb for continuously getting 13s, and if you think that too, it’s okay because it’s not you, it’s booster. I did a QR crash course with the free promo thing, but it was so early on in my studying, that I forgot everything (but I'm so glad I had the notes they gave out). Anytime I did well on one practice exam, I would do significantly worse on the next, so this literally felt like a rollercoaster. My "strategy" for the booster QR was to mark the ones I didn’t know how to do, go through the ones I thought I knew, and by the end, I still ran out of time and marked “C” for everything I had blank. I didn’t start to really focus or study for this section until 2-3 weeks before my exam. I would recommend knowing how to do the shortcuts they give (like the alligator solubility trick and others); they also mention if a question is high yield in the math explanations so make sure to be on the lookout for those. The last three exams were easier, but still pretty hard for me. I was so shocked at how straightforward this section is on the actual DAT, AND I had five minutes left. I felt like I knew how to do most of the questions, and whatever I didn’t know, or took too long, I marked to go back to it later. The key to this section is to just keep going and don’t pause, because there’s lag, and you want to go through all the questions you definitely know how to do. Personally, I felt better going over some of my marked exam questions closer to my exam date because it felt fresher in my mind.
COMMENTS/OVERVIEW
I think what helped me the most was redoing all of the science practice tests separately under untimed conditions during the last two/three weeks of studying. I then spent the last week reviewing the marked questions from these practice exams and explaining my study guides out loud. I quit Anki like 4/5 days before my exam because at that point I just couldn’t take it anymore. There comes a point where you just have to say screw it, what I know is what I know, and that’s enough. The DAT is so broad, that it’s almost impossible to know everything on the exam, but it is possible to do well with continuous efforts.
The hardest part for me was keeping my stress/anxiety levels low. The first 7 booster practice exams felt hard and my confidence would falter looking at people who started with great scores, but I repeat, DO NOT get discouraged looking at your practice exam scores, and use those as a way to study and learn. I even had to delete Facebook for a bit because I felt as though I was comparing myself to everyone's scores. Even though I posted my previous exam scores, take those with a grain of salt. I know it can help some people, so I included them, but don’t compare yourself to me. Be confident in what YOU know, and you’ll be able to succeed. I even had a continuous feeling the week leading to the exam that I was going to forget or blank on different things and I became extra nervous (breathing exercises became my best friend). But hey! Look at me now!
It’s helpful to remember that your DAT score isn’t the end all be all. There are SO many other factors that go into the dental admissions process, along with your application, GPA, volunteer/shadowing/work experience, and more. Stay positive, and be proud of how much you’ve learned throughout the process. Always remember: don’t stress, try your best, it's just a test
I wish everyone the best!
