DAT Breakdown 25AA/24TS 2018

[HL16]

25AA | 24 TS | 22 OC | 24 GC | 28 Bio | 28 RC | 23 QR | 22 PAT

This is long over due, but many of the SDN breakdowns helped me, so I hope mine will help someone. I am a non-traditional student who hasn’t taken classes in 10 years. I didn’t reinvent the wheel with my study approach—just browsed SDN and used the recommended resources:

DAT Bootcamp 10/10
DAT Destroyer 9.5/10
Feralis notes 9/10
Chad’s (chemistry) 8/10
Bozeman’s 8/10
Cliffs Bio 8/10

I spent 3 months studying:
Weeks 1-6: reading/video material (Chads OChem/GChem; Cliffs Bio->Feralis Bio; Bozeman/YouTube/Wiki to fill gaps).
Weeks 7-12: Destroyer / Bootcamp / PAT Generators

In terms of approach, the biggest thing for me was doing questions (untimed), checking the answers/explanation immediately (doing more research on unknown terms/concepts if needed), and revisiting the missed questions. I felt this made more sense than guessing through a practice exam for 30-90 minutes before waiting for feedback.

Towards the last two weeks, I started to do more timed tests to get a sense of pacing—specifically to recognize which questions I should skip and save for later (only if I have additional time). This was my exact approach on exam day as well: skipping questions that took too long to ensure that I finished the exam.

The other thing, for me, was to mentally commit to putting in the hard work rather than searching for shortcuts, and focusing on what I have control over—making daily (even minimal) progress. It is easy/normal to compare and worry—honestly, I felt my scores could have been higher (or lower!) , but ultimately I know I put in the work and am just happy that I won’t have to retake the DAT.

And for the really hard days, I would remind myself why I’m doing this or look at other SDNer’s that have done it:
https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/dat-breakdown.1276974
DAT breakdown (don) - 26 AA/28 TS/27 PAT
DAT Breakdown (Taken 12/17/15)
DAT Breakdown 7/6, 26 AA / 26 TS / 24 PAT
DAT Breakdown 28AA/28TS
DAT Breakdown 28AA/28TS
DAT Breakdown (26AA/28TS/23PAT)
DAT Breakdown (26AA/28TS/23PAT)
DAT Breakdown (28 TS, 26 AA)
2019 DAT Breakdown 24AA/27PAT
2019 DAT Breakdown 24AA/27PAT
DAT Breakdown 2017 (24 PAT/30 QR/30 RC/30 BIO/27 GC/28 OC/28 TS/29 AA)

Big thanks to DAT Bootcamp, Destroyer, Chad’s, and SDN!

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[medadvicewanted]

Can you provide some more detail on how you used those resources, how many hours a day you studied, etc? Appreciate it! Was it hard to relearn the sciences after 10 years out?

 

[DAT Destroyer]

25AA | 24 TS | 22 OC | 24 GC | 28 Bio | 28 RC | 23 QR | 22 PAT

This is long over due, but many of the SDN breakdowns helped me, so I hope mine will help someone. I am a non-traditional student who hasn’t taken classes in 10 years. I didn’t reinvent the wheel with my study approach—just browsed SDN and used the recommended resources:

DAT Bootcamp 10/10
DAT Destroyer 9.5/10
Feralis notes 9/10
Chad’s (chemistry) 8/10
Bozeman’s 8/10
Cliffs Bio 8/10

I spent 3 months studying:
Weeks 1-6: reading/video material (Chads OChem/GChem; Cliffs Bio->Feralis Bio; Bozeman/YouTube/Wiki to fill gaps).
Weeks 7-12: Destroyer / Bootcamp / PAT Generators

In terms of approach, the biggest thing for me was doing questions (untimed), checking the answers/explanation immediately (doing more research on unknown terms/concepts if needed), and revisiting the missed questions. I felt this made more sense than guessing through a practice exam for 30-90 minutes before waiting for feedback.

Towards the last two weeks, I started to do more timed tests to get a sense of pacing—specifically to recognize which questions I should skip and save for later (only if I have additional time). This was my exact approach on exam day as well: skipping questions that took too long to ensure that I finished the exam.

The other thing, for me, was to mentally commit to putting in the hard work rather than searching for shortcuts, and focusing on what I have control over—making daily (even minimal) progress. It is easy/normal to compare and worry—honestly, I felt my scores could have been higher (or lower!) , but ultimately I know I put in the work and am just happy that I won’t have to retake the DAT.

And for the really hard days, I would remind myself why I’m doing this or look at other SDNer’s that have done it:
https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/dat-breakdown.1276974
DAT breakdown (don) - 26 AA/28 TS/27 PAT
DAT Breakdown (Taken 12/17/15)
DAT Breakdown 7/6, 26 AA / 26 TS / 24 PAT
DAT Breakdown 28AA/28TS
DAT Breakdown 28AA/28TS
DAT Breakdown (26AA/28TS/23PAT)
DAT Breakdown (26AA/28TS/23PAT)
DAT Breakdown (28 TS, 26 AA)
2019 DAT Breakdown 24AA/27PAT
2019 DAT Breakdown 24AA/27PAT
DAT Breakdown 2017 (24 PAT/30 QR/30 RC/30 BIO/27 GC/28 OC/28 TS/29 AA)

Big thanks to DAT Bootcamp, Destroyer, Chad’s, and SDN!

Congratulations!

DAT Beast Destroyed! Thanks for sharing your DAT experience and giving back to the SDN community. Love your consistent scores, all high . With a good GPA you should not have a problem getting interviews at most dental schools.

Good luck on your journey to becoming Dr. HL16

Nancy

 

[HL16]

Can you provide some more detail on how you used those resources, how many hours a day you studied, etc? Appreciate it! Was it hard to relearn the sciences after 10 years out?

For OC and GC, I primarily watched Chad's material while simultaneously working problems in Destroyer. I would generally skip questions that I had not covered in Chad's (e.g. electrochemistry). I marked which questions I got right and wrong and tried to answer each answer correctly at least once (or twice) before the exam.

For Biology, I read Cliffs, followed by Feralis notes. Most of it did not absorb the first time, and I would have to supplement with YouTube videos like Bozeman. By the time I understood Feralis notes, I feel like my knowledge of the details was much different than when I had started. I went through Destroyer (and BC) questions and would go through every answer choice that I didn't understand.

I started doing BC after a month or so of studying. My first test score estimates were 18 for all three science sections. Again, I would review every question that I got wrong, and for Biology, I would review every answer topic that I was shaky on.

Hours per day varied quite a bit, anywhere from 1 to 8 hrs/day, 5-6 days/week. I just tried to fit studying in anywhere I could, usually in the morning and evening.

 

[Daniel Schruth]

Awesome scores! Congratulations!

 

[DAT Destroyer]

For OC and GC, I primarily watched Chad's material while simultaneously working problems in Destroyer. I would generally skip questions that I had not covered in Chad's (e.g. electrochemistry). I marked which questions I got right and wrong and tried to answer each answer correctly at least once (or twice) before the exam.

For Biology, I read Cliffs, followed by Feralis notes. Most of it did not absorb the first time, and I would have to supplement with YouTube videos like Bozeman. By the time I understood Feralis notes, I feel like my knowledge of the details was much different than when I had started. I went through Destroyer (and BC) questions and would go through every answer choice that I didn't understand.

I started doing BC after a month or so of studying. My first test score estimates were 18 for all three science sections. Again, I would review every question that I got wrong, and for Biology, I would review every answer topic that I was shaky on.

Hours per day varied quite a bit, anywhere from 1 to 8 hrs/day, 5-6 days/week. I just tried to fit studying in anywhere I could, usually in the morning and evening.

Thanks for the detailed breakdown! It will help a lot of students!