Hey Everyone! Just finished taking my DAT. Unfortunately, I didn't hit my goal, but just relieved to be done with. Hopefully, I can help someone achieve theirs.
Scores:
PA 18 🙁
QR 21
RC 17 🙁
Bio 22
GC 21
OC 24
TS 22
AA 21
Background: I'm a non-traditional student. I studied economics in undergraduate (2.8 GPA - I was very lazy!). After working for a year in finance, I quite my job to pursue dentistry. I returned to school and spent the past 2 years taking science courses (4.0 GPA over the past 50 credits).
Materials used: Cliffs, Barrons, Chads, Crack DAT, Destroyer and Math Destroyer, Alans notes, Ferralis notes
Practice: ADA 2007 (24 AA, 21 PAT) and 2009 (21 AA, 21 PAT)
Time spent studying: 6 weeks; 8-12 hours/day
Perceptual Ability (18): Crack DAT
I was scoring 21-23 over 10 practice exams. Keyholes, TFE, and holepunch were harder on the real DAT. Angles and cube counting were definitely easier. Pattern folding was on par. Overall, CDP prepares you well. I just didn't execute.
Biology (22): Cliffs, Destroyer, Barrons, Alans, Ferralis
There were a few fact questions, but for the most part, they were application type questions. Cliffs and Barron is sufficient. Destroyer was over kill.
General chemistry (21): Chads, Destroyer
Thought I would've done better here. Chads prepares you pretty well. Mostly conceptual questions. Had a handful of calculations.
Organic chemistry (24): Chads, Destroyer
Have a pretty strong background; however, Chad is enough to score well here. Mostly conceptual questions. Reactions were simple. Had 2-3 simple lab questions
Reading Comprehension (17): Crack DAT
I'm not sure what happened here. I started off skimming/taking notes the first two passages. By the time I got to the third passage, I only had 15 minutes left. So, I decided to search and destroy. Time Management is critical! Try to limit yourself to max. 20 minutes/passage. Had to randomly guess on about 10 questions. Feel pretty lucky to come out with a 17
Quantitative reasoning (21): Destroyer, Math Destroyer
After practicing enough, you should know which types of questions you can do pretty quickly. I would skip the tough ones, and solve the easy ones first. This can build your confidence and allow you to really focus on the tougher ones. Practice Math Destroyer under timed conditions. This part really tests your ability to handle stress.
Suggestions: Plan ahead before you start your studying. This can really reduce the amount of stress. I used the 8 week plan as template but modified it to 6 weeks. I was burnt out the few days leading to my test. So try to take breaks- go watch a movie, workout, or whatever takes your mind off the DAT. I also made flashcards on my weak areas.
Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck to everyone this cycle! 🙂
Scores:
PA 18 🙁
QR 21
RC 17 🙁
Bio 22
GC 21
OC 24
TS 22
AA 21
Background: I'm a non-traditional student. I studied economics in undergraduate (2.8 GPA - I was very lazy!). After working for a year in finance, I quite my job to pursue dentistry. I returned to school and spent the past 2 years taking science courses (4.0 GPA over the past 50 credits).
Materials used: Cliffs, Barrons, Chads, Crack DAT, Destroyer and Math Destroyer, Alans notes, Ferralis notes
Practice: ADA 2007 (24 AA, 21 PAT) and 2009 (21 AA, 21 PAT)
Time spent studying: 6 weeks; 8-12 hours/day
Perceptual Ability (18): Crack DAT
I was scoring 21-23 over 10 practice exams. Keyholes, TFE, and holepunch were harder on the real DAT. Angles and cube counting were definitely easier. Pattern folding was on par. Overall, CDP prepares you well. I just didn't execute.
Biology (22): Cliffs, Destroyer, Barrons, Alans, Ferralis
There were a few fact questions, but for the most part, they were application type questions. Cliffs and Barron is sufficient. Destroyer was over kill.
General chemistry (21): Chads, Destroyer
Thought I would've done better here. Chads prepares you pretty well. Mostly conceptual questions. Had a handful of calculations.
Organic chemistry (24): Chads, Destroyer
Have a pretty strong background; however, Chad is enough to score well here. Mostly conceptual questions. Reactions were simple. Had 2-3 simple lab questions
Reading Comprehension (17): Crack DAT
I'm not sure what happened here. I started off skimming/taking notes the first two passages. By the time I got to the third passage, I only had 15 minutes left. So, I decided to search and destroy. Time Management is critical! Try to limit yourself to max. 20 minutes/passage. Had to randomly guess on about 10 questions. Feel pretty lucky to come out with a 17
Quantitative reasoning (21): Destroyer, Math Destroyer
After practicing enough, you should know which types of questions you can do pretty quickly. I would skip the tough ones, and solve the easy ones first. This can build your confidence and allow you to really focus on the tougher ones. Practice Math Destroyer under timed conditions. This part really tests your ability to handle stress.
Suggestions: Plan ahead before you start your studying. This can really reduce the amount of stress. I used the 8 week plan as template but modified it to 6 weeks. I was burnt out the few days leading to my test. So try to take breaks- go watch a movie, workout, or whatever takes your mind off the DAT. I also made flashcards on my weak areas.
Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck to everyone this cycle! 🙂
