D
deleted675097
PAT: 26
QR: 26
RC: 21
Bio: 25
GC: 21
OC: 23
Total Science: 23
Academic Average: 23
Hi Everyone,
I thought I'd post this breakdown with the hope that some will find it helpful. I’ll go over everything I’ve worked through, and what I found helpful. First, let me thank everyone who helped me get to this point. I've been working so much over the last few months, and everyone has had to put up with the hermit version of me. My friends, family, and girlfriend have been very supportive. Thanks guys 🙂.
Also, I want to thank Dr. Romano and Nancy Steen. DAT Destroyer, Math Destroyer, and Organic Odyssey are awesome – hands down the most thorough and well thought-out books on the market. I also found Ari’s Bootcamp extremely helpful, especially for the PAT. And Chad, I can’t forget you … thanks bro.
Ok, now the specifics that you’re all curious about. I’m sure some people may have used different resources, but this is what worked well for me.
Study Materials:
1. DAT Bootcamp
2. DAT Destroyer/Organic Odyssey/Math Destroyer
3. Chad’s Videos
4. DAT QVault
5. Anki (flashcard program that syncs with your phone, for on-the-go review)
6. Campbell’s Biology (wicked awesome reference book)
7. Full-length practice tests (ADA/Top Score/Kaplan/DAT Achiever)
8. Books for fun, on anything, to practice for RC. Your brain and its abilities are like a saw, which can be sharpened with use. Read whatever you can, whenever you can. I read about history, literature, or economics every night before bed.
Personal reading picks: If you don’t know what to read, try Heat, by Bill Buford, or A Good Man in Africa, by William Boyd. Those are good, easy reads to help ease you into a reading schedule. Heat is a witty book about the restaurant business. It had me laughing a good deal. A Good Man in Africa is an absolutely hysterical novel about a British diplomat whose life goes to hell through a series of progressively worse decisions that seem to make sense at the time. Read something fun and easy like either of those, then hit the harder stuff.
Study Schedule:
I’m currently employed full time, so finding time to study wasn’t easy. I made a schedule and stuck to it (mostly). I tend to concentrate better in the morning, but I was forced by circumstance to study in the evenings.
One observation I’ve had, and not just about the DAT, is that no one ever sticks to his or her schedule perfectly. Stuff happens. Things come up. Don’t get discouraged or down if you slip on several, or even may, days. I can’t tell you how many times I was interrupted, or had to change my plans, for a multitude of reasons. Knowing this was likely to happen, I started early. I planned how much time I thought I would need, 2.5 months, and doubled it to 5. The worst-case scenario is that you have too much time and you’re over prepared.
Study Materials:
1. DAT Bootcamp
I’m a big fan of Bootcamp. I used Ari’s study schedule as a preliminary guide, modifying it for my own lifestyle and schedule. The eyeball game he recommends is fun. It’s good to get competitive with yourself on this one.
I also enjoyed his tests. I thought they were very realistic, if not a bit more difficult than the actual DAT. That’s good! You don’t want to get overly confident, only to disappoint yourself on test day. You want tests that are a bit harder than the real exam, forcing you to refine your skills, but not so hard that they discourage you. He hit the nail on the head. In addition, they covered a great range of topics that were very representative of the real DAT. His video explanations for the OC section are great, too. I don’t know who that guys is, but he explains things well.
Also, Bootcamp’s PAT is GREAT! For me, it’s all I needed. He gives you links to tips on how to prepare for the section, and he has an unlimited supply of practice problems. I did 10 of each type each morning.
Bio: 23/20/17/18/22
GC: 22/19/23/23/23
OC: 17 (22 upon retake, weeks later)/18/18/19/20
QR: 24/22/22/23/19
RC: 19/18/20/22/22
PAT: X/X/X/X/X/X/X/X/X/X (I used his PAT practice generator instead, which is awesome)
2. DAT Destroyer/Organic Odyssey/Math Destroyer
Wow. These are awesome, and difficult (in a good way), but boy did they prepare me well. I had several questions today that were almost exactly the same, or simpler versions of, the questions I had in these books. I’m convinced these raised my scores several points.
One of the reasons I got all 3 books instead of just DAT Destroyer is because orgo is my weakest subject. I feared it. So, I decided to go at it full force, and instead of just becoming modestly competent in it, to really understand it well. Organic Odyssey (and DAT Destroyer, to a lesser, but still incredible extent), covers almost every conceivable question you could get. I like how they mixed concepts, which really helped solidify them. For example, they’d mix an addition reaction with a carbocation rearrangement, with another stereospecific reaction. By reviewing their explanations, you get a great understanding of how everything fits together. It actually made me like orgo. I never thought I’d say that.
3. Chad’s Videos
Chad is wicked. Just get these. He explains stuff well. Take notes as you go through them.
4. DAT QVault
I found these helpful to practice my timing. Their bio is really good. Bio is one of those subjects where you actually have to get new material to write a new test, unlike GC, for example, where you can just change numbers around or choose slightly different compounds. The GC, OC, and QR sections were slightly representative of the real DAT, but good practice none-the-less. The thing is that the real DAT repeats the same kinds of problems. I did think the RC was a waste of time, though. I did the first 2 and then just stopped. I didn’t even attempt the PAT.
Bio: 18/19/19/18/23/18/20/20/19/18
GC: 20/20/20/21/29/23/26/22/22/29
OC: 17/18/17/19/18/16/18/19/17/19
QR: 19/21/22/23/25/26/24/26/25/24
RC: 21/20/X/X/X/X/X/X/X/X
PAT: X/X/X/X/X/X/X/X/X/X
5. Anki
Anki is an awesome program to make flashcards with. You can put pictures in them, too. I got a lot of Bio pictures from Google Images to put in mine. It helped me a lot. Plus, it’s helpful that you can sync it to your phone.
6. Campbell’s Biology
This is a thick, heavy, and unbelievably thorough bio book. I’ve heard that it’s used as a reference for the real DAT. I can see why. I read a few select chapters (immunology, renal physiology, etc.). It has some great diagrams in it. Save yourself some money and get a used version.
7. Full-length Practice Tests
I took most from start to finish. Others I did piecemeal.
Kaplan
· Decent quality.
Bio: 21
GC: 18
OC: 19
QR: X
RC: X
PAT: X
ADA 2007
· Pretty representative of the current test. Do this one 2 or 3 days before your actual exam. It will boost your confidence.
Bio: 24
GC: 25
OC: 19
QR: 25
RC: 23
PAT: 25
ADA 2009 Mail Order Version
· Same representativeness as the 2007 version, EXCEPT for QR. QR is one of my strengths. I was getting in the mid 20s on all of my practice tests, and I got a 16 on this one! I got a 26, 3 days later, on the real DAT. Go figure.
Bio: 25
GC: 23
OC: 20
QR: 16 – who knows
RC: X
PAT: X
DAT Achiever (Tests 1 & 2 … didn’t get to 3)
· Good, but difficult. Much more difficult than the real DAT.
Bio: 18/16
GC: 19/17
OC: 18/16
QR: 21/X
RC: 15/X
PAT: 18/X
Top Score (Tests 1, 2, & 3)
· Not bad.
Bio: 18/18/16
GC: 18/18/16
OC: 17/17/16
QR: 24/21/22
RC: 19/20/X
PAT: 24/24/21
General Tips:
1. There is a ton of info out there. Some people did well, some didn’t. Be prudent. Reading about how people struggled through the DAT and didn’t do well isn’t going to help your cause. I purposely sought discussion threads from those who did very well, and just told myself that it wouldn’t be that hard, that if they did it, I could do it, too. I still prepared intensely, but I had a more confident mindset because of it.
2. Don’t get discouraged. If you look at some of my practice scores, I got scores of 16, 17, 18 on many of my OC practice tests. I got a 23 on the real thing. Keep your head up.
3. Have fun! I know that sounds strange, but if you look at studying for the DAT as a chore, it’s going to be a chore. I thought to myself, “When are you ever going to have another opportunity in life to overview ALL of the fundamental sciences?” Probably never. Besides, a lot of it is actually pretty interesting.
4. There’s always next year. I know. You shouldn’t think like that, but it’s true. If you’re really dedicated to becoming a dentist, and nothing is going to stop you, then there is always next year. Study your heart out, but tell yourself, that if it doesn’t go your way, you’re not going to give up. It might help to ease your nerves on test day. In other words, the DAT doesn’t determine your future, your persistence does.
Good luck!
Congratulations!
