- Joined
- Aug 21, 2014
- Messages
- 101
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- 53
Hi all,
Long-time lurker here. I cannot stress how much this community helped me prepare for this test. I did a lot of reading on these forums to see what resources to use and etc. I cannot thank you guys enough.
For some background, I work full-time under a research fellowship. I graduated in 2013 from a top 25 school and had been interested in medicine until I shadowed more and learned more about the vocation. So looking for some alternatives I tried observing dentists and have absolutely loved my shadowing experiences thus far.
So moving onto the breakdown...
PAT 25 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 20.75)
This is going to be a common theme in this breakdown. Bootcamp is an invaluable resource! The things about Bootcamp is that all the questions can be asked on the real test, but the number of difficult problems on the Bootcamp tests is higher than what you would see on the actual test. This makes the actual test feel like a breeze. Do the problems and review them! I also did the first three achiever tests, which is more difficult than Bootcamp. It's good to do them because they will kick you in the butt, and again, make the real test feel easy.
My PAT section was fairly straightforward. Finished with ~10 minutes left, so I went back to angle ranking, which is my worst section. In my opinion, keyhole is harder on bootcamp, TFE is harder on bootcamp, angle ranking is comparable, hole punching is a lot harder on bootcamp, cube counting has always been easy for me (just takes practice to recognize which ones are 2's, 3's and 4's), and pattern folding is harder on bootcamp.
QR 26 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 21.7)
Bootcamp is a great resource. Math destroyer is a great resource. Practice them. QR on the achiever tests are not too bad.
Again, actual test is easier than my practice exams. There were two difficult problems early on but once you realize you need to think more or need lots of calculations, SKIP the question. Time management is the key to doing well on this section. I surprisingly only skipped two problems, and I had about 10 minutes to tackle both, which I eventually figured out. Seems like I missed one, probably misread a question. Remember to answer what they ask for! Sometimes you do calculations for one part and select that answer (which is often a choice!) instead of answering the question.
RC 21 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 19.8)
Reading comp has never really been my strong point in terms of standardized tests or academics. However, all the DAT RC really needs is a good reliable strategy that works for you. For me it was the mapping method. I would read the passage in full, while writing key words and the focus of each paragraph. This worked best for me on practice exams. Bootcamp does a great job. Achiever makes you go through hell, which makes the actual test feel better.
This section was very similar to my practice exams. Very straightforward questions. My average seems low because I was trying different strategies, but my average with the mapping method was 21.7. Finished in 55 minutes.
BIO 24 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 21.5)
I studied for biology by first reading Cliff's during my downtime in the lab and after work. After that I started doing destroyer questions. I didn't end up finishing the bio section of destroyer but its a great resource to learn from. Bootcamp has great questions that are similar to the real test. Achiever is like destroyer, and the difficulty helps you prepare for the real thing.
My bio section was pretty straightforward. Nothing too crazy. Finished in 25 minutes. Looks like I missed two, which seems reasonable.
GC 23 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 25.2)
General chemistry was probably my strongest section before I started studying (I do a lot of these calculations at work, in my head). I watched Chad's videos to make sure I covered all my bases and did destroyer questions. I didn't finish destroyer GC. Bootcamp again has similar questions that are great. Achiever is calculation heavy, but again, good practice to make the real thing feel better.
GC seemed pretty straightforward, although some concept questions threw me off. Probably got two of those wrong. Calculations were easy. Also took about 25 minutes.
OC 27 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 24.5)
Chad's videos and Destroyer is what I started off with. Then I did some tests with Bootcamp and Achiever. Bootcamp is great. Achiever is hard.
Actual test was straightforward. Definitely some reactions you needed to know. I guess I got one wrong? Took about 20 minutes.
Important: The real test is similar in difficulty to the ADA 2009 sample test (except for the QR, which is a bit harder). Bootcamp is slightly more difficult in all sections, which is great preparation. Achiever is hard, but it's still good practice. Achiever is great because it forces you to manage your time with much harder questions. The Achiever tests are not representative but it definitely prepares you for actually taking the exam.
Study Schedule
So for those of you who work, it's definitely doable! I studied weeknights and weekends (probably 15 hours a week). Just make sure you learn the material and then practice practice practice. I started reading Cliff's in mid June, and went through Chad's videos in early July. Then I started destroyer problems from mid July. Early August I started Bootcamp and more destroyer (its a big book). I actually bought the 3-test Achiever set last week and did them over the weekend + Monday.
Destroyer helps you learn and tells you your weaknesses! Bootcamp is great for everything especially PAT, RC, QR! and Achiever is great for simulating testing conditions and giving you hell. I am a firm believer in practicing more difficult questions/exams.
So there is is! Feel free to ask me any questions. This is all just my perspective on preparing and taking the DAT. SDN has helped me tremendously over the past few weeks, so I figured I would repay the favor and help some other pre-dents out. Cheers!
Long-time lurker here. I cannot stress how much this community helped me prepare for this test. I did a lot of reading on these forums to see what resources to use and etc. I cannot thank you guys enough.
For some background, I work full-time under a research fellowship. I graduated in 2013 from a top 25 school and had been interested in medicine until I shadowed more and learned more about the vocation. So looking for some alternatives I tried observing dentists and have absolutely loved my shadowing experiences thus far.
So moving onto the breakdown...
PAT 25 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 20.75)
This is going to be a common theme in this breakdown. Bootcamp is an invaluable resource! The things about Bootcamp is that all the questions can be asked on the real test, but the number of difficult problems on the Bootcamp tests is higher than what you would see on the actual test. This makes the actual test feel like a breeze. Do the problems and review them! I also did the first three achiever tests, which is more difficult than Bootcamp. It's good to do them because they will kick you in the butt, and again, make the real test feel easy.
My PAT section was fairly straightforward. Finished with ~10 minutes left, so I went back to angle ranking, which is my worst section. In my opinion, keyhole is harder on bootcamp, TFE is harder on bootcamp, angle ranking is comparable, hole punching is a lot harder on bootcamp, cube counting has always been easy for me (just takes practice to recognize which ones are 2's, 3's and 4's), and pattern folding is harder on bootcamp.
QR 26 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 21.7)
Bootcamp is a great resource. Math destroyer is a great resource. Practice them. QR on the achiever tests are not too bad.
Again, actual test is easier than my practice exams. There were two difficult problems early on but once you realize you need to think more or need lots of calculations, SKIP the question. Time management is the key to doing well on this section. I surprisingly only skipped two problems, and I had about 10 minutes to tackle both, which I eventually figured out. Seems like I missed one, probably misread a question. Remember to answer what they ask for! Sometimes you do calculations for one part and select that answer (which is often a choice!) instead of answering the question.
RC 21 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 19.8)
Reading comp has never really been my strong point in terms of standardized tests or academics. However, all the DAT RC really needs is a good reliable strategy that works for you. For me it was the mapping method. I would read the passage in full, while writing key words and the focus of each paragraph. This worked best for me on practice exams. Bootcamp does a great job. Achiever makes you go through hell, which makes the actual test feel better.
This section was very similar to my practice exams. Very straightforward questions. My average seems low because I was trying different strategies, but my average with the mapping method was 21.7. Finished in 55 minutes.
BIO 24 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 21.5)
I studied for biology by first reading Cliff's during my downtime in the lab and after work. After that I started doing destroyer questions. I didn't end up finishing the bio section of destroyer but its a great resource to learn from. Bootcamp has great questions that are similar to the real test. Achiever is like destroyer, and the difficulty helps you prepare for the real thing.
My bio section was pretty straightforward. Nothing too crazy. Finished in 25 minutes. Looks like I missed two, which seems reasonable.
GC 23 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 25.2)
General chemistry was probably my strongest section before I started studying (I do a lot of these calculations at work, in my head). I watched Chad's videos to make sure I covered all my bases and did destroyer questions. I didn't finish destroyer GC. Bootcamp again has similar questions that are great. Achiever is calculation heavy, but again, good practice to make the real thing feel better.
GC seemed pretty straightforward, although some concept questions threw me off. Probably got two of those wrong. Calculations were easy. Also took about 25 minutes.
OC 27 (Bootcamp/ADA avg = 24.5)
Chad's videos and Destroyer is what I started off with. Then I did some tests with Bootcamp and Achiever. Bootcamp is great. Achiever is hard.
Actual test was straightforward. Definitely some reactions you needed to know. I guess I got one wrong? Took about 20 minutes.
Important: The real test is similar in difficulty to the ADA 2009 sample test (except for the QR, which is a bit harder). Bootcamp is slightly more difficult in all sections, which is great preparation. Achiever is hard, but it's still good practice. Achiever is great because it forces you to manage your time with much harder questions. The Achiever tests are not representative but it definitely prepares you for actually taking the exam.
Study Schedule
So for those of you who work, it's definitely doable! I studied weeknights and weekends (probably 15 hours a week). Just make sure you learn the material and then practice practice practice. I started reading Cliff's in mid June, and went through Chad's videos in early July. Then I started destroyer problems from mid July. Early August I started Bootcamp and more destroyer (its a big book). I actually bought the 3-test Achiever set last week and did them over the weekend + Monday.
Destroyer helps you learn and tells you your weaknesses! Bootcamp is great for everything especially PAT, RC, QR! and Achiever is great for simulating testing conditions and giving you hell. I am a firm believer in practicing more difficult questions/exams.
So there is is! Feel free to ask me any questions. This is all just my perspective on preparing and taking the DAT. SDN has helped me tremendously over the past few weeks, so I figured I would repay the favor and help some other pre-dents out. Cheers!
