DAT date

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chives_irvine

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I am interested in some opinions here. I am signing up for a date to take the DAT tomorrow. I have planned to take it around mid-June (so like the 17th?). However, I worry that if I don't perform well, I can't retake it until mid-September. I plan on studying full-time (50-60 hours per week) starting April 24th with Kaplan until the DAT (except for 1 week of half days due to a research conference).
Just so you have an educational background on me, I have a 3.6 GPA, 3.3 sGPA and I took the free Kaplan diagnostic DAT test (without studying at all) and got a 17 (I don't know how well this correlates to the actual DAT).
What I want to know is if I should take the DAT earlier just in case I need to retake it or if I would be fine with that date.
Any opinion is appreciated!
 
Not sure when to take it, but definitely save your $$$ and skip the Kaplan course
 

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Like maga1994 said, do yourself a favor and forego the Kaplan course. Spend your money on the following material instead.

Get yourself the following:
  • Chad's Videos (Great for overview of Gen. Chemistry and Orgo)
  • DAT Destroyer + Math Destroyer (These are golden and a MUST USE)
  • AP Cliff's Biology (I think I used the 3rd edition) + Ferralis Biology Notes
  • DAT Bootcamp
Definitely browse around the forum to see what resources other successful students have used. Good luck!
 
PJDoe said:
Like maga1994 said, do yourself a favor and forego the Kaplan course. Spend your money on the following material instead.

Get yourself the following:
  • Chad's Videos (Great for overview of Gen. Chemistry and Orgo)
  • DAT Destroyer + Math Destroyer (These are golden and a MUST USE)
  • AP Cliff's Biology (I think I used the 3rd edition) + Ferralis Biology Notes
  • DAT Bootcamp
Definitely browse around the forum to see what resources other successful students have used. Good luck!
Click to expand...
This. Actually pretty much all the resources I used and I got a 23AA. Get into the mindset that you plan to take the DAT only once. If you need to push it back, but don't go into it thinking that this is a practice, or go into it not feeling ready. The one before my test I didn't feel ready so I pushed it back 2 weeks.
 
I wouldn't move it any sooner, you'd be giving yourself less study time and would already be mentally prepared to fail. I'd sign up for mid to late June and just study really well for it. Don't be afraid to push the test back a week or two as well, as others have mentioned.
 
Going off what others have said here, get into the mindset that you can only take the DAT once and you need to knock it out, no exceptions. This will help you push yourself and you'll do better.
 
I took my DAT in the first week of June and ended up scoring well. Studied from graduation (first week of May) until test-day pretty much nonstop. I studied Bio a little bit during the semester. However, I would suggest practicing QR during the semester, that is always the section that gets tossed aside when you're studying everything at once. End of April to second week of June is plenty of time to master Bio, GC, OC and become comfortable with PAT.

I also agree with @maga1994, skip the Kaplan. Feralis notes for Bio, Chads, Destroyer and DAT Bootcamp. You can also supplement with Genius/QVault if you have the $$$ and can fit that into your schedule.

Good thing you posted here and mentioned Kaplan. If you followed through on that you would probably have to end up retaking.
 
Thanks a ton for the insight! I'm open to any other advice you guys may have!
 
I would highly recommend getting all the other components of your application completed by April (f.e. get your recommendation letters squared away, your personal statement written/revised/edited/finalized, etc.). That way all you have to worry about come June/July is getting your application submitted.
As the others have said, do not rush yourself into this process. The one downside of the DAT is that once you start the exam, there is no turning back. You can't cancel the exam. So you should be fully prepared by the time you enter the test center.

In regards to the Kaplan course... of all the people that I know who have taken it, I haven't really heard anything positive. The only benefit of the program is that it keeps you on a schedule. But then again, if you are absolutely certain that you want to pursue the dental profession, you should be motivated enough to dedicate your time and effort to studying for the DAT. BUT, if motivation is an issue, just find a friend who is also studying for the DAT and keep each other accountable for learning certain material by a certain deadline.

Based on your projected 50-60 hours per week study schedule, I think you will be ready within a month. Depending on how well you feel prepared, I think you should aim towards taking the DAT by mid June, especially if you plan on applying for this coming cycle. However, I must reiterate again, pace yourself and do not rush into it.

Lastly, do not underestimate the QR section-- which I did.

Good luck!
 
Do you guys have any specific DAT breakdown discussions you recommend? Apart from just the long list of them
 
I also took the Kaplan practice DAT without studying at all and I got an 18 and I ended up getting a 24AA on the real thing so no need to worry about that. Honestly getting a 17 (which is the average score) without any studying is pretty good. If anything use it as motivation to study. Also, I used Ari's 10 week study schedule (can alter it to however many weeks you plan on studying) which kept me on track and kept me from feeling overwhelmed. I was able to just keep focused on the day's task. I agree with @PJDoe list of study materials. Good Luck! If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
 
https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/dat-completed-05-23-14.1073403/#post-15268657

I used a combination of threads (including compilation threads) but this is one I found particularly helpful. Also I would try to give urself a little more study time if possible but I guess this is more so what I did because I value the quality of study hours in a day rather than mass quantity cuz i tend to lose focus lol after too long and forget a lot. I prolly studied 2.5 months straight but everyone is different. Hope it helps!
 
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