So first off about me:
I graduated in 2010 with a BS double major in molecular cellular biology and Spanish. 09-10 cycle- 1 interview (Louisville). UG GPA: 3.28, Science only: 3.00. Old DAT score: 20 AA, 19 TS, 19 PAT (25 RC).
I did an SMP in 2010-2011 with 2 post-Dec interviews at ASDOH and UIC. I worked through the 2011-2012 cycle with 1 pre-Dec interview at ASDOH. SMP GPA 3.28 (all science classes). I took this cycle off working and making sure dentistry is what I really wanted to do after so many rejections.
I quit my job to start studying. Moved back in with the parents and took the GRE, went on a week vacation, then took a month for DAT prep. I didn't study every waking moment. I watched a lot of NFL and my college team play a lot. I started to play classical guitar and take lessons as well.
I upgraded my old Crack PAT to the full version. Bought Q-vault. I bought Chad's videos for the cheapest subscription. I used my 2009-2010 Kaplan Blue Book. I used my old Cliff's AP Bio from high school. Then realized everyone recommended destroyer and how great it was. So I bought that 2 weeks before the exam.
Another thing: I'm a really fast reader. Every section but math was finished with 12 or more minutes left.
So the math was as hard as I remembered it. I didn't feel tired and I knew how to do all the questions but one (I still don't know how to do standard deviation), but time was an issue and I don't think I could've done any better. I would consider myself good at math. I feel very comfortable moving numbers in equations and can derive most required formulas in minimal time. I studied for probably a total of 10 hours on this.
RC: Just used search and destroy.
Bio: Was pretty easy. They asked some randomly hard questions in the beginning so I didn't feel great but got easier over time. They asked where a certain muscle was and I didn't remember.
Chem: Felt easy. Nothing remarkable. GC was my worst grades in college.
OChem: Nothing seemed too difficult. I couldn't tell that any question was ridiculously hard or not.
PAT: Practice makes perfect with this section. Doing it for 30 minutes a day for 6 months after learning techniques will make you a lot better than trying to binge it in a month like I did.
So here's my review of materials:
Q-vault: I think it's a waste of money. The questions aren't difficult just written tricky. I did every question till I knew every one of them.
Kaplan Blue Book: I feel like this was the best resource for the sciences part. The quizzes are bad but the info is good. The mnemonics are really good too.
Cliff's AP: It's a good resource and it's small so you can use it while you're eating or on the John.
Destroyer: I think this was the biggest waste of money. Not only did it make me feel terrible, the questions were really difficult and were pretty irrelevant to the exam.
Crack DAT Full version: The science exams after test 8 or so have a lot of erroneous or questionable questions. The PAT is good but I think after a test 7 there are some repetitive questions. I did angle ranking practice till I got 15 straight at 3 degrees multiple days in a row.
Notes: When you start your exam (not in the tutorial), try using the letter keys A, B, C, D, and E. If you can use your mouse to select the next question use these keys you will go faster. Clicking the little radio button can waste a lot of time.
