- Joined
- May 2, 2010
- Messages
- 432
- Reaction score
- 34
My DAT scores:
PA: 22 (93.4%)
QR: 24 (99.0%)
RC: 21 (76.7%)
Bio: 20 (88.0%)
GC: 26 (98.8%)
OC: 23 (94.4%)
TS: 22 (95.6%)
AA: 23 (98.7%)
I took the DAT for my first time yesterday, and I'm happy with my scores. And of course, it is so nice to be done 😀. I have dedicated several hours every day for the past 3 months to study for this exam. Anyways, here is my breakdown. Although I used the typical study materials that many other DAT-studiers on SDN use, I hope you still find something from this breakdown to be helpful!
PA: I used Crack DAT PAT, and it was amazing. The format is just like the real thing, so it really helps get you in test mode. In the hole-punching section, some of the questions were different from the questions on Crack DAT PAT, and it first left me like 😱 because I was pretty confident about the hole-punching section. But if you think carefully, it's very doable. Just don't have a short panic attack like I did
.
QR: When I first started studying for the test, I tried a test from Math Destroyer, and I couldn't even get past 30 of the 40 questions because I was so slow and, thus, always ran out of time 😕. However, I practiced timing myself every day and even tried using a whiteboard/marker to simulate test conditions, and on the real test, I did not run out of time! The math itself is very basic and high school level. So just refresh your memory about some statistics, trig., and word problems. Staying calm and collected, despite QR being the last section on the test, is key.
RC: I was never really that good with reading comprehension, and I wasn't sure how to approach the questions but this is what I ended up doing. First, I go through all the questions and remember the key words. Then I read about half of the passage, and go back to answer any of the questions that I can at that point. While I'm going through the questions looking for ones that I can answer, it's a good refresher of what I still need to keep an eye out for while the reading the remainder of the passage. Then read the second half of the passage, and finish answering all the questons. Most importantly, convincing yourself that you're really interested in the passage definitely helps; it keeps you moving fast and really focused.
Bio: I was most nervous about this section because I heard so many times that the questions were random. It is random in the sense that the forty questions on the test can be from anything in campbell's textbook. But do not make the mistake of thinking that you can not prepare for this section because of its "randomness." I reviewed Princeton Review's Bio book and went through any confusing/less detailed parts by reading sections of campbell (remember to pay attention to the diagrams in campbell's textbook). This was enough to cover all the topics on the test.
GC: I wish I had known about Chad's videos before I started Destroyer because Chad does such an amazing job reviewing all the chemistry you need to know 👍. I also used Destroyer for GC (as well as for OC) to time myself 30 mins for 30 questions (the first day, I did questions 1-30, then 31-60 the second day, etc.).
OC: Again, I used Chad's videos (although I thought his GC videos were better than his OC vidoes...) and Destroyer. The roadmaps of all the reactions are helpful, but it definitely helps to know how the reaction works (the actual mechanism, the radicals/intermediates formed in the reaction, major/minor products, etc.). Questions on my DAT really tested if I knew how the reaction occurred more than what the product was.
Final note: One really important thing that I learned, as cliche as it may sound, is to never give up during the test. Unexpected things, such as accidentally skipping over a question on the PAT and ending the section with an "incomplete" question and getting a very technical reading passage, were some of the low points during my test. But each time, I tried to convince myself that I did fine and that wasting time regretting over a section would do nothing to help me. Looking back, I'm very glad that I was able to get over things quickly and move on. Keep this in mind if you ever hit a low point during the test. Just keep going and focus on what is in front of you, and you will be very glad that you did 😛. Good luck to all the DAT-studiers. Hard work definitely pays off. Don't ever give up!
I'm a junior in college with a 3.9 avg.gpa, and I plan to apply to dental schools next year. I want to move to California or the east coast, but I would be an out-of-state student. When the time comes, I will definitely apply to as many schools as I can, but realistically, how likely is it that a relatively competitive dental school will accept an out-of-state student? Any opinions/advice are appreciated 😳 Thank you!
PA: 22 (93.4%)
QR: 24 (99.0%)
RC: 21 (76.7%)
Bio: 20 (88.0%)
GC: 26 (98.8%)
OC: 23 (94.4%)
TS: 22 (95.6%)
AA: 23 (98.7%)
I took the DAT for my first time yesterday, and I'm happy with my scores. And of course, it is so nice to be done 😀. I have dedicated several hours every day for the past 3 months to study for this exam. Anyways, here is my breakdown. Although I used the typical study materials that many other DAT-studiers on SDN use, I hope you still find something from this breakdown to be helpful!
PA: I used Crack DAT PAT, and it was amazing. The format is just like the real thing, so it really helps get you in test mode. In the hole-punching section, some of the questions were different from the questions on Crack DAT PAT, and it first left me like 😱 because I was pretty confident about the hole-punching section. But if you think carefully, it's very doable. Just don't have a short panic attack like I did
. QR: When I first started studying for the test, I tried a test from Math Destroyer, and I couldn't even get past 30 of the 40 questions because I was so slow and, thus, always ran out of time 😕. However, I practiced timing myself every day and even tried using a whiteboard/marker to simulate test conditions, and on the real test, I did not run out of time! The math itself is very basic and high school level. So just refresh your memory about some statistics, trig., and word problems. Staying calm and collected, despite QR being the last section on the test, is key.
RC: I was never really that good with reading comprehension, and I wasn't sure how to approach the questions but this is what I ended up doing. First, I go through all the questions and remember the key words. Then I read about half of the passage, and go back to answer any of the questions that I can at that point. While I'm going through the questions looking for ones that I can answer, it's a good refresher of what I still need to keep an eye out for while the reading the remainder of the passage. Then read the second half of the passage, and finish answering all the questons. Most importantly, convincing yourself that you're really interested in the passage definitely helps; it keeps you moving fast and really focused.
Bio: I was most nervous about this section because I heard so many times that the questions were random. It is random in the sense that the forty questions on the test can be from anything in campbell's textbook. But do not make the mistake of thinking that you can not prepare for this section because of its "randomness." I reviewed Princeton Review's Bio book and went through any confusing/less detailed parts by reading sections of campbell (remember to pay attention to the diagrams in campbell's textbook). This was enough to cover all the topics on the test.
GC: I wish I had known about Chad's videos before I started Destroyer because Chad does such an amazing job reviewing all the chemistry you need to know 👍. I also used Destroyer for GC (as well as for OC) to time myself 30 mins for 30 questions (the first day, I did questions 1-30, then 31-60 the second day, etc.).
OC: Again, I used Chad's videos (although I thought his GC videos were better than his OC vidoes...) and Destroyer. The roadmaps of all the reactions are helpful, but it definitely helps to know how the reaction works (the actual mechanism, the radicals/intermediates formed in the reaction, major/minor products, etc.). Questions on my DAT really tested if I knew how the reaction occurred more than what the product was.
Final note: One really important thing that I learned, as cliche as it may sound, is to never give up during the test. Unexpected things, such as accidentally skipping over a question on the PAT and ending the section with an "incomplete" question and getting a very technical reading passage, were some of the low points during my test. But each time, I tried to convince myself that I did fine and that wasting time regretting over a section would do nothing to help me. Looking back, I'm very glad that I was able to get over things quickly and move on. Keep this in mind if you ever hit a low point during the test. Just keep going and focus on what is in front of you, and you will be very glad that you did 😛. Good luck to all the DAT-studiers. Hard work definitely pays off. Don't ever give up!
I'm a junior in college with a 3.9 avg.gpa, and I plan to apply to dental schools next year. I want to move to California or the east coast, but I would be an out-of-state student. When the time comes, I will definitely apply to as many schools as I can, but realistically, how likely is it that a relatively competitive dental school will accept an out-of-state student? Any opinions/advice are appreciated 😳 Thank you!
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