- Joined
- Jan 8, 2013
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Hey everyone! Just took my DAT this morning and could not be more pleased with my scores. I have been lurking on SDN for quite a while, many of you probably even recognize me from the numerous posts. I would like to thank everyone here who has been such a great help to me. I learned so much from everyone and their posts. I would like give a shoutout to @Glimmer1991 for her awesome breakdown. Although, I did not follow her style of studying or get the same scores as her I did learn from her to remain calm throughout the entire process and do that things that I enjoy doing while studying for this strenuous exam. A HUGE shoutout to @Ari Rezaei not only for Bootcamp but for his awesome study schedule. I made a few edits to it and ended up not going the entire 10 weeks because quite frankly I would have gone crazy.
My scores were as follows:
PAT 22
QR 20
RC 20
Bio 21
GC 26
OC 21
TS 22
AA 22
cGPA 3.2
I would like some feedback on whether I should apply this cycle or not. I am already admitted in a masters program that starts this fall but now that I got decent DAT scores I am considering applying. Please provide some feedback. The schools I am looking into are UDM and UofM.
Now onto my breakdown (the part that most of you really want to know), not gonna lie its all I cared about while I was studying so I don't blame you.
PAT: I used CDP and Bootcamp, primarily Bootcamp. Very representative of the test overall in terms of difficulty. I did the first 8 tests and was consistently scoring 19's. Literally every test I would get 61/95 and it was really frustrating but hey I ended up with a 22 so I must have done something right.
Keyholes- quite tricky similar to Bootcamp if not slightly harder. Some of them really caught me off guard.
TFE- This section was on par with Bootcamp, nothing I wasn't expecting.
Angles- The usual craziness. Never really practiced for them apart from Bootcamp tests but if you want to give the angle generators a go then I'm sure you would do slightly better.
Hole punches- This section was my favorite on PAT. I averaged 14/15 on all my tests and am pretty sure I did about the same on the actual DAT. A few tricky folds but nothing out of left field.
Cube counting- once again if you're killing it on Bootcamp, you're good to go.
Pattern folding- This section was my improvement during bootcamp and i think it certainly reflected on my actual DAT because I felt very comfortable doing them. Easier than Bootcamp for sure.
QR: For this section I mainly used Math destroyer and did tests 1-10 and 1-8 a second time. It was quite representative of the actual DAT. I can't say much cause I didn't do so hot but definitely understand the destroyer tests and know how to do the problems. It will go a long way.
RC: Apart from the 2007 and 2009 ADA DAT I never practiced for this sections. Bootcamp just overwhelmed me so I gave up after the first test. The passages on the actual DAT were a much easier read and since two of them were Bio related I ended up answering questions without even referring to the passage.
Bio: This section was my second most feared section on the DAT. I have not taken a biology course since 2012 and was very concerned but honestly although the actual test was extremely random I don't think it was anything I couldn't manage with the studying I had done. I spent my first half of studying doing content review. Everyday I would read a chapter of Bio from Barrons then reading the corresponding chapter in Cliffs and the next day read them again while making notes/flashcards and take the test at the end of the chapter. This helped me reinforce information constantly and on my break days I was able to look over the notes and flashcards so I wouldn't forget what I had learned. The second half of my studying consisted of doing Bootcamp tests (I will post my scores later) and then doing destroyer and once again making flashcards for things I did not understand or got wrong. The last week or so of my studying I retook Bootcamp tests and read Feralis notes (2 chapters a day).
GC: I was doing really well in this section while studying and had taken Gen chem 2 this past winter semester before studying so I was really clear on a lot of the concepts. My professor was great and I actually focused on the stuff so this was a breeze. But the best, hands down best, resource for this was Chads. I only went through Chads once I don't see why people do it twice, if you're taking good notes then your notes should be sufficient for the DAT. I took Bootcamp tests after going through all of Chads videos. After that I went through DAT Destroyer twice. This was difficult but my first time around I averaged 80% so I was confident I would do well but then went through it a second time to work on things I got wrong, obviously I didn't do it well enough or I would've gotten a 30 but I cannot complain. Really focus on what Chad is saying when you watch the videos. Simply taking notes will not help unless you understand what is being taught.
OC: Remember when I mentioned Bio was my second most feared section. Anyone wanna take a guess what my most feared one was? BINGO. Orgo was my least favorite and the fact that it had been 3 years since I took an ochem class did not help. But once again, CHAD to the rescue. I really focused when he was teaching the material and he is god for this subject. Probably better than my college professors because even though I got A's in my ochem class I definitely did not understand it this well until now. I took Bootcamp tests after going through Chads and then followed it up with Destroyer 2 times. This was great for me since I am weak in orgo. For those of you who are strong in orgo destroyer once should be enough.
The materials I used:
Bootcamp (10/10)
Destroyer(math and normal)- 10/10
CDP- 7/10 -wasn't as challenging
Chads- 20/10
Cliffs- 10/10 (If you really focus and learn the info it is more than enough)
Barrons- 8/10 (not as detailed as cliffs but still good)
Feralis- 7/10 (this has been great for some people but I honestly thought it was too much) I still used it towards the end just to see how much I really knew since it is so vast.
I spent a majority of my time studying during the content review, which was the first half of my studying. Around 8-10 hours everyday at the library. The second was just doing practice questions so I was down to 6 hours after doing everything and going over my mistakes. The week leading up to my test I studied everyday but not like a crazy person I did around 5-6 hours of reviewing everyday going through practice questions and notes for biology and just exposing myself to everything I possibly could. I went through a lot of math destroyer tests this week, as well. I was a nervous wreck pretty much everyday and thanks to my mom for putting up with me.
While studying it can get very hectic at times and you just want to stop and give up but know that you have set out to achieve a goal and become a doctor of dental medicine. By no means will that be an easy task, this is just the first step so keep calm and do what you gotta do! I told myself this everyday especially towards the end of my studying because that's when I wanted to just get it done with. Remember to do something fun after studying I used to hang out with my brother everyday and he would definitely lighten things up for me everyday.
Other than that, good luck to you DAT takers and make sure you go and conquer!
Ps I will post my Bootcamp scores tonight or tomorrow. (might be a little too tipsy tonight lol)
My scores were as follows:
PAT 22
QR 20
RC 20
Bio 21
GC 26
OC 21
TS 22
AA 22
cGPA 3.2
I would like some feedback on whether I should apply this cycle or not. I am already admitted in a masters program that starts this fall but now that I got decent DAT scores I am considering applying. Please provide some feedback. The schools I am looking into are UDM and UofM.
Now onto my breakdown (the part that most of you really want to know), not gonna lie its all I cared about while I was studying so I don't blame you.
PAT: I used CDP and Bootcamp, primarily Bootcamp. Very representative of the test overall in terms of difficulty. I did the first 8 tests and was consistently scoring 19's. Literally every test I would get 61/95 and it was really frustrating but hey I ended up with a 22 so I must have done something right.
Keyholes- quite tricky similar to Bootcamp if not slightly harder. Some of them really caught me off guard.
TFE- This section was on par with Bootcamp, nothing I wasn't expecting.
Angles- The usual craziness. Never really practiced for them apart from Bootcamp tests but if you want to give the angle generators a go then I'm sure you would do slightly better.
Hole punches- This section was my favorite on PAT. I averaged 14/15 on all my tests and am pretty sure I did about the same on the actual DAT. A few tricky folds but nothing out of left field.
Cube counting- once again if you're killing it on Bootcamp, you're good to go.
Pattern folding- This section was my improvement during bootcamp and i think it certainly reflected on my actual DAT because I felt very comfortable doing them. Easier than Bootcamp for sure.
QR: For this section I mainly used Math destroyer and did tests 1-10 and 1-8 a second time. It was quite representative of the actual DAT. I can't say much cause I didn't do so hot but definitely understand the destroyer tests and know how to do the problems. It will go a long way.
RC: Apart from the 2007 and 2009 ADA DAT I never practiced for this sections. Bootcamp just overwhelmed me so I gave up after the first test. The passages on the actual DAT were a much easier read and since two of them were Bio related I ended up answering questions without even referring to the passage.
Bio: This section was my second most feared section on the DAT. I have not taken a biology course since 2012 and was very concerned but honestly although the actual test was extremely random I don't think it was anything I couldn't manage with the studying I had done. I spent my first half of studying doing content review. Everyday I would read a chapter of Bio from Barrons then reading the corresponding chapter in Cliffs and the next day read them again while making notes/flashcards and take the test at the end of the chapter. This helped me reinforce information constantly and on my break days I was able to look over the notes and flashcards so I wouldn't forget what I had learned. The second half of my studying consisted of doing Bootcamp tests (I will post my scores later) and then doing destroyer and once again making flashcards for things I did not understand or got wrong. The last week or so of my studying I retook Bootcamp tests and read Feralis notes (2 chapters a day).
GC: I was doing really well in this section while studying and had taken Gen chem 2 this past winter semester before studying so I was really clear on a lot of the concepts. My professor was great and I actually focused on the stuff so this was a breeze. But the best, hands down best, resource for this was Chads. I only went through Chads once I don't see why people do it twice, if you're taking good notes then your notes should be sufficient for the DAT. I took Bootcamp tests after going through all of Chads videos. After that I went through DAT Destroyer twice. This was difficult but my first time around I averaged 80% so I was confident I would do well but then went through it a second time to work on things I got wrong, obviously I didn't do it well enough or I would've gotten a 30 but I cannot complain. Really focus on what Chad is saying when you watch the videos. Simply taking notes will not help unless you understand what is being taught.
OC: Remember when I mentioned Bio was my second most feared section. Anyone wanna take a guess what my most feared one was? BINGO. Orgo was my least favorite and the fact that it had been 3 years since I took an ochem class did not help. But once again, CHAD to the rescue. I really focused when he was teaching the material and he is god for this subject. Probably better than my college professors because even though I got A's in my ochem class I definitely did not understand it this well until now. I took Bootcamp tests after going through Chads and then followed it up with Destroyer 2 times. This was great for me since I am weak in orgo. For those of you who are strong in orgo destroyer once should be enough.
The materials I used:
Bootcamp (10/10)
Destroyer(math and normal)- 10/10
CDP- 7/10 -wasn't as challenging
Chads- 20/10
Cliffs- 10/10 (If you really focus and learn the info it is more than enough)
Barrons- 8/10 (not as detailed as cliffs but still good)
Feralis- 7/10 (this has been great for some people but I honestly thought it was too much) I still used it towards the end just to see how much I really knew since it is so vast.
I spent a majority of my time studying during the content review, which was the first half of my studying. Around 8-10 hours everyday at the library. The second was just doing practice questions so I was down to 6 hours after doing everything and going over my mistakes. The week leading up to my test I studied everyday but not like a crazy person I did around 5-6 hours of reviewing everyday going through practice questions and notes for biology and just exposing myself to everything I possibly could. I went through a lot of math destroyer tests this week, as well. I was a nervous wreck pretty much everyday and thanks to my mom for putting up with me.
While studying it can get very hectic at times and you just want to stop and give up but know that you have set out to achieve a goal and become a doctor of dental medicine. By no means will that be an easy task, this is just the first step so keep calm and do what you gotta do! I told myself this everyday especially towards the end of my studying because that's when I wanted to just get it done with. Remember to do something fun after studying I used to hang out with my brother everyday and he would definitely lighten things up for me everyday.
Other than that, good luck to you DAT takers and make sure you go and conquer!
Ps I will post my Bootcamp scores tonight or tomorrow. (might be a little too tipsy tonight lol)
