DAT fears

[myameena]

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Last night as I was going over my inorganic chem sections in the big Kaplan book I panicked. There is soooo much to remember and like hell if I remember the thermodynamics of acid-base chemistry - standard eletromagnetic force etc! Is this crap really on there?! Sure redox is and acids and bases are but this stuff is getting deep when they start in on the EMF stuff. I haven't even done math or ochem yet! How am I going to fit this all in my brain!? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mitwa]

the emf question WAS on my dat....and the kaplan books do give you the basic outline on EVERYTHING that the dat will ask. so if you are a teach yourself person then start learning otherwise postpone your dat until you are ready or find a great tutor to help you learn! good luck!!

 

[ItsGavinC]

myameena,

You make a good point: there is a TON to know for the DAT. To go along with that, however, think of how much you must learn in dental school!

The amount of material you are learning/studying now is miniscule compared to the amount you must learn in dental school.

You need to learn the information now, and you will need to learn the information presented in dental school. If that prospect is a grim one to you, perhaps you might want to ponder upon your career choice.

By the way, I fully believe that you can do VERY WELL on the DAT. Pace yourself, and you will be able to cram everything into your head.

Don't let the amount of material scare you away from your goals, but don't pretend like hard work isn't a factor in your future education/profession.

Good luck!

 

[tinker bell]

Don't skip even one page. I even used my text book for supplemental studying... The old gen chem, ochem text books are best for reviewing because they cover all of the basics. For biology, use Campbell. And for math, download the gre test to practice. They have real time math tests, with solutions for every problem. I aced my math...I also used the gre english to study.
Go the extra mile. Every one uses the Kaplan or Princeton book. The person who uses the extra books earns extra points.
And I tell you, it's worth it.
Best of luck with your studying. Don't panic. There are plenty of times. I started studying on my own last year at this time. And I was working, only studied 2hrs/night. And every bit of efforts makes the difference.
🙂

 

[ohgee]

remember to practice sample problems on g-chem, don't just trying to memorize the concepts! you should be able to utilize what you know into solving problems as well. That's what makes the difference between students score differently even when using the same study book.

 

[EVN3331]

How long do you usally get on each section of the DAT? The reason I am asking this is because I am a notoriously slow test taker and afraid this will hurt me. Thanks

 

[tinker bell]

Sciences: 100min/100questions.
PAT: 50min.
RC: 60 min.
QR: 45min (?)

 

[DesiDentist]

The science section is 90 minutes long with 100 questions.

I believe the PAT is 60 minutes long and has 90 questions.

RCT has 50 questions

QR is 45 minutes long with 40 questions.

DesiDentist

 

[EVN3331]

Thank you very much for your help and very fast response!

 

[KDBuff]

tinker bell,

I'm in a similar situation as far as working full time while studying. I was curious, about how long did it take you to feel ready to take the test studying in this manner? I feel like I study really hard, then have a few days where I don't have time to study at all. I feel like it really costs me by not seeing the material every single day, so I have to re-cover material more than I would if I could study for hours every day. Anyone else feel free to provide your thoughts. Thanks,

Kevin

 

[tinker bell]

Kevin,

I was studying on and off from Oct last year until May. I just read text books and practiced with the gre software at that time. Just wanted to master the english and math sections.

Starting June, I used Princeton books, Kaplan tests, and Topscore CD to study until Aug full time (I was taking Princeton course and spent all my time studying DAT, staying inside UCSF dorm and doing nothing else). The day that I didn't have class, I didn't even walk out to the front door. 20 days before my actual big day, I started taking a test at the exact time that my real test time will be (10 am) every day. So, I took a total of 19 tests altogether.

I used Campbell for bio, Solomon for ochem, a gchem text book. English and math I used gre tests (download free from www.gre.org). PAT is from Kaplan, Princeton.
Best of luck with your test.
Tinker Bell