destroyer absolutely needed? advice please!

[watermelon15]

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My DAT (2nd attempt) is on dec 29th....im still going over material but aim at being done and start practice problems on Saturday ( I have been doing some here and there , nothing too intensive)
I have bootcamp and the destroyer and just wondering, is destroyer going to be worth going through at this point with only a week and half left till my test date?

A little bit of background to explain my procrastination in starting to study...I took the DAT for the first time on Sep 28 and got the following scores:
PAT 17
QR 14
RC 20
Bio 18
OC 18
GC 17
TS 17
AA 17

I graduated with a BS in Medical Technology (lab sciences) this May and worked as a full time tech from july till october for training, now im part-time, so i completely underestimated how tough it would be to juggle a first-time professional job with studying for a test like the DAT and you can see i bombed the test ....nonetheless im proud i took the test after countless meltdowns cuz i just needed to give myself whatever chance i had this cycle cuz i was so happy i finally discovered my passion in dentistry and did'nt want to be out of school for any longer than a year. and im retaking it at this time even though theres not much of a chance left this cycle just in the hopes to show the schools that i have improved my score....(the worst that can happen is i wont be accepted this cycle and ill be super early next cycle!)

My app was initially mailed out on sep 12 but was fully complete on Oct 22 when the schools got my scores. I applied broadly to about 20 schools and got one interview on dec 13 at Detroit mercy and have been denied from six others (totally expected) and "continuing review" from buffalo

but yup now back to my initial question....is the destroyer absolutely necessary or will it suffice to go intensively through all the material, chads quizzes, ferrali's notes and all bootcamp tests to get a decent competitive score?

oh and gpa overall and science are 3.7 and i have pretty good volunteering/ec's and letters of rec
also work as a dental assistant once a week so have enough dental experience as well

Thank you for your answers!

 

[yeslek88]

Your test is in less than 2 weeks. Its too late for destroyer.

Honest opinion? Doesn't seem like you're taking it seriously enough. You're trying to get it done ASAP as opposed to getting it done right. If you go through with the test on the 29th my guess is you won't improve significantly enough to catch anyones attention. I hope you prove me wrong. My advice is swallow the fee and cancel this upcoming appointment and reschedule for sometime in the spring. If you take it now and do poorly again you have a serious uphill battle of even being accepted next year.

 

[SXCoronado]

.

 

[Jadesocket]

I'm going to have to agree with yeslek. If you really want to do well on the DAT and get into dental school, you're going to have to do what ever it takes to do well. I also graduated with a biotech lab sciences degree and started working right after in the industry. I had to take a month off, living on my savings, to study for the DATs. Doing problems here and there will get you no where, I know that from experience; in fact, it actually stressed me out more because I never grasped any of the concepts.

But back to your question. I found destroyer to be unnecessarily hard. The answers had great explanations, but I feel that it is only effective if you have more than a month of study time. Bootcamp is great for practice questions for sure. If you do well on bootcamp, you'll probably do fine on the actual exam.

 

[watermelon15]

thanks for responding and sharing your thoughts everyone! 🙂 ....i definitely want to give this my best shot, I am thinking of pushing my test down two weeks, it will give me peace of mind knowing i gave it my best....this way i can also use the destroyer as a learning tool too

 

[watermelon15]

@Jadesocket do you mind sharing how you prepared for the DAT? I can study for upto 6-7 hours a day effectively but after that when I come home from the library I can't get myself to review at night

 

[WolfPackSigeEp]

Don't let these people break your spirits. Only you know you.
That being said, I would go through 3 things:
1)Chad's Video's quizzes
2)Dat Bootcamp
3)Organic flashcards.

Best of luck.

 

[watermelon15]

@WolfPackSigeEp thanks soo much for the positive vibes!! 🙂 and for your suggestions as well. did you use the destroyer when you were studying?

 

[matardug]

I had very similar scores on the DAT my first attempt...17 AA and 17 TS. For me destroyer was an absolute must. Im glad to hear youre pushing your test back a couple weeks. Take your test when you feel prepared! If you want you can check out my breakdown, it could give some good pointers! Study hard and good luck!

 

[watermelon15]

thanks @matardug 🙂 i've read your breakdown and got some great info, especially about the usefulness of the destroyer-seems like it made all the difference

 

[Blake1e]

My DAT (2nd attempt) is on dec 29th....im still going over material but aim at being done and start practice problems on Saturday ( I have been doing some here and there , nothing too intensive)
I have bootcamp and the destroyer and just wondering, is destroyer going to be worth going through at this point with only a week and half left till my test date?

A little bit of background to explain my procrastination in starting to study...I took the DAT for the first time on Sep 28 and got the following scores:
PAT 17
QR 14
RC 20
Bio 18
OC 18
GC 17
TS 17
AA 17

I graduated with a BS in Medical Technology (lab sciences) this May and worked as a full time tech from july till october for training, now im part-time, so i completely underestimated how tough it would be to juggle a first-time professional job with studying for a test like the DAT and you can see i bombed the test ....nonetheless im proud i took the test after countless meltdowns cuz i just needed to give myself whatever chance i had this cycle cuz i was so happy i finally discovered my passion in dentistry and did'nt want to be out of school for any longer than a year. and im retaking it at this time even though theres not much of a chance left this cycle just in the hopes to show the schools that i have improved my score....(the worst that can happen is i wont be accepted this cycle and ill be super early next cycle!)

My app was initially mailed out on sep 12 but was fully complete on Oct 22 when the schools got my scores. I applied broadly to about 20 schools and got one interview on dec 13 at Detroit mercy and have been denied from six others (totally expected) and "continuing review" from buffalo

but yup now back to my initial question....is the destroyer absolutely necessary or will it suffice to go intensively through all the material, chads quizzes, ferrali's notes and all bootcamp tests to get a decent competitive score?

oh and gpa overall and science are 3.7 and i have pretty good volunteering/ec's and letters of rec
also work as a dental assistant once a week so have enough dental experience as well

Thank you for your answers!

Destroyer is absolutely a must. It is the best of all the study materials. I can honestly say if it were not for the DAT destroyer I would not have done as well as I did on the DAT. If you go over the destroyer at least twice, youll have a pretty difficult time getting anything less than a 20 in the science sections. The Destroyer has many questions that look like paraphrased (and sometimes word-for-word) questions off the real DAT exam.

Delay your exam date to the end of winter break/January and spend the time going over the Destroyer (as well as your other materials to keep your mind fresh). Dont worry about rescheduling, on my retake, I did it twice before I finally felt ready. Good luck, with your high GPA Im sure youll kick major butt on your retake.

 

[WolfPackSigeEp]

@WolfPackSigeEp thanks soo much for the positive vibes!! 🙂 and for your suggestions as well. did you use the destroyer when you were studying?

I used the DAT destroyer throughout my study process. I had a very detailed study plan for about 3 months. I focused my efforts in the chemistry section. The biology section is gret, dont get me wrong, but I believe that for last minute studying it would be beneficial for you to knock out the chem sections.

 

[yeslek88]

1) Chads videos are a must.
2) Destroyer Bio is also great IMO. Questions they ask often encompass multiple disciplines, so it really helps you pick up the slack on your weak points. My only beef is that the Ochem section in destroyer is so much more difficult than what you see on the DAT that it is almost not worth it. I got an A in ochem and 22 on its DAT section, and would look at those problems and not be able to answer even half of them. If you're trying to max out 25+ each section then its valuable. For me it was just frustrating.
3) Do PAT practice tests for timing. I made the mistake of not doing this, and the PAT kicked my ass. Wasn't prepared and guessed on 20+ questions.


EDIT: Im happy to hear you have rescheduled, but give yourself more than a few weeks! I know you want this cycle, but by the time schools get your score it will be february. Any school you haven't interviewed at by now should be viewed as a real long shot. Know thyself- if you know you can do it then tell me to STFU, but I would hate to see you rush this and have to take it a third time because the third time is your final opportunity.

 

[manifesto]

Read my breakdown. It seems perfect for you but yeah postpone your test. Also if you need a destroyer, I can sell you mine for cheap. Private msg me.

 

[FOX_ONE]

destroyer is crucial for breaking the 22+ barrier.

you need to run through chad's videos thoroughly again.
use kaplan blue book to do bio.

 

[watermelon15]

@manifesto I just went through your breakdown, and you were STELLAR...thanks a bunch for pointing it out 🙂

@FOX_ONE thank you , that definitely answers my question! Chad's is the best....and congratulations on Columbia!!

 

[watermelon15]

1) Chads videos are a must.
2) Destroyer Bio is also great IMO. Questions they ask often encompass multiple disciplines, so it really helps you pick up the slack on your weak points. My only beef is that the Ochem section in destroyer is so much more difficult than what you see on the DAT that it is almost not worth it. I got an A in ochem and 22 on its DAT section, and would look at those problems and not be able to answer even half of them. If you're trying to max out 25+ each section then its valuable. For me it was just frustrating.
3) Do PAT practice tests for timing. I made the mistake of not doing this, and the PAT kicked my ass. Wasn't prepared and guessed on 20+ questions.


EDIT: Im happy to hear you have rescheduled, but give yourself more than a few weeks! I know you want this cycle, but by the time schools get your score it will be february. Any school you haven't interviewed at by now should be viewed as a real long shot. Know thyself- if you know you can do it then tell me to STFU, but I would hate to see you rush this and have to take it a third time because the third time is your final opportunity.

Thank you for all your input! i'm taking the two extra weeks and plan on giving my best shot....definitely using destroyer this time around

 

[watermelon15]

Destroyer is absolutely a must. It is the best of all the study materials. I can honestly say if it were not for the DAT destroyer I would not have done as well as I did on the DAT. If you go over the destroyer at least twice, youll have a pretty difficult time getting anything less than a 20 in the science sections. The Destroyer has many questions that look like paraphrased (and sometimes word-for-word) questions off the real DAT exam.

Delay your exam date to the end of winter break/January and spend the time going over the Destroyer (as well as your other materials to keep your mind fresh). Dont worry about rescheduling, on my retake, I did it twice before I finally felt ready. Good luck, with your high GPA Im sure youll kick major butt on your retake.

Thanks for the positive vibes! 🙂 ill be using destroyer now and grill through it...just have to suck it up these few weeks!!