Hello SDN,
I spent a lot of time reading breakdowns and study advice on SDN before my DAT, so I hope I can help some future students with my own. Since most pre-dental students are from a science background, I’m hoping I can add some input from an Engineering side.
DAT Breakdown:
AA 24
TS 26
PAT 24
RC 21
BIO 27
GC 25
Educational Background:
I’m in my 5th year of Biomedical Engineering. I’ve taken the bare minimum science courses to apply for many dental schools (2 courses of Biology, 2 courses of General Chemistry, 2 courses of Organic Chemistry, and 2 courses of Biochemistry), most of which were taken before I started engineering. Due to my background, I felt quite weak in sciences (especially biology) but quite strong in perception before starting my DAT studying.
Resources:
· Kaplan Blue Book (2016 version) [$80]
· Cliff’s AP Biology (3rd edition) [Free]
· DAT Destroyer (2016 version) [$150]
· Crack DAT PAT Software (Ace Ed) [$150]
· Crack DAT READING Software (Royal Flush Ed) [$100]
· DAT Bootcamp [$140 (Sale)]
Total: $620
Study Schedule:
I started studying by trying to follow the “Sample DAT study schedule” by dentalWorks, but that quickly derailed for me. I was taking two classes this fall, while studying for the DAT so I had to adjust the schedule to fit. Instead of setting day-by-day schedules, I made deadline dates where I set certain study goals. For this breakdown, I’ll be referring to deadline dates with respect to testing date. I studied for approximately 11 weeks.
Goal #1: KBB and Cliff Review
Allotted Time: 4 weeks
Deadline Date: 7 weeks before DAT
Reviewing material was a two-part process: reading and notes. Firstly, I would do a “1st Read” day where I would read one chapter from Cliff’s and one or two chapters from KBB Biology and KBB General Chemistry. Secondly, I would do a “2nd Read/Notes” day where I would reread a chapter slowly, and take notes as I went along. I would also complete the chapter review question after taking notes to solidify my studies. Since note taking takes a lot longer than reading, one “1st Read” day was usually followed by two to three “2nd Read/Notes” days. It’s alright to combine a 1st Read and a 2nd Read/notes in the same day (e.g. 2nd Read/notes of KBB Chapter 6 and 1st read of KBB Chapter 7); however, I strongly recommend that you do not combine two reads and notes for the same chapter. I typed my notes in point-form and put a heading for each chapter which allowed for quick referencing during later studies.
Goal #2: DAT Destroyer 1st Time
Allotted Time: 2 weeks
Deadline: 5 Weeks before DAT
The 2016 DAT Destroyer (DD) has 592 Biology problems and 357 General Chemistry problems. By doing 50 Biology problems and 33 GC problems per day, it takes 12 days to complete DAT Destroyer with 2 extra days. When doing DD questions, I recommend that you fully read the solutions for each question, even if you got it correct. DD questions were harder than the real DAT but fully understanding each solution helped solidify my knowledge. I kept a list of areas where I had difficulty and topics that I needed to memorize (e.g. Human Hormones).
I wrote my answers into an Excel spread sheet, which allowed me to keep track of which questions I got wrong. Also, I indirectly made an answer key which I used later.
Goal #3: Memorization Sheets and Review (Break)
Allotted Time: 2 weeks
Deadline: 3 Weeks before DAT
I went back to Cliff’s, KBB, and my notes to study the areas I had difficulty in. I also made a set of “Memorization Sheets” which had all the material that I thought needed memorization.
I had midterms during this time so my DAT studying took a back seat for a bit. If you’re pressed for time, this section can be compressed to a few days. I do recommend that you take at least 3 or 4 days to review and study before starting DAT Destroyer again.
Goal #4: DAT Destroyer 2nd Time
Allotted Time: 2 weeks
Deadline: 1 week before DAT
Same schedule as the first time. I felt quite confident in GC so I only read the solutions of questions I got wrong but still read every Biology solution. I used the same Excel spread sheet as before, and set the previous answers to white font. This allowed me to quickly check answers and identify questions I got wrong twice.
About halfway through DAT Destroyer, I started alternating doing practice PAT and RC tests from CRACK DAT and DAT Bootcamp. Before then, I had completed three PAT tests and no RC tests.
Goal #5: Practice Tests
Allotted Time: 1 week
Deadline: Test Day
The Canadian DAT has very few practice tests available. Canadian students will have to “Build-your-own” DAT if they want to practice pacing. For me, I used DAT Bootcamp’s subject tests as practice. I would complete Biology and GC tests back-to-back to simulate the CDAT natural science section, followed by a PAT test and a RC test. I tried to emulate the true test setting as much as possible by only taking 10-15min breaks between tests. Also, I tried to complete the RC test in 50min instead of 60min since that’s how long is given on the CDAT. It’s a challenge but definitely helped me pace for the real thing.
Work Log:
Being the nerdy engineer I am, I kept a work log throughout my studies. Here is a breakdown of how much time each section took:
General Advice:
Good luck to everyone taking the DAT in the future! Feel free to message me if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to answer.
I spent a lot of time reading breakdowns and study advice on SDN before my DAT, so I hope I can help some future students with my own. Since most pre-dental students are from a science background, I’m hoping I can add some input from an Engineering side.
DAT Breakdown:
AA 24
TS 26
PAT 24
RC 21
BIO 27
GC 25
Educational Background:
I’m in my 5th year of Biomedical Engineering. I’ve taken the bare minimum science courses to apply for many dental schools (2 courses of Biology, 2 courses of General Chemistry, 2 courses of Organic Chemistry, and 2 courses of Biochemistry), most of which were taken before I started engineering. Due to my background, I felt quite weak in sciences (especially biology) but quite strong in perception before starting my DAT studying.
Resources:
· Kaplan Blue Book (2016 version) [$80]
· Cliff’s AP Biology (3rd edition) [Free]
· DAT Destroyer (2016 version) [$150]
· Crack DAT PAT Software (Ace Ed) [$150]
· Crack DAT READING Software (Royal Flush Ed) [$100]
· DAT Bootcamp [$140 (Sale)]
Total: $620
Study Schedule:
I started studying by trying to follow the “Sample DAT study schedule” by dentalWorks, but that quickly derailed for me. I was taking two classes this fall, while studying for the DAT so I had to adjust the schedule to fit. Instead of setting day-by-day schedules, I made deadline dates where I set certain study goals. For this breakdown, I’ll be referring to deadline dates with respect to testing date. I studied for approximately 11 weeks.
Goal #1: KBB and Cliff Review
Allotted Time: 4 weeks
Deadline Date: 7 weeks before DAT
Reviewing material was a two-part process: reading and notes. Firstly, I would do a “1st Read” day where I would read one chapter from Cliff’s and one or two chapters from KBB Biology and KBB General Chemistry. Secondly, I would do a “2nd Read/Notes” day where I would reread a chapter slowly, and take notes as I went along. I would also complete the chapter review question after taking notes to solidify my studies. Since note taking takes a lot longer than reading, one “1st Read” day was usually followed by two to three “2nd Read/Notes” days. It’s alright to combine a 1st Read and a 2nd Read/notes in the same day (e.g. 2nd Read/notes of KBB Chapter 6 and 1st read of KBB Chapter 7); however, I strongly recommend that you do not combine two reads and notes for the same chapter. I typed my notes in point-form and put a heading for each chapter which allowed for quick referencing during later studies.
Goal #2: DAT Destroyer 1st Time
Allotted Time: 2 weeks
Deadline: 5 Weeks before DAT
The 2016 DAT Destroyer (DD) has 592 Biology problems and 357 General Chemistry problems. By doing 50 Biology problems and 33 GC problems per day, it takes 12 days to complete DAT Destroyer with 2 extra days. When doing DD questions, I recommend that you fully read the solutions for each question, even if you got it correct. DD questions were harder than the real DAT but fully understanding each solution helped solidify my knowledge. I kept a list of areas where I had difficulty and topics that I needed to memorize (e.g. Human Hormones).
I wrote my answers into an Excel spread sheet, which allowed me to keep track of which questions I got wrong. Also, I indirectly made an answer key which I used later.
Goal #3: Memorization Sheets and Review (Break)
Allotted Time: 2 weeks
Deadline: 3 Weeks before DAT
I went back to Cliff’s, KBB, and my notes to study the areas I had difficulty in. I also made a set of “Memorization Sheets” which had all the material that I thought needed memorization.
I had midterms during this time so my DAT studying took a back seat for a bit. If you’re pressed for time, this section can be compressed to a few days. I do recommend that you take at least 3 or 4 days to review and study before starting DAT Destroyer again.
Goal #4: DAT Destroyer 2nd Time
Allotted Time: 2 weeks
Deadline: 1 week before DAT
Same schedule as the first time. I felt quite confident in GC so I only read the solutions of questions I got wrong but still read every Biology solution. I used the same Excel spread sheet as before, and set the previous answers to white font. This allowed me to quickly check answers and identify questions I got wrong twice.
About halfway through DAT Destroyer, I started alternating doing practice PAT and RC tests from CRACK DAT and DAT Bootcamp. Before then, I had completed three PAT tests and no RC tests.
Goal #5: Practice Tests
Allotted Time: 1 week
Deadline: Test Day
The Canadian DAT has very few practice tests available. Canadian students will have to “Build-your-own” DAT if they want to practice pacing. For me, I used DAT Bootcamp’s subject tests as practice. I would complete Biology and GC tests back-to-back to simulate the CDAT natural science section, followed by a PAT test and a RC test. I tried to emulate the true test setting as much as possible by only taking 10-15min breaks between tests. Also, I tried to complete the RC test in 50min instead of 60min since that’s how long is given on the CDAT. It’s a challenge but definitely helped me pace for the real thing.
Work Log:
Being the nerdy engineer I am, I kept a work log throughout my studies. Here is a breakdown of how much time each section took:
General Advice:
- Be confident in what you know and identify what you don’t know. When doing review sessions, I would try to look over as many topics as I could. After I made my “Memorization Sheets”, I was able to focus my review on the topics which were giving me difficulty.
- You don’t need to be studying 100% of your free time. Make sure to leave time to do stuff you enjoy. A break from the material often helps future studying be more effective.
- Short frequent study sessions are better than a single, long one. In a similar note, repeated exposure to material is better. For this reason, I often completed Practice Tests and DD problems and then reviewed to solutions during another study session.
- The hardest part is starting to study. It seems like such a daunting task at first, but it’s not as bad once you get into the studying rhythm.
- It is possible to do well, even with a relatively weak scientific background. Adjust your studying to fit your background.
- Make a plan and try to stick to it; but it’s not the end of the world if you stray off by a bit. Make sure to leave leeway in your schedule for unexpected events.
Good luck to everyone taking the DAT in the future! Feel free to message me if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to answer.
