For those of you with outstanding DAT scores (25+)

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What's your secret? What resources did you use, and how much time did it take you to prepare?

 

[GENERAL TSO]

study for at least 4 months.

 

[Typo]

Yup, like General Tso said: set aside several months to study. I basically took an entire summer off from school and work (well, I did a little work) to study for the test, and studied Kaplan's stuff raw. Granted, I didn't study full-time until the last couple of months, but in the end it just took tons and tons of studying.

The resources I used were almost straight Kaplan. *Definitely* sign up for their course - at the very least the online course. The classroom experience was helpful for pacing my studying, and if you've got a good teacher it'll be all the better. That being said, the most valuable part of Kaplan by far is the practice materials. You just won't find nearly as much material anywhere else.

TopScore Pro is a great resource too. Be wary of the PAT section, though. It's harder on the real thing than it is on TopScore Pro, and harder than Kaplan's tests too.

One key I think some people might overlook - do as many practice problems you can possibly do, then review them immediately after. Ask yourself why you got the right answers right, and what mistakes you made in your wrong answers. I found that most of the time I didn't answer questions wrong because I lacked knowledge. I got them wrong because I made stupid little mistakes: didn't read the question right, thought too much, didn't answer the question completely, etc. I got better and better at taking multiple choice tests as time went on, and soon the stupid mistakes fell by the wayside.

In my opinion, just studying the book isn't enough. Taking a multiple choice test isn't just about regurgitation of facts; it's about regurgitation of facts combined with strategic test-taking skills.

Give yourself plenty of time. The law of diminishing returns definitely kicks in after a while, especially considering that scores or 18+ can get you into dental school. For me, I needed a high DAT score to make up for my GPA, so it was worth it in the long run.

 

[Tooth Fixer]

Yup, like General Tso said: set aside several months to study. I basically took an entire summer off from school and work (well, I did a little work) to study for the test, and studied Kaplan's stuff raw. Granted, I didn't study full-time until the last couple of months, but in the end it just took tons and tons of studying.

The resources I used were almost straight Kaplan. *Definitely* sign up for their course - at the very least the online course. The classroom experience was helpful for pacing my studying, and if you've got a good teacher it'll be all the better. That being said, the most valuable part of Kaplan by far is the practice materials. You just won't find nearly as much material anywhere else.

TopScore Pro is a great resource too. Be wary of the PAT section, though. It's harder on the real thing than it is on TopScore Pro, and harder than Kaplan's tests too.

One key I think some people might overlook - do as many practice problems you can possibly do, then review them immediately after. Ask yourself why you got the right answers right, and what mistakes you made in your wrong answers. I found that most of the time I didn't answer questions wrong because I lacked knowledge. I got them wrong because I made stupid little mistakes: didn't read the question right, thought too much, didn't answer the question completely, etc. I got better and better at taking multiple choice tests as time went on, and soon the stupid mistakes fell by the wayside.

In my opinion, just studying the book isn't enough. Taking a multiple choice test isn't just about regurgitation of facts; it's about regurgitation of facts combined with strategic test-taking skills.

Give yourself plenty of time. The law of diminishing returns definitely kicks in after a while, especially considering that scores or 18+ can get you into dental school. For me, I needed a high DAT score to make up for my GPA, so it was worth it in the long run.

May I ask you what your gpa and DAT scores were exactly please IM if you don't like posting that information here. I'm kind of in that range of low gpa myself wondering maybe if i could compare myself to you. Congrats on the acceptance.

 

[joobs]

I got a 25 on the bio and my secret is take physiology, biochem, and cell bio. If you do so you save 1 month of studying, the bio section in kaplan will be a joke to you, and u can focuss on and strengthen your other subjects. One word of advice is dont underestimate this test and practice as much as possible. Dont think by reading kaplan review notes, your set. That's 5 percent of the mission. PS dont let anyone mess with your head or talk smack on you. Focus and youll get whatever score you want...Good luck!