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- May 19, 2004
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I just took the DATs two days ago and got a 22/20. I had been reading posts b4 taking the test and hadn't posted anything, but found them encouraging. So I decided to finally join in!
I studied for the DATs for about 2 months. In my opinion, as long as one puts in sufficient time and the effort (the latter being most important), the DATs will go fine. It's not enough to just put in the time and dally along, not substantially getting much done (as I have done a few times, I must admit 😉 ) but really focus on the info. and try your best to remember it. Basically, you are reviewing anyway. And I think that the amount of time you take really depends on the person. Some people only need 6 weeks, and others need 3 months. I'm sure many of you know that already though.
So let's get to the point. I used Barron's, TopScore, and a Kaplan book. Personally, I thought that Barron's gave great advice on the actual test taking; including lots of helpful info. on dental schools and even the admissions process, which I thought was nice. I also thought it did a good job on the PAT, giving really good tricks. For example, for the hole-punching, it says to look at how many layers the hole goes through, thus eliminating answers with the incorrect number of perforations. I don't know about you, but that strategy hadn't even passed my mind. For the PAT section, I only looked at Kaplan for extra practice problems. I read both Barron's and Kaplan for the bio, chem and orgo (Kaplan was more in depth though), and began on practice tests in the Barron's and Kaplan a couple of weeks after starting to study. I saved the TopScore for nearer to the test date. I knew that I'd need to practice more towards the end so that I'd have test-taking mode ready to go. Also, I wasn't shy with my science textbooks for bio, chem and orgo.
While I took the test, I thought it was pretty fair - I mean, it seemed a bit difficult, like it wasn't super-easy. The reading caught me a bit off-guard, because the passages, although not as complicated as they could have been terminonlogy-wise, were pretty long (avg. 16 paras/passage, altho. some paras were short). But when I saw my scores, I found that it went better than I had thought it did. So my advice to you is, don't lose hope! Just do your very best, get enough sleep, excercise, take advantage of the break for a little snack to pick-you-up, and don't worry about the sections you've already completed as you continue! Just go for it! I survived, and so can you!!! I think that you'll be very happy when it's over and you feel you have given it your all.
Best of Luck!
-Fellow DATer
I studied for the DATs for about 2 months. In my opinion, as long as one puts in sufficient time and the effort (the latter being most important), the DATs will go fine. It's not enough to just put in the time and dally along, not substantially getting much done (as I have done a few times, I must admit 😉 ) but really focus on the info. and try your best to remember it. Basically, you are reviewing anyway. And I think that the amount of time you take really depends on the person. Some people only need 6 weeks, and others need 3 months. I'm sure many of you know that already though.
So let's get to the point. I used Barron's, TopScore, and a Kaplan book. Personally, I thought that Barron's gave great advice on the actual test taking; including lots of helpful info. on dental schools and even the admissions process, which I thought was nice. I also thought it did a good job on the PAT, giving really good tricks. For example, for the hole-punching, it says to look at how many layers the hole goes through, thus eliminating answers with the incorrect number of perforations. I don't know about you, but that strategy hadn't even passed my mind. For the PAT section, I only looked at Kaplan for extra practice problems. I read both Barron's and Kaplan for the bio, chem and orgo (Kaplan was more in depth though), and began on practice tests in the Barron's and Kaplan a couple of weeks after starting to study. I saved the TopScore for nearer to the test date. I knew that I'd need to practice more towards the end so that I'd have test-taking mode ready to go. Also, I wasn't shy with my science textbooks for bio, chem and orgo.
While I took the test, I thought it was pretty fair - I mean, it seemed a bit difficult, like it wasn't super-easy. The reading caught me a bit off-guard, because the passages, although not as complicated as they could have been terminonlogy-wise, were pretty long (avg. 16 paras/passage, altho. some paras were short). But when I saw my scores, I found that it went better than I had thought it did. So my advice to you is, don't lose hope! Just do your very best, get enough sleep, excercise, take advantage of the break for a little snack to pick-you-up, and don't worry about the sections you've already completed as you continue! Just go for it! I survived, and so can you!!! I think that you'll be very happy when it's over and you feel you have given it your all.
Best of Luck!
-Fellow DATer
