Hey, everyone I plan on applying to dental school next year and still need to take the DAT. I would like to take it in early May before I leave for a 2-week road trip. As of now there are over 200 days until then. It's been about five years since taking any chemistry or organic classes. I plan on using Cliffs AP Biology, DAT Destroyer, Crack DAT PAT, Chad's chemistry/math videos, and Kaplan Blue Book. When would be a good time begin studying?
Yeah, scoring over 20 should be possible if you put 8-10 weeks. (~70 days) Most people on SDN have certainly accomplished it with the 8 week schedule that's posted in the sticky. Just don't let the nerves get to you. So maybe start thinking about it mid-Feb (order all books) and then fully start studying late Feb (online subscriptions)? Then you'll be done by May for sure. It leaves some room for an emergency schedule change if you feel like you need extra two weeks to study or something.
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If your organic chemistry is weaker than you thought, you should try to get through Organic Chemistry as a Second Language by David Klein. It helped me tremendously. Complement it with Chad's Videos and you should be golden!
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KBB is sorta useless if you have already been exposed to DAT materials before. I basically dropped it after couple weeks. I would also recommend Barron's AP Biology + Barron's AP Biology flashcards to replace it. That book + flashcards covers basically covers everything. I personally feel that it was better than Cliff's.
Just remember that once you master CDP, move onto Achiever or BootCamp PAT. CDP is considered too easy now a days and I had the same experience.
You may find the PAT's difficulty has increased since 2009.
He's right.
Well, the 2009 ADA (difficulty-wise) is a joke compared to other practice tests and real DAT but somehow it's a good score predictor. I guess the scaling/curve is accurate. If 2009 ADA Test is an indicator of the difficulty of the DAT that year (2009), then you might be surprised. It's not impossibly more difficult or anything but it's definitely more competitive and scoring into the 20s will take a lot more work. Currently, you have to be in the top 3-5% to score a AA or TS of 21. Anything higher is 98th to 99th percentile
I know it varies between tests but if you look at some breakdowns from 2009, I found that a 20-21 was above 90th percentile. It's even less competitive as you keep going back in time. Now, if you see a 2012 or 2013 breakdown, a 20 is in the 85th percentile while a 21 or 22 is a 97th percentile. To me, that's a huge jump.
GOOD LUCK!!!
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