- Joined
- Jun 6, 2017
- Messages
- 74
- Reaction score
- 52
Let it be known that I spent 87$ total on DAT-related test preparation materials.
MY DAT SCORES:
PAT: 19
QRT: 19
RCT: 21
BIO: 21
GCHEM: 21
OCHEM: 23
TS: 22
AA: 21
Disclaimer: these results could not be typical. If you have the money, SPEND IT TO ENSURE YOU GET A GOOD SCORE, it will be worth it in the long run! But if you find yourself in my shoes with very little money, here is what I did.
I spent 50$ on Course-saver--> 1 month subscription
I spent 37$ on the 2009 DAT practice EXAM
1. Get a Kaplan DAT older addition book from a classmate who has previously taken the DAT. Honestly get any free books that they are willing to let you have or borrow. Share your financial situation with them and they will for sure be willing to lend you the books for the summer. I lucked out and received a 2015 Kaplan DAT blue book and a DAT DESTROYER book from a classmate.
a. Study and read through the entire kaplan book. Do practice problems (about 10 per day per section from DAT DESTROYER.
b. Do practice problems in the book, and don’t just passively read. Take notes and make interesting connections to what you have already learned from college. I suggest for every three chapters you read, you spend 1 day reviewing all of that material. Also, do not read chronologically through the kaplan book. Read 1 chapter from each section. For example, Monday Read 1 chapter bio, 1 chapter GCHEM and 1 chapter ochem. Review the chapters the very next day to cement the info to memory.
2. Utilize free practice tests that are offered online: DAT Genius, Kaplan and DAT Bootcamp offer free full-length practice tests.
a. There are also other practice tests available for pretty cheap prices (e.g. 2009 DAT). And the 2007 DAT for FREE!
b. Take practice tests about every two weeks and spend the next day reviewing all of the answers and proving to yourself why they are right/wrong. I took 5 practice DAT exams (4 of which were free).
3. For the perceptual ability section, read through the Kaplan book and work through the practice problems.
a. Next look up YouTube videos for each subsection of the PAT section. I recommend the DAT bootcamp videos for this. These concepts take time to master so don't get discouraged.
4. Reading comprehension. Read interesting scientificamerica.com articles daily. Also sign up here (https://www.inquarta.com/dat-reading/) for a free 4 passages for practice.
a. Time your self and stay inside the time limits for each passage. Do one practice passage a day if you can find enough free practice passages.
b. I chose the search and destroy method. SKIM the passage for ~2 minutes to get an idea of the chronological ordering of the passage then dive straight into the questions. 20 mins per passage. Skip the hard questions and collect all the easy ones as fast as you can and then come back to the hard ones if you have time. If not, just take your best educated guess.
5. Creating a study plan on Google calendar and stick to it. If you’re going to choose this route, YOU NEED TO HAVE A LOT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE
a. I recommend studying 4-8 hours per day. Always take a break in between to workout and eat lunch. Exercise really does wonders.
b. I would be happy to share my study plan with you all if you are interested.
6. Studying tips.
a. Always study in a library: if possible, study at your university or colleges library because there is probably a workout facility nearby that you can use for free!
b. Avoid going to coffee shops because that requires you to spend money!!!
c. Another tip would be to always pack a lunch the night before. This saves you time and money as you don’t have to make food in between your studying and you don’t have to go out and buy food either.
7. Employment:
a. Find a restaurant-serving job to work at after studying. This will work perfectly if you study from 8am-4pm and then go to work do make money afterwards. Being a waiter/waitress is actually really good money, you would be surprised.
8. When to take the test:
a. Start studying in the summer after your junior year. Don’t bother studying with this method during the school year because your grades are very important and this method of studying is time consuming because you're basically all on your own.
b. Note that you can submit your dental school application BEFORE you take your DAT.
c. Have your application ready to submit by the date of you DAT!
For me, I didn’t even have enough money to pay for the DAT let alone toss out hundreds to thousands of dollars for prep courses/online resources let alone the money for my application. Maybe this is your current situation too. My parents were going through a rough divorce and I was basically thrown out on my own to pay for school, housing and life.
My goal was to get a good enough DAT score that will get me into dental school for the lowest cost possible. If I spent thousands of dollars, would I have done better? MOST CERTAINLY YES! But that was not a financial possibility for me at the time. Again, if you have the money, spent it on KAPLAN COURSES OR DAT BOOTCAMP!
MY DAT SCORES:
PAT: 19
QRT: 19
RCT: 21
BIO: 21
GCHEM: 21
OCHEM: 23
TS: 22
AA: 21
Disclaimer: these results could not be typical. If you have the money, SPEND IT TO ENSURE YOU GET A GOOD SCORE, it will be worth it in the long run! But if you find yourself in my shoes with very little money, here is what I did.
I spent 50$ on Course-saver--> 1 month subscription
I spent 37$ on the 2009 DAT practice EXAM
1. Get a Kaplan DAT older addition book from a classmate who has previously taken the DAT. Honestly get any free books that they are willing to let you have or borrow. Share your financial situation with them and they will for sure be willing to lend you the books for the summer. I lucked out and received a 2015 Kaplan DAT blue book and a DAT DESTROYER book from a classmate.
a. Study and read through the entire kaplan book. Do practice problems (about 10 per day per section from DAT DESTROYER.
b. Do practice problems in the book, and don’t just passively read. Take notes and make interesting connections to what you have already learned from college. I suggest for every three chapters you read, you spend 1 day reviewing all of that material. Also, do not read chronologically through the kaplan book. Read 1 chapter from each section. For example, Monday Read 1 chapter bio, 1 chapter GCHEM and 1 chapter ochem. Review the chapters the very next day to cement the info to memory.
2. Utilize free practice tests that are offered online: DAT Genius, Kaplan and DAT Bootcamp offer free full-length practice tests.
a. There are also other practice tests available for pretty cheap prices (e.g. 2009 DAT). And the 2007 DAT for FREE!
b. Take practice tests about every two weeks and spend the next day reviewing all of the answers and proving to yourself why they are right/wrong. I took 5 practice DAT exams (4 of which were free).
3. For the perceptual ability section, read through the Kaplan book and work through the practice problems.
a. Next look up YouTube videos for each subsection of the PAT section. I recommend the DAT bootcamp videos for this. These concepts take time to master so don't get discouraged.
4. Reading comprehension. Read interesting scientificamerica.com articles daily. Also sign up here (https://www.inquarta.com/dat-reading/) for a free 4 passages for practice.
a. Time your self and stay inside the time limits for each passage. Do one practice passage a day if you can find enough free practice passages.
b. I chose the search and destroy method. SKIM the passage for ~2 minutes to get an idea of the chronological ordering of the passage then dive straight into the questions. 20 mins per passage. Skip the hard questions and collect all the easy ones as fast as you can and then come back to the hard ones if you have time. If not, just take your best educated guess.
5. Creating a study plan on Google calendar and stick to it. If you’re going to choose this route, YOU NEED TO HAVE A LOT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE
a. I recommend studying 4-8 hours per day. Always take a break in between to workout and eat lunch. Exercise really does wonders.
b. I would be happy to share my study plan with you all if you are interested.
6. Studying tips.
a. Always study in a library: if possible, study at your university or colleges library because there is probably a workout facility nearby that you can use for free!
b. Avoid going to coffee shops because that requires you to spend money!!!
c. Another tip would be to always pack a lunch the night before. This saves you time and money as you don’t have to make food in between your studying and you don’t have to go out and buy food either.
7. Employment:
a. Find a restaurant-serving job to work at after studying. This will work perfectly if you study from 8am-4pm and then go to work do make money afterwards. Being a waiter/waitress is actually really good money, you would be surprised.
8. When to take the test:
a. Start studying in the summer after your junior year. Don’t bother studying with this method during the school year because your grades are very important and this method of studying is time consuming because you're basically all on your own.
b. Note that you can submit your dental school application BEFORE you take your DAT.
c. Have your application ready to submit by the date of you DAT!
For me, I didn’t even have enough money to pay for the DAT let alone toss out hundreds to thousands of dollars for prep courses/online resources let alone the money for my application. Maybe this is your current situation too. My parents were going through a rough divorce and I was basically thrown out on my own to pay for school, housing and life.
My goal was to get a good enough DAT score that will get me into dental school for the lowest cost possible. If I spent thousands of dollars, would I have done better? MOST CERTAINLY YES! But that was not a financial possibility for me at the time. Again, if you have the money, spent it on KAPLAN COURSES OR DAT BOOTCAMP!
