If you were given 2 months to study for the DAT exam, how would you best study?

[simbalion92]

I'm extremely nervous already about studying because I'm not a smart student by any means. I have struggled all throughout college in my science classes. I plan on giving it 110% on this exam because I know that's what it will take from someone like me.

The resources I currently have:
DAT bootcamp
Feralis Notes
AP Cliff notes (3rd edition)
DAT Destroyer
Math Destroyer

Questions:
1. How long should I study for each day to guarantee a 22+?
2. What would an overkill schedule look like?
3. What are some tips for memory/recall of information?
4. Is 2 months enough time to master the practice exams?

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[Sickleaf]

I'm extremely nervous already about studying because I'm not a smart student by any means. I have struggled all throughout college in my science classes. I plan on giving it 110% on this exam because I know that's what it will take from someone like me.

The resources I currently have:
DAT bootcamp
Feralis Notes
AP Cliff notes (3rd edition)
DAT Destroyer
Math Destroyer

Questions:
1. How long should I study for each day to guarantee a 22+?
2. What would an overkill schedule look like?
3. What are some tips for memory/recall of information?
4. Is 2 months enough time to master the practice exams?

So I had the same resources as you did. But I did my studying in 3 weeks. That was overkill but it was my style of study. I reality it was more like 2.5 weeks because I was getting burned out. I took about 12 practice tests in that period of time as well.

The great thing about boot camp is they give an example calendar. I recommend taking a practice exam to start your studying to see what your weaknesses are then going through the review material taking another and then focusing on the material you need to improve taking an exam every week or so...

I don’t know if this was true for anyone else but I thought the reading comprehension difficulty in Bootcamp didn’t accurately reflect the actual exam. I felt the level of difficulty of the real exam was more comparable to Kaplan.


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[imastudent]

I had all the materials you had and used Chad's videos as well. That should be just right for you :] I hear a lot of people like using crack dat pat but I solely relied on bootcamp for PAT. The amount of time needed also depends your schedule like work and life and what not. I'd like to say I fall under the same category as you in terms on being not the brightest of the bunch haha So for me, I did 3 months of studying. Very spaced out so I could go to work and also have a lot of review time. I think I spent maybe 5 to 6 hours a day studying? On the last month I spent most of my time doing the old exams and practicing to take the exam. I recommend reviewing a little every week so you don't forget things like me haha. Best of luck to you mate!

 

[simbalion92]

So I had the same resources as you did. But I did my studying in 3 weeks. That was overkill but it was my style of study. I reality it was more like 2.5 weeks because I was getting burned out. I took about 12 practice tests in that period of time as well.

The great thing about boot camp is they give an example calendar. I recommend taking a practice exam to start your studying to see what your weaknesses are then going through the review material taking another and then focusing on the material you need to improve taking an exam every week or so...

I don’t know if this was true for anyone else but I thought the reading comprehension difficulty in Bootcamp didn’t accurately reflect the actual exam. I felt the level of difficulty of the real exam was more comparable to Kaplan.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow, only 3 weeks of studying?? What did you end up scoring? Also, how long did you study for each day?

 

[cas2022]

Hi! I think 2 months should be perfect for studying, so long as you put in 110% effort like you said. To answer your questions,

1. It's difficult to guarantee a certain score. However, after studying the material and once you start taking practice tests, you should have a good feel of what you're going to get on the real DAT. I studied using Ari's 10 week schedule, took his practice exams and ended up doing better in every section on test day (except RC). If you want a 22+, you'll need to be disciplined and follow a study schedule.

2. What's deemed overkill would be different for everyone, but I'd say you don't want to be studying more than 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. I studied for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, and gave myself time to rest/do fun things. Burnout is very, very real and studying can be incredibly frustrating (especially with DAT Destroyer, it's still an excellent resource though)

3. As for memory recall, I used a lot of mnemonic devices. I'm also someone who needs to physically write stuff down to truly absorb it, so I made notecards and wrote down every single question I got wrong

4. Again, 2 months is enough time. I'd say use Ari's 10 week study schedule as a guideline and add in a couple days-worth of work here and there.

More time studying doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get a higher score, it's really about the quality of studying you put in. As long as you're committed, which you are, you should be absolutely fine Good luck!

 

[simbalion92]

I had all the materials you had and used Chad's videos as well. That should be just right for you :] I hear a lot of people like using crack dat pat but I solely relied on bootcamp for PAT. The amount of time needed also depends your schedule like work and life and what not. I'd like to say I fall under the same category as you in terms on being not the brightest of the bunch haha So for me, I did 3 months of studying. Very spaced out so I could go to work and also have a lot of review time. I think I spent maybe 5 to 6 hours a day studying? On the last month I spent most of my time doing the old exams and practicing to take the exam. I recommend reviewing a little every week so you don't forget things like me haha. Best of luck to you mate!

I'm glad we could relate in that department haha. I'm sure you will be one of the hardest working students in dental school. What did you end up scoring?

 

[imastudent]

I'm glad we could relate in that department haha. I'm sure you will be one of the hardest working students in dental school. What did you end up scoring?

Hope so! 20/20/25 for AA/TS/PAT. I think my score would have been higher if I stressed bio a little more. It was the broadest subject imo. So review bio lots!

 

[ppaa]

So I studied for 10 weeks and used Ari's guide. The only thing I would tweak with Ari's guide is fit in destroyer twice and memorize bio from destroyer. Bio was my weakest section, scored a 20...I knew that going in so I knew I needed to focus on that. My other stronger subjects, I spent less time on but otherwise all of DAT bootcamps materials are great and feralis notes is amazing.
For memorization, I feel like you should know how to study best for you to retain the information, so don't go crazy trying new things that you know won't work for you because you'd be wasting time.
Good luck!!

 

[artist2022]

Hey there I studied for 8 weeks ~ 2 months, and used the DAT Destroyer 2017, Math Destroyer 2017, and BC (and Kaplan for Bio). For your questions:
1. It's hard to say how long you should be studying each day as it all varies. It depends on how you learn best, what your other commitments are, etc.
2. Overkill schedule: I studied from about 8am to 2am (with breaks for food), and even did this the night before my test. It was probably a little bit overkill, but I think it helped me score how I did. To note, I did work part-time for three days every week, and I didn't study on weekends because I shadowed/relaxed.
3. I started making flashcards in the beginning, but then got lazy and just decided to color code my notes instead. I think flashcards or Quizlet might help (probably also Anki but I've never tried this/don't know how it is).
4. I think 2 months is enough time. First month just learn & review, second month test yourself. I think it's important to get through the Destroyer at least twice, and also attempt all BC tests at least once.
Here's my breakdown: DAT Breakdown! 8/9/2017 - 25AA/24TS/22PAT
Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[imastudent]

Tak

Hey there I studied for 8 weeks ~ 2 months, and used the DAT Destroyer 2017, Math Destroyer 2017, and BC (and Kaplan for Bio). For your questions:
1. It's hard to say how long you should be studying each day as it all varies. It depends on how you learn best, what your other commitments are, etc.
2. Overkill schedule: I studied from about 8am to 2am (with breaks for food), and even did this the night before my test. It was probably a little bit overkill, but I think it helped me score how I did. To note, I did work part-time for three days every week, and I didn't study on weekends because I shadowed/relaxed.
3. I started making flashcards in the beginning, but then got lazy and just decided to color code my notes instead. I think flashcards or Quizlet might help (probably also Anki but I've never tried this/don't know how it is).
4. I think 2 months is enough time. First month just learn & review, second month test yourself. I think it's important to get through the Destroyer at least twice, and also attempt all BC tests at least once.
Here's my breakdown: DAT Breakdown! 8/9/2017 - 25AA/24TS/22PAT
Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions.

Take her advice to heart if you want to succeed in lyfe

 

[Lane138]

Ahhh a procrastinator. You're on the right path to succeeding in dental school! where you gotta cram semester-worth of material in 2-3 weeks. Check out this old thread about my study schedule and resources that I wrote back when I took the DAT

ROCK your DATs with only 4 weeks to study- My take