Is 10 weeks really enough?

[knewstance]

So this will be my round 3 for applying. I took the DAT in 2014, 19AA/19TS/20OC/19GC/17Bio/20RC/18QR/20PAT. I just finished a SMP (in BMS) yesterday and I am going to applying this cycle.

I took GC in 2010/2011, biology at the same time, and OC in 2013/2014. Needless to say, I am a little rusty with all of this. Last time I studied for the DAT, I took about 8 weeks. I used Kaplan for bio (and hated it), and chad's videos for GC/OC/QR. During my last 2 weeks of studying, I got DAT bootcamp and used it to learn PAT and for the practice questions.

I have been working on putting a study guide together and I keep coming back to Ari's study guide. I have read through it probably 3x now and it seems very solid, I don't see make any particular changes I would make.

I am getting ready to schedule my test and the question keeps coming to me, "Is 10 weeks really enough time?"

What are your thoughts, has 10 weeks been the golden ticket for most of you?

Also, does anybody suggest any particular modifications to Ari's guide? Any additional must have materials outside of what he outlines?

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[flying nimbus855]

All depends on your work ethic! 10 weeks is not enough for some but more than enough time for others. I personally think 2.5 months is overtly long. But there is no downside to more prep. Just make sure you don't kill yourself doing it. Try out the guide and see if it actually fits your style. It's not for everyone.

 

[knewstance]

Thanks for the input! I agree that 10 weeks/2.5 months is a long time, but if I don't get a high DAT/don't get in this go around, I'm not sure if my life situation will permit that I try again.

I guess the one thing that I don't love about Ari's guide is the daily reading of the biology. I've never been one to sit down and read 20ish pages of a textbook, especially on a daily basis. I've gotten this far and still don't read for classes (my grades do not reflect this). Cliff's Notes does look a little better to read than most textbooks that I've used in the past... I'm just unaware of another/better for me way to get a broad scope of biology review.

 

[DAT Destroyer]

So this will be my round 3 for applying. I took the DAT in 2014, 19AA/19TS/20OC/19GC/17Bio/20RC/18QR/20PAT. I just finished a SMP (in BMS) yesterday and I am going to applying this cycle.

I took GC in 2010/2011, biology at the same time, and OC in 2013/2014. Needless to say, I am a little rusty with all of this. Last time I studied for the DAT, I took about 8 weeks. I used Kaplan for bio (and hated it), and chad's videos for GC/OC/QR. During my last 2 weeks of studying, I got DAT bootcamp and used it to learn PAT and for the practice questions.

I have been working on putting a study guide together and I keep coming back to Ari's study guide. I have read through it probably 3x now and it seems very solid, I don't see make any particular changes I would make.

I am getting ready to schedule my test and the question keeps coming to me, "Is 10 weeks really enough time?"

What are your thoughts, has 10 weeks been the golden ticket for most of you?

Also, does anybody suggest any particular modifications to Ari's guide? Any additional must have materials outside of what he outlines?

Why do you have to take the DAT in 10 weeks? And also what is your science GPA?

Nancy

 

[TrevorwestDDS]

Remember that you can reschedule your test. However, there is a fee depending on how close to your test date it is. Everyone needs a different amount of time to prepare for the DAT. Some can have just a few weeks of prep, and others need two or more months. I planned for 8 weeks of studying. Around week 7 I realized I wasn't feeling the confidence that I would have liked. I rescheduled to give myself an extra 2 weeks. It made all the difference for me even though it was only 14 days.

 

[knewstance]

Why do you have to take the DAT in 10 weeks? And also what is your science GPA?

Nancy

I guess technically I don't have to take the DAT in 10 weeks, but I don't want to go too far past that because I want my application to be 100% complete before August.

3.6gradGPA/3.5cGPA/3.4sGPA

 

[knewstance]

Remember that you can reschedule your test. However, there is a fee depending on how close to your test date it is. Everyone needs a different amount of time to prepare for the DAT. Some can have just a few weeks of prep, and others need two or more months. I planned for 8 weeks of studying. Around week 7 I realized I wasn't feeling the confidence that I would have liked. I rescheduled to give myself an extra 2 weeks. It made all the difference for me even though it was only 14 days.

That's true, not something that crossed my mind about rescheduling. I guess if my practice exam scores aren't where I want/need them to be, I can push back a few more weeks.

 

[Orka]

All depends on your work ethic! 10 weeks is not enough for some but more than enough time for others. I personally think 2.5 months is overtly long. But there is no downside to more prep. Just make sure you don't kill yourself doing it. Try out the guide and see if it actually fits your style. It's not for everyone.

Well said.