**DISCLAIMER: LONG POST** After a month and a half of intense studying...I AM FINALLY DONE!!! This is the second time I took the exam and am quite satisfied with my scores. It's not a 25 AA or anything, but these scores are a HUGE improvement from the first time...except QR....you'll see what I mean.
DAT 2012:
Bio - 18
Gen Chem - 17
O Chem - 18
PAT - 22
RC - 21
QR - 22
DAT 2014:
Bio - 21
Gen Chem - 21
O Chem - 22
PAT - 26
RC - 23
QR - 18
HOW DID I GO DOWN 4 POINTS IN QR?!?! TT.TT *I cry* I actually thought QR was a lot easier than what I was used to but I guess I was too exhausted by the time it came around. I hope adcoms won't look at both years and be like "why/how did she go down 4 points?" -___-
I went through a few DAT SDN threads before taking my exam and noticed a pattern for some of the questions, especially in Bio! Two people said something about a lot of phylogeny/taxonomy questions...I brushed up on those and low-and-behold, I got 3 on my exam! Someone also mentioned some weird microscope question. I wish I looked those up because I got it too and had no idea...
Here's a breakdown of each section:
Bio: I am most shocked for this section because I pretty much stopped studying for it about 2 weeks ago because my scores weren't improving. I figured I could raise my overall AA by doing well in O Chem, RC and QR (not QR...) so focused more on those.
Gen Chem: This section wasn't too bad! This was consistently my worse science score on all my practice exams so I was very happy with my 21. Again, I studied quite a bit for gen chem since I figured you can only be tested on so many things.
O Chem: Ahhh! I am so happy about this score! I took O Chem 4 years ago and pretty much forgot EVERYTHING from the last time I took the DAT...after rewatching Chad twice, I began studying for this section. It was a lot easier than I remembered the last time (I was also better prepared hehe) and did not get any random questions that I haven't seen before.
PAT: I did PAT practice every single day. I saw it more as a "break" from the intense sciences and tried to think of it as "fun". Haha, I guess it worked!
- Keyholes: not too bad, but some of the shapes looks like surfaces of the moon...jagged with bumps and divots in random places. Had some trouble with about 3 of these.
- TFE: A lot than Bootcamp and Crack DAT PAT. Some were super easy!
- Angles: About the same as Bootcamp and CDP. I think Bootcamp random angle generator (which I did for about 10 mins each day) was extremely helpful!
- Hole Punch: WAY easier than Bootcamp! I think I only got 3 half hole ones...I also used Bootcamps random generator and used the grid method; 100% every time! There were some that I even saw on Bootcamp!
- Cube Counting: Similar in difficulty in Bootcamp. Maybe around 15-20 cubes each? Had one that was a bit tricky (never assume there is a cube somewhere behind another cube!). I don't tally each cube. Takes way too long. I just count and keep tally on one hand while pointing to each cube (count on one hand using American Sign Language). I've been getting 100% on Bootcamp random generator.
- Folding: Similar to Bootcamp and CDP.
RC: I didn't study for this at all. I personally couldn't figure out how to study for RC unless you count the nights I reread Harry Potter before bed! LOL Purely used Search and Destroy. Didn't need to write anything down either. I was a little scared that most of the questions would be tone questions, but surprisingly the majority were detail-oriented and can be found using Search and Destroy. All science/biology related questions. Quite interesting reads too :]
QR: Oh gah...I'm sad. Seriously, the questions were NOT that hard. Time is against me on this section and I think if I had an extra 15 mins I could have raise my score at least 2 points. Had about a minute to spare at the end but my hands were shaking and numb at this point that I just took a deep breath and waited for the exam to be over.
Overall, I felt a lot better taking it the second time around. I couldn't remember much from the first time, but definitely entered the exam less stressed despite having more to lose this time around. If anyone wants a breakdown of my study schedule/resources used/tips (especially for PAT), let me know! I found reviewing other peoples study habits/breakdowns insightful, although I was fully aware that what works for others may not work for me. Time management, diligence, and a healthy dose of optimism - my DAT mantra
Last bit of advice/words of encouragement to all who are preparing for the DATs/dental applications. Some of you may have heard about a shooting that occurred at Seattle Pacific University and a 19 year old man died. I found out last night, the day before my exam, that it was my childhood friend, Paul Lee. We grew up in the same church and our families were close. It was a huge shock and my heart breaks as I write this, but I had to keep myself together in order to focus on the exam. Amazingly, I went into the exam incredibly calm and peaceful because I truly sunk in last night that doing poorly on the DATs, not getting into dental, not becoming a dentist is NOT the end of the world. Life is so fragile and incredibly short to be so negatively affected by it. Yes, our future is on the line. Yes, we have to work hard in order to pursue our goals. Yes, I am passionate about dentistry. But I have seen people freak out over the DATs, say discouraging things to each other on SDN (haters gon' hate!), and let this whole journey of becoming a dentist be so negative. Work hard and study diligently but rest assured that our lives physically, literally do not depend on this exam and having that burden 'we pre-dent students all have' lifted from my shoulders was a huge relief! I was less stressed and was able to focus my energy on the actual exam.
PM if you need any study tips/resources/encouragement! Good luck to everyone who will be taking their exams! YOU GOT THISSS!!
And to all you haters out there who will say my scores are too low, I should pursue an MPH first, or whatever...I'm going to get into dental school! JUST WATCH ME!
DAT 2012:
Bio - 18
Gen Chem - 17
O Chem - 18
PAT - 22
RC - 21
QR - 22
DAT 2014:
Bio - 21
Gen Chem - 21
O Chem - 22
PAT - 26
RC - 23
QR - 18
HOW DID I GO DOWN 4 POINTS IN QR?!?! TT.TT *I cry* I actually thought QR was a lot easier than what I was used to but I guess I was too exhausted by the time it came around. I hope adcoms won't look at both years and be like "why/how did she go down 4 points?" -___-
I went through a few DAT SDN threads before taking my exam and noticed a pattern for some of the questions, especially in Bio! Two people said something about a lot of phylogeny/taxonomy questions...I brushed up on those and low-and-behold, I got 3 on my exam! Someone also mentioned some weird microscope question. I wish I looked those up because I got it too and had no idea...
Here's a breakdown of each section:
Bio: I am most shocked for this section because I pretty much stopped studying for it about 2 weeks ago because my scores weren't improving. I figured I could raise my overall AA by doing well in O Chem, RC and QR (not QR...) so focused more on those.
Gen Chem: This section wasn't too bad! This was consistently my worse science score on all my practice exams so I was very happy with my 21. Again, I studied quite a bit for gen chem since I figured you can only be tested on so many things.
O Chem: Ahhh! I am so happy about this score! I took O Chem 4 years ago and pretty much forgot EVERYTHING from the last time I took the DAT...after rewatching Chad twice, I began studying for this section. It was a lot easier than I remembered the last time (I was also better prepared hehe) and did not get any random questions that I haven't seen before.
PAT: I did PAT practice every single day. I saw it more as a "break" from the intense sciences and tried to think of it as "fun". Haha, I guess it worked!
- Keyholes: not too bad, but some of the shapes looks like surfaces of the moon...jagged with bumps and divots in random places. Had some trouble with about 3 of these.
- TFE: A lot than Bootcamp and Crack DAT PAT. Some were super easy!
- Angles: About the same as Bootcamp and CDP. I think Bootcamp random angle generator (which I did for about 10 mins each day) was extremely helpful!
- Hole Punch: WAY easier than Bootcamp! I think I only got 3 half hole ones...I also used Bootcamps random generator and used the grid method; 100% every time! There were some that I even saw on Bootcamp!
- Cube Counting: Similar in difficulty in Bootcamp. Maybe around 15-20 cubes each? Had one that was a bit tricky (never assume there is a cube somewhere behind another cube!). I don't tally each cube. Takes way too long. I just count and keep tally on one hand while pointing to each cube (count on one hand using American Sign Language). I've been getting 100% on Bootcamp random generator.
- Folding: Similar to Bootcamp and CDP.
RC: I didn't study for this at all. I personally couldn't figure out how to study for RC unless you count the nights I reread Harry Potter before bed! LOL Purely used Search and Destroy. Didn't need to write anything down either. I was a little scared that most of the questions would be tone questions, but surprisingly the majority were detail-oriented and can be found using Search and Destroy. All science/biology related questions. Quite interesting reads too :]
QR: Oh gah...I'm sad. Seriously, the questions were NOT that hard. Time is against me on this section and I think if I had an extra 15 mins I could have raise my score at least 2 points. Had about a minute to spare at the end but my hands were shaking and numb at this point that I just took a deep breath and waited for the exam to be over.
Overall, I felt a lot better taking it the second time around. I couldn't remember much from the first time, but definitely entered the exam less stressed despite having more to lose this time around. If anyone wants a breakdown of my study schedule/resources used/tips (especially for PAT), let me know! I found reviewing other peoples study habits/breakdowns insightful, although I was fully aware that what works for others may not work for me. Time management, diligence, and a healthy dose of optimism - my DAT mantra
Last bit of advice/words of encouragement to all who are preparing for the DATs/dental applications. Some of you may have heard about a shooting that occurred at Seattle Pacific University and a 19 year old man died. I found out last night, the day before my exam, that it was my childhood friend, Paul Lee. We grew up in the same church and our families were close. It was a huge shock and my heart breaks as I write this, but I had to keep myself together in order to focus on the exam. Amazingly, I went into the exam incredibly calm and peaceful because I truly sunk in last night that doing poorly on the DATs, not getting into dental, not becoming a dentist is NOT the end of the world. Life is so fragile and incredibly short to be so negatively affected by it. Yes, our future is on the line. Yes, we have to work hard in order to pursue our goals. Yes, I am passionate about dentistry. But I have seen people freak out over the DATs, say discouraging things to each other on SDN (haters gon' hate!), and let this whole journey of becoming a dentist be so negative. Work hard and study diligently but rest assured that our lives physically, literally do not depend on this exam and having that burden 'we pre-dent students all have' lifted from my shoulders was a huge relief! I was less stressed and was able to focus my energy on the actual exam.
PM if you need any study tips/resources/encouragement! Good luck to everyone who will be taking their exams! YOU GOT THISSS!!
And to all you haters out there who will say my scores are too low, I should pursue an MPH first, or whatever...I'm going to get into dental school! JUST WATCH ME!
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