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2026 DAT Breakdown (540AA/520PAT)
Scores:
QR - 460
RC – 520
Bio – 600
GC – 510
OC – 600
PAT-520
AA – 540
blob:https://outlook.office.com/917f5c6c-9cc3-4da7-b15b-324e8fbcba45
Background:
Currently a junior with a 3.90 GPA.
Materials Used:
1.DAT Booster - I’d say this program felt very representative of the actual exam. I had heard from others that DAT Booster offers excellent review, but the main reason I chose it was for the quality of its practice tests—and that definitely held true. The exams were very similar in style and difficulty to what I saw on test day.
For biology, I hadn’t even taken a formal bio class yet, so I was initially worried. However, the videos combined with the study notes were more than enough to get me fully prepared. The rewritten version of the Feralis Biology Notes covered everything I needed, and I felt confident going into the exam just using those resources. I also cross-checked with the original notes to make sure nothing was missing, and everything was well covered.
My actual test scores ended up being higher than my practice scores, which I think speaks to how well the material prepares you. The math section felt a bit more difficult in practice than the real thing, but that ended up being helpful—especially for tougher probability questions.
As for PAT, the practice was very similar to the real exam.
2. My classes also heavily prepared me for the general chemistry and organic chemistry sections. I did not study for either section very much because the chemistry department at my school is notorious for being very difficult, but my ochem 2 teacher was great and I even felt prepared fully for the DAT a semester after taking that class. I also work as a tutor for general chemistry classes, so I had lots of review. If I did not have that background, I would recommend studying up on the study notes that Booster gives because I think it is a good way to visualize everything and also to organize it in your brain efficiently. I think it is easier to flip back and forth between information in the study notes than the videos, and the notes are more in depth than the cheat sheets.
Study Timeline:
I highly recommend you make your own study schedule with the goals you want to achieve each day. The amount of hours you sink in doesn't matter because you could be really distracted the whole time. Even if you studied for '9 hours' if you weren't able to go through all the problems you wanted = not very efficient. My goals for each day were unrealistic and I was constantly adjusting because stuff would overflow to the next day. Give a chunk of days with nothing scheduled as insurance if you fall behind. My timeline is a little wonky.
Fall 2025:
Did some research on what materials to use for DAT studying and decided on Bootcamp, PAT Booster, and Kaplan. My Pre-Dental club had a panel with people that had success in the past when taking the DAT, and that made my decision for Booster. I had originally thought that I would use DAT Bootcamp because I had heard someone having success with it, but I would much rather have practice tests that are more similar to the DAT so that I would be more comfortable for the real test than to have a platform that some say have better study materials (I would argue Booster genuinely has everything you need and more than enough).
December 2025:
I had originally planned to study starting around my thanksgiving break, but I was really busy with my classes and burnt out. I had also planned to study for PAT throughout my fall semester, but I wasn’t sure if Booster offered a free PAT practice section. Once I got out for my Christmas break, I decided it was best to take like 6 days off of any studying to work just a few days and to rest a few days. Once I started studying in mid-December, I was still working during the day and I thought that it was too much to work from 8-5 and then come home to study for 4-5 hours. After a few days I was already behind, but after I stopped working a few days later, I found I had plenty of time to enjoy my break and to study for 5-6 hours a day. I also had an old binder that I converted to my “DAT Binder”, where I took notes on all of the videos, and I believe that helped me tremendously to gain a solid foundation on all sections.
March 2026:
I took my exam on March, 6, the day before my spring break. At this point I had studied like 5 hours a day most days, but I definitely took a few days and weekends off. At the time, it felt like being behind in the schedule by a few days and taking some days off were terrible, but its definitely necessary to avoid burn out and inefficient learning. I would say that it would be better to have bought a Booster subscription like 4months early and trying to extend it like a month, but if the extension wasn’t possible, then buying it 4 months early and pausing it for a few days over Christmas and further into the semester would have been great.
Day of Exam
Bio (600): Overall, this section felt pretty straightforward, with only one question that I wasn’t entirely sure about. One thing that really stood out is how important it is to read each question carefully—small differences in wording can completely change what’s being asked. I spent a ton of time preparing for this section, which definitely made a difference. What helped me most was going through the videos once while actively annotating, then replaying them later while walking or driving—that reinforcement was huge. The day before the exam, I also went over all the cheat sheets, which ended up being a really helpful final review.
GC (510): The general chemistry section was based less on math than Booster shows, and I appreciated this because I felt ready for the math that was on there while being ready for the easier conceptual questions.
OC (600): I absolutely flew through the natural science section and especially Ochem. I studied all of the cheat sheets the day before like I did with Bio, and I would highly recommend! I think the question banks were the most helpful thing to study because it was a great review and the explanations were helpful for the ones I didn’t know. Also it was live practice, which I think helps me to understand the content better.
PAT (520): I loved PAT overall. The keyholes were tough at first, but I just had to look at more lines and angles and find different ways to compare each shape. Top Front End is the worst. I actually think it was slightly harder on the real DAT, but I genuinely despise this part and I just had to practice a lot and get creative in my methods. The angle ranking always just clicked in my head, and I loved the advice to picture some angles like a laptop . For angle ranking I tried to compare obtuse angles to a 135 degree angle (or 45 degrees) and this helped me a lot.
RC (520): Reading was my worst section consistently on Booster, but I ended up doing great on the DAT! I used the basic method and I just read the passage straight through. The passages on the DAT were very easy and I felt that I went through them a bit faster than the Booster practice test, so I was definitely prepared. I also knew that this section caused me trouble and lots of eye strain, so I took my break for 20 minutes and tried to relax and close my eyes as much as possible, which helped a lot.
QR (460): I consistently did the best for this section on Booster, and did a bit worse on the real DAT. I am still happy with my score and felt mostly prepared, but I was confused by the way the real test was worded in some of the questions. I would definitely study the rate questions as well.
Ending Advice: I am a good standardized test taker and scored 1400 on the SAT (after multiple attempts). I would say that you will have to force yourself to study even when you don’t want to, but I would recommend taking breaks for a few days and over a weekend or two. When you practice with the practice tests, try to make it seem as close to the real test as possible by waking up early, taking your break, and listening to testing sounds online. Also, I would go visit the testing facility beforehand or arrive very early if possible because it helps you to familiarize yourself with the environment. My final bit of advice is that it is good to study based on the schedule on Booster, but you do not have to complete everything, especially toward the end. You can also emphasize the things you need the most review on!
Scores:
QR - 460
RC – 520
Bio – 600
GC – 510
OC – 600
PAT-520
AA – 540
blob:https://outlook.office.com/917f5c6c-9cc3-4da7-b15b-324e8fbcba45
Background:
Currently a junior with a 3.90 GPA.
Materials Used:
1.DAT Booster - I’d say this program felt very representative of the actual exam. I had heard from others that DAT Booster offers excellent review, but the main reason I chose it was for the quality of its practice tests—and that definitely held true. The exams were very similar in style and difficulty to what I saw on test day.
For biology, I hadn’t even taken a formal bio class yet, so I was initially worried. However, the videos combined with the study notes were more than enough to get me fully prepared. The rewritten version of the Feralis Biology Notes covered everything I needed, and I felt confident going into the exam just using those resources. I also cross-checked with the original notes to make sure nothing was missing, and everything was well covered.
My actual test scores ended up being higher than my practice scores, which I think speaks to how well the material prepares you. The math section felt a bit more difficult in practice than the real thing, but that ended up being helpful—especially for tougher probability questions.
As for PAT, the practice was very similar to the real exam.
2. My classes also heavily prepared me for the general chemistry and organic chemistry sections. I did not study for either section very much because the chemistry department at my school is notorious for being very difficult, but my ochem 2 teacher was great and I even felt prepared fully for the DAT a semester after taking that class. I also work as a tutor for general chemistry classes, so I had lots of review. If I did not have that background, I would recommend studying up on the study notes that Booster gives because I think it is a good way to visualize everything and also to organize it in your brain efficiently. I think it is easier to flip back and forth between information in the study notes than the videos, and the notes are more in depth than the cheat sheets.
Study Timeline:
I highly recommend you make your own study schedule with the goals you want to achieve each day. The amount of hours you sink in doesn't matter because you could be really distracted the whole time. Even if you studied for '9 hours' if you weren't able to go through all the problems you wanted = not very efficient. My goals for each day were unrealistic and I was constantly adjusting because stuff would overflow to the next day. Give a chunk of days with nothing scheduled as insurance if you fall behind. My timeline is a little wonky.
Fall 2025:
Did some research on what materials to use for DAT studying and decided on Bootcamp, PAT Booster, and Kaplan. My Pre-Dental club had a panel with people that had success in the past when taking the DAT, and that made my decision for Booster. I had originally thought that I would use DAT Bootcamp because I had heard someone having success with it, but I would much rather have practice tests that are more similar to the DAT so that I would be more comfortable for the real test than to have a platform that some say have better study materials (I would argue Booster genuinely has everything you need and more than enough).
December 2025:
I had originally planned to study starting around my thanksgiving break, but I was really busy with my classes and burnt out. I had also planned to study for PAT throughout my fall semester, but I wasn’t sure if Booster offered a free PAT practice section. Once I got out for my Christmas break, I decided it was best to take like 6 days off of any studying to work just a few days and to rest a few days. Once I started studying in mid-December, I was still working during the day and I thought that it was too much to work from 8-5 and then come home to study for 4-5 hours. After a few days I was already behind, but after I stopped working a few days later, I found I had plenty of time to enjoy my break and to study for 5-6 hours a day. I also had an old binder that I converted to my “DAT Binder”, where I took notes on all of the videos, and I believe that helped me tremendously to gain a solid foundation on all sections.
March 2026:
I took my exam on March, 6, the day before my spring break. At this point I had studied like 5 hours a day most days, but I definitely took a few days and weekends off. At the time, it felt like being behind in the schedule by a few days and taking some days off were terrible, but its definitely necessary to avoid burn out and inefficient learning. I would say that it would be better to have bought a Booster subscription like 4months early and trying to extend it like a month, but if the extension wasn’t possible, then buying it 4 months early and pausing it for a few days over Christmas and further into the semester would have been great.
Day of Exam
Bio (600): Overall, this section felt pretty straightforward, with only one question that I wasn’t entirely sure about. One thing that really stood out is how important it is to read each question carefully—small differences in wording can completely change what’s being asked. I spent a ton of time preparing for this section, which definitely made a difference. What helped me most was going through the videos once while actively annotating, then replaying them later while walking or driving—that reinforcement was huge. The day before the exam, I also went over all the cheat sheets, which ended up being a really helpful final review.
GC (510): The general chemistry section was based less on math than Booster shows, and I appreciated this because I felt ready for the math that was on there while being ready for the easier conceptual questions.
OC (600): I absolutely flew through the natural science section and especially Ochem. I studied all of the cheat sheets the day before like I did with Bio, and I would highly recommend! I think the question banks were the most helpful thing to study because it was a great review and the explanations were helpful for the ones I didn’t know. Also it was live practice, which I think helps me to understand the content better.
PAT (520): I loved PAT overall. The keyholes were tough at first, but I just had to look at more lines and angles and find different ways to compare each shape. Top Front End is the worst. I actually think it was slightly harder on the real DAT, but I genuinely despise this part and I just had to practice a lot and get creative in my methods. The angle ranking always just clicked in my head, and I loved the advice to picture some angles like a laptop . For angle ranking I tried to compare obtuse angles to a 135 degree angle (or 45 degrees) and this helped me a lot.
RC (520): Reading was my worst section consistently on Booster, but I ended up doing great on the DAT! I used the basic method and I just read the passage straight through. The passages on the DAT were very easy and I felt that I went through them a bit faster than the Booster practice test, so I was definitely prepared. I also knew that this section caused me trouble and lots of eye strain, so I took my break for 20 minutes and tried to relax and close my eyes as much as possible, which helped a lot.
QR (460): I consistently did the best for this section on Booster, and did a bit worse on the real DAT. I am still happy with my score and felt mostly prepared, but I was confused by the way the real test was worded in some of the questions. I would definitely study the rate questions as well.
Ending Advice: I am a good standardized test taker and scored 1400 on the SAT (after multiple attempts). I would say that you will have to force yourself to study even when you don’t want to, but I would recommend taking breaks for a few days and over a weekend or two. When you practice with the practice tests, try to make it seem as close to the real test as possible by waking up early, taking your break, and listening to testing sounds online. Also, I would go visit the testing facility beforehand or arrive very early if possible because it helps you to familiarize yourself with the environment. My final bit of advice is that it is good to study based on the schedule on Booster, but you do not have to complete everything, especially toward the end. You can also emphasize the things you need the most review on!
