Need some encouraging words?

[Merisa15]

I am scheduled to take my DAT the end of July. Tomorrow, I will be starting my fourth week of consistent studying. I have been putting in anywhere from 10 to 12 hours a day. As each day passes, I feel more upset and discouraged. It is tough isolating myself in the library for this many hours without any sort of human contact and just being immersed in my studies. I was going to the gym to help with the anxiety that I am feeling, but it is becoming harder and harder to wake up early in the morning. I know that if I take a whole day to relax that I won't enjoy myself. I will just be thinking about this exam.

Is it normal to feel this way?

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[TheBigN89]

Immersed in your studies, little human contact - welcome to the majority of people studying in professional medicine and dentistry. It's really, really hard to succeed in this field, and you have to make sacrifices at critical times to be mobile. If you think studying for the DAT is too much, wait until you have 4 exams a week on top of clinical projects, working late at night for another 12 hour day... multiple board exams in your off months... residency programs to hone your skills... paying back a mountain of loans... being a successful dentist. The road doesn't stop here.

Life is certainly a balance, but for most, they're investing more than anyone around them in other career fields, because this occupation is worth doing.

 

[Bropofol*]

Yes, it is perfectly normal as this test has the potential to dictate whether you get into dental school or not. Mind over matter. As tough as your study regimen may seem, you are building up your arsenal of knowledge to absolutely handle the exam. I would suggest taking 1 full day off a week to do nothing DAT related to recharge your mind especially with a 3-month study plan. Also if you have the discipline to put in 10-12 hour days during the first month in a ~3 month study schedule, you will definitely score very well, but you may burnout too early in the race. DAT prep is a marathon, not a sprint. Maybe you should reduce the number of hours and differentiate methods of studying (active, not passive) until you're about 2-3 weeks away from your test date. Then, I would start simulating a Prometric center-like environment and building up the stamina with 10-12 hour study/exam sessions. I highly recommend spending about 10 minutes before taking a practice exam and before the actual DAT (in your vehicle) practicing mindful meditation to clear your mind, reduce anxiety, and regain confidence in yourself. What you believe, you will achieve. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[fit2]

I guess you can find comfort that you're not the only one walking the road. Try try try your hardest to separate your studies from personal life...at night after u study do something thy will relax and stop thinking about dental school and DAT. It won't help if u keep thinking about it. Just give your best in the morning an during the day an you'll see improvement over time.
Also 10-12 hours seems long. You can only do that for a few days. Try to increase efficiency and decrease study time or else you'll be wasting ur time by the end of the day.
Good luck! People have walked in your shoes and others will continue to do so. Keep up the studies, give your best, and don't lose hope. It'll all work out!

 

[WaveRace]

10-12 hours/day is a lot of studying time. I'm assuming you're following some kind of schedule to study for the DAT. Add to your schedule things like "meet my friend Sarah for coffee" and "going on a 30 minute trail-walk with Dave". Doing things like that twice/week is not a huge sacrifice time-wise (maybe takes up 1/1.5 hours at most). The payoff is huge though, if it helps to prevent burnout. Also consider cooking dinner once or twice a week (if not more). It always feels like a small victory cooking good food, and it makes you physically healthy. Balance that with the gym or running once or twice/week. You can always cook or go to the gym with a friend, too. Now you've got an activity that will take up 1 hour each day that will make you healthier, prevent burnout, and help you score better. I'd also consider having one day/week where you do much less studying (maybe 4 hours or something). Make that your dedicated review day. You'll get some relaxation time in without feeling guilty. You don't have to incorporate all of these ideas (or any of them), of course. This is more or less what I did, and it worked out well for me. You need to maintain your well-being (physical/mental/social)!
ex) M (coffee) Tu (gym) W (cook dinner) Th (walk in park) F (gym) Sa (cook dinner) Su (relax day)

If you're miserable and unable to get out of bed, act on it now before it gets worse. Also, always worth mentioning: if you are struggling with depression, getting help is always worth looking into. Many, many people in this field suffer from depression. Not something to be ashamed of. Idk if that is the case, but it's worth bringing up.

 

[Craig_Sherwood234]

And this is one of the reasons why people have the utmost respect for our profession. If you want to be healthcare professional, there are no shortcuts.

 

[helloboys]

Just do Ari's 10 week study guide. You should get every Sunday off. Work in an organized way to maximize success and minimize stress.