- Joined
- May 29, 2015
- Messages
- 43
- Reaction score
- 38
Hello there! 
Pianist and artist here! Have been lurking around SDN EVERY SINGLE day 
before my DAT and reading about everyone’s breakdowns gave me ideas of what the exam is like and also a way to gauge myself. Since they have helped me so much and given me the much needed reassurance, I decided I want contribute back as well. I took my DAT 2 days ago.
DAT Score:
PAT: 21
QR: 18 (I wasn’t feeling well at this point and had to end it quick)
RC: 20
Bio: 23
GC: 24
OC: 30
TS: 25
AA: 23
DAT Bootcamp Averages: (these were taken the week before/of the exam)
Bio: 19, 21, 22, 18, 22, 23, 20, 23, 20, 22 (Avg 21)
Chem: 21, 23, 23, 23, 19, 20, 20, 22, 19 (Avg 21)
Orgo: 23, 21, 23, 23, 21, 21, 22, 22, 23, 21 (Avg 22)
RC: 18, 18, 19, 20, 20, 20, 19, 18, <15 🙂diebanana🙂, X (avg 18?)
PAT: 21, 21
QR: 17, 17, 18, 18, 19, 20, 21, 20, 21, 22 (Avg 20)
CDT RC: 18, 19, 17
I took mine really close to the exam. Really happy I scored higher than my practices.
2009 DAT
BIO: 22, GC: 24, OC: 30, RC: 17, QR: 19 (WTH?!??! HOW DOES IT DO THAT? HOW DOES IT PREDICT SO ACCURATELY?!??!)
SO THE STORY: I took the test without any sleep for 2 days (NOT ON PURPOSE) 😴. I pulled an all-nighter two days before and hoped that I would fall asleep the night before the exam. NOPE! Couldn’t sleep. Took some sleeping pills. NOPE! Didn’t work. I was scheduled for 1:30pm too (was dying by 11am). I was really fatigued and was on the brink of rescheduling (but too tired to reach the laptop)…Glad I didn’t. I highly recommend getting into a good sleeping habit a month or so before (test anxiety is no joke)…But, I’m not here to scare you, just want to point out that adrenaline got your back and if you're prepared...you are ready. I wanted to throw up half way through the exam too (I can’t drink coffee)…Seriously…I wonder how I even made it out alive.
Duration of study: ~4 months
Materials (You guys already know by now, there’s a reason why SDN mentions them over and over again)
- DAT Bootcamp
- DAT Destroyer/Math Destroyer
- Chad’s video
- Cliff AP 3rd Edition + Feralis (<3 you)
- Crack the DAT RC
- GRE QC workbooks
Bootcamp and Destroyer were incredible prep materials. They were harder than the DAT but that’s what I like about them. I don’t want prep that prepares me for the exam. I want something that over-prepares me. That’s what I got. I made it through the DAT with severe fatigue…
Study schedule: I think it’s critical that you find a working study schedule and start committing to it!!! If you get the momentum going, it’s easy to study! What worked for me was doing question during the day and review during the night. Really helps with memory retention to have a good night of sleep as well.
1st month: All review w/ Chad, Cliff, Ferallis,
2nd Month: Destroyer + Math destroyer (TREAT it as A LEARNING TOOL! BC is a better predictor for score)
3rd Month: Light review + Destroyers again + GRE math
4th Month: Going through everything again and then testing myself on Bootcamp before my exam.
All of the materials I mentioned were extremely useful and I recommend you to get them. They won’t lead you astray unless you don’t work it.
Tips for review:
1) Type notes for EVERYTHING!
2) I typed all the notes from Chad, cliff (combined with Feralis). IT IS SUPER USEFUL later on when you want to do quick review. For chads, I like screen shooting the board and paste that on the word document. This is extremely helpful!
3) Destroyer --> Type notes FOR EVERY SINGLE problem! Even for Math. It really helps to solidify your understanding and makes a GREAT reviewing tool.
4) Use Index cards for high yield topics. I tend to put down topics that pop up a lot or difficult topics onto index cards and review them before I sleep.
So what I did after reviewing was I stick to a consistent schedule (Months 2, 3, and 4)
3-4: 20-40 Bio Qs on Destroyer (20 for first run and 40 for subsequent runs)
4-5: 20-40 Chem Qs
5-6: 20-40 Orgo Qs
7-8: 20-40 QR Qs
9-12 Review materials or allocate your time to whatever you want to do.
Once in a while I will do some PAT (If you’re not as good at it, then commit an hour to it as well)
By doing this, I kept everything fresh every day. Repetition makes perfect! (Coming from a musician)
Again, it is critical to find a schedule that works for you! I have classes in the morning so I had to start at 3pm. I highly suggest taking the DAT in the summer though! Spring is crazy...
REAL DAT thoughts (FOR MY particular test):
So…I made it to the exam exhausted from the lack of sleep and felt like throwing up after drinking some coffee (I’m never drank coffee before…omg.)
Biology (23): YES! it’s RANDOM. There was no rhythm at all, you just get thrown random stuff. But most of them weren’t bad. In fact, I find them to be simple details that we might have overlooked. I don’t know what advice to give for this section since it’s literally hit or miss. I didn’t get anything too specific or detailed. Maybe one or two that had terms I had never seen before. As long as you go through everything in Cliff/Feralis/Destroyer/Bootcamp, you’ll be prepared (the rest is down to luck). The hardest part I think is due to the fact that this is the very FIRST section. As long as you calm down and work through it, it’s nothing too hard.
Chemistry (24): For my test, this was very simple compared to BC/Destroyer. Calculations were simple (If there were any “actual” calculation). A lot of conceptual questions so know your basics! I think Chad got you covered. If you want higher score, destroyer/BC will do the job! Overall, I think GC and OC are the two sections you can prepare for and know you’ll score high. Again, I highly suggest you to get a good grasp of the basic concepts. Those are free points and free up so much time.
Orgo (30): I had a great Orgo foundation and I’ve always been good with imagining structures and such. So I studied for this section the least. This section is super easy if you had a really good Orgo course back in college. If not, Chad/Destroyer will give you what you need. I think it was easier than BC. HINT: I think this section is EASIEST to master and score perfect on! If you got your fundamentals down, it can seriously do some work!
PAT (21): I only looked through the tutorial and did 2 exams. I’m an artist so this was a nice break time for me (I actually sort of napped for a few minute). After getting two 21s on BC and my friend told me it was easier than the real DAT, I didn’t really spend time on it anymore. But, BC was really representative of what I saw on the test (the scores as proof). I just wanted a 21 so I’m happy with that!
RC (20): I WAS SO SCARED FOR THIS SECTION! You can see this breakdown might be plagued with grammatical errors. I couldn’t speak English until high school and I rarely read. I am a slow reader and does the traditional route (read then answer). I never broke 20 and only hit 20 when I got lucky. For my test in particular, it was easier than Bootcamp (Guess I got lucky???)! BC and Crack the DAT should prepare you for the worse. Just read some scientific articles once in a while to get used to the style. Most importantly, find what method works for you! Read/answer, S&D, mixed, etc. I think I could’ve scored higher if I didn’t felt like throwing up while taking this section.
QR (18): The new QR stuff was pretty nice! As long as you know how to interpret charts/graphs, you don’t even have to think for the data interpretation questions. As for the Quantative Comparison question, yep, they are those GRE questions. They were not bad (learn the tricks to quickly eliminate answers). Also, don’t neglect trig/geo. They are still relevant (some embedded in the QC questions). Why I scored an 18? I wasn’t feeling so well by the time I got to QR. I had to cut it short. Destroyer/BC will prepare you well. I suggest getting those GRE QC workbooks as well to prep for the new question type.
So all in all, Cliff, Feralis, and Chad will cover you for the sciences. BC and Destroyer (and Math Destroy) will prepare you for whatever the exam throws at you. It’s designed to be harder so that once you’ve mastered them, you too can go into an exam severely fatigued (on the brink of collapsing) and still score a decent score (*^*)b. But please, don’t do that. I went into the exam aiming for just a 19 or 20 because I have a 3.97 GPA and I didn’t mind what school I go to. Now thinking, I should’ve treated the exam more seriously and not risk it. But it’s done now and I’m glad my stupidity worked out. Then again, I could have scored higher…But this is good enough. I didn’t write this breakdown to showoff that I can pull it off with fatigue, but rather I want to let you guys know that if you put in the effort to study, NOTHING can stop you.
Final note: USE THE RIGHT CLICK (cross out feature). I got into the habit of crossing out all the wrong answers but before selecting the right one. This helps ensure that all the other answers are wrong and the one I selected is correct. This helps to prevent dumb mistakes…It took less than 3 seconds…seriously, it does wonders! Also, I want to thank the creators of Bootcamp, Destroyer, Feralis, Chad, and Crack the DAT for making this possible. I would've been lost if I didn't have these quality materials!
Pianist and artist here! Have been lurking around SDN EVERY SINGLE day before my DAT and reading about everyone’s breakdowns gave me ideas of what the exam is like and also a way to gauge myself. Since they have helped me so much and given me the much needed reassurance, I decided I want contribute back as well. I took my DAT 2 days ago. DAT Score:
PAT: 21
QR: 18 (I wasn’t feeling well at this point and had to end it quick)
RC: 20
Bio: 23
GC: 24
OC: 30
TS: 25
AA: 23
DAT Bootcamp Averages: (these were taken the week before/of the exam)
Bio: 19, 21, 22, 18, 22, 23, 20, 23, 20, 22 (Avg 21)
Chem: 21, 23, 23, 23, 19, 20, 20, 22, 19 (Avg 21)
Orgo: 23, 21, 23, 23, 21, 21, 22, 22, 23, 21 (Avg 22)
RC: 18, 18, 19, 20, 20, 20, 19, 18, <15 🙂diebanana🙂, X (avg 18?)
PAT: 21, 21
QR: 17, 17, 18, 18, 19, 20, 21, 20, 21, 22 (Avg 20)
CDT RC: 18, 19, 17
I took mine really close to the exam. Really happy I scored higher than my practices.
2009 DAT
BIO: 22, GC: 24, OC: 30, RC: 17, QR: 19 (WTH?!??! HOW DOES IT DO THAT? HOW DOES IT PREDICT SO ACCURATELY?!??!)
SO THE STORY: I took the test without any sleep for 2 days (NOT ON PURPOSE) 😴. I pulled an all-nighter two days before and hoped that I would fall asleep the night before the exam. NOPE! Couldn’t sleep. Took some sleeping pills. NOPE! Didn’t work. I was scheduled for 1:30pm too (was dying by 11am). I was really fatigued and was on the brink of rescheduling (but too tired to reach the laptop)…Glad I didn’t. I highly recommend getting into a good sleeping habit a month or so before (test anxiety is no joke)…But, I’m not here to scare you, just want to point out that adrenaline got your back and if you're prepared...you are ready. I wanted to throw up half way through the exam too (I can’t drink coffee)…Seriously…I wonder how I even made it out alive.
Duration of study: ~4 months
Materials (You guys already know by now, there’s a reason why SDN mentions them over and over again)
- DAT Bootcamp
- DAT Destroyer/Math Destroyer
- Chad’s video
- Cliff AP 3rd Edition + Feralis (<3 you)
- Crack the DAT RC
- GRE QC workbooks
Bootcamp and Destroyer were incredible prep materials. They were harder than the DAT but that’s what I like about them. I don’t want prep that prepares me for the exam. I want something that over-prepares me. That’s what I got. I made it through the DAT with severe fatigue…
Study schedule: I think it’s critical that you find a working study schedule and start committing to it!!! If you get the momentum going, it’s easy to study! What worked for me was doing question during the day and review during the night. Really helps with memory retention to have a good night of sleep as well.
1st month: All review w/ Chad, Cliff, Ferallis,
2nd Month: Destroyer + Math destroyer (TREAT it as A LEARNING TOOL! BC is a better predictor for score)
3rd Month: Light review + Destroyers again + GRE math
4th Month: Going through everything again and then testing myself on Bootcamp before my exam.
All of the materials I mentioned were extremely useful and I recommend you to get them. They won’t lead you astray unless you don’t work it.
Tips for review:
1) Type notes for EVERYTHING!
2) I typed all the notes from Chad, cliff (combined with Feralis). IT IS SUPER USEFUL later on when you want to do quick review. For chads, I like screen shooting the board and paste that on the word document. This is extremely helpful!
3) Destroyer --> Type notes FOR EVERY SINGLE problem! Even for Math. It really helps to solidify your understanding and makes a GREAT reviewing tool.
4) Use Index cards for high yield topics. I tend to put down topics that pop up a lot or difficult topics onto index cards and review them before I sleep.
So what I did after reviewing was I stick to a consistent schedule (Months 2, 3, and 4)
3-4: 20-40 Bio Qs on Destroyer (20 for first run and 40 for subsequent runs)
4-5: 20-40 Chem Qs
5-6: 20-40 Orgo Qs
7-8: 20-40 QR Qs
9-12 Review materials or allocate your time to whatever you want to do.
Once in a while I will do some PAT (If you’re not as good at it, then commit an hour to it as well)
By doing this, I kept everything fresh every day. Repetition makes perfect! (Coming from a musician)
Again, it is critical to find a schedule that works for you! I have classes in the morning so I had to start at 3pm. I highly suggest taking the DAT in the summer though! Spring is crazy...
REAL DAT thoughts (FOR MY particular test):
So…I made it to the exam exhausted from the lack of sleep and felt like throwing up after drinking some coffee (I’m never drank coffee before…omg.)
Biology (23): YES! it’s RANDOM. There was no rhythm at all, you just get thrown random stuff. But most of them weren’t bad. In fact, I find them to be simple details that we might have overlooked. I don’t know what advice to give for this section since it’s literally hit or miss. I didn’t get anything too specific or detailed. Maybe one or two that had terms I had never seen before. As long as you go through everything in Cliff/Feralis/Destroyer/Bootcamp, you’ll be prepared (the rest is down to luck). The hardest part I think is due to the fact that this is the very FIRST section. As long as you calm down and work through it, it’s nothing too hard.
Chemistry (24): For my test, this was very simple compared to BC/Destroyer. Calculations were simple (If there were any “actual” calculation). A lot of conceptual questions so know your basics! I think Chad got you covered. If you want higher score, destroyer/BC will do the job! Overall, I think GC and OC are the two sections you can prepare for and know you’ll score high. Again, I highly suggest you to get a good grasp of the basic concepts. Those are free points and free up so much time.
Orgo (30): I had a great Orgo foundation and I’ve always been good with imagining structures and such. So I studied for this section the least. This section is super easy if you had a really good Orgo course back in college. If not, Chad/Destroyer will give you what you need. I think it was easier than BC. HINT: I think this section is EASIEST to master and score perfect on! If you got your fundamentals down, it can seriously do some work!
PAT (21): I only looked through the tutorial and did 2 exams. I’m an artist so this was a nice break time for me (I actually sort of napped for a few minute). After getting two 21s on BC and my friend told me it was easier than the real DAT, I didn’t really spend time on it anymore. But, BC was really representative of what I saw on the test (the scores as proof). I just wanted a 21 so I’m happy with that!
RC (20): I WAS SO SCARED FOR THIS SECTION! You can see this breakdown might be plagued with grammatical errors. I couldn’t speak English until high school and I rarely read. I am a slow reader and does the traditional route (read then answer). I never broke 20 and only hit 20 when I got lucky. For my test in particular, it was easier than Bootcamp (Guess I got lucky???)! BC and Crack the DAT should prepare you for the worse. Just read some scientific articles once in a while to get used to the style. Most importantly, find what method works for you! Read/answer, S&D, mixed, etc. I think I could’ve scored higher if I didn’t felt like throwing up while taking this section.
QR (18): The new QR stuff was pretty nice! As long as you know how to interpret charts/graphs, you don’t even have to think for the data interpretation questions. As for the Quantative Comparison question, yep, they are those GRE questions. They were not bad (learn the tricks to quickly eliminate answers). Also, don’t neglect trig/geo. They are still relevant (some embedded in the QC questions). Why I scored an 18? I wasn’t feeling so well
by the time I got to QR. I had to cut it short. Destroyer/BC will prepare you well. I suggest getting those GRE QC workbooks as well to prep for the new question type.So all in all, Cliff, Feralis, and Chad will cover you for the sciences. BC and Destroyer (and Math Destroy) will prepare you for whatever the exam throws at you. It’s designed to be harder so that once you’ve mastered them, you too can go into an exam severely fatigued (on the brink of collapsing) and still score a decent score (*^*)b. But please, don’t do that. I went into the exam aiming for just a 19 or 20 because I have a 3.97 GPA and I didn’t mind what school I go to. Now thinking, I should’ve treated the exam more seriously and not risk it. But it’s done now and I’m glad my stupidity worked out. Then again, I could have scored higher…But this is good enough. I didn’t write this breakdown to showoff that I can pull it off with fatigue, but rather I want to let you guys know that if you put in the effort to study, NOTHING can stop you.
Final note: USE THE RIGHT CLICK (cross out feature). I got into the habit of crossing out all the wrong answers but before selecting the right one. This helps ensure that all the other answers are wrong and the one I selected is correct. This helps to prevent dumb mistakes…It took less than 3 seconds…seriously, it does wonders! Also, I want to thank the creators of Bootcamp, Destroyer, Feralis, Chad, and Crack the DAT for making this possible. I would've been lost if I didn't have these quality materials!
Thank you so much for your note Feralis! Your contribution will be legendary! 
. And no problem! I consider breakdowns as great motivational tools and hope it will inspire others strive for success. Yes! I hope to get into a top tier school!
. But yes, my journey in dentistry has only begun and I am excited to see what lies ahead.
