Study Frustration

[live.dream.dds]

Hey guys,

I am in my first week of studying for the DAT (taking them 2nd of August). I follow Ari's study guide and change them a bit to better fit what I need to study more or less. I am religiously looking through threads and reading what other people are doing to study. Most people suggest ~8 hours a day of studying and I really do try to do that. Watching the video's doing the quizzes, reading cliffnotes... all that doesn't take me 8 hours but once I am done with it I study the previous day's material. When I take chad's GC quizzes, I am getting 40%-75% on most of them and it is extremely discouraging. I end up in a terrible mood after seeing how poorly I did when I know how hard I studied. For those of you who also get discouraged, how do you get passed it and try to move forward with the studying? ALSO clearly I am not doing very well when the day after studying the material I am not getting the best grades--study suggestions for overcoming this? Is this a normal part of the study process? I feel like I am so far behind everyone else and am just extremely frustrated

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[Faefly]

I started preparing today.

I just spent 1 hour and a half, daydreaming and distracted while studying the first page of Cliff book!
Talk about struggle!
You know what the topic was!
bonds haha, who would take 1 hour and a half on that materials.

I am taking it in August as well, but judging by my slow progress of Biology, I doubt it

So, yeah your chemistry answers do not mean you are not good, it just means it's the beginning, watch another video from youtube and tackle the quizzes again. sometimes other resources help solidify the material

3 weeks from now you'll be better!
Don't lose hope!

 

[burritoz]

For Chad's videos, it helped me a lot to take notes of what he was saying and writing on the white board. I found this form of active studying to be way better than when I was just watching his videos (passive studying). Then, during his quizzes, I would look at my notes if I couldn't remember how to get to the answer off the top of my head. Everyone is different in what study method works best for them, but actually writing things down and referencing them later worked much better for me.

Do not worry about the percentage of questions you are getting right vs. wrong - it's more important to understand why they're wrong and go from there!

 

[live.dream.dds]

I started preparing today.

I just spent 1 hour and a half, daydreaming and distracted while studying the first page of Cliff book!
Talk about struggle!
You know what the topic was!
bonds haha, who would take 1 hour and a half on that materials.

I am taking it in August as well, but judging by my slow progress of Biology, I doubt it

So, yeah your chemistry answers do not mean you are not good, it just means it's the beginning, watch another video from youtube and tackle the quizzes again. sometimes other resources help solidify the material

3 weeks from now you'll be better!
Don't lose hope!

 

[live.dream.dds]

For Chad's videos, it helped me a lot to take notes of what he was saying and writing on the white board. I found this form of active studying to be way better than when I was just watching his videos (passive studying). Then, during his quizzes, I would look at my notes if I couldn't remember how to get to the answer off the top of my head. Everyone is different in what study method works best for them, but actually writing things down and referencing them later worked much better for me.

Do not worry about the percentage of questions you are getting right vs. wrong - it's more important to understand why they're wrong and go from there!

Yeah, I am taking notes on Chad's video's and highlighting/underlying the AP cliffnotes book.... I just feel like I am doing something wrong? Sometimes it doesn't take me 8 hours to go over everything and then when I'm not studying (or not doing 8 hours) I feel like I'm doing something massively wrong.. which is why I finished 'early' so to speak

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Are you paying close attention to the content that you're viewing? I would have to second the active vs passive studying concern - if you're making a genuine effort to mentally digest everything that's presented, the material should not be that challenging. Especially Chad's videos/quizzes - he makes the concepts very easy to digest and his quizzes are very directly based on the content he's gone over. Low quiz scores on those are not a good indication that you're actually absorbing the information that's being presented to you.

 

[Faefly]

Yeah, I am taking notes on Chad's video's and highlighting/underlying the AP cliffnotes book.... I just feel like I am doing something wrong? Sometimes it doesn't take me 8 hours to go over everything and then when I'm not studying (or not doing 8 hours) I feel like I'm doing something massively wrong.. which is why I finished 'early' so to speak

Ok, I have finished the first 6 videos of chad gen chem. I watched the video and wrote what he said.
Then I took the quizzes after each video, I noticed I did poorly on the subjects that he didn't cover.
so I am taking like 4 right out of 6
or 14 right out of 16
rarely all of them correct, but mostly 80 ish percent correct. I did get 65 percent on the first quiz because he didn't explain how to do percent composition and stuff and I had to see a youtube video to remember how to do them.
If you are having a lot of the questions incorrect then maybe you need to watch other people videos to remember the materials better.
and this is normal.

This guy was awesome for ochem in college, maybe he'll help you with gen chem

 

[tyjacobs]

Hey guys,

I am in my first week of studying for the DAT (taking them 2nd of August). I follow Ari's study guide and change them a bit to better fit what I need to study more or less. I am religiously looking through threads and reading what other people are doing to study. Most people suggest ~8 hours a day of studying and I really do try to do that. Watching the video's doing the quizzes, reading cliffnotes... all that doesn't take me 8 hours but once I am done with it I study the previous day's material. When I take chad's GC quizzes, I am getting 40%-75% on most of them and it is extremely discouraging. I end up in a terrible mood after seeing how poorly I did when I know how hard I studied. For those of you who also get discouraged, how do you get passed it and try to move forward with the studying? ALSO clearly I am not doing very well when the day after studying the material I am not getting the best grades--study suggestions for overcoming this? Is this a normal part of the study process? I feel like I am so far behind everyone else and am just extremely frustrated

Yes its a normal part of the study processm you'll be fine! Relax and focus and keep a good attitude. Focus on content review try to really understand this stuff. You are early in your studies and have plenty of time to do well

 

[live.dream.dds]

Are you paying close attention to the content that you're viewing? I would have to second the active vs passive studying concern - if you're making a genuine effort to mentally digest everything that's presented, the material should not be that challenging. Especially Chad's videos/quizzes - he makes the concepts very easy to digest and his quizzes are very directly based on the content he's gone over. Low quiz scores on those are not a good indication that you're actually absorbing the information that's being presented to you.

Yes. I am paying close attention! Or at least I thought I was.. I take really good notes, I rewatch parts that I feel like I missed. I take the quizzes the next day and when I miss them I look at the solution they provide and then go back and look it up in my notes... I have noticed that a big part of the reason why I score low are due to mathematical errors... I need to get both better and faster at mental math--using a calculator for so long has really messed me up. I also miss a lot of the questions because I don't remember the formula's and have to look them up. I am desperate to try absorb the information better. Is there another way of active studying that you can suggest?

 

[live.dream.dds]

Ok, I have finished the first 6 videos of chad gen chem. I watched the video and wrote what he said.
Then I took the quizzes after each video, I noticed I did poorly on the subjects that he didn't cover.
so I am taking like 4 right out of 6
or 14 right out of 16
rarely all of them correct, but mostly 80 ish percent correct. I did get 65 percent on the first quiz because he didn't explain how to do percent composition and stuff and I had to see a youtube video to remember how to do them.
If you are having a lot of the questions incorrect then maybe you need to watch other people videos to remember the materials better.
and this is normal.

This guy was awesome for ochem in college, maybe he'll help you with gen chem

After you watch the video's and take notes/do the quiz what else do you do for that day? Like how else do you study that day's material... I am finding it very difficult to figure out when/what to do after I do this. I can't spend the next day reviewing the same information because.. you know...new day, new material but when I am getting <50% on the quizzes is it really worth it to go to the next day's stuff? My DAT is in 2 months and I can't afford to spend 2 days on things that are supposed to take me 1 day... *massive panic attack*

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Yes. I am paying close attention! Or at least I thought I was.. I take really good notes, I rewatch parts that I feel like I missed. I take the quizzes the next day and when I miss them I look at the solution they provide and then go back and look it up in my notes... I have noticed that a big part of the reason why I score low are due to mathematical errors... I need to get both better and faster at mental math--using a calculator for so long has really messed me up. I also miss a lot of the questions because I don't remember the formula's and have to look them up. I am desperate to try absorb the information better. Is there another way of active studying that you can suggest?

For starters, don't take the quizzes the next day. Take them immediately after you watch the video so you can integrate what was taught right away and figure out if you actually got the concepts down, rather than getting questions wrong possibly from forgetting material. That's not to say you shouldn't try the quizzes again later on (e.g. a week later) to test your retention of the material too.

 

[EntrepreneurialDentist]

After you watch the video's and take notes/do the quiz what else do you do for that day? Like how else do you study that day's material... I am finding it very difficult to figure out when/what to do after I do this. I can't spend the next day reviewing the same information because.. you know...new day, new material but when I am getting <50% on the quizzes is it really worth it to go to the next day's stuff? My DAT is in 2 months and I can't afford to spend 2 days on things that are supposed to take me 1 day... *massive panic attack*

First try to take a step back and de-stress because it's going to effect your studies. You said you are finding it difficult to figure out when/what to do after you get through a day's material. The rest day of each week is a light review day which you can use to go over everything you learned that week. Additionally, Ari's schedule is a guide that should be modified and personalized according to you. Depending on your background, it may take you 2 days to go through material that would take someone else 1 day and that's totally fine. You may want to consider pushing back your test date and taking a day to plan out your own study schedule using Ari's schedule as a guideline. If you feel you aren't absorbing the information effectively, try to pinpoint as to why that is. Are you getting distracted? Are you thinking about other things as you watch the videos? Going slower would definitely help. Feralis spent 6 months studying for the DAT as a result of having to re-learn chem, ochem and bio and it paid off greatly.

 

[JoeSingh1]

Hi All,
I am starting newly, meaning, I will be attending community college and start to take science courses, what I wanted to know was when is the exact moment I should actually start studying for the DAT exam? I plan on finishing associates degree then transfer to university and finish my pre requisites. Please advise

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Hi All,
I am starting newly, meaning, I will be attending community college and start to take science courses, what I wanted to know was when is the exact moment I should actually start studying for the DAT exam? I plan on finishing associates degree then transfer to university and finish my pre requisites. Please advise

Assuming you take your core science pre-reqs in your first two years (general chem, organic chem, biology) then I would aim to study and take it over the summer after your second year. IMO that is ideal because the test's science material will be freshest.

 

[JoeSingh1]

Assuming you take your core science pre-reqs in your first two years (general chem, organic chem, biology) then I would aim to study and take it over the summer after your second year. IMO that is ideal because the test's science material will be freshest.

Thanks, but you mean to say 3rd year isn't it? 2 years would cover basic sciences/lab then when I transfer to University the 3rd year will get hardcore into sciences/lab, or should I study way before that?

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Thanks, but you mean to say 3rd year isn't it? 2 years would cover basic sciences/lab then when I transfer to University the 3rd year will get hardcore into sciences/lab, or should I study way before that?

When I was in college it was standard for pre-meds/pre-dents to take gen chem/biology as a freshman and organic chemistry as a sophomore, which would allow you to prepare for the standardized tests after second year. Some people haven't taken them all by the end of second year which is fine - in that case you try to prep during/immediately the second semester of your third year to take it over the summer.

You don't really need upper level sciences (by this I mean anything beyond General Chemistry, your standard general Biology course, and Organic Chemistry) to do well on the DAT - biochem, physiology, microbio, etc. can all help but really aren't necessary if you prepare well.

 

[JoeSingh1]

When I was in college it was standard for pre-meds/pre-dents to take gen chem/biology as a freshman and organic chemistry as a sophomore, which would allow you to prepare for the standardized tests after second year. Some people haven't taken them all by the end of second year which is fine - in that case you try to prep during/immediately the second semester of your third year to take it over the summer.

You don't really need upper level sciences (by this I mean anything beyond General Chemistry, your standard general Biology course, and Organic Chemistry) to do well on the DAT - biochem, physiology, microbio, etc. can all help but really aren't necessary if you prepare well.

But the upper level sciences are required to be finished as pre-requisites isn't it - especially if I am trying to get into Dental school for University of Pennsylvania?

 

[FeralisExtremum]

But the upper level sciences are required to be finished as pre-requisites isn't it - especially if I am trying to get into Dental school for University of Pennsylvania?

Some schools do require specific upper level sciences - but that shouldn't be what determines when you take your DAT. Remember, pre-requisites need to be completed prior to matriculation, not necessarily at the time of application.