studying for DAT

[babyblue3b]

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sooo how do people study for 10 hours a day for a month or two??? is that neccessary i feel like i stop learning and really absorbing material after a few hours!!! how can i make it through a whole day studying?????

 

[nze82]

sooo how do people study for 10 hours a day for a month or two??? is that neccessary i feel like i stop learning and really absorbing material after a few hours!!! how can i make it through a whole day studying?????

Couple of points:
-Every person learns differently. Some people read something once and that's it for them, while others need to spend more time learning the same information. So, just because you see people saying they study 10 hours a day for two months, doesn't mean that you have to do the same.
-If you decide to study 10 hrs/day, however, I find it helpful to switch between different topics. Here's how I did it:
>8:00AM-12:00PM...I devoted this time to learning concepts. So, I went through stuff like Biology, G-chem, and O-chem.
>12:00-2:00...Lunch
>2:00-6:00...I devoted this time for practicing the material I studied in the morning. I went through destroyer problems, topscore, achiever, etc.
>7:00-8:00...I practiced either RC or Math.

I stopped studying at 8:00PM.

-Finally, you better get used to studying a lot, if you plan to get into & survive dental school. So, think of this as an opportunity to evaluate your capabilities for dental school. If you can't stand the workload, then perhaps dental school is not the right choice for you 🙂

Good luck👍

 

[babyblue3b]

thanks thats a good plan to study in the morning and practice that after lunch! i feel overwelm! i def have to gain studying endurance ! im a procrastinator🙁 its funny how b4 a microbio exam or something i can cram for 24 hrs but on a regular day when theres no pressure i cant study for more than 1/2 hr without wanting a break🙂. candy gets me through the 24hrs straight studying... i think i will have a mouth full of cavities in two months:/ lol

 

[mrdorky]

I'm a procrastinator too. The way I absorb information is by studying in intervals for each subject. For example say if you were using KBB to start studying.
for bio section (2 hours), break for 1 hour, gchem (2 hrs), 1 hour break, ochem (2 hrs), 1 hour break.

In between each break I would think about the material I learned and walk around to refresh my mind. It helps.

It's all about going through it in your head while on the break.

 

[rickblas]

I have the SAME exact problem. Before I started studying for the DAT (which was 2 1/2 weeks ago) I have NEVER studied for more than 5hrs~ in a single day and never for longer than 2 straight hours. I am one of those people that read it once/do one problem once and just wing it on tests and get As. I get sooo bored studying so long and constantly go on FB if I'm on the computer, get up and eat something if I am near the kitchen, take a nap if I am near a bed, or turn on the TV if I am near a TV.

HOWEVER, for the DAT I have upped the ante to studying 3-4hours straight no breaks and up to 8hours a day. I did it like a process...(like you were quitting smoking lmao) aka my first week I tried my hardest to study 2+hours straight and timed myself with my phone and kept telling myself (if I started at 6pm) that I COULD NOT get up until 8pm AND at the end of the day I would tally up the hours in my head to reach at least 5-6hours a day; trust me this was very hard! ALSO it helps if your someplace where there can be completely no distractions like the library very far from the computers (and TV and beds...) around other people studying. For example, I live in NYC and I went to study in the grand public library which is so quiet that I was AFRAID to get up or make noise in my seat cuz people would look up when you made the slightest sound (ya I'm weird like that). O and the guy above me saying to study different subjects at different times is good! For example, I would do 50questions from the DAT destroyer and review the answers and feel so drained but then watch a Chad video because I found them entertaining/amazingly useful when I needed a break from doing problems. I also work better with video>books so this helped me alot when i started to feel bored reading words on paper.

I however, still have never studied for 10hrs+...or ever passed the 4hrs+ straight mark in a single day without getting up to do something non-DAT related aka to watch TV or go on SDN like I am right now... BUT I am proud of myself so far for studying so much, and if I can do it so can you!Hopefully, this is sufficient enough for the DAT...mine is in 9days...I'll tell you if it was ha. Note: it really isn't about how much hours you put in but about if you really comprehend the material you just studied so make sure when you finish studying to do some questions of said topic to make sure you actually accomplished something that day by learning something. (aka I did 50Dat destroyer problems a day and always did Chad's quizes after a video set//still take his quizes randomly from time to time to make sure I retained the info.

 

[babyblue3b]

well ive started a plan on monday to study for 12-5 in school library with a friend . shes taking the mcat in summer so i think a study buddy will motivate me and the library. i hope i can make it the 5 hrs lol!!! then ill come home and watch chad which i find i can do even when im tired!

 

[jirotrom]

I do any where from 8 - 12 hours a day right now 13 days till the dat but I've been keeping pretty consistent for the last 2 weeks. Yesterday Ochem finally clicked for the most part... talk about the happiness I felt lol, so some are slower than others

 

[Kbaseball]

It definitely is a challenge to study for such an extended period. But, it shouldn't be about the number of hours you spend studying, because if you aren't absorbing any information, it is a complete waste. I wouldn't just jump into studying 12 hours a day. It takes some conditioning. I started studying with about 4 hours and built up from there. After a while, you learn your best methods for studying and build endurance. Like others have said, it is a necessary quality to find your best strategies for studying as it is required in dental school in order to succeed.

Also, remember breaks are your friend 😀