Took DAT today.. used Kaplan class and Destroyer

[barrett15]

When I was studying I really enjoyed reading these threads for tips on different methods of study for the DAT, so here is another! I took the Kaplan class and Destroyer route and REALLY enjoyed BOTH of them. The Kaplan class had a crap-ton of workshops/practice problems and had 6 full length tests (the diagnostic, midterm, final then 3 others). The actual class sucked, but the online resources were key. I started studying the beginning of June and probably averaged about 6-7 hours per day. I am lucky because I didn't have to work, didn't have summer school, and only had to do some shadowing while studying.

My scores 7/20:
23 PAT 99%
18 QR 74%
18 RC 39%
24 Bio 98.7%
29 GChem 100%
22 OChem 91%
24 TS 99.3%
22 AA 95.9%

Bio: Only used the book the came with the Kaplan class and pretty much knew everything in it very well. On my DAT I seemed to have a bit of everything and quite a few questions (10) I had never seen before in Destroyer or Kaplan. I am a cellular bio major (science GPA 3.93), so that is my foundation, Kaplan reviewed everything well, and Destroyer pretty much gave me the answers to two problems (but still good review to know everything in Destroyer, but sorry to say, don't think miracles with destroyer bio). Just know everything!! I would strongly recommend a supplement to kaplan bio and destroyer.
Gchem: For review Kaplan did a very good job, as most of us haven't had chem since freshman year, it refreshed my memory well. This was my worst section on most of my kaplan practice tests, so I spent a ton of time studying this section. Did Destroyer problems about 3x and knew every calculation/theory behind it, this reallly helps when problems you have never seen pop up.
Ochem: Destroyer. Nails it. Know the reagents, what they do, and what they work best with. I had a few long synthesis problems like in destroyer. Know SN1/SN2/E1/E2 theory really well, I thought I had those reactions down, but they were the main ones I had to guess on.
PAT: Kaplan online materials dominate this section. Angles suck. Folding sucked. Everything else was pretty easy.
RC/QR: I was pissed at RC score, I had never scored below 19 on practice tests. But like everyone has been saying... lots of tone questions. My passages were longer than Kaplan's practice tests, so my timing was off. I winged QR... did not do Destroyer's problems... never reviewed my kaplan wrong answers... went in knowing I was going to guess on every trig identity problem.. overall it was hard.

Here are my Kaplan practice test results so you Kaplan people can compare scores. In the order I took them: Diagnostic, Midterm, practice test 2, practice 3, Final, practice test 1.

AA/TS/Bio/GChem/Ochem/RC/QR/PAT
Diag: 19/17/18/15/17/20/19/16
Mid: 16/18/19/17/18/18/12/21 (stopped QR half way through)
test2:20/21/22/20/21/19/19/22
test3:19/19/24/14/18/19/18/21
final: 20/21/24/17/21/20/20/21
test1:23/26/22/28/28/23/20/25


Overall I'm happy it is over and am happy with my scores . Study hard once and get it done with, it will be worth it when your a dentist . Any questions about problems or anything I'll try to help out.

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[saaz55]

amazing scores!! i could only dream of your scores. and that gpa. geez! i dont thin you'll have any problems with getting into D-school. but in regards, to the bio questions. did u find that the stuff u learned in ur advanced courses rly helped u on ur exam?

 

[mut9ya]

So which schools are you applying to?
Nice scores!!

 

[IsRaEl21]

Very nice scores. Good job. Wish u good luck in dental school.

 

[dentgirl08]

about the bio section (great scores btw)...
do you think reading and memorizing/studying was more beneficial for you or solving problems after problems after problems?
i'm having the hardest time reading and learning this stuff...

 

[barrett15]

The only advanced course I really thought helped was biochemistry, only because you have to memorize a lot of the metabolism pathways. Since I already had those pathways memorized I really didn't have to study much of the animal/plant respiration. Cell bio helped me for one question which there is no way I would have known without it. Other than that just A&P helped a lot to get a good solid basis too.
Studying for the bio section is hard I think, but doing problems (from destroyer and kaplan) and making sure you completely understand them is important. But, I would say doing problem after problem is not as important than just reading and reading well. Not just skimming. Any detail could pop up (and did on my test, my bio section was different than most practice tests I took).

 

[dddoch]

This is what I don't get.

when 29 GC gives 100%, then how come someone who took it about a week ago get a GC score of 30? I doubt the grading scale has changed since a week ago. Can anyone explain me this?

 

[Clubby]

This is what I don't get.

when 29 GC gives 100%, then how come someone who took it about a week ago get a GC score of 30? I doubt the grading scale has changed since a week ago. Can anyone explain me this?

The highest score you can make on ochem is a 29. Same with gchem, same with biology.

But if you get a perfect ochem, and a perfect gchem, your gchem moves up to 30. Get a perfect bio, you get 30s across the board.

 

[orgoboy]

I was just checking out posts and ran across your DAT results congratulations!!! I am also using Destroyer and Kaplan and hope to emulate those fantastic scores especially in ochem.

 

[IsRaEl21]

I wish to get the scores u have, at least come close to it, nice job. Could u give me an advice how to study for the RC

 

[xdianaax]

Awesome scores!!! Good luck with your app process!

 

[alltheway]

Nice Going. You are in!!!

 

[barrett15]

I wish to get the scores u have, at least come close to it, nice job. Could u give me an advice how to study for the RC

For RC I just did practice tests and the RC practice tests from Kaplan online. I never really went over the answers or anything but that would probably help out. I read for 8 minutes (I make myself read slowly so I can try to retain) then answer questions for 12 minutes. This worked fine for my first two passages but the third was like 22 small paragraphs with lots of terms and I ran out of time.

 

[IsRaEl21]

thank u for ur advice, Good luck again with the application process.

 

[CuddlesUCLAbear]

Hi!

Good job on your DAT's!

I was just wondering...I'm currently taking the Kaplan DAT course (but I don't go to class and I am just using the online material). I also just purchased the DAT destroyer. Can you please advise me on what to focus on? Like for the Kaplan course, would it be beneficial to focus on the Subject Tests, or end of the chapter problems in the big blue kaplan book? Which problems are most similar to the actual DAT's? Similary for DAT destroyer..i've heard mixed opinions about it...so are there certain sections I should use Destroyer for? Thank you so much for your time.

 

[NoFear66]

I am kind of wondering the same thing, some of the subject tests Kaplan offer seem tough, did you feel the same way towards them when you were using kaplan?

 

[CuddlesUCLAbear]

Yeah...some of the Kaplan subject tests, or end of the chapter questions aren't extremely tough, but more than anything, they're just very LONG, and I really want to know how useful they are since we have a time constraint. So somebody please help! =)

 

[barrett15]

Yeah...some of the Kaplan subject tests, or end of the chapter questions aren't extremely tough, but more than anything, they're just very LONG, and I really want to know how useful they are since we have a time constraint. So somebody please help! =)

Sorry for not getting back at your questions. OK my personal feelings for the kaplan subject tests are: the Gchem is hard, the ochem is kind of hard, and the bio was comparable to the real dat. But, I did not have the mentality of "kaplan is harder than the real DAT so I will do better on the real thing." Don't trick yourself. My weakest subject was gchem and I did and understood every problem in the subject tests/practice tests, and I really think it helped my gchem a lot (on par with destroyer). I even re-did the subject tests in the OAT version (same questions as DAT in kaplan) three days after I originally did them to see if I improved. In the full length kaplan tests I do remember some really hard questions, don't let them get you down, just make sure you understand them after the test is over. Good luck everyone.

 

[barrett15]

Oh, and yes do the problems at the end of the review book they take like 10 mins per chapter and test if you understood it or not. I went through the gchem section twice as well (4-5 times small sections I had trouble on).

 

[CuddlesUCLAbear]

Hey!

Thanks sooooo much for the responses!!!! I really appreciate your time

If it's not too much trouble, can you perhaps give me an outline that incoporates all your study material, particularly Kaplan and Destroyer?

Like should I read Kaplan blue book first, Kaplan online videos, subject test, and then destroyer? Also, what material did you find going over multiple times very helpful?

Oh yeah..I'm forgetting some of my Ochem stuff so what other souces do you recommend?

Thank you very much! =)