What do you all think? DAT studying in a month.

DATBooster | The Ultimate DAT Resource
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
O

Ohsnap23

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
May 10, 2015
Messages
85
Reaction score
18
Members don't see this ad.
Hey everyone so title says it all,

Essentially I plan on starting my studying this Thanksgiving Break around 25th of November and studying up until my DAT date, which as of now is January 7th. Will this be a sufficient amount of time to study and do well on the exam? (Hence during December I will be able to pull off 7 hours+ with no other obligations thankfully)

Background:
Taking orgo II this semester and will be done by Thanksgiving. Taking Cell Molec and Genetics too. So hopefully this will help prepare me for Bio and Orgo a bit.

What do you guys think? Feedback would be appreciated!
 
It's doable but you'll have to work your @$$ off. I started studying for my DAT late December and took it on Jan 31st.
 
Doable, but you have to focus on it a lot. Might be tough if you're balancing finals at the same time.
 
I am pretty much the antithesis of everything recommended on this forum. I signed up for a Kaplan course and tried to read along but really only ended up attending the classes once a week for a little over a month because I was incredibly busy. Then spent a week and a half actually studying and it worked out alright for me. I was taking Biochem and Physiology over the summer along with research and working and spent my week long summer break and the 4th of July holiday studying. I would say it's doable if you've got a strong foundation in most of the subjects and truly "learned" the material the first time around and didn't just study or cram in order to pass the exams. I will say that I moved to an electronic calendar and planned out every single second of every day to get it done though. Come up with a study plan and put every bit of it in a calendar, I even planned out when I was going to eat.
 
Toothbrush Brother said:
It's doable but you'll have to work your @$$ off. I started studying for my DAT late December and took it on Jan 31st.
Click to expand...
Haha I'm okay with working hard for it. I can't study over a long span so I feel I should be able to pull it off. Did you end up doing well, if you don't mind me asking?
 
Oh how I envy those that could take a whole summer to study.

I had three weeks set aside between graduation and early June when my test was scheduled. I ended up starting a job during the last week (put off the start date as long as I could) and my brother scheduled his wedding on the weekend between the first two weeks so I ended up studying in the car and hotel room.

I still did well, but feel like I could have crushed the thing if I'd had more time.

It comes down to how well you have the basics down. Coming fresh from Orgo should make you strong in that section. I would suggest getting a jump on the PAT now, just to get the basics down and start practicing. It's a pretty good change of pace from other studying so easier to do when you have a full class load. Practice is the key to that section and having a little bit of that under your belt will take the pressure off of you and let you study other sections more later.
 
Predent850 said:
I am pretty much the antithesis of everything recommended on this forum. I signed up for a Kaplan course and tried to read along but really only ended up attending the classes once a week for a little over a month because I was incredibly busy. Then spent a week and a half actually studying and it worked out alright for me. I was taking Biochem and Physiology over the summer along with research and working and spent my week long summer break and the 4th of July holiday studying. I would say it's doable if you've got a strong foundation in most of the subjects and truly "learned" the material the first time around and didn't just study or cram in order to pass the exams. I will say that I moved to an electronic calendar and planned out every single second of every day to get it done though. Come up with a study plan and put every bit of it in a calendar, I even planned out when I was going to eat.
Click to expand...
Haha honestly I'm just like you in the regards to micromanaging my every move. Also I feel I learned the material fairly well! Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated.
 
rxdmx372 said:
@Ohsnap23 Are you planning on applying this cycle, or next cycle? I would highly suggest committing ten weeks during the summer to DAT studying. You can follow this schedule while working full time if you're willing to work hard.

http://datbootcamp.com/Ari'sStudyGuide.pdf
http://datbootcamp.com/Ari'sStudySchedule.pdf

It worked out great for me. I was able to work full-time while doing it, so the time commitment isn't too big. You can study for it in one month, people have definitely done it and done well, I just suggest following the listed plan. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Hey I've heard great things about boot. Amp and that will be my primary source for testing myself. I feel I will have a strong bio and orgo basis, so hopefully I can cut some corners!

Also I planned ahead and thought if I was to retake it, I would have sufficient time to retake it and be able to apply early in the next cycle !
 
wjc said:
Oh how I envy those that could take a whole summer to study.

I had three weeks set aside between graduation and early June when my test was scheduled. I ended up starting a job during the last week (put off the start date as long as I could) and my brother scheduled his wedding on the weekend between the first two weeks so I ended up studying in the car and hotel room.

I still did well, but feel like I could have crushed the thing if I'd had more time.

It comes down to how well you have the basics down. Coming fresh from Orgo should make you strong in that section. I would suggest getting a jump on the PAT now, just to get the basics down and start practicing. It's a pretty good change of pace from other studying so easier to do when you have a full class load. Practice is the key to that section and having a little bit of that under your belt will take the pressure off of you and let you study other sections more later.
Click to expand...
Hey there! So glad you killed it despite having to adapt to those situations. Absolutely, I've been looking PAT a little day by day. I feel it takes up the most time. Did you study all the subjects in one day or did you focus on one at a time?
 
Ohsnap23 said:
Hey everyone so title says it all,

Essentially I plan on starting my studying this Thanksgiving Break around 25th of November and studying up until my DAT date, which as of now is January 7th. Will this be a sufficient amount of time to study and do well on the exam? (Hence during December I will be able to pull off 7 hours+ with no other obligations thankfully)

Background:
Taking orgo II this semester and will be done by Thanksgiving. Taking Cell Molec and Genetics too. So hopefully this will help prepare me for Bio and Orgo a bit.

What do you guys think? Feedback would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
I think if you are doing more 7-8 hours a day with no other obligation, a month is definitely good enough. I started studying after finals in December so around 26th and took the exam on Feb 7th but that was my midterm week in school so I only studied till Feb 1. So one month is doable definitely. Good luck!
 
I did it in 3 weeks so a month is definitely doable. Just make sure to dedicate the majority of your time to studying and have a solid plan
 
Definitely doable! I had 3 weeks to study for it at the beginning of the semester. I had to worry about my school work as well, but it wasn't too bad. Honestly, I think the short amount of time I had really forced me to study during the free time I had. Basically did 7-8 hours of studying everyday. I'm one of those people who works better under pressure though, so it worked out fine!!
 
I did mine in 3 weeks and wanted to die / got semi-lucky. I would try to do two months minimum... or at least 6 weeks if you're pushing it. 🙁
 
I think it's definitely doable. My advisor told me that most people take it over spring break (not sure that's true) and recommended a Kaplan course (which I could not afford). I spent about 2.5 weeks studying due to a massive amount of exams that set me back. I was absolutely terrified, but I spent a few days reading over the Kaplan blue book, and discovered DAT bootcamp 5 days before my exam. I did reasonably okay, and although I believe I could have done much better if I had a few more weeks to study, I think that this amount of time was sufficient. There's a lot of things I would have changed about my studying after discovering student doctor network (the day after my exam). I think a month is a good amount of time if your organize yourself well and get the proper resources, though it may differ by individual.
 
You can do it in month and get above a 20 if you put in 12 hour days and things are somewhat fresh. If you have to completely relearn anything you'll be pushing it. Just make sure it's the only thing you have going on. Just use all the materials that everyone on here suggests (Destroyer, Chads, Etc) and you'll be fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
What should I do? Very low GPA High DAT
Replies
8
Views
698
macsak
M
emilia112
what do i do applying medical and dental schools?
Replies
5
Views
484
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Beau4832
SUNY - 12-month residency by application date or matriculation for preferred consideration?
Replies
6
Views
574
Beau4832
Beau4832
D
What is consider a STRONG recommendation letter
Replies
9
Views
1K
__deadroseht
D
E
SDN Article: 2025 DAT Scoring Changes: What Pre-Dental Applicants Need to Know
Replies
0
Views
2K
Emil Chuck
E
Top