What materials to help with science portion of DAT

[Viking97]

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So, in preparation for not receiving an acceptance this cycle, I have decided to start studying to take the DAT again. I took it last in 2008 when I graduated from undergrad. I'm a little nervous about studying for the gen-chem (well, a lot), feel decent about o-chem (got really good grades in those classes) and bio is "ehhh" (bio, to me, is pretty straightforward memorization, not really worried, just need to put the time in). On my last test I received a 28 on RC and a 22 on PAT so I really just want to focus on the sciences (QR is a joke. Oh, I'll still study for it, but come on...). It's been a good 2-3 years since I have taken these classes and would like some input on what my fellow SDN'ers feel is the best book to accomplish studying the "science" section of the DAT. As stated above, I am most worried about trying to relearn the concepts from GChem as that series was harder to me than OChem.

Currently, I have the 2007-2008 Kaplan book to go along with my textbooks and notes on GChem, OChem and Bio from undergrad. What else would you recommend?


(I bet there is a thread buried somewhere in SDN that would address this, but making a new post is oh, so much easier.)

Thanks!! 👍

 

[Erhatstil]

i'm in the same boat, but gave up about a month ago to get in this cycle. so, i've put in about 6 weeks of studying thus far. for bio, i've found cliff's to be a good overview of everything but still use my textbook a ton. in my opinion, cliff's isn't quite detailed enough. for example, the embryology section in cliff's is like 1-2 pages, no diagrams and embryology/gastrulation shows up a lot.

gen chem seems to be the most difficult section for me too. probably because its been 5 or 6 years since taking a course. destroyer is a decent, but is sometimes too detailed. the ACS gen chem study guide is helpful and has a ton of problems (only $20). But my gen chem text book seems to be my foundation as i probably use it the most.

o chem makes me pretty nervous because i scored a 21 on it last time, so it'll be hard for me to make much improvement, and obviously don't want to do worse. although i find destroyer to be a good source, and the roadmaps especially, i'm more and more convinced that the DAT focuses on the concepts of ochem1 more than ochem2. but nonetheless, i probably have 200 flashcards i made on reactions and what not from ochem 2.

i don't know if this has been any help to you, but if were to some up my studying so far and offer my best advice, it would be to get your hands on as many practice problems (destroyer, acs, kaplan, topscore, achiever, etc) as possible and keep your textbooks close by. textbooks can be intimidating, but everything you need to know is in them!

-forgot to add that chad's videos are definitely worthwhile, i watched those as well

 

[RCT PC CRN]

Just wondering what are the possible reason you guys (Viking97 & Erhatstil) did not get into dental school? Viking97 seems to have good score..RC 28 ..PAT 22 ..assuming rest are 20is.

 

[AmpedUp]

Get Schaums for OChem, Kaplan Book (and subject tests if you can get a friend to lend them to you - some ppl find them online), TopScore, Chad's Video (if you're REALLY rusty)....That should cover it IMHO

 

[Erhatstil]

Just wondering what are the possible reason you guys (Viking97 & Erhatstil) did not get into dental school? Viking97 seems to have good score..RC 28 ..PAT 22 ..assuming rest are 20is.

no intent to hijack thread...my gpa (3.4) and dat (18/18/18) are sub-par, probably my dat more so. unless you have above a 3.8, you need 20's across the board to be safe.