which is the best study guide?

[futuredentist55]

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Hey everyone!

I'm new to all of this, but I have heard that this site is very helpful in preparing to apply for dental school! I look forward to receiving & providing help!!

I know that there are a few study tools such as Achiever, Topscore, Destroyer, Kaplan and Barrons. For those of you who have used any of these, which one do you recommend?

I have particular difficulty in the QR and PAT sections, so I am looking for something that will help me in those areas.

Also, I read another bulletin mentioning changes to the DAT, something about no paper? Does anyone have anymore information on that??

Any suggestions are welcome! Your responses will be greatly appreciated! 🙄

 

[dentaldentist]

Hello futuredentist55.

Unfortunately, there really isn't one "best" DAT study guide - they all seem to have strengths and weaknesses, so its best to get a mix of studying resources to get the most out of your studying.

The main book you should start with is the Kaplan Blue Book. It is a good all around book and does a great job on most sections. It is a little weak in the bio section and on the PAT section.

To fill in any missing spots for bio you can use your college text books or get something like Schaum's outline of biology. For the PAT section, there really isn't a book that is perfect for this section, but the Barron's DAT book does have some useful tips to help you out here. The best advice is just to learn what you can about the PAT by practicing the problems multiple times from what ever study aids you get and be aware that the PAT section will be harder on the real test than any practice problems you will find, especially the angle ranking (on the real test there is only a degree or two difference between the different angles). When you practice, make sure able to move quickly through the different PAT sections so that on the real test you will be able to answer all the questions in the time given.

After you have a solid understanding for all sections, I would suggest using TopScore DAT. Its basically a set of practice tests, but from my experience, the Topscore practice tests were the best representation of the real DAT experience. Actually the topscore tests were a little harder than the real test so you will likely see a 1 or 2 point increase on the real exam compared to Topscore.

As far as the QR section goes, I thought the kaplan DAT book was fine, you just need to take time to learn it. If you need additional help you can always get a math specific book - I believe kaplan makes a book for the regular GRE math section which is basiclly the same types of math problems and there are similar books out there.

There are a number of other options out there like DAT Destroyer, Achiever, DAT Audiolearn and Cliffs, however I never used these so can't comment, but I have generally heard good comments on all of these, especially DAT Destroyer

The real important thing for this test is to really work hard with whatever resources you decide to use. If you really put in the time to learn the material and do all the practice problems and practice exams you can, you will be prepared for the test. Good luck!

 

[dentaldentist]

Also, I read another bulletin mentioning changes to the DAT, something about no paper? Does anyone have anymore information on that??

Oh yes, from what I have heard, instead of giving you paper and pencil during the exam, they give you a laminated piece of paper or a small white board and an erasable marker to use during the test.

 

[Nasem]

I don't wanna sound like im bitching.... but how come they dont' let us use calculators?

I thought the DAT is testing our over all science knowledge along with our PA and RC..... Where does arithmetic fall into these categories?