Work full time and study for DAT?

[Dr Dimbsa]

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Hey Guys,

I'm currently a sophomore undergrad with plans on taking the DAT this coming up August. One of my main concerns is if I will have enough time to study. I plan on starting to study early/mid May until I take the exam August 21st. The only thing is that I will be doing full time research for 11 weeks of that time frame (working 9-5). I will be back home at the beginning of August to do a few weeks of hardcore studying without work or any other commitment. Has anyone been in a similar situation that could give me some advice? Thanks!

 

[DaddioDan]

Why wait until May? Are you planning on applying this coming cycle? I'd start reviewing Cliff's and Chad's now, then when May hits get into DAT Bootcamp and DAT Destroyer. I did this while working a full time job and got a 21AA/22TS. Just be focused and be prepared to surrender your free time to studying.

 

[Dr Dimbsa]

Why wait until May? Are you planning on applying this coming cycle? I'd start reviewing Cliff's and Chad's now, then when May hits get into DAT Bootcamp and DAT Destroyer. I did this while working a full time job and got a 21AA/22TS. Just be focused and be prepared to surrender your free time to studying.

The reason for starting to study in May is because I didn't really want to study for the DAT and my classes that I'm currently in. My semester ends May 6th so I was going to start then. However, I could start to review some of the material now but I will not have that much time due to my current commitments. And no I am not planning on applying this upcoming cycle.

 

[rhemsley]

I was in the same situation. I worked from 9-5, got dinner and studied from about 7-1 or 2 am for about 2 months and then took a couple weeks at part time to study more. It sucked but if you budget your time and follow a strict schedule you can do it.

 

[DaddioDan]

Then stick to your timeline since you're not planning to apply this upcoming cycle. Look up Ari's 10 week schedule and see if it'll work for you. You don't have to follow it exactly, but it's a good base to work from.

 

[Dr Dimbsa]

Thanks for your help guys, I think I'll be able to make it work

 

[Samin23]

I was in a similar situation. Started studying in May/June last summer while taking physics 2 at my university, and I took the DAT August 22nd. The class was 2 hours every day with an extra 1.5 hours of lab. Then on top of that I had homework and lab assignments to do. The class lasted 10 weeks and I studied for the DAT approximately 8-10 hours on most days, and even more on weekends to utilize my time. I also spent some time volunteering at a hospital over the summer. It's definitely possible to do multiple things (or just one, in your case) and do fine on the DAT

 

[greentiger1]

It will take determination and a lot of discipline to study after full work days, but it has been done and I have no reason to think you can't do it. Personally, I had to study longer with my full work schedule. In reality, you don't have a ton of time until August if you begin in May, so I would recommend pushing yourself now to study while prioritizing your classes. I had to get creative with the use of my time, and I found myself studying during my breaks and my commute. Every minute seemed important. If you have downtime in the lab, I'd use that time to study. Just try to set goals and map out your studying so that you have an idea of how you're progressing. Remember that you want to reserve time to take practice tests as well.

 

[CubsFan44]

Totally doable, just stay diligent to the schedule you set for yourself. Personally, I worked full time and dedicated 2-3 hours each night to studying. I started studying in June and took the DAT at the end of August, so having 3 months of study time allowed me to go at an easier pace than what some others might have done.

 

[deleted696582]

Not hard at all if you stick with it. Make sure you have a set schedule to follow. I worked 7 am - 4 pm M-F and every third weekend. I would exercise after work, make dinner, and then study from 6:30 pm to 10 pm every night. I even squeezed some volunteering in. I took off a week before the exam to study full time just like you are planning on doing.

My schedule was just like yours, where I started studying in late May, and took the exam in late August. I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is to give yourself a break once a week. It feels like I lost a whole summer of my life, but my DAT score definitely helped me get into Michigan, so it was probably worth losing a summer over. Good luck.

 

[asdf99]

Yeah for sure (in my opinion).

I didn't do it, I only had like 20-30 hours of commitments per week (I took the DAT in the summer and didn't have a full time job QQ) and it was fine. I was super distracted alot of the time, so I think a full time job would have been manageable if I pushed myself and focused.

Won't be fun, but it's doable I think. Some of my friends had full time jobs during mcat studying.