predental-3
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- Aug 9, 2023
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Hi! I took the DAT for the first time on July 1st and thought it would be helpful to write a breakdown.
Scores:
PAT - 20
QR - 19
RC - 19
Bio - 21
GC - 22
OC - 23
TS - 22
AA - 21
Materials Used:
1. DAT Booster
This program offers a ton of resources! I felt overwhelmed when I was beginning to study as I didn’t know where to start and I needed to use my time wisely, so I used DAT Booster’s 8-Week Study Schedule. This helped me use all their resources in an organized fashion. I would say that having a study buddy or some way to keep yourself accountable is key here. There is a ton of information and a lot to do in one day, but keep moving forward and don’t let the immense amount of details slow you down or stop your workflow. I followed the schedule, but I also wasn’t afraid to make some changes here and there to better suit my schedule and where I am at with my learning process. I would say that the Feralis biology notes contain all the information, but it is very detailed. The question banks reinforce the material, but they are also quite detailed. The cheat sheets are more summarized and useful as well. The biology practice tests were more realistic compared to my actual DAT. Keep in mind that you are not supposed to absorb all the information right away and that you will get some practice in through the question banks and practice tests, which will also cover the material.
2. Bio and QR Crash Courses
The Biology crash courses are gold!!! I can’t emphasize this enough. You get exposed to a broad range of topics and a lot of details that are actually relevant to the real DAT. Make sure you follow along and keep track of the questions and answers because they are worth knowing, but the courses are fast-paced. Ask questions when you don’t understand something too!! I made sure to review all the material from the Biology crash courses the last two days before taking my DAT so that everything would be fresh in my mind again. Whatever you do, reviewing is key. The QR crash courses are also really helpful as you get all the tips and tricks that will help you overcome a variety of difficult questions and save time in the process. The courses are also fast-paced, so make sure you keep track of all the formulas and tricks.
3. Anki
This was super useful as it helped me reinforce all the material I was learning! I got through all of the QR and GC cards. If I had a lot more time, I would have taken the time to work through all of the OC and Biology cards. I found the Biology cards to be really useful as it helped my understanding and helped me connect the dots with what I was seeing on the Biology practice tests and crash courses.
Day of Exam:
Scores:
PAT - 20
QR - 19
RC - 19
Bio - 21
GC - 22
OC - 23
TS - 22
AA - 21
Materials Used:
1. DAT Booster
This program offers a ton of resources! I felt overwhelmed when I was beginning to study as I didn’t know where to start and I needed to use my time wisely, so I used DAT Booster’s 8-Week Study Schedule. This helped me use all their resources in an organized fashion. I would say that having a study buddy or some way to keep yourself accountable is key here. There is a ton of information and a lot to do in one day, but keep moving forward and don’t let the immense amount of details slow you down or stop your workflow. I followed the schedule, but I also wasn’t afraid to make some changes here and there to better suit my schedule and where I am at with my learning process. I would say that the Feralis biology notes contain all the information, but it is very detailed. The question banks reinforce the material, but they are also quite detailed. The cheat sheets are more summarized and useful as well. The biology practice tests were more realistic compared to my actual DAT. Keep in mind that you are not supposed to absorb all the information right away and that you will get some practice in through the question banks and practice tests, which will also cover the material.
2. Bio and QR Crash Courses
The Biology crash courses are gold!!! I can’t emphasize this enough. You get exposed to a broad range of topics and a lot of details that are actually relevant to the real DAT. Make sure you follow along and keep track of the questions and answers because they are worth knowing, but the courses are fast-paced. Ask questions when you don’t understand something too!! I made sure to review all the material from the Biology crash courses the last two days before taking my DAT so that everything would be fresh in my mind again. Whatever you do, reviewing is key. The QR crash courses are also really helpful as you get all the tips and tricks that will help you overcome a variety of difficult questions and save time in the process. The courses are also fast-paced, so make sure you keep track of all the formulas and tricks.
3. Anki
This was super useful as it helped me reinforce all the material I was learning! I got through all of the QR and GC cards. If I had a lot more time, I would have taken the time to work through all of the OC and Biology cards. I found the Biology cards to be really useful as it helped my understanding and helped me connect the dots with what I was seeing on the Biology practice tests and crash courses.
Day of Exam:
- Bio (21): The questions were straightforward, but I didn’t need to work too hard because I was seeing a lot of the same questions from the practice tests and crash courses. I got confused with some questions because of the wording and how broad they seemed to be since I was so focused on the details. Surprisingly, I saw some detailed questions from the crash courses that Dr. Sohraby said are good to know but may not show up. Hence, it is important to cover all the material and try to retain as much as you can.
- GC (22): I encountered questions that required me to use equations and a bit of math, but the math wasn’t incredibly complex. Some questions were straightforward and some were a little hard to understand. Some of the questions were similar to the practice tests, although I felt that the practice tests were a bit intense. I had to also depend on what I learned in college since my exam didn’t match exactly with what I was seeing on the practice tests. Most of my questions were more conceptual too, so the practice tests were not really focused on the same thing. Of course, make sure you read the questions and answers carefully.
- OC (23): Some questions were straightforward while some were just confusing, like I haven’t encountered before. I didn’t have too many reaction questions. It was more conceptual and didn’t quite match the practice tests since the focus is different, so I had to depend on what I learned in college.
- PAT (20): The idea is the same as in the practice tests, but the shapes and angles were quite different. First off, everything is much larger on the real test because of the computer. This made my angle ranking experience different from what I was experiencing at home with the practice tests, but overall it was pretty straightforward. The cube counting was more complex for me and the hole punching wasn’t too bad for me. I also found the top front end to be pretty doable. I also got some rock keyhole questions, so that wasn’t really fun, but overall keyhole questions were decent as well. I would say the practice tests were quite different and on the harder side compared to the real test, especially since I was finally able to get through all the questions.
- RC (19): This felt like a different experience from what the practice tests provide. The practice tests were more complex and required techniques, but I felt like I just needed to search and destroy everything on the real test. Everything was going well because I was finding the answers in chronological order as I was reading, but I would say that you must read carefully!! However, things changed when I reached my last reading. I felt like the answers were dispersed in the reading and it was hard to follow along with the information given in the reading. It wasn’t easy trying to search and destroy because my reading was chaotic. Time was ticking and I needed to make sure that I put down an answer for every question. I took quick notes as I read, but the last reading required this more than the first two.
- QR (19): I didn’t get a ton of chances to use the tips and tricks from the crash courses. A small amount of questions were similar to the practice tests. The majority of the questions I was getting were unlike the practice tests by a lot, so I ended up really confused. I got a lot of questions with different kinds of graphs! I also got a ton of questions that asked which is sufficient: the first statement, second statement, both statements, or none. I didn’t know how to answer these questions in a short amount of time and accurately. Read the questions and answers carefully too.
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