djdupriest10
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- Joined
- Jun 19, 2023
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To start off I want to say, never give up. I graduated this last December with a 3.83 overall gpa and a 3.67 science gpa. However, I took the DAT three times and am currently applying for the second time this cycle.
1st Attempt: 16AA/15TS/17PAT
-PAT: 17
-QR: 18
-RC: 19
-BIO: 15
-GC: 14
-OC: 16
2nd Attempt: 17AA/17TS/18PAT
-PAT: 18
-QR: 16
-RC: 18
-BIO: 19
-GC: 14
-OC: 17
3rd Attempt: 20AA/20TS/19PAT
-PAT: 19
-QR: 17
-RC: 25
-BIO: 19
-GC: 22
-OC: 19
1st Attempt (February 2022): For my first attempt, I used DAT Bootcamp. I chose this platform as it was recommended to me by my Pre-Dental Club, and by the Dental School where I attended a Pre-Dental Day. During this first attempt, I tried studying for the DAT while being in the middle of the semester with a full schedule, a family, and working part-time. I studied for about two months and tried to follow the provided 2-month study guide. I did not finish the study guide and was really not focused or prepared for this first attempt as I did not put in a lot of time into studying, as there really was not a lot of time for me to study.
2nd Attempt (August 2022): For my next attempt, I really wanted to do well, and so I decided to take the whole summer and study for the exam. So, I did not take any summer courses, however, I did still work part-time to support my wife and daughter. I also applied during this cycle and submitted my application after taking the test in August which I do not recommend. This time, I studied for about a month longer for a total of three months. I used DAT Bootcamp again as I thought that I just needed to put more effort and time into studying. Everyday I would try to practice some PAT questions, along with following the given 3 month study guide. I was really nervous about the PAT, but I wish I would have focused more on the chemistry sections during this time. I did drastically improve my biology score, as I remember using the bio question banks, bio bites, and bio practice tests. The key for me doing better at the biology section was repetition. However, even though I did a lot better in the biology section, I still struggled with general and organic chemistry. Even in my undergraduate studies, I struggled heavily with general chemistry.
3rd Attempt (May 2023): I knew for this attempt that I needed to change what I was doing because what I was doing before, was not working. After only receiving one interview and not being accepted into school last cycle, I knew that I needed to improve my DAT score drastically, to be able to receive more interviews, and have a better chance at getting in. So, after I had graduated, I had been working full-time to support my family, but once I decided to re-take the DAT for the third time, I decided to quit my job and solely study for the DAT. However, I also decided to use a different studying platform called DAT Booster. I had heard good things about this program too, and thought that I would give it a try, and I am glad I did. I only had about 8 weeks before the next application cycle would open up, and I wanted to submit as early as I could, so I decided to take the test 4 days before I could submit the application. I followed the 8 week study guide religiously, and did all of the material, especially the optional chad’s chemistry videos.
-GC: CHAD’S VIDEOS are what helped me go from a 14 to a 22 in the general chemistry section. They made the concepts way easier to understand. I wish I had had this resource in my undergraduate coursework as he is able to explain the concepts so plainly. These also helped with my understanding of general chemistry as I found there to be a bit of overlap in the two sections on the DAT. I also practiced a lot of general chemistry questions over and over and over again. Especially the ones that I got wrong. Once I got to the practice tests, I would take them and review them on the same day, and then wait a day, and on the next day take the test again and I normally would not remember the questions or answers exactly, but was able to work through them and get a better score.
-OC: For OC, I felt like Booster’s approach was a lot simpler. They only gave me the reactions and intermediates that I would need to know for the DAT, and not expound upon other topics that I would not see on the test. I feel like Bootcamp went into more depth on this and all other subjects, whereas Booster really focused on what I actually needed to know for the test.
-BIO: I got the same biology score on my second attempt using Bootcamp as compared to my third attempt using Booster. So, I feel like either platform has what you need to do well in the biology section. Just make sure to do a lot of practice questions.
-PAT :For the PAT section, I did the best while using Booster this time as I feel like the tips and tricks that they gave were a lot simpler, and made a lot more sense to me than Bootcamp’s advice/videos. In my experience though, don’t focus too much on the PAT. Definitely practice a little every day, but don’t over do it.
- RC: I was very pleased with the increase in my RC score. USE DAT BOOSTER for the RC section. They gave me a lot of great tips and strategies to use that I kind of morphed into my own technique. For every passage, I would start by reading the first and last paragraphs, highlighting the main ideas. I found that the first questions were normally those that talked about the main idea of the passage or the author’s viewpoint or tone. However, if it was not a question related to that, I would go back and read the first sentence of each paragraph and highlight the main points of those sentences. I would then skim those highlights during each question and was always able to find the answer based on the topic of the paragraph found in the first sentence of that paragraph. I also would mark important details that I would see as I would read those paragraphs in search of answers like dates, people’s names, accomplishments, etc. That way I could go back and find them quickly later.
-QR: I really thought that I would have done better this time on the QR section, but the reality is, I did not spend as much time studying for this section, as I was more focused on the science sections. I did study this section, but not to the extent that I should have.
I hope that this will help somebody out there that is doubting themselves. Trust me, after my first two attempts, I felt like I was never going to be able to get into Dental School, even with my high gpa. I have never been great at standardized tests, but if you have the determination to do it, you can do anything you set your mind to. However, I personally recommend not working or taking classes while studying for the DAT. Treat it like a full-time job, and then some. I would practice everyday for 8+ hours on my last attempt and it paid off. Also, I recommend DAT Booster even though DAT Bootcamp is more highly recommended. It worked out a lot better for me, and it is even cheaper! Best of luck future dentists!
1st Attempt: 16AA/15TS/17PAT
-PAT: 17
-QR: 18
-RC: 19
-BIO: 15
-GC: 14
-OC: 16
2nd Attempt: 17AA/17TS/18PAT
-PAT: 18
-QR: 16
-RC: 18
-BIO: 19
-GC: 14
-OC: 17
3rd Attempt: 20AA/20TS/19PAT
-PAT: 19
-QR: 17
-RC: 25
-BIO: 19
-GC: 22
-OC: 19
1st Attempt (February 2022): For my first attempt, I used DAT Bootcamp. I chose this platform as it was recommended to me by my Pre-Dental Club, and by the Dental School where I attended a Pre-Dental Day. During this first attempt, I tried studying for the DAT while being in the middle of the semester with a full schedule, a family, and working part-time. I studied for about two months and tried to follow the provided 2-month study guide. I did not finish the study guide and was really not focused or prepared for this first attempt as I did not put in a lot of time into studying, as there really was not a lot of time for me to study.
2nd Attempt (August 2022): For my next attempt, I really wanted to do well, and so I decided to take the whole summer and study for the exam. So, I did not take any summer courses, however, I did still work part-time to support my wife and daughter. I also applied during this cycle and submitted my application after taking the test in August which I do not recommend. This time, I studied for about a month longer for a total of three months. I used DAT Bootcamp again as I thought that I just needed to put more effort and time into studying. Everyday I would try to practice some PAT questions, along with following the given 3 month study guide. I was really nervous about the PAT, but I wish I would have focused more on the chemistry sections during this time. I did drastically improve my biology score, as I remember using the bio question banks, bio bites, and bio practice tests. The key for me doing better at the biology section was repetition. However, even though I did a lot better in the biology section, I still struggled with general and organic chemistry. Even in my undergraduate studies, I struggled heavily with general chemistry.
3rd Attempt (May 2023): I knew for this attempt that I needed to change what I was doing because what I was doing before, was not working. After only receiving one interview and not being accepted into school last cycle, I knew that I needed to improve my DAT score drastically, to be able to receive more interviews, and have a better chance at getting in. So, after I had graduated, I had been working full-time to support my family, but once I decided to re-take the DAT for the third time, I decided to quit my job and solely study for the DAT. However, I also decided to use a different studying platform called DAT Booster. I had heard good things about this program too, and thought that I would give it a try, and I am glad I did. I only had about 8 weeks before the next application cycle would open up, and I wanted to submit as early as I could, so I decided to take the test 4 days before I could submit the application. I followed the 8 week study guide religiously, and did all of the material, especially the optional chad’s chemistry videos.
-GC: CHAD’S VIDEOS are what helped me go from a 14 to a 22 in the general chemistry section. They made the concepts way easier to understand. I wish I had had this resource in my undergraduate coursework as he is able to explain the concepts so plainly. These also helped with my understanding of general chemistry as I found there to be a bit of overlap in the two sections on the DAT. I also practiced a lot of general chemistry questions over and over and over again. Especially the ones that I got wrong. Once I got to the practice tests, I would take them and review them on the same day, and then wait a day, and on the next day take the test again and I normally would not remember the questions or answers exactly, but was able to work through them and get a better score.
-OC: For OC, I felt like Booster’s approach was a lot simpler. They only gave me the reactions and intermediates that I would need to know for the DAT, and not expound upon other topics that I would not see on the test. I feel like Bootcamp went into more depth on this and all other subjects, whereas Booster really focused on what I actually needed to know for the test.
-BIO: I got the same biology score on my second attempt using Bootcamp as compared to my third attempt using Booster. So, I feel like either platform has what you need to do well in the biology section. Just make sure to do a lot of practice questions.
-PAT :For the PAT section, I did the best while using Booster this time as I feel like the tips and tricks that they gave were a lot simpler, and made a lot more sense to me than Bootcamp’s advice/videos. In my experience though, don’t focus too much on the PAT. Definitely practice a little every day, but don’t over do it.
- RC: I was very pleased with the increase in my RC score. USE DAT BOOSTER for the RC section. They gave me a lot of great tips and strategies to use that I kind of morphed into my own technique. For every passage, I would start by reading the first and last paragraphs, highlighting the main ideas. I found that the first questions were normally those that talked about the main idea of the passage or the author’s viewpoint or tone. However, if it was not a question related to that, I would go back and read the first sentence of each paragraph and highlight the main points of those sentences. I would then skim those highlights during each question and was always able to find the answer based on the topic of the paragraph found in the first sentence of that paragraph. I also would mark important details that I would see as I would read those paragraphs in search of answers like dates, people’s names, accomplishments, etc. That way I could go back and find them quickly later.
-QR: I really thought that I would have done better this time on the QR section, but the reality is, I did not spend as much time studying for this section, as I was more focused on the science sections. I did study this section, but not to the extent that I should have.
I hope that this will help somebody out there that is doubting themselves. Trust me, after my first two attempts, I felt like I was never going to be able to get into Dental School, even with my high gpa. I have never been great at standardized tests, but if you have the determination to do it, you can do anything you set your mind to. However, I personally recommend not working or taking classes while studying for the DAT. Treat it like a full-time job, and then some. I would practice everyday for 8+ hours on my last attempt and it paid off. Also, I recommend DAT Booster even though DAT Bootcamp is more highly recommended. It worked out a lot better for me, and it is even cheaper! Best of luck future dentists!
