Is dental school all work? Of course it's not! Yes, there is endless amounts of studying and occasionally an all nighter but there is also plenty of time for fun. So, what does my schedule look like in a typical week at dental school? Here it is!
Monday
I wake up at about 6:50 a.m. which gives me enough time to throw on my scrubs, make a lunch, and grab a breakfast. By 7:25 a.m. I am out the door and on my way to school. I live about 15-20 minutes away from school. I car pool with some of the other D1 students that live in my neighborhood which means I only drive 1-2 times a week. The official school day starts out at 8 a.m. with a Biology module such as cardiovascular system, or respiratory system. This only lasts 50 minutes which is just enough time for me to start waking up.
At 9 we have what is called PBL (Problem Based Learning) where we are in groups of 6-7 students and we read over cases and essentially learn things. This is supposed to be scheduled until noon. Does it last that long? NO. The current group I am in only takes about an hour (there are groups that take the entire time). That means I can hit the library by 10 or 10:30 a.m., allowing me 30 minutes for SDN (studentdoctor.net), facebook, blogging, or whatever else I can think of, and another 2 hours for studying and lunch.
By the time 1 p.m. rolls around I am ready for my lab classes to begin. Luckily there is only about an hour or so of lecture and then the remaining time is used to work on projects. I usually get done around 4 p.m. or so but it is scheduled until 5 p.m.
Time to go home! Or if you are a real stickler you can stay at the library and get some more studying done but 9 times out of 10, I choose to go home. If I get out of lab early (around 3 or 3:30) I will go to the boxing gym for a couple hours and if not I will go home eat some dinner and enjoy my time with the family. If I don't get too tired I might sit down and do some studying.
That is my typical Monday.
Tuesday
Tuesdays class will not start until 2 p.m. I know, I know, how can they give us the half a day off every Tuesday? It is supposed to be reserved for independent research, a.k.a, studying things we talked about in PBL. How many of us are at school by 8a.m.? Maybe one. Otherwise we start trickling into the library around 10 a.m. or 12 a.m. Personally I go in around 9 or 10 because this is the best time for me to get studying done.
Class then begins at 2 p.m. and is supposed to last until 5 p.m. Depending on who is giving the lecture will determine whether we get out early or not. I usually count on getting out around 4p.m. but every once in a while we get out later.
Once again if I get out early I go to the gym, if not, I go home. I usually get good quality studying in earlier in the day so I can relax a little Tuesday nights. I still may pick up the books for an hour or two.
Wednesday
Instead of rewriting everything, I am going to refer you back to Monday because it is pretty much the same schedule. However, our morning class that started at 8 a.m. actually lasts until 11:50 a.m. which means we do not have PBL. Otherwise, everything else is the same. Biology in the morning and lab in the afternoon.
Thursday
Exactly the same as Monday.
Friday
Exactly the same as Tuesday.
That is pretty much my school week. Test weeks differ in the fact that I actually spend more time studying and less time playing. Here at IUSD we have our exams for all our classes compiled into one exam every 2 or 3 weeks. The tests cover a wide scope because they include all the current classes and modules we are taking. It may seem painful but makes for a relaxing week after the test. Some of you may be wondering if I really go to the gym every day. No, I make it to the gym 2 to 3 times per week for about 1 to 2 hours each time.
The Weekend
The weekend starts the second I get out of class on Friday. Usually, Fridays are reserved for spending time with my wife and kids or with friends. Rarely will I do any homework on Friday unless I am swamped.
Saturday is also pretty laid back. Wake up around 8 a.m. and do some chores around the apartment (sometimes) and get a little studying in. Go to the gym at 1 p.m. and get home at 3 p.m. Spend the rest of the day with my wife and kids unless it is the week before a test, then I utilize the time for studying.
Sunday I reserve for church and family. This means I do not have to think about school at all. This is definitely a nice break for me and allows me to get rejuvenated for the next week.
I made it sound like I don't study very much, but trust me, there is plenty of studying happening. Every other week it seems to be pretty intense. I just want to let you know that dental school is not all about work but there is some time for fun. Check out the DentalDat forum to see some of the fun things I have done while in dental school!
The school work can be fun sometimes too! Check out this class presentation made by some of my classmates. We were doing presentations on diseases and they were assigned bio-terrorism. The first video shows the entire story (watch it the first time). The second video is just the music video they made. hope it makes sense. ENJOY!
FULL Length Video (Inludes introduction to music video)
MUSIC VIDEO ONLY
Disclaimer: Remember if you are wanting to specialize you will have to put in all the time you can to studying. Everyone is different and every school will be different. I am not at the top of my class but I am not at the bottom either. Pretty average!
.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
My story of a "have to" Attitude
I have had a few requests to share the story of how I got into dental school. I hope those of you who are struggling with your grades are inspired by this post. For those of you with decent grades, I hope this inspires you to keep up the hard work.
Ever since I could remember, I wanted to be a dentist. When I was six or seven years old people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would answer sternly, "a dentist". Often times they would be caught off guard and say "oh, that's nice". My desire to become a dentist stemmed from my uncle. He was one of the only family members (mom has 5 siblings and dad has7 siblings) that I knew of that went to college, let alone professional school. By the time I was in middle school I would write papers about controversial issues such as fluoridation or amalgam fillings. In fact, every time I was given the opportunity to write about something of my choice that's what I would write about. I did this all the way through high school. I was confident that is what I wanted to do. If I had to shadow, I would shadow a dentist. I racked up a lot of shadowing hours at the local dental office throughout high school. I would ask a lot of questions like "what does it take to get into dental school?" The reply was always get good grades and do extracurricular activities. My high school grades were decent but I was more into wrestling, water skiing, and motocross, than anything else. By the time I was a senior I had taken AP classes, not because I was smart but because I wanted to be smart. I started taking classes at the community college, thinking I was getting a jump start on being a dentist. I chose classes like general biology, general chemistry, physics, history, and English. The system was quarters (3 quarters = 2 semesters of credits). By the time I graduated high school I had a handful of credits. Yes, I pulled of a A- in history and a B- in English. The science classes is where I struggled. I didn't understand the concept of studying or going to class. Because I was taking classes at high school and driving 25 minutes for a class or two, I would often just skip thinking that an hour worth of driving isn't worth an hour of class. Being a foolish high schooler I assumed once you go to college you choose if you want to go to class. Not the case in my physics class. I was marked down 15% on my final grade for not attending. Despite getting a 92% grade on the tests and labs. This was the beginning of my C grades.
The following year (my first full year of college) I took classes, worked, and road dirt bikes. You can guess which one I spent most of my time doing. Yes, you got it! I road dirt bikes. In fact, while in my plant biology class we had a test coming up. I saved the day before the test for studying but an unexpected call came. I received a phone call from a guy that I had wanted to ride with for a long time. He wanted to go the afternoon before my test. You can only guess what I did. No, I did not study. I went riding. A lame attempt at studying included a short break in the woods looking at plants and jokingly naming different terms that applied to the test. Needless to say, I did not do well in the course. I received a B- in one of the three general biology courses and a C in the other two. At the same time I was getting Cs in biology, I was getting Cs and Bs in Chemistry. I can't forget to mention the F that I received in an online phsycology course. Namely, due to the fact that I did not realize I was enrolled in it. At the end of the year I had a little over 35 credits under my belt and a 2.9 GPA. Keep in mind that is my overall GPA not my science which was much lower(science classes was what brought my GPA down).
Friends and family would occasionally ask me if I still planned on becoming a dentist. I would still answer with confidence and say "of course!". But deep down I knew the path I was taking would not lead me to dentistry. I took a two year break, which was spent in the Philippines. During this time I not only got a break from school but I was able to grow and contemplate my future plans. I knew that when I returned that I had no room for error.
I never was a straight A student. In fact, throughout elementary and middle school I took special learning classes. I was always a "wanna be" smart kid. When I returned it went from a "wanna be" to a "have to be" smart kid. My first semester back I chose non-science courses that I thought I could get As in. Sure enough I put a lot of hard work into studying which resulted in straight As! This was the first time in my entire life I had ever gotten straight As.
The following semester I took Math, English, Statistics, and a few other smaller courses. With the same determination, as the semester before I received straight As. I was getting pumped! Taking a break from school did not make me any smarter. In fact, taking a break from school did not make want to be there more, it made me want to be there less. So what changed? It was my attitude! I went from casually going through school thinking that it would all magically come together one day, to realizing that my LIFE depended upon it. I still to this day believe this 100%. Without that attitude one will be tossed to and frow and will end up where ever the current takes them. I was not that person that would be taken with the current. I had a destination and I knew that I had to reach it. I changed my attitude to a "have to" attitude.
With my new "have to" attitude on, I knew I was ready to tackle some of the upper level biology courses. Yes, it had been 2-3 years since my last biology course but those were already done and I was ready to get on with my education. I began with a physiology course, histology, psychology, and a few filler courses. The physiology course was the one that was stand alone from anatomy. In fact, it was one of the most demanding classes at the school. Each test I "had to" get as many points as possible. There was no "oh well, I can get a few points back next time." I spent 4 hours outside of class every day studying for this. We got to muscle physiology and the talked about an action potential. "Whats an action potential", I asked myself. I did not know anything but I managed to score top 10 overall in the class on the tests which was no easy feat. I "had to". It was my only option. I tried just as hard in my other classes. I came out with all As and a B+. The B+ was physiology and was due to the lab portion of the class. I fell short of my goal, but in hindsight it was a victory. That class prepared me to succeed in all other classes.
I knew that if I could get a B+ in one of the hardest courses at the school, then I could get in A in any other class that I take. And that was the truth! I took a long list of upper division courses including but not limited to; physiology, anatomy, histology, neurobiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, genetics, evolution, and I am sure more.
I excelled at biochemistry. By the time I took this I was no longer at the "have to" stage, although I still felt the need to do well, but at the want to stage. I wanted to learn the material. At this point the grades came easier. Finished at the top (top 3 or 4) of the biochemistry classes for that semester. I was hired as the one and only tutor at our school. The next semester I took a load of 17 credits and tutored on average 18 hours a week. I enjoyed just about every minute of it. Along with getting feedback such as "He is the best tutor at this school", I was able to accomplish straight As. Note that by this time I was married and had a baby girl at the beginning of the semester.
That is a huge change from being single, taking 10-11 credits per semester, and receiving some Cs and an F. My GPA improved from the 2.9 to a 3.61 GPA. My overall science GPA ended up at a 3.42. My GPA at the four year university was a 3.93 (in that ball park). What changed? My attitude changed, and yours can too! There is nothing stopping you from getting the grades you need. Yes, we may have kids or unnecessary distractions but do you have the "have to" attitude? I have it and now I am in dental school!
Good luck to all of you who are still on your way to becoming dental students and dentists! I do realize everyone has different experiences in life, some more difficult than others but it is ultimately up to you what you make of it and what you want in life.
Brought to you by:
***I did not proof read this a this point. I will do so and make in additions or subtractions as needed. Hope you enjoy***
Ever since I could remember, I wanted to be a dentist. When I was six or seven years old people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would answer sternly, "a dentist". Often times they would be caught off guard and say "oh, that's nice". My desire to become a dentist stemmed from my uncle. He was one of the only family members (mom has 5 siblings and dad has7 siblings) that I knew of that went to college, let alone professional school. By the time I was in middle school I would write papers about controversial issues such as fluoridation or amalgam fillings. In fact, every time I was given the opportunity to write about something of my choice that's what I would write about. I did this all the way through high school. I was confident that is what I wanted to do. If I had to shadow, I would shadow a dentist. I racked up a lot of shadowing hours at the local dental office throughout high school. I would ask a lot of questions like "what does it take to get into dental school?" The reply was always get good grades and do extracurricular activities. My high school grades were decent but I was more into wrestling, water skiing, and motocross, than anything else. By the time I was a senior I had taken AP classes, not because I was smart but because I wanted to be smart. I started taking classes at the community college, thinking I was getting a jump start on being a dentist. I chose classes like general biology, general chemistry, physics, history, and English. The system was quarters (3 quarters = 2 semesters of credits). By the time I graduated high school I had a handful of credits. Yes, I pulled of a A- in history and a B- in English. The science classes is where I struggled. I didn't understand the concept of studying or going to class. Because I was taking classes at high school and driving 25 minutes for a class or two, I would often just skip thinking that an hour worth of driving isn't worth an hour of class. Being a foolish high schooler I assumed once you go to college you choose if you want to go to class. Not the case in my physics class. I was marked down 15% on my final grade for not attending. Despite getting a 92% grade on the tests and labs. This was the beginning of my C grades.
The following year (my first full year of college) I took classes, worked, and road dirt bikes. You can guess which one I spent most of my time doing. Yes, you got it! I road dirt bikes. In fact, while in my plant biology class we had a test coming up. I saved the day before the test for studying but an unexpected call came. I received a phone call from a guy that I had wanted to ride with for a long time. He wanted to go the afternoon before my test. You can only guess what I did. No, I did not study. I went riding. A lame attempt at studying included a short break in the woods looking at plants and jokingly naming different terms that applied to the test. Needless to say, I did not do well in the course. I received a B- in one of the three general biology courses and a C in the other two. At the same time I was getting Cs in biology, I was getting Cs and Bs in Chemistry. I can't forget to mention the F that I received in an online phsycology course. Namely, due to the fact that I did not realize I was enrolled in it. At the end of the year I had a little over 35 credits under my belt and a 2.9 GPA. Keep in mind that is my overall GPA not my science which was much lower(science classes was what brought my GPA down).
Friends and family would occasionally ask me if I still planned on becoming a dentist. I would still answer with confidence and say "of course!". But deep down I knew the path I was taking would not lead me to dentistry. I took a two year break, which was spent in the Philippines. During this time I not only got a break from school but I was able to grow and contemplate my future plans. I knew that when I returned that I had no room for error.
I never was a straight A student. In fact, throughout elementary and middle school I took special learning classes. I was always a "wanna be" smart kid. When I returned it went from a "wanna be" to a "have to be" smart kid. My first semester back I chose non-science courses that I thought I could get As in. Sure enough I put a lot of hard work into studying which resulted in straight As! This was the first time in my entire life I had ever gotten straight As.
The following semester I took Math, English, Statistics, and a few other smaller courses. With the same determination, as the semester before I received straight As. I was getting pumped! Taking a break from school did not make me any smarter. In fact, taking a break from school did not make want to be there more, it made me want to be there less. So what changed? It was my attitude! I went from casually going through school thinking that it would all magically come together one day, to realizing that my LIFE depended upon it. I still to this day believe this 100%. Without that attitude one will be tossed to and frow and will end up where ever the current takes them. I was not that person that would be taken with the current. I had a destination and I knew that I had to reach it. I changed my attitude to a "have to" attitude.
With my new "have to" attitude on, I knew I was ready to tackle some of the upper level biology courses. Yes, it had been 2-3 years since my last biology course but those were already done and I was ready to get on with my education. I began with a physiology course, histology, psychology, and a few filler courses. The physiology course was the one that was stand alone from anatomy. In fact, it was one of the most demanding classes at the school. Each test I "had to" get as many points as possible. There was no "oh well, I can get a few points back next time." I spent 4 hours outside of class every day studying for this. We got to muscle physiology and the talked about an action potential. "Whats an action potential", I asked myself. I did not know anything but I managed to score top 10 overall in the class on the tests which was no easy feat. I "had to". It was my only option. I tried just as hard in my other classes. I came out with all As and a B+. The B+ was physiology and was due to the lab portion of the class. I fell short of my goal, but in hindsight it was a victory. That class prepared me to succeed in all other classes.
I knew that if I could get a B+ in one of the hardest courses at the school, then I could get in A in any other class that I take. And that was the truth! I took a long list of upper division courses including but not limited to; physiology, anatomy, histology, neurobiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, genetics, evolution, and I am sure more.
I excelled at biochemistry. By the time I took this I was no longer at the "have to" stage, although I still felt the need to do well, but at the want to stage. I wanted to learn the material. At this point the grades came easier. Finished at the top (top 3 or 4) of the biochemistry classes for that semester. I was hired as the one and only tutor at our school. The next semester I took a load of 17 credits and tutored on average 18 hours a week. I enjoyed just about every minute of it. Along with getting feedback such as "He is the best tutor at this school", I was able to accomplish straight As. Note that by this time I was married and had a baby girl at the beginning of the semester.
That is a huge change from being single, taking 10-11 credits per semester, and receiving some Cs and an F. My GPA improved from the 2.9 to a 3.61 GPA. My overall science GPA ended up at a 3.42. My GPA at the four year university was a 3.93 (in that ball park). What changed? My attitude changed, and yours can too! There is nothing stopping you from getting the grades you need. Yes, we may have kids or unnecessary distractions but do you have the "have to" attitude? I have it and now I am in dental school!
Good luck to all of you who are still on your way to becoming dental students and dentists! I do realize everyone has different experiences in life, some more difficult than others but it is ultimately up to you what you make of it and what you want in life.
Brought to you by:
***I did not proof read this a this point. I will do so and make in additions or subtractions as needed. Hope you enjoy***
8 Week Study Plan
On studentdoctor.net there is an 8 week study plan and all the details needed in order to complete the study plan successfully. The plan is in no way, shape, or form my own original work. In fact, "DentalWorks" posted this on studentdoctor.net as a helpful resource for predental students looking to study for the DAT.
I am currently working on a complete study guide which will include information from Cliff AP Biology, Kaplan Blue Book, ACS study guides, textbooks, and many more resources. This study guide is meant to eliminate the need to purchase all of the books (you may still want to have some for references and practice test purposes). I will also be putting together a 100% original study plan utilizing the study guide and testing software such as Top Score Pro, and DAT Achiever. Included will be a 4 week, 8 week, and 12 week study plan.
Hope you can utilize this valuable source!
8 Week Study plan by "DentalWorks"
You are one step closer to becoming one of these
A DENTIST!
If you would like to purchase the entire DVD click here.
I am currently working on a complete study guide which will include information from Cliff AP Biology, Kaplan Blue Book, ACS study guides, textbooks, and many more resources. This study guide is meant to eliminate the need to purchase all of the books (you may still want to have some for references and practice test purposes). I will also be putting together a 100% original study plan utilizing the study guide and testing software such as Top Score Pro, and DAT Achiever. Included will be a 4 week, 8 week, and 12 week study plan.
Hope you can utilize this valuable source!
8 Week Study plan by "DentalWorks"
You are one step closer to becoming one of these
A DENTIST!
If you would like to purchase the entire DVD click here.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
DAT Study Plan Suggestions
I will add each of the sections of the DAT to this post as I find time to do so. My goal is not to tell you how long to spend studying each section of the DAT because this will vary person to person depending upon how strong you are in the section and how recent you have taken the course. However, my goal is to provide you with a way to study that will help you retain the information for the test and allow you to feel confident in each section.
(1) GENERAL CHEMISTRY
2. Use the ACS general chemistry
book to do problems relating to the area you are having difficulty. There are about 5-10 example problems per section and 30 practice problems. You can buy the book either from Amazon.com or http://www.examsinstitute.com/Study-Guides_c_1.html. If you do not have this and already have the kaplan subject tests then those will probably work too but having not used them I could not tell you for sure.
I like theACS general chemistry book because it is broken down into easy to study sections:
Content is derived from both semesters of General Chemistry and includes:
Atomic Structure
Molecular Structure and Bonding
Stoichiometry
States of Matter / Solutions
Energetics
Dynamics
Equilibrium
Electrochemistry / Redox
Descriptive Chemistry / Periodicity
Laboratory Chemistry
3. If you still feel uncomfortable with that material take out your textbook and do more problems related to the material.
4. Find another area that you are struggling in and repeat steps 2 and 3
5. Repeat this process until you've gone through the entire ACS general chemistry book
(I would suggest writing out solutions on paper to each of the questions. ESPECIALLY if you had difficulty figuring them out. This will allow you to try the problems over again and save time on trying to figure exactly what you are doing wrong or the correct solution)
6. Once you are finished ACS general chemistry through the general chemistry portion of DAT Destroyer. Whenever you miss a problem figure out why you missed it. Use problems from ACS book and textbook that you have previously completed in order to see how to do the problem correctly. I would repeat the DAT Destroyer. You will generally get about 60% correct depending on how much work you need or don't need. However, by the time you repeat it you should be getting 85% + correct. Once again this is dependent upon ones background. If you are still missing quite a few when you go through it a second time I would start the ACS book over again and go through the study plan a second time. By the time you repeat the Dat Destroyer general chemistry section a third time you should have it nailed down!
***Don't forget to slow down and write out formulas that you need to know. Memorize them and use them as you practice.***
Go through theACS general chemistry and the DAT destroyer as many times as needed. For some it will be one and for others it will be 3-5 times. You may also use kaplan subject tests for extra sample problems. After doing this only one time you should see an increase in your Top Score/Dat Achiever practice scores. If not you may need to slow down in your weaker areas your second time through. I did not score great on this section but I went from knowing nothing about gen chem to scoring an 18! If you are struggling in this section you are simply going to have to sit down and do problem after problem to get the formulas to stick.
(2) ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
The study plan for organic chemistry is virtually the same as the general chemistry study plan. Use the same steps but instead of using ACS general chemistry, Dat destroyer general chemistry, and a general chemistry textbook, use the organic chemistry versions of the books! I would highly recommend getting blank paper and writing out any and all reactions you come across (Diels-Alder reaction, aldol condensation, free radical reactions, etc...). You can use this as a quick reference in case you forget it down the road.
(3) BIOLOGY
This section is all about memorizing and becoming familiar with a broad range of topics. You will need to be thorough in your study but do not carried away with the details. I have provided a general outline from the ADA Dat user manual. The number located in the parenthesis represents and estimate of how many questions are from each section and may help you to know what to emphasize while studying. Become familiar with this outline and make this the basis for what you study.
(4) Perceptual Ability Test (PAT)
This section is new to everyone taking the DAT! Some of you are going to be naturals and others are going going to have a little bit of trouble with this section. If you fit in the latter category, don't worry! This section is learnable. You do not have to be naturally good in order to do well on the exam. It is like sitting down with a mirror and a drill, eventually everyone gets the hang of it!
There are 5 sections within the PAT:
a) Key Hole
b) Hole Punch
c) Top/Front/End
d) Cube counting
e) Pattern Folding
It will be essential that you become efficient in all of these areas if you want to do well. The following are steps that will help you to study the PAT section.
1) Before you do anything, become familiar with ALL the rules for each sections. Some times you may get one correct but for the wrong reasoning. To eliminate this know the rules. There are a few good resources for the rules including but not limited to Kaplan Blue Book, Studentdoctor.net (use search feature), Barron's, and Crack DAT PAT.
2) Now that you know the rules you can practice and practice and practice. In general, Kaplan's resources are the easiest for this section, so you may want to start out with these. Just do a few at a time until you get the hang of them.
3) With a good foundation, you can now begin testing yourself! I would suggest starting out with Crack DAT PAT because they offer a large number of tests. I would save the Top Score Pro and DAT Achiever tests for when you do full length practice tests (meaning all the sections together just like you would on the real DAT). I believe Crack DAT PAT has 10 tests total but you can also randomize the tests.
(Take a look at my DAT Breakdown in order to see how my real scores compared with my practice scores.).
4) Start by completing one Crack DAT PAT test. You will quickly find your weaknesses and find that timing can be difficult. Don't worry so much about timing at this point. With all the practice you are going to get it will not be a problem by the time the DAT comes around.
5) After finding your weakness go back and look at your score breakdown. What type of questions did you get incorrect? Was it key holes? If it was figure out what you did wrong. Then go back and practice, practice, practice. Crack DAT PAT comes with several bonus key hole problems that you can do separately from the tests. Do a lot of these. Do the same thing for any other section that you struggled with.
6) Now you can move on to Crack DAT PAT test number two. Repeat step 5 for this test. This process will continue all the way until test number ten. I would not do them all in one day or even in a week or two weeks. Spread them out with your other studies. If you plan on studying for 3 months then find out how often you need to do the tests in order for them to get you about 3 months. Note that just because you are only going to take one of these a week, that does not mean you skip studying for the PAT the remainder of the days. Between tests is when you should be doing practice problems and reviewing rules on sections that you did not accelerate at.
7) It is going to be important that you take full length practice tests such as those sold by Top Score Pro or DAT Achiever. If you struggle with this section during the full length test do step 5 for each of those tests also.
8) If you complete all of Top Score Pro, DAT Achiever, and Crack DAT PAT and you still do not feel comfortable then I would suggest taking randomized Crack DAT PAT. However, this should not happen if you took your time learning the rules and analyzing the problems you get wrong on each test!
(5) READING COMPREHENSION
There is not much you can do to improve your ability to read over the next month or two. However, you can improve your reading comprehension score! There are not really any steps to studying this section but in an an attempt to keep this post coherent and complete I have come up with the following;
1) Take a practice test from either Top Score, Dat Achiever, or Kaplan. If you did well on this section you should be set. Continue to take the remainder of the reading tests as you take the complete tests. As long as you consistently get high scores you should be fine. If you don't do well on the practice test there is still hope.
2) Start searching for (on studentdoctor.net) different strategies posted for the reading comprehension section. Take those strategies and modify them to your liking.
3) Begin taking more practice tests. I would recommend Crack DAT reading. Not because these tests most accurately represent the real dat but because there are about five or so tests. Use the strategy that you think best fits you. If you improve your score and feel comfortable with that strategy then use it. It will take a few more practice tests for you to get the strategy down but stick with it and modify it until you feel like you are where you would like to be.
4) If you did not score well or feel comfortable with the first strategy then either modify it for your liking or try a new strategy. If that strategy does not work keep modifying and finding new strategies until you find one that you like. You should be able to find a strategy that works before you complete the five tests.
5) Now that you have a strategy that works for you use that strategy while taking your full length practice tests by Top Score Pro, DAT Achiever, and Kaplan. Your scores should be fairly consistent through out those tests.
The strategy I used:
For this section I would read 2 or 3 questions. I would then begin reading through the passage until I answered all three questions. Usually only have to read a few paragraphs but sometimes almost all of the paragraphs (just depended on the test). As I read I wrote down key words for each paragraph. I then read questions 4-6 and answered the ones that I already came across. If I did not already come across the answer I continued reading where I left off and continued writing down key words for the remaining paragraphs. Once those were answered I read questions 7-9 and answered them. By this time you usually have read through the entire passage. It is now up to you to remember the answers or at least remember where to find the answer. This is where the key words should help out. You may end up doing a little skimming but this should be mostly eliminated if you really read the paragraphs as you went.
* This strategy worked for me but may not work for you. In a future post I will include a detailed description of different strategies used for the reading comprehension section.
(6) MATH COMING SOON!
(1) GENERAL CHEMISTRY
For me it was 4-5 years since I had general chemistry. Needless to say this was one area of focus for me while studying for the DAT. I went from know absolutely anything about general chemistry to scoring an 18. If you have had general chemistry at any point in the last 1-2 years this study pattern should get you to where you want to go.
1. The first thing you are going to want to do is find your weaknesses. If you have Top Score pro, or something similar, take the first test and find out your weaknesses.
2. Use the ACS general chemistry
book to do problems relating to the area you are having difficulty. There are about 5-10 example problems per section and 30 practice problems. You can buy the book either from Amazon.com or http://www.examsinstitute.com/Study-Guides_c_1.html. If you do not have this and already have the kaplan subject tests then those will probably work too but having not used them I could not tell you for sure.I like theACS general chemistry
book because it is broken down into easy to study sections:Content is derived from both semesters of General Chemistry and includes:
Atomic Structure
Molecular Structure and Bonding
Stoichiometry
States of Matter / Solutions
Energetics
Dynamics
Equilibrium
Electrochemistry / Redox
Descriptive Chemistry / Periodicity
Laboratory Chemistry
3. If you still feel uncomfortable with that material take out your textbook and do more problems related to the material.
4. Find another area that you are struggling in and repeat steps 2 and 3
5. Repeat this process until you've gone through the entire ACS general chemistry book
(I would suggest writing out solutions on paper to each of the questions. ESPECIALLY if you had difficulty figuring them out. This will allow you to try the problems over again and save time on trying to figure exactly what you are doing wrong or the correct solution)
6. Once you are finished ACS general chemistry
through the general chemistry portion of DAT Destroyer. Whenever you miss a problem figure out why you missed it. Use problems from ACS book and textbook that you have previously completed in order to see how to do the problem correctly. I would repeat the DAT Destroyer. You will generally get about 60% correct depending on how much work you need or don't need. However, by the time you repeat it you should be getting 85% + correct. Once again this is dependent upon ones background. If you are still missing quite a few when you go through it a second time I would start the ACS book over again and go through the study plan a second time. By the time you repeat the Dat Destroyer general chemistry section a third time you should have it nailed down!***Don't forget to slow down and write out formulas that you need to know. Memorize them and use them as you practice.***
Go through theACS general chemistry
and the DAT destroyer as many times as needed. For some it will be one and for others it will be 3-5 times. You may also use kaplan subject tests for extra sample problems. After doing this only one time you should see an increase in your Top Score/Dat Achiever practice scores. If not you may need to slow down in your weaker areas your second time through. I did not score great on this section but I went from knowing nothing about gen chem to scoring an 18! If you are struggling in this section you are simply going to have to sit down and do problem after problem to get the formulas to stick.(2) ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
The study plan for organic chemistry is virtually the same as the general chemistry study plan. Use the same steps but instead of using ACS general chemistry
, Dat destroyer general chemistry, and a general chemistry textbook, use the organic chemistry versions of the books! I would highly recommend getting blank paper and writing out any and all reactions you come across (Diels-Alder reaction, aldol condensation, free radical reactions, etc...). You can use this as a quick reference in case you forget it down the road. (3) BIOLOGY
This section is all about memorizing and becoming familiar with a broad range of topics. You will need to be thorough in your study but do not carried away with the details. I have provided a general outline from the ADA Dat user manual. The number located in the parenthesis represents and estimate of how many questions are from each section and may help you to know what to emphasize while studying. Become familiar with this outline and make this the basis for what you study.
For the biology section I am going to recommend starting at the beginning of this outline. However, it is important that you recognize your weaknesses. Some may already have a good feel for what they are weak in and others may want to take a practice test in order to find weaknesses. This is going to be key in managing time and being successful on the biology section. If you are strong in an area you may want to read over that section and take some notes in order to keep it fresh. If you are weak in an area you are going to want to not only read and take notes but spend time understanding and memorizing. How much time you spend on each section is going to be up to you. If you have already taken anatomy and physiology it may only take a quick review to get that solid but if you have not it may take a little longer and some more memorizing for you.
1) Start at section I "Cell and Molecular Biology"
2) Begin reading and outlining each of the subcategories. The first subcategory is origin of life. Create an outline using Cliffnotes AP Biology which, in my humble opinion, is by far the best condensed outline for biology.
which, in my humble opinion, is by far the best condensed outline for biology.
3) If a subcategory is not covered in Cliffnotes AP Biology use another resource to fill in the gap. Other decent resource include the Kaplan Blue book if you have it, Schaum's Biology Outlines, or your class textbook/notes.
use another resource to fill in the gap. Other decent resource include the Kaplan Blue book if you have it, Schaum's Biology Outlines, or your class textbook/notes.
4) Memorize any charts or key points created in your outline. Sometimes this may take 5 minutes and other times you may spend an hour. Once again this depends upon your background and the size of the topic.
5) After completing the first subcategory continue on to the second subcategory which is cell metabolism. Repeat steps 2-4 for this subcategory and any following subcategories for section I.
6) No step is more important than another, however, completing this step will immensely improve your ability to retain the information for the DAT. With your outline complete for section I take blank paper or a white board and list out each of the subcategories. Now write out everything you can remember about each subcategory. Force yourself not to look at the notes! When you are finished writing out everything for each subcategory compare it with your notes. If you truly memorized the material or felt that you were solid in the areas you should be able to write out just about everything from your outline. Not necessarily word for word but the content would be the same. Use pictures, charts, and colors to enhance your outlines and help you remember it. Explain the material out loud as if you are teaching it when you write it on the white board. All of this will help with retention.
7) If you struggled with writing out your outlines in step 6 then go back to the subcategories that tripped you up and memorize the outline you created. Strive to understand the information you are memorizing and try to make connections with things that you already know. If you struggled with many of the subcategories this means you need to SLOW down while going through step 4.
8) Find questions pertaining to the information in section I. At this point you should be able to answer most of the questions you find pertaining to this section. There are questions in Cliffnotes AP Biology, Dat Destroyer, Kaplan subject tests, or any textbook that you own. This is what step 8 is all about, checking that you can apply your knowledge to questions!
, Dat Destroyer, Kaplan subject tests, or any textbook that you own. This is what step 8 is all about, checking that you can apply your knowledge to questions!
9) MOVE ON! Go to section II "Diversity of Life" and repeat steps 2-8 for this section. This section is less conceptual and more memorization than many of the others. Take your time and memorize the material. You are going to need it memorized before the DAT anyways! The tendency is to read it and halfway memorize it. Just get it done with and memorize it! This means focus on step 4...
10) Repeat steps 2-8 for sections III-VI. After you complete section III repeat step 6 for sections I-III and then move on to section IV. After completing section VI repeat step 6 for sections IV-VI.
11) YES! You have now completed the biology section. But wait there is more! Now repeat step 6 starting with section I all the way through section VI. By this point you may have forgotten some of the material in section I-III so this will be a good review.
12) Do lots of problems! Go through any biology problems you can get your hands on. Use the practice test programs (Top Score, Dat Achiever), Dat Destroyer, Kaplan Subject Tests, Cliffnotes AP Biology, and whatever else you can get your hands on. If you only have time for one I would suggest doing the problems in Destroyer because they have really good explanations and test your knowledge. Don't worry if you are missing some questions. Learn from your mistakes! Know why each answer choice is either right or wrong.
, and whatever else you can get your hands on. If you only have time for one I would suggest doing the problems in Destroyer because they have really good explanations and test your knowledge. Don't worry if you are missing some questions. Learn from your mistakes! Know why each answer choice is either right or wrong.
This is a hefty study plan! Some of you will breeze through this because the material is still fresh from your classes and others will struggle through much of the material. Either way, by the time you complete the steps you will be ready for the DAT!
(4) Perceptual Ability Test (PAT)
This section is new to everyone taking the DAT! Some of you are going to be naturals and others are going going to have a little bit of trouble with this section. If you fit in the latter category, don't worry! This section is learnable. You do not have to be naturally good in order to do well on the exam. It is like sitting down with a mirror and a drill, eventually everyone gets the hang of it!
There are 5 sections within the PAT:
a) Key Hole
b) Hole Punch
c) Top/Front/End
d) Cube counting
e) Pattern Folding
It will be essential that you become efficient in all of these areas if you want to do well. The following are steps that will help you to study the PAT section.
1) Before you do anything, become familiar with ALL the rules for each sections. Some times you may get one correct but for the wrong reasoning. To eliminate this know the rules. There are a few good resources for the rules including but not limited to Kaplan Blue Book, Studentdoctor.net (use search feature), Barron's, and Crack DAT PAT.
2) Now that you know the rules you can practice and practice and practice. In general, Kaplan's resources are the easiest for this section, so you may want to start out with these. Just do a few at a time until you get the hang of them.
3) With a good foundation, you can now begin testing yourself! I would suggest starting out with Crack DAT PAT because they offer a large number of tests. I would save the Top Score Pro and DAT Achiever tests for when you do full length practice tests (meaning all the sections together just like you would on the real DAT). I believe Crack DAT PAT has 10 tests total but you can also randomize the tests.
(Take a look at my DAT Breakdown in order to see how my real scores compared with my practice scores.).
4) Start by completing one Crack DAT PAT test. You will quickly find your weaknesses and find that timing can be difficult. Don't worry so much about timing at this point. With all the practice you are going to get it will not be a problem by the time the DAT comes around.
5) After finding your weakness go back and look at your score breakdown. What type of questions did you get incorrect? Was it key holes? If it was figure out what you did wrong. Then go back and practice, practice, practice. Crack DAT PAT comes with several bonus key hole problems that you can do separately from the tests. Do a lot of these. Do the same thing for any other section that you struggled with.
6) Now you can move on to Crack DAT PAT test number two. Repeat step 5 for this test. This process will continue all the way until test number ten. I would not do them all in one day or even in a week or two weeks. Spread them out with your other studies. If you plan on studying for 3 months then find out how often you need to do the tests in order for them to get you about 3 months. Note that just because you are only going to take one of these a week, that does not mean you skip studying for the PAT the remainder of the days. Between tests is when you should be doing practice problems and reviewing rules on sections that you did not accelerate at.
7) It is going to be important that you take full length practice tests such as those sold by Top Score Pro or DAT Achiever. If you struggle with this section during the full length test do step 5 for each of those tests also.
8) If you complete all of Top Score Pro, DAT Achiever, and Crack DAT PAT and you still do not feel comfortable then I would suggest taking randomized Crack DAT PAT. However, this should not happen if you took your time learning the rules and analyzing the problems you get wrong on each test!
(5) READING COMPREHENSION
There is not much you can do to improve your ability to read over the next month or two. However, you can improve your reading comprehension score! There are not really any steps to studying this section but in an an attempt to keep this post coherent and complete I have come up with the following;
1) Take a practice test from either Top Score, Dat Achiever, or Kaplan. If you did well on this section you should be set. Continue to take the remainder of the reading tests as you take the complete tests. As long as you consistently get high scores you should be fine. If you don't do well on the practice test there is still hope.
2) Start searching for (on studentdoctor.net) different strategies posted for the reading comprehension section. Take those strategies and modify them to your liking.
3) Begin taking more practice tests. I would recommend Crack DAT reading. Not because these tests most accurately represent the real dat but because there are about five or so tests. Use the strategy that you think best fits you. If you improve your score and feel comfortable with that strategy then use it. It will take a few more practice tests for you to get the strategy down but stick with it and modify it until you feel like you are where you would like to be.
4) If you did not score well or feel comfortable with the first strategy then either modify it for your liking or try a new strategy. If that strategy does not work keep modifying and finding new strategies until you find one that you like. You should be able to find a strategy that works before you complete the five tests.
5) Now that you have a strategy that works for you use that strategy while taking your full length practice tests by Top Score Pro, DAT Achiever, and Kaplan. Your scores should be fairly consistent through out those tests.
The strategy I used:
For this section I would read 2 or 3 questions. I would then begin reading through the passage until I answered all three questions. Usually only have to read a few paragraphs but sometimes almost all of the paragraphs (just depended on the test). As I read I wrote down key words for each paragraph. I then read questions 4-6 and answered the ones that I already came across. If I did not already come across the answer I continued reading where I left off and continued writing down key words for the remaining paragraphs. Once those were answered I read questions 7-9 and answered them. By this time you usually have read through the entire passage. It is now up to you to remember the answers or at least remember where to find the answer. This is where the key words should help out. You may end up doing a little skimming but this should be mostly eliminated if you really read the paragraphs as you went.
* This strategy worked for me but may not work for you. In a future post I will include a detailed description of different strategies used for the reading comprehension section.
(6) MATH COMING SOON!
NOTE: All of the materials that I use can be purchased from amazon.com (with the exception of DAT Destroyer) is located in the DentalDat Amazon Store at the bottom of the blog. Your support is greatly appreciated
Sunday, March 20, 2011
DAT Experience (Breakdown)
The purpose of this post is to record what and how I studied for each section of the DAT and allow others to decide if what worked for me on the DAT will work for them.
***I am now in dental school ;) You will be there soon!!! I have gone back through this post and made comments on some things that I believe may be of value. These comments are marked with the three asterisk (*).
#1--Still Need to Find them
NEW: Top Score Pro Vs Real DAT Poll ==> Studentdoctor.net
DAT Achiever
TEST 1- PAT 18-QR 20-BIO 15-G-Chem 16-O-Chem 18-TS 16
TEST 2-AA 17-TS 16-PAT 19-QR 18-RC 20-Bio 15-Gen-Chem 15-O-Chem 19
TEST 3-AA 18-PAT 18-QR 22-RC 20-BIO 14-Gen-Chem 15-O-Chem 18-TS 16
NEW: DAT Achiever vs Real Dat Poll ==> Studentdoctor.net
My practice scores varied depending on the test and where I was at in my studies. I felt that "Top Score Pro" best represented the real test. I think the main thing is to practice your timing and get your game plan down, then use what you did on the practice tests on the real test so you have no doubt on what you will be doing throughout the test. Also, use them to find your weaknesses and then WORK on them.
The day leading up to the Test
The day before my test I woke up and traveled 4 hours to where the testing center was. I went in and talked with the Prometric staff and asked any questions that I had. Some good questions to ask may include but is not limited to; (1) May I see the dry erase boards/markers? (2) Are there ear plugs available and if not am I allowed to bring my own?, and (3) Confirm the things you need to bring to the testing center with you on test day. I then went to the hotel relaxed from the long drive, ate some good food and then studied the rest of the afternoon. I shut the books down around nine and retired to bed (Key). Woke up around 7:30 went down to the lobby and ordered a three egg omelet. I then read outlines, note cards, math formulas, etc until about 10:15. I went to the prometric center at about 10:30. This left me plenty of time to find parking, use the restroom, eat a snack, and get comfortable. My appointment was not until 11:30 but I signed in took a few breaths and they had me started by 10:50.
The Test
BIO (19)- As you can see my actual score did not resemble any of my practice scores. My main source for this section was Cliffs bio. The questions on the DAT were not that detailed. I had a random taxonomy question but other than that I felt that all the questions were very doable. If you are looking for 18+ cliffs will definitely do it. I felt good about the biology section when I was done. ***If you have the opportunity to take biochemistry before the you take the DAT then I would recommend doing it. The questions on the DAT are not as detailed but it will make any questions (which seems to be a good handful) a lot easier.
Sources: Cliffs AP Biology, Kaplan Blue Book (physiology only), Knowledge from classes
Real vs. Practice: Top Score was more representative of the real test but it still had a lot more taxonomy questions than the real test. The DAT also seemed to cover a broader range of topics than any of the practice tests. Not very many questions were in depth but it seems that they are just testing your knowledge of the basics of a lot of the topics. ***Take the both the questions that you get wrong and right on Top Score and know why each answer is either correct or incorrect. If you already know the reasoning then don't spend time looking it up. However, if you are not sure spend a little time reading and figuring it out. The questions on the test will not be duplicates but will be a similar variation of questions that you have most likely already seen.
Gen Chem(18)- I always struggle more with the conceptual questions on the practice tests. It has been 4-5 years since I had gen chem. During the test I feel like I froze a little in this section and was just blanking on some of the information (formulas and concepts). I watched Chads videos to regain a good foundation of General Chemistry. I did the problems in Destroyer two to three times each and supplemented it with did the ACS general chemistry study guide to solidify certain concepts. Destroyer defiantly covers any of the calculations needed. Be sure to know them all! Also ACS did a good job of really making some of the concepts stick. Overall I think both those sources are good enough to do a 20+. I just felt like I did not perform well.
Sources: Destroyer, ACS general chemistry study guide, Chad's Videos (Links are posted under the resource tab), Text Book
Real vs Practice: Both the tests seemed to be about even. The third test on Top Score Pro seemed to represent my test very well. There was a good amount of conceptual and calculation formulas.
O-Chem(23)- Not much I can say here. It all seemed very basic. I did not have any IR or NMR which I found very odd. I was prepared to answer them and I would be sure not to skimp on this part despite what my experience was like. There was only one question I thought I was unsure of. I am still happy with a 23 though. I went through Destroyer once about 5 days before my test. Then two days before my test I did the ACS organic chemistry study guide. I will have to note that I completed O-chem part II about two months before I took the DAT. I did well in both parts and thus did not have to put much effort into this section. If you struggled with this in class or it has been a while since you have taken it I would highly recommend spending more time on this section. If you are scoring well on the practice tests and feel like you are getting the answers right because you know the information (not because you got lucky on a few) then I would say that you are set.
Sources: Destroyer,ACS organic chemistry study guide, Class Knowledge(key)
PAT(21)- I may have made a mistake in studying for this. I bought Crack Dat Pat at the beginning of the year and went through it several times. It was right on. However, I did not study for it for about two to three months and then about 5 days before the test I took one a day. I did not feel as sharp as I was in the past. They key is to make sure you are at the top of your game on game day. When I finished the test I actually felt like I had gotten at least a 23.
Sources: Crack Dat Pat, Top Score, Dat Achiever
Real vs Practice: Crack Dat Pat was almost exactly like the real thing. I actually felt like I was taking another Crack Dat Pat test. My average practice score for Crack Dat Pat range from about 21-23 with a few 24s and 25s. Key holes=Same, TFE=Same, Angles=Same to slightly harder, Hole punch=Easier, Cubes=A lot easier, Patern Fold= Same with a few harder. Not bad at all. If you can do the practice tests, you will do well on the real deal!
RC(20)- Ok, this was a surprise. I was hoping for an 18 after I finished. Like everyone says there are the questions that say “The statement is true but the reasoning is false, The statement is false but reasoning is true, ect” They are not as bad as everyone says! The answer to the question is all in the same sentence or two sentences. Its not like you have to look in the first paragraph for the statement and the 5th paragraph for the reasoning. There was a lot of tone questions but I just read the question and went with my gut instinct. The key to doing well on this section is to experiment with strategies on the practice tests until you find something that works. Once you find that something practice it several times and then when the test comes use that strategy and stick with it. My strategy was to read the first 2-3 questions and start reading. Once I found the answers I did the next 2-3 questions. If they were in the first paragraphs I read it was easy, if not I just continued reading. By the first 7-10 questions I was almost finished which made the remain questions fairly easy. I also would jot down a key concept of the paragraphs as I read so I could look at it and go straight to that paragraph without skimming.
Sources: Top Score, Dat Achiever, Crack Dat Reading
Real vs Practice: As you can see from my practice scores of 19, 21, 20, 20, 18 all of the practice tests were pretty close to the real thing. Crack Dat Reading was a little more difficult because they had several tone questions. My scores ranged more in the 17-19 range. However Crack Dat Reading is good for practicing your strategies so you dont waste your Top Score and Achiever tests.
QR (17)-Timing is Key! I used Crack Dat Math for practicing my timing. After I could finish the test with 45 minutes I would cut the time to 40 minutes and then 35 minutes. This helped me to be able to look at a problem and know if I need to skip it or if I can do it quickly. I finished the real test with 3-4 minutes to go. I went back and checked a few of my marked questions. I was expecting at LEAST an 18 after I was finished but I must of made some calculation errors. I also used Math Destroyer (not the math section in destroyer which is not Representative). I only did two of the test and the night before I just read the formulas, problems and the solutions.
Sources: Crack Dat Math, Math Destroyer, Text Book
Practice vs Real: Both Dat Achiever and Top Score were easier than the DAT. I suggest using Crack Dat Math which is more representative. However my averages ranged more in the 18-22 range but it was nice because the solutions are now video which makes it easy to figure out why you missed certain problems. It also has the timing feature which makes it nice. Math Destroyer seemed to be most representative of the DAT. Know the formulas and the short cuts to the problems that are in the solutions.
OVERALL--If you can do well on the practice tests you will do well on the real test. I felt the test was easier than any of the practice tests I took. My results do not show it all the way but I may not have performed to the same level. I was only .1 away from a 20AA. Overall, I am happy with my scores and feel that they should do the trick! ***These scores definitely did the trick! My application was not complete until mid-September. If you have similar scores, a decent GPA, and apply in June you should have NO problem getting interviews.
Brought to you by
***I am now in dental school ;) You will be there soon!!! I have gone back through this post and made comments on some things that I believe may be of value. These comments are marked with the three asterisk (*).
The Real Deal!
AA TS PAT BIO GCHEM OCHEM RC QR
TopScore
#3--1 weeks before test
AA TS PAT BIO GCHEM OCHEM RC QR
21 19 22 17 19 28 21 22
#2--2 weeks before test
AA TS PAT BIO GCHEM OCHEM RC QR
20 20 23 17 20 28 19 18
NEW: Top Score Pro Vs Real DAT Poll ==> Studentdoctor.net
DAT Achiever
TEST 1- PAT 18-QR 20-BIO 15-G-Chem 16-O-Chem 18-TS 16
TEST 2-AA 17-TS 16-PAT 19-QR 18-RC 20-Bio 15-Gen-Chem 15-O-Chem 19
TEST 3-AA 18-PAT 18-QR 22-RC 20-BIO 14-Gen-Chem 15-O-Chem 18-TS 16
NEW: DAT Achiever vs Real Dat Poll ==> Studentdoctor.net
My practice scores varied depending on the test and where I was at in my studies. I felt that "Top Score Pro" best represented the real test. I think the main thing is to practice your timing and get your game plan down, then use what you did on the practice tests on the real test so you have no doubt on what you will be doing throughout the test. Also, use them to find your weaknesses and then WORK on them.
The day leading up to the Test
The day before my test I woke up and traveled 4 hours to where the testing center was. I went in and talked with the Prometric staff and asked any questions that I had. Some good questions to ask may include but is not limited to; (1) May I see the dry erase boards/markers? (2) Are there ear plugs available and if not am I allowed to bring my own?, and (3) Confirm the things you need to bring to the testing center with you on test day. I then went to the hotel relaxed from the long drive, ate some good food and then studied the rest of the afternoon. I shut the books down around nine and retired to bed (Key). Woke up around 7:30 went down to the lobby and ordered a three egg omelet. I then read outlines, note cards, math formulas, etc until about 10:15. I went to the prometric center at about 10:30. This left me plenty of time to find parking, use the restroom, eat a snack, and get comfortable. My appointment was not until 11:30 but I signed in took a few breaths and they had me started by 10:50.
The Test
BIO (19)- As you can see my actual score did not resemble any of my practice scores. My main source for this section was Cliffs bio. The questions on the DAT were not that detailed. I had a random taxonomy question but other than that I felt that all the questions were very doable. If you are looking for 18+ cliffs will definitely do it. I felt good about the biology section when I was done. ***If you have the opportunity to take biochemistry before the you take the DAT then I would recommend doing it. The questions on the DAT are not as detailed but it will make any questions (which seems to be a good handful) a lot easier.
Sources: Cliffs AP Biology, Kaplan Blue Book (physiology only), Knowledge from classes
Real vs. Practice: Top Score was more representative of the real test but it still had a lot more taxonomy questions than the real test. The DAT also seemed to cover a broader range of topics than any of the practice tests. Not very many questions were in depth but it seems that they are just testing your knowledge of the basics of a lot of the topics. ***Take the both the questions that you get wrong and right on Top Score and know why each answer is either correct or incorrect. If you already know the reasoning then don't spend time looking it up. However, if you are not sure spend a little time reading and figuring it out. The questions on the test will not be duplicates but will be a similar variation of questions that you have most likely already seen.
Gen Chem(18)- I always struggle more with the conceptual questions on the practice tests. It has been 4-5 years since I had gen chem. During the test I feel like I froze a little in this section and was just blanking on some of the information (formulas and concepts). I watched Chads videos to regain a good foundation of General Chemistry. I did the problems in Destroyer two to three times each and supplemented it with did the ACS general chemistry
study guide to solidify certain concepts. Destroyer defiantly covers any of the calculations needed. Be sure to know them all! Also ACS did a good job of really making some of the concepts stick. Overall I think both those sources are good enough to do a 20+. I just felt like I did not perform well.Sources: Destroyer, ACS general chemistry
study guide, Chad's Videos (Links are posted under the resource tab), Text BookReal vs Practice: Both the tests seemed to be about even. The third test on Top Score Pro seemed to represent my test very well. There was a good amount of conceptual and calculation formulas.
O-Chem(23)- Not much I can say here. It all seemed very basic. I did not have any IR or NMR which I found very odd. I was prepared to answer them and I would be sure not to skimp on this part despite what my experience was like. There was only one question I thought I was unsure of. I am still happy with a 23 though. I went through Destroyer once about 5 days before my test. Then two days before my test I did the ACS organic chemistry
study guide. I will have to note that I completed O-chem part II about two months before I took the DAT. I did well in both parts and thus did not have to put much effort into this section. If you struggled with this in class or it has been a while since you have taken it I would highly recommend spending more time on this section. If you are scoring well on the practice tests and feel like you are getting the answers right because you know the information (not because you got lucky on a few) then I would say that you are set.Sources: Destroyer,ACS organic chemistry
study guide, Class Knowledge(key)PAT(21)- I may have made a mistake in studying for this. I bought Crack Dat
Pat at the beginning of the year and went through it several times. It was right on. However, I did not study for it for about two to three months and then about 5 days before the test I took one a day. I did not feel as sharp as I was in the past. They key is to make sure you are at the top of your game on game day. When I finished the test I actually felt like I had gotten at least a 23. Sources: Crack Dat
Pat, Top Score, Dat AchieverReal vs Practice: Crack Dat Pat was almost exactly like the real thing. I actually felt like I was taking another Crack Dat
Pat test. My average practice score for Crack Dat Pat range from about 21-23 with a few 24s and 25s. Key holes=Same, TFE=Same, Angles=Same to slightly harder, Hole punch=Easier, Cubes=A lot easier, Patern Fold= Same with a few harder. Not bad at all. If you can do the practice tests, you will do well on the real deal!RC(20)- Ok, this was a surprise. I was hoping for an 18 after I finished. Like everyone says there are the questions that say “The statement is true but the reasoning is false, The statement is false but reasoning is true, ect” They are not as bad as everyone says! The answer to the question is all in the same sentence or two sentences. Its not like you have to look in the first paragraph for the statement and the 5th paragraph for the reasoning. There was a lot of tone questions but I just read the question and went with my gut instinct. The key to doing well on this section is to experiment with strategies on the practice tests until you find something that works. Once you find that something practice it several times and then when the test comes use that strategy and stick with it. My strategy was to read the first 2-3 questions and start reading. Once I found the answers I did the next 2-3 questions. If they were in the first paragraphs I read it was easy, if not I just continued reading. By the first 7-10 questions I was almost finished which made the remain questions fairly easy. I also would jot down a key concept of the paragraphs as I read so I could look at it and go straight to that paragraph without skimming.
Sources: Top Score, Dat Achiever
, Crack Dat ReadingReal vs Practice: As you can see from my practice scores of 19, 21, 20, 20, 18 all of the practice tests were pretty close to the real thing. Crack Dat Reading was a little more difficult because they had several tone questions. My scores ranged more in the 17-19 range. However Crack Dat Reading is good for practicing your strategies so you dont waste your Top Score and Achiever tests.
QR (17)-Timing is Key! I used Crack Dat
Math for practicing my timing. After I could finish the test with 45 minutes I would cut the time to 40 minutes and then 35 minutes. This helped me to be able to look at a problem and know if I need to skip it or if I can do it quickly. I finished the real test with 3-4 minutes to go. I went back and checked a few of my marked questions. I was expecting at LEAST an 18 after I was finished but I must of made some calculation errors. I also used Math Destroyer (not the math section in destroyer which is not Representative). I only did two of the test and the night before I just read the formulas, problems and the solutions. Sources: Crack Dat
Math, Math Destroyer, Text BookPractice vs Real: Both Dat Achiever
and Top Score were easier than the DAT. I suggest using Crack Dat Math which is more representative. However my averages ranged more in the 18-22 range but it was nice because the solutions are now video which makes it easy to figure out why you missed certain problems. It also has the timing feature which makes it nice. Math Destroyer seemed to be most representative of the DAT. Know the formulas and the short cuts to the problems that are in the solutions. OVERALL--If you can do well on the practice tests you will do well on the real test. I felt the test was easier than any of the practice tests I took. My results do not show it all the way but I may not have performed to the same level. I was only .1 away from a 20AA. Overall, I am happy with my scores and feel that they should do the trick! ***These scores definitely did the trick! My application was not complete until mid-September. If you have similar scores, a decent GPA, and apply in June you should have NO problem getting interviews.
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DentalDat Amazon Store NOW OPEN!
At the bottom of the blog I have opened DentalDat Amazon store. It contains many of the materials used for the DAT that is sold on Amazon.com. I looked for the best deals and added those products to the store. If you would like to see anything added to the store let me know! As of now I have the following categories
1. DAT preparation material
2. NBDE Part 1
3. NBDE Part 2
4. Dental School (some fun items and also anatomy texts/flashcards for first year. MORE TO COME!)
Check it out and give me some feedback!
1. DAT preparation material
2. NBDE Part 1
3. NBDE Part 2
4. Dental School (some fun items and also anatomy texts/flashcards for first year. MORE TO COME!)
Check it out and give me some feedback!
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