Noah Brady
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- Apr 16, 2023
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2023 DAT Breakdown
(27AA/25TS/21PAT)
Scores:
PA: 21
QR: 27
RC: 30
Bio: 23
GC: 26
OC: 30
TS: 25
AA: 27
Materials Used:
DAT Booster: Between DAT Bootcamp and DATBooster, I chose DAT Booster solely based on the price. These were the only 2 programs that students in my school’s Pre-Dental Society used, so I did not bother exploring alternatives.
Study Timeline:
I used the 12-Week DATBooster Study Schedule for the first 50 days of studying. I did every task, assigned for each day, even if I knew the material (with the exception of Algebra videos/questions on QR) After this “learning phase” of the program was complete, I did not follow any strict schedule.
I would usually get around 90 minutes of studying per day, and focused on mostly PAT and biology.
Focus of each section:
To study Perceptual Ability, I used the generators until they became repetitive, then switched to the question bank around 30 days from my exam day. I placed high priority on pattern folding, Top-front-end, and keyhole questions over the other subjects. The generators do a great job at completely teaching and preparing you for angle-ranking, cube-counting, and hole-punching questions in this section.
To study for Biology, I read through the new Feralis Booster notes twice, then repetitively watched the newly animated biology videos. I took notes for the taxonomy videos, but did not take notes for any other section. I had these videos on repeat constantly if I was on a run, in the gym, walking to class, etc. I also used the taxonomy cheat-sheets to help understand the phylums and chordata frequently (once every 2 weeks)
To study for general chemistry, I used the DATBooster’s Chemistry Notes. On the exam, the chemistry section was somewhat equation-based. The calculations are very easy, and the challenge is remembering the equations that apply to each question.
To study for organic chemistry, I watched the videos on DATBooster and made note of any reagents/mechanisms that I did not learn previously from taking it as an undergraduate. My study then consisted of re-reading these notes then doing practice exams. I also completed the “Extra Questions” question banks, and took notes of reagents/mechanisms that were unfamiliar.
To study for reading comprehension, I watched the videos according to the “learning phase,” then did the extra reading comprehension practice. The method I used in practice and during the exam consisted of reading the first question, then reading/highlighting the article. Once I arrived at the answer, I would move to the next question regardless of if I was done reading the article. Once I got done the entire article, I would usually have 2-3 questions answered, then I would start answering the rest of the questions. For this section, DO NOT ever guess for the questions. Every answer will be clearly stated in 1-2 sentences within the article, and the challenge is searching for each question’s answer in a short amount of time. Therefore, the purpose of reading the article should be for you to set “bookmarks” in your head so you can quickly locate the part of the article that the question is asking for.
To study for quantitative reasoning, I only watched the videos and answered the question banks for the topics I was not too familiar with. I studied the least for this section. I wrote down formulas of equations that I did not know, and re-read them frequently to ingrain the concept into my head.
Practice Exams:
These are the most important part of your studying. Questions from the practice exams appeared exactly as they did on the exam itself. When you take these exams, split them up into each section. After each section, review what you got wrong and thoroughly read the explanation for the correct answer. These explanations clear up a large majority of the questions I had about the course material. Do not take a full-length (4hr 45 min) exam. You will not learn from the questions you got wrong, because you will be burnt out from taking the exam all day. Take sections one-at-a-time, with breaks in between. Review ALL questions directly after taking the practice section to make sure you followed the correct problem-solving approach to the question that was asked, even if you got the question right.
Notes:
The most important part of studying for the exam is the coursework you have beforehand. For me, I had 2 semesters of organic chemistry, 2 semesters of general chemistry, 2 semesters of anatomy, and 1 semester of cell/molecular biology. I already had a background in general biology from high school. I would not recommend taking the DAT before you have general chemistry, organic chemistry, and 2 semesters of biology. The workload is simply too much to do without this essential background knowledge.
I studied during a semester with 16 credits, and it was extremely challenging to balance. If you take it along with a full undergraduate course load, there will be nights/weekends that you do not have any free time.
Exam Breakdown:
Biology: The questions directly followed what was taught by DATBooster. Every bit of information was in the Feralis notes, so they cover the topics effectively.
General Chemistry: The questions directly followed what was on the DATBooster chemistry notes. As a rough estimation, the layout was 50/50 equations and concepts
Organic Chemistry: The questions were much easier than the practice exams and problem sets, but this was my strongest topic.
PAT: I did not have time to do some of the keyhole and TFE questions. Do not spend too much time on one question, and make sure you do your easiest sections first. I had one “rock” top-front-end question that was pretty much there to take up time.
RC: I enjoyed reading the passages, and followed the same strategy that I used in practice. I used every last second to double check questions I thought I knew, but did not have time to search for in the passage.
QR: I did not finish all of the questions in this section. I simply forgot how to do some of the questions asked, so I tried to derive the answer on my own. This ate away at my time. Looking back, I did not do many practice exams on this section, so I would have studied a little more if I could.
(27AA/25TS/21PAT)
Scores:
PA: 21
QR: 27
RC: 30
Bio: 23
GC: 26
OC: 30
TS: 25
AA: 27
Materials Used:
DAT Booster: Between DAT Bootcamp and DATBooster, I chose DAT Booster solely based on the price. These were the only 2 programs that students in my school’s Pre-Dental Society used, so I did not bother exploring alternatives.
Study Timeline:
I used the 12-Week DATBooster Study Schedule for the first 50 days of studying. I did every task, assigned for each day, even if I knew the material (with the exception of Algebra videos/questions on QR) After this “learning phase” of the program was complete, I did not follow any strict schedule.
I would usually get around 90 minutes of studying per day, and focused on mostly PAT and biology.
Focus of each section:
To study Perceptual Ability, I used the generators until they became repetitive, then switched to the question bank around 30 days from my exam day. I placed high priority on pattern folding, Top-front-end, and keyhole questions over the other subjects. The generators do a great job at completely teaching and preparing you for angle-ranking, cube-counting, and hole-punching questions in this section.
To study for Biology, I read through the new Feralis Booster notes twice, then repetitively watched the newly animated biology videos. I took notes for the taxonomy videos, but did not take notes for any other section. I had these videos on repeat constantly if I was on a run, in the gym, walking to class, etc. I also used the taxonomy cheat-sheets to help understand the phylums and chordata frequently (once every 2 weeks)
To study for general chemistry, I used the DATBooster’s Chemistry Notes. On the exam, the chemistry section was somewhat equation-based. The calculations are very easy, and the challenge is remembering the equations that apply to each question.
To study for organic chemistry, I watched the videos on DATBooster and made note of any reagents/mechanisms that I did not learn previously from taking it as an undergraduate. My study then consisted of re-reading these notes then doing practice exams. I also completed the “Extra Questions” question banks, and took notes of reagents/mechanisms that were unfamiliar.
To study for reading comprehension, I watched the videos according to the “learning phase,” then did the extra reading comprehension practice. The method I used in practice and during the exam consisted of reading the first question, then reading/highlighting the article. Once I arrived at the answer, I would move to the next question regardless of if I was done reading the article. Once I got done the entire article, I would usually have 2-3 questions answered, then I would start answering the rest of the questions. For this section, DO NOT ever guess for the questions. Every answer will be clearly stated in 1-2 sentences within the article, and the challenge is searching for each question’s answer in a short amount of time. Therefore, the purpose of reading the article should be for you to set “bookmarks” in your head so you can quickly locate the part of the article that the question is asking for.
To study for quantitative reasoning, I only watched the videos and answered the question banks for the topics I was not too familiar with. I studied the least for this section. I wrote down formulas of equations that I did not know, and re-read them frequently to ingrain the concept into my head.
Practice Exams:
These are the most important part of your studying. Questions from the practice exams appeared exactly as they did on the exam itself. When you take these exams, split them up into each section. After each section, review what you got wrong and thoroughly read the explanation for the correct answer. These explanations clear up a large majority of the questions I had about the course material. Do not take a full-length (4hr 45 min) exam. You will not learn from the questions you got wrong, because you will be burnt out from taking the exam all day. Take sections one-at-a-time, with breaks in between. Review ALL questions directly after taking the practice section to make sure you followed the correct problem-solving approach to the question that was asked, even if you got the question right.
Notes:
The most important part of studying for the exam is the coursework you have beforehand. For me, I had 2 semesters of organic chemistry, 2 semesters of general chemistry, 2 semesters of anatomy, and 1 semester of cell/molecular biology. I already had a background in general biology from high school. I would not recommend taking the DAT before you have general chemistry, organic chemistry, and 2 semesters of biology. The workload is simply too much to do without this essential background knowledge.
I studied during a semester with 16 credits, and it was extremely challenging to balance. If you take it along with a full undergraduate course load, there will be nights/weekends that you do not have any free time.
Exam Breakdown:
Biology: The questions directly followed what was taught by DATBooster. Every bit of information was in the Feralis notes, so they cover the topics effectively.
General Chemistry: The questions directly followed what was on the DATBooster chemistry notes. As a rough estimation, the layout was 50/50 equations and concepts
Organic Chemistry: The questions were much easier than the practice exams and problem sets, but this was my strongest topic.
PAT: I did not have time to do some of the keyhole and TFE questions. Do not spend too much time on one question, and make sure you do your easiest sections first. I had one “rock” top-front-end question that was pretty much there to take up time.
RC: I enjoyed reading the passages, and followed the same strategy that I used in practice. I used every last second to double check questions I thought I knew, but did not have time to search for in the passage.
QR: I did not finish all of the questions in this section. I simply forgot how to do some of the questions asked, so I tried to derive the answer on my own. This ate away at my time. Looking back, I did not do many practice exams on this section, so I would have studied a little more if I could.
