Florida_PreDent
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- Jul 10, 2022
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Here is what I did to go from an 18AA and 16TS to a 20AA and 20TS! #breakdown
Background: I am a recent Biology graduate from Florida State University with a 3.61 GPA and 3.53 SGPA. I initially took my DAT last August, and to say it didn't go well was an understatement. I remember seeing 15 next to Biology and thinking how the hell did I manage to do so poorly in a subject I majored in for years. It was from this failure; however, that I learned what I needed to do differently to keep my dreams alive. With that here are three things that I wish someone would have told me before I took my DAT the first time and what I did differently to bring my score up.
1. Make the DAT your #1 priority. When I first took my DAT I was lifeguarding every morning from 5 am to 1 pm, shadowing from 2 pm to 5 pm, and trying to cram DAT prep in for the remainder of the day. This was horrible as I was constantly exhausted which resulted in me not being able to retain any information. Going into my retake I decided to focus solely on studying and this was the greatest decision I made. Not only was I able to retain much more information but I was genuinely happier throughout the process. Make this easy for yourself. Prior to when you plan to study save up as much money as you can to live off instead of working and eliminate any other distractions.
2. Keep living. Just because you’re studying doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself. This exam will be tough on your mental health so you have to do things that make you happy. What I did to keep the morale high is I would study for four hours then lift or go surfing and then study for four more hours. Taking a break in between studying is crucial.
3. Set your test day up for success. From taking my DAT the first time I learned that I dont do well with early morning exams and the slightest noise completely distracts me. In order to address these issues, I switched my exam to a midday timeslot, and used earplugs. The point is, while you are taking practice exams figure out what you can utilize to put yourself in the best situation possible come test day.
Study Plan: I used Bootcamp to study during my first attempt and Booster in conjunction with Bootcamp to study for my retake. Both programs are great but if I had to pick one it would be Booster. Booster is highly representative of Biology, Gen Chem, Orgo, and PAT while Bootcamp is more representative of RC and QR. For my retake, I studied for two months and averaged around 8 hours of studying a day following Ari’s study schedule. I used Bootcamp during the learning phase and watched every video for every section. Once I finished the learning phase I essentially tossed the schedule out the window and switched over to Booster full-time to take practice exams. It was here that I did the bulk of my learning. While reviewing I would use Anki to make my own flashcards of the explanations for each question on the full-length exams. The spaced repetition was essential for keeping everything fresh. In the final week before my exam, I attended Booster’s Biology Crash Course led by Dr. Sohraby as a final review of Bio and memorized nuemonics for each section.
Bio: 15 -> 20
My first exam consisted of mostly microbiology/cell structure while my retake consisted of mainly anatomy. The moral of the story is every exam is completely different and you never know what
you are gonna get so you have to be proficient enough at everything. Everyday I would watch the videos, do bio bites, and run through question banks. By far, attending the Booster Biology Crash Course held by Dr. Sohraby was the best thing I ever did for this section. Almost every single question on my exam was covered in the crash course one way or another. If I had committed everything to memory more I believe I would have scored even higher. Additionally, Boosters exams were highly representative so do all of them and review them thoroughly as well as make Anki cards of what you need to commit to memory. Also, realize you don't need to know the answer you just need to know enough to eliminate the wrong ones so get good at utilizing elimination.
Gen Chem: 17-> 21
I'm surprised I did this well, I thought this section was hard and I had a ton of calculations. I used Dr. Mike's videos on Bootcamp for learning the material and Booster exams for practice. Work on recognizing which problems require what formula and develop your speed. This section chewed up a ton of time for me and left me with only 15 minutes to finish Orgo which brought my score down.
Orgo: 15 -> 18
Kinda bummed with this section but it is what it is. I used the Bootcamp videos for learning and the reaction bites to memorize the reactions. This section had a little bit of everything so definitely know your reactions, how to interpret spectroscopy, nomenclature, and important conceptual information. Make sure to leave enough time for this section!
PAT: 18 -> 21
Practice ten of each subsection every day from when you start studying until the day before the exam (decrease the time allotted to answer each week to increase your speed and simulate the pace needed during the actual exam). Also, do your best sections first and leave your worst ones for the end.
RC: 24 -> 21
This one hurts. The main difference was the passages I had on my retake were significantly more difficult and complex than on my first exam. The strategy I utilized was passage mapping as well as search and destroy.
QR: 19 -> 19
I’ll be honest the only practice I ever did for this section was when taking the full-length exams. Probability was high yield on both of my exams so definitely have that down solid more than any other section. Also, Booster is WAYYYY harder than the real thing so don't get discouraged. I would say QR is very similar to the difficulty of Bootcamp.
Conclusion: At the end of the day remember that this exam is more of a money-making scheme than an actual measure of how capable you are of being a dentist. Unfortunately, it is an inevitable hurdle we all must face to achieve our dreams. While you are studying remind yourself why you want to be a dentist and how good you will feel when you get that acceptance
letter. Additionally, do things that will make you happy while studying, and don't forget to enjoy the process. Furthermore, do not get discouraged if your full length exams are low (I never scored above a 18AA on full lengths) but rather learn from your mistakes. Keep grinding everyone we are all gonna make it one day.
Background: I am a recent Biology graduate from Florida State University with a 3.61 GPA and 3.53 SGPA. I initially took my DAT last August, and to say it didn't go well was an understatement. I remember seeing 15 next to Biology and thinking how the hell did I manage to do so poorly in a subject I majored in for years. It was from this failure; however, that I learned what I needed to do differently to keep my dreams alive. With that here are three things that I wish someone would have told me before I took my DAT the first time and what I did differently to bring my score up.
1. Make the DAT your #1 priority. When I first took my DAT I was lifeguarding every morning from 5 am to 1 pm, shadowing from 2 pm to 5 pm, and trying to cram DAT prep in for the remainder of the day. This was horrible as I was constantly exhausted which resulted in me not being able to retain any information. Going into my retake I decided to focus solely on studying and this was the greatest decision I made. Not only was I able to retain much more information but I was genuinely happier throughout the process. Make this easy for yourself. Prior to when you plan to study save up as much money as you can to live off instead of working and eliminate any other distractions.
2. Keep living. Just because you’re studying doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself. This exam will be tough on your mental health so you have to do things that make you happy. What I did to keep the morale high is I would study for four hours then lift or go surfing and then study for four more hours. Taking a break in between studying is crucial.
3. Set your test day up for success. From taking my DAT the first time I learned that I dont do well with early morning exams and the slightest noise completely distracts me. In order to address these issues, I switched my exam to a midday timeslot, and used earplugs. The point is, while you are taking practice exams figure out what you can utilize to put yourself in the best situation possible come test day.
Study Plan: I used Bootcamp to study during my first attempt and Booster in conjunction with Bootcamp to study for my retake. Both programs are great but if I had to pick one it would be Booster. Booster is highly representative of Biology, Gen Chem, Orgo, and PAT while Bootcamp is more representative of RC and QR. For my retake, I studied for two months and averaged around 8 hours of studying a day following Ari’s study schedule. I used Bootcamp during the learning phase and watched every video for every section. Once I finished the learning phase I essentially tossed the schedule out the window and switched over to Booster full-time to take practice exams. It was here that I did the bulk of my learning. While reviewing I would use Anki to make my own flashcards of the explanations for each question on the full-length exams. The spaced repetition was essential for keeping everything fresh. In the final week before my exam, I attended Booster’s Biology Crash Course led by Dr. Sohraby as a final review of Bio and memorized nuemonics for each section.
Bio: 15 -> 20
My first exam consisted of mostly microbiology/cell structure while my retake consisted of mainly anatomy. The moral of the story is every exam is completely different and you never know what
you are gonna get so you have to be proficient enough at everything. Everyday I would watch the videos, do bio bites, and run through question banks. By far, attending the Booster Biology Crash Course held by Dr. Sohraby was the best thing I ever did for this section. Almost every single question on my exam was covered in the crash course one way or another. If I had committed everything to memory more I believe I would have scored even higher. Additionally, Boosters exams were highly representative so do all of them and review them thoroughly as well as make Anki cards of what you need to commit to memory. Also, realize you don't need to know the answer you just need to know enough to eliminate the wrong ones so get good at utilizing elimination.
Gen Chem: 17-> 21
I'm surprised I did this well, I thought this section was hard and I had a ton of calculations. I used Dr. Mike's videos on Bootcamp for learning the material and Booster exams for practice. Work on recognizing which problems require what formula and develop your speed. This section chewed up a ton of time for me and left me with only 15 minutes to finish Orgo which brought my score down.
Orgo: 15 -> 18
Kinda bummed with this section but it is what it is. I used the Bootcamp videos for learning and the reaction bites to memorize the reactions. This section had a little bit of everything so definitely know your reactions, how to interpret spectroscopy, nomenclature, and important conceptual information. Make sure to leave enough time for this section!
PAT: 18 -> 21
Practice ten of each subsection every day from when you start studying until the day before the exam (decrease the time allotted to answer each week to increase your speed and simulate the pace needed during the actual exam). Also, do your best sections first and leave your worst ones for the end.
RC: 24 -> 21
This one hurts. The main difference was the passages I had on my retake were significantly more difficult and complex than on my first exam. The strategy I utilized was passage mapping as well as search and destroy.
QR: 19 -> 19
I’ll be honest the only practice I ever did for this section was when taking the full-length exams. Probability was high yield on both of my exams so definitely have that down solid more than any other section. Also, Booster is WAYYYY harder than the real thing so don't get discouraged. I would say QR is very similar to the difficulty of Bootcamp.
Conclusion: At the end of the day remember that this exam is more of a money-making scheme than an actual measure of how capable you are of being a dentist. Unfortunately, it is an inevitable hurdle we all must face to achieve our dreams. While you are studying remind yourself why you want to be a dentist and how good you will feel when you get that acceptance
letter. Additionally, do things that will make you happy while studying, and don't forget to enjoy the process. Furthermore, do not get discouraged if your full length exams are low (I never scored above a 18AA on full lengths) but rather learn from your mistakes. Keep grinding everyone we are all gonna make it one day.
