I took my DAT twice. The first time I strictly used Bootcamp, and the second I used Bootcamp, BOOSTER, and some of destroyer.
My first attempt was not good. I think Bootcamp is a great resource for those who have forgotten certain subjects like GC & OC and need to relearn. Mike does an AMAZING job explaining GC & OC, but I think when it comes to studying for a standardized exam like the DAT, it is so important to expose yourself to as many questions as possible.
The first time going into the DAT, I made sure to watch every single video for GC and OC. I scored my lowest on GC even though that was what I felt most prepared for.
On OC, I scored the highest (18) and that was because of bootcamp's reaction bank and exam questions.
I had a bit less than 2 months to study for my retake and was finishing school as well as working.
BIO: My second attempt I mainly stuck with Booster. Because I am so big on reading and learning, I read the destroyer biology notes. If you have time, I recommend those over the bootcamp notes just because Dr. Romano gets to the point and tells you everything you need to know in a way that is interesting. I didn't touch bootcamp's notes because I used them the first time and they mentally drained me. You're never going to know everything for biology and the best way to learn is to answer as many questions as you can and learn from your mistakes. BOOSTER does the best with this. I took every single exam and marked every single question I wasn't 100% about. I read the explanations, and learned why the other answer choices were incorrect. I didn't unmark them unless I could answer the question and explain to myself why the answer is correct and the other choices weren't. On my actual exam, I had maybe 10 questions that were SO similar to Booster questions and if it wasn't for taking those practice tests, I wouldn't have improved my score so much. On the bio section, I got a 20. I know they are still updating the feralis notes so while studying for my retake, I didn't have the chance to look over them but I've heard good things.
GC: I only. answered. questions. No videos. You're never going to learn what you're weak in by watching videos. I answered the questions on the compilation section of bootcamp, but I took every single practice test on booster. Their explanations are great and are repeated multiple times under different questions with the same concept, which I think is good because repetition is key. You start to get the point once you've read the same explanation 10 times and realized these questions are the same but asked in different ways (which is what the DAT is going to do). I don't have much to say other than answer every single question. The night before my exam, I realized I didn't do exam 10 on booster and quickly took it to see if there was any other conceptual concepts I might've missed. BEST decision I made for myself because my actual DAT had 3 questions from that exam. I got a 21 on this section thanks to Booster.
OC: I don't have much to say for this section because it was my worst one this time. I was so short on time and didn't get a chance to answer booster questions. I think if they're so good with Bio & GC, you can't go wrong with their OC section. This time around my exam was only reactions, so know those like the back of your hand. I think Booster would be even better if they had the reaction Qbank (they might be working on one) as well as their test questions in a separate tab so I can see right away what I'm getting right and wrong.
QR: I neglected this section. I took maybe 3 days to study it and used bootcamp. I watched a couple of videos but mainly stuck with answering questions from their updated question bank. The destroyer 2020 has like 150 questions and I did all of those too. All I can say it don't drag to start with QR and get in at least a few questions a day when you first start studying so you're not stressed out like I was. I got an 18 on this section and it might've just been luck.
PAT: BOOOOOSTER. Their generators and tests are the best. They don't have a TFE generator so I did use the bootcamp compilation TFE (from tests). I eventually started taking the booster tests and marked every single TFE & keyhole question so I could keep practicing them. I was terrible at keyholes. Starting out, I would get a few right if I was lucky, but with practice, I eventually was getting 12/15. I don't think videos can help you for this section. It's just practice. You're not going to do great starting out, but one day it's going to click. Do maybe 15 questions from a couple different sections every day from Booster and you'll get the hang of it. Hole punching was my favorite section ever and Booster's generators and tests were so fun to me. I didn't draw out the grid or anything. I worked backwards which I highly recommend. I got a 19 on this section.
Reading: Practice the exams and the daily readings on booster. You have 8 mins to read a short passage and answer 5 questions. Practice Practice Practice. This section wasn't as easy as I thought and the only way you can improve is by taking practice exams.
I got a 20 on my second attempt. This was 5 points higher than my first attempt. I do want to retake because I know I can probably do much better with more time now that I know I should be using Booster & possibly destroyer to the best of my ability. This post my lengthy but I hope it helps!
My first attempt was not good. I think Bootcamp is a great resource for those who have forgotten certain subjects like GC & OC and need to relearn. Mike does an AMAZING job explaining GC & OC, but I think when it comes to studying for a standardized exam like the DAT, it is so important to expose yourself to as many questions as possible.
The first time going into the DAT, I made sure to watch every single video for GC and OC. I scored my lowest on GC even though that was what I felt most prepared for.
On OC, I scored the highest (18) and that was because of bootcamp's reaction bank and exam questions.
I had a bit less than 2 months to study for my retake and was finishing school as well as working.
BIO: My second attempt I mainly stuck with Booster. Because I am so big on reading and learning, I read the destroyer biology notes. If you have time, I recommend those over the bootcamp notes just because Dr. Romano gets to the point and tells you everything you need to know in a way that is interesting. I didn't touch bootcamp's notes because I used them the first time and they mentally drained me. You're never going to know everything for biology and the best way to learn is to answer as many questions as you can and learn from your mistakes. BOOSTER does the best with this. I took every single exam and marked every single question I wasn't 100% about. I read the explanations, and learned why the other answer choices were incorrect. I didn't unmark them unless I could answer the question and explain to myself why the answer is correct and the other choices weren't. On my actual exam, I had maybe 10 questions that were SO similar to Booster questions and if it wasn't for taking those practice tests, I wouldn't have improved my score so much. On the bio section, I got a 20. I know they are still updating the feralis notes so while studying for my retake, I didn't have the chance to look over them but I've heard good things.
GC: I only. answered. questions. No videos. You're never going to learn what you're weak in by watching videos. I answered the questions on the compilation section of bootcamp, but I took every single practice test on booster. Their explanations are great and are repeated multiple times under different questions with the same concept, which I think is good because repetition is key. You start to get the point once you've read the same explanation 10 times and realized these questions are the same but asked in different ways (which is what the DAT is going to do). I don't have much to say other than answer every single question. The night before my exam, I realized I didn't do exam 10 on booster and quickly took it to see if there was any other conceptual concepts I might've missed. BEST decision I made for myself because my actual DAT had 3 questions from that exam. I got a 21 on this section thanks to Booster.
OC: I don't have much to say for this section because it was my worst one this time. I was so short on time and didn't get a chance to answer booster questions. I think if they're so good with Bio & GC, you can't go wrong with their OC section. This time around my exam was only reactions, so know those like the back of your hand. I think Booster would be even better if they had the reaction Qbank (they might be working on one) as well as their test questions in a separate tab so I can see right away what I'm getting right and wrong.
QR: I neglected this section. I took maybe 3 days to study it and used bootcamp. I watched a couple of videos but mainly stuck with answering questions from their updated question bank. The destroyer 2020 has like 150 questions and I did all of those too. All I can say it don't drag to start with QR and get in at least a few questions a day when you first start studying so you're not stressed out like I was. I got an 18 on this section and it might've just been luck.
PAT: BOOOOOSTER. Their generators and tests are the best. They don't have a TFE generator so I did use the bootcamp compilation TFE (from tests). I eventually started taking the booster tests and marked every single TFE & keyhole question so I could keep practicing them. I was terrible at keyholes. Starting out, I would get a few right if I was lucky, but with practice, I eventually was getting 12/15. I don't think videos can help you for this section. It's just practice. You're not going to do great starting out, but one day it's going to click. Do maybe 15 questions from a couple different sections every day from Booster and you'll get the hang of it. Hole punching was my favorite section ever and Booster's generators and tests were so fun to me. I didn't draw out the grid or anything. I worked backwards which I highly recommend. I got a 19 on this section.
Reading: Practice the exams and the daily readings on booster. You have 8 mins to read a short passage and answer 5 questions. Practice Practice Practice. This section wasn't as easy as I thought and the only way you can improve is by taking practice exams.
I got a 20 on my second attempt. This was 5 points higher than my first attempt. I do want to retake because I know I can probably do much better with more time now that I know I should be using Booster & possibly destroyer to the best of my ability. This post my lengthy but I hope it helps!
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Congratulations! Great scores and quite an improvement from round 1. These scores with a strong application will get you interviews with dental schools. Thank you for giving back to the SDN community.
