hi all
I just retook my DAT for the third time.
here is my breakdown for all my attempts.
(first-->second-->third) 2017-->2017-->2018
BIO 18 --> 21 --> 28 (+8)
CHEM 19 --> 25 --> 24 (-1)
OCHEM 15 --> 24 -->30 (+6)
QR 15 --> 21 --> 22 (+1)
PAT 17 --> 21--> 22 (+1)
RC 17 --> 15 --> 18 (+3)
TS 17 --> 23 --> 27 (+4)
AA 17 -->21-->24 (+3)
i just want to say i am finally DONE with DAT. this past 2 years, I've given up so much for this test. this journey definitely was not easy. After I took my DAT for the second time, i was scared for my RC score. I talked to couple dental schools and they told me the cutoffs were 17. Since my GPA is not high, i didn't want any red flag on my DAT so i decided to retake it. It was definitely difficult since i had to balance school and DAT. However, everything was worth it. I won't do a complete breakdown since i already did it on the other thread but i will share what new/old materials i used when i was preparing for the DAT for the third time.
new BIO DYNAMITE NOTES by Dr. Romano. (9/10) This notes is VERY VERY DENSE. This notes really takes you to a further level. to get 21+ this is a must. I want to warn you tho, this notes can be hard to understand so i recommend reading AP BIO Cliff notes before to get a good foundation down. This notes is pretty much cater to the bio section in destroyer book. if you understand this notes, the bio section in the destroyer is piece of cake. This notes is like a textbook that contains 500+pages, so you definitely want to plan on how to approach this notes. it took me 1 month to finish this notes even though i went through Ferali's notes before.
old Ferali's notes (9/10): I read Ferali's notes before i started BIO DYNAMITE NOTES. keep in mind, i already read through Ferali's notes like 3-4 time already (for test 2).
old Chad (12/10): this is what you need to do well on Chem/Ochem. no questions needed. If you understand everything that Chad covers, you should be solid. I probably watched Chad's videos like 10 times to make sure i understood everything.
old DAT destroyer (7/10): it's definitely overkill. but who doesn't like overkill? it's a good practice, however its not a "requirement" like other ppl said. I only did this book twice 3 weeks before the test. I can tell you i probably forgot most of it before i took my test. when you approach this material, just read the explanations of what you got wrong/right. don't get too discouraged by getting too many wrong questions. ALSO, for those who were told that the latest edition is the best but you have an old one, trust me older edition can still do the same job. I used 2016 edition and it still did perfectly fine for me.
old/new Math Destroyer 2018 (9/10): i had 2017 book but this 2018 book included the new style of math questions. I also want to warn you tho, the 2017 book and 2018 are 80% SAME. the questions are worded exactly the same but there are just few extra new quantitative comparison questions. THAT'S IT. and you have only 11 tests instead of 18 tests.
old DAT BOOTCAMP (12/10): this is just gold.idk how to describe it. this is a must! after finishing review notes and doing the destroyer, i used bootcamp to measure where i stood. the explanations were great and PAT portion was great too. DAT bootcamp gives you so much more that any materials that could offer and i can guarantee you that you won't regret it.
new DAT GENIUS: (10/10) i only used this material for RC. The tests were amazing, and i think its very similar to the real DAT. its definitely a great resource to practice your RC.
new Crack the DAT RC: (8/10) this is great practice to start studying. the passages were a bit boring tho and not science related.
2007/2009 ADA DAT test: I only did the science portion for both tests. They were pretty similar to my real DAT. maybe slightly easier.
I think the key here is to work hard and don't take short cuts. If you have been reading SDN for DAT, you already know Bootcamp, Dat destroyer, and Ferali's notes are the MUST materials to do well. But i would want to add Dr. Romano's BIO DYNAMITE NOTES. His notes are very thorough and really pushes your score to another level. I used ferali's notes for second attempt and Dynamites notes for third. (you can see there's a massive improvement just from Dynamite notes). Just keep in mind that everyone is different. i know people have been saying taking DAT for second or third time don't usually improve your scores. That is not true. If you put your heart in it, you will do well. one thing i learned from studying is that you need to explore the materials yourself and see what works the best for you. Don't listen to one person for advice, EVEN that person has years of experience. All in all, I started with really crappy scores. this shows that i'm not like those who scored 30 on their first try. I definitely had to work hard for it. When i took my DAT for the first time, i told myself getting 21 would be a dream. just remember, don't rush. Take your time and you will do great. If you're struggling in studying, especially those who are studying for second/third time (or even fourth), DON"T WORRY. you are not alone. feel free to message me if you want a more complete breakdown.
I just retook my DAT for the third time.
here is my breakdown for all my attempts.
(first-->second-->third) 2017-->2017-->2018
BIO 18 --> 21 --> 28 (+8)
CHEM 19 --> 25 --> 24 (-1)
OCHEM 15 --> 24 -->30 (+6)
QR 15 --> 21 --> 22 (+1)
PAT 17 --> 21--> 22 (+1)
RC 17 --> 15 --> 18 (+3)
TS 17 --> 23 --> 27 (+4)
AA 17 -->21-->24 (+3)
i just want to say i am finally DONE with DAT. this past 2 years, I've given up so much for this test. this journey definitely was not easy. After I took my DAT for the second time, i was scared for my RC score. I talked to couple dental schools and they told me the cutoffs were 17. Since my GPA is not high, i didn't want any red flag on my DAT so i decided to retake it. It was definitely difficult since i had to balance school and DAT. However, everything was worth it. I won't do a complete breakdown since i already did it on the other thread but i will share what new/old materials i used when i was preparing for the DAT for the third time.
new BIO DYNAMITE NOTES by Dr. Romano. (9/10) This notes is VERY VERY DENSE. This notes really takes you to a further level. to get 21+ this is a must. I want to warn you tho, this notes can be hard to understand so i recommend reading AP BIO Cliff notes before to get a good foundation down. This notes is pretty much cater to the bio section in destroyer book. if you understand this notes, the bio section in the destroyer is piece of cake. This notes is like a textbook that contains 500+pages, so you definitely want to plan on how to approach this notes. it took me 1 month to finish this notes even though i went through Ferali's notes before.
old Ferali's notes (9/10): I read Ferali's notes before i started BIO DYNAMITE NOTES. keep in mind, i already read through Ferali's notes like 3-4 time already (for test 2).
old Chad (12/10): this is what you need to do well on Chem/Ochem. no questions needed. If you understand everything that Chad covers, you should be solid. I probably watched Chad's videos like 10 times to make sure i understood everything.
old DAT destroyer (7/10): it's definitely overkill. but who doesn't like overkill? it's a good practice, however its not a "requirement" like other ppl said. I only did this book twice 3 weeks before the test. I can tell you i probably forgot most of it before i took my test. when you approach this material, just read the explanations of what you got wrong/right. don't get too discouraged by getting too many wrong questions. ALSO, for those who were told that the latest edition is the best but you have an old one, trust me older edition can still do the same job. I used 2016 edition and it still did perfectly fine for me.
old/new Math Destroyer 2018 (9/10): i had 2017 book but this 2018 book included the new style of math questions. I also want to warn you tho, the 2017 book and 2018 are 80% SAME. the questions are worded exactly the same but there are just few extra new quantitative comparison questions. THAT'S IT. and you have only 11 tests instead of 18 tests.
old DAT BOOTCAMP (12/10): this is just gold.idk how to describe it. this is a must! after finishing review notes and doing the destroyer, i used bootcamp to measure where i stood. the explanations were great and PAT portion was great too. DAT bootcamp gives you so much more that any materials that could offer and i can guarantee you that you won't regret it.
new DAT GENIUS: (10/10) i only used this material for RC. The tests were amazing, and i think its very similar to the real DAT. its definitely a great resource to practice your RC.
new Crack the DAT RC: (8/10) this is great practice to start studying. the passages were a bit boring tho and not science related.
2007/2009 ADA DAT test: I only did the science portion for both tests. They were pretty similar to my real DAT. maybe slightly easier.
I think the key here is to work hard and don't take short cuts. If you have been reading SDN for DAT, you already know Bootcamp, Dat destroyer, and Ferali's notes are the MUST materials to do well. But i would want to add Dr. Romano's BIO DYNAMITE NOTES. His notes are very thorough and really pushes your score to another level. I used ferali's notes for second attempt and Dynamites notes for third. (you can see there's a massive improvement just from Dynamite notes). Just keep in mind that everyone is different. i know people have been saying taking DAT for second or third time don't usually improve your scores. That is not true. If you put your heart in it, you will do well. one thing i learned from studying is that you need to explore the materials yourself and see what works the best for you. Don't listen to one person for advice, EVEN that person has years of experience. All in all, I started with really crappy scores. this shows that i'm not like those who scored 30 on their first try. I definitely had to work hard for it. When i took my DAT for the first time, i told myself getting 21 would be a dream. just remember, don't rush. Take your time and you will do great. If you're struggling in studying, especially those who are studying for second/third time (or even fourth), DON"T WORRY. you are not alone. feel free to message me if you want a more complete breakdown.
This will be a story to tell during interviews. Real dedication and huge improvement 
