Dental Taking the DAT in the Summer vs. Spring semester

[Question]

Hello! I am a Sophomore in College and my course registration is coming up soon, so I have planned out my next two semesters and it’s going to be a very busy Junior year... my courses require labs and I have other extracurriculars going on such as research and leadership, I will have difficulty dedicating enough time to study for the DAT. I am leaning towards taking it over the summer, but I want to hear what y’all think would be better for my application. Would you take in the Summer or Spring next year?

Thanks

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[Mr.Smile12]

If you take the DAT after organic chemistry, you should be okay. Leverage the boards to line up the resources you will use for DAT Prep while you are finishing off your current courses and obligations.

Unlike the other exams, you don't need to set aside your entire life to study. You also get preliminary scores after you take the test so you know where you stand.

 

[GoSpursGo]

It really comes down to when you will have the most time. I would not squeeze it in during a particularly busy time

 

[Ryxndek]

Depends on how much time you want to spend studying. I studied during my junior fall, around 5 days a week for 2 hours a day for 4 months and took the exam over my winter break. If you plan on applying your senior year, I would recommend you take it during the summer beforehand. But if you're going to apply after junior year id try to get it done before the application opens or take it in June. Since this should still keep you in the early parts of the application cycle and still make your application competitive. Pushing it to the end of the summer could mean your verification doesn't come through until August/September and then you're getting into the late portion of the cycle.

Obviously, do what you feel is best for you, but also try to figure out when you are going to want to apply. If you're taking a gap year then you'll be fine. If you aren't it'll be a little bit of a rush to get everything done in time (prereqs can be planned for competition while applying without putting your app on hold). I'd take the DAT shortly after finishing Ochem 2.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Agree with taking after ochem!