Hey everyone! I hope all of your studies are going well. I wanted to drop a breakdown of my scores using DAT Bootcamp and answer any questions y'all had on the process or the test itself. As a note, I am applying this current cycle and took the DAT in late May.
AA: 27
TS: 25
PAT: 22
QR: 28
RC: 27
BIO: 30
GC: 23
OC: 25
My not-so-perfect study timeline and warnings for those who haven't started yet:
I used the DAT Bootcamp 90-day subscription and began studying while I was still in school finishing up my junior year. I would say that while this allowed me to take the DAT relatively early on in the application cycle, I underestimated just how much content there was to prepare for and it forced me to spend my last 2 weeks before the exam studying about 8-10 hours a day once my finals had wrapped up. While that piece of information is not to say that it is impossible to study for the DAT while in school.. if you're having a particularly hard semester or feel you won't be able to manage both class work and 1-3 hours of DAT studying per day then I would look to study during a summer or gap year. I would love to hear others' opinions in the comments on when you studied and how beneficial you thought your timeline was.
My biggest piece of advice/What to focus on:
I used/looked at nearly every piece of content on DAT Bootcamp and I think that is one of the reasons I was so prepared for the exam. However, if you're short on time or wondering what to focus on the most, I would 100% advocate for the practice exams (both the full-length tests and the subject tests). If you know how to use the practice test well then it can become your best friend when filling in the gaps in your knowledge. I treated my studying as 2 different phases, with the first portion of my work going into watching all of the lectures and completing most of the question banks, and the second phase of my studying mainly consisting of doing 2-3 practice subject tests a day with a thorough review after each test.
How I utilized the practice tests for success:
Again, I think the practice tests were the most representative and useful study tools I used when preparing for the real DAT. It is important that you do some (I recommend trying all) of the practice tests in order to gain a sense of pace when completing sections with tight time constraints like the RC and PAT sections. It is also important to prepare yourself for the length of the test and make sure that you are familiar with and comfortable with the long periods of question answering.
After completing a practice exam, I would immediately go into reviewing both what I got wrong AND anything I guessed on or wasn't 100% sure about (mark these questions during the test). I would make sure to read any info they had below the question or watch the answer videos until I had a good level of understanding of the topic and understood why I got it wrong. This will benefit you much more if you utilize all 10 practice tests for each subject because you will be exposed to a much wider range of questions and you are more likely to find the gaps in your knowledge. Doing many of the practice exams also allows Bootcamp to obtain and present you with data on the specific subjects you struggle with the most. This will allow you to do targeted studying when you're not taking practice exams. *More about that in the Bio section*
PAT:
The PAT portion of the exam was the part that I spent nearly the least amount of time studying for, but was something that I quickly got better at after finding the strategies that worked the best for me through the PAT chapter videos. The keyhole and TFE sections came the easiest for me and this was confirmed by my practice test results where I would get 10-13 of the 15 TFE questions but then 5-7 of the pattern folding or hole punch questions. Understanding this, I dedicated most of my PAT study time to practicing my worst sections. I would rewatch the PAT Academy videos and really try to implement their strategies into my own practice. I wouldn't say that I gave myself enough study time to fully perform to the best of my abilities but focusing on my weaknesses definitely did help improve my score when it came to the real thing.
QR:
The QR section was a surprisingly hard section for me when I did my first practice exam on Bootcamp. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS CONTENT. I guess it had been a while since I had done that kind of math and I just assumed I would be able to figure it out with little preparation, but I was wrong about that. MY BIGGEST TIP is that all the questions they ask you will follow a certain format and you can almost guarantee that many of the questions you see on the real DAT will be Bootcamp practice questions with the numbers changed. Because of this, I would recommend dedicating your time to the practice exam questions and really understanding the format of the question and the pitfalls that come with it. Focus less on the specific numbers or answer for that one problem, and instead be sure that you know how to solve that type of question if you ever saw it again with different numbers. Repetition repetition repetition helped me the most in this section. Be sure you've seen all their question formats and you'll be prepared for almost anything they throw at you.
RC:
Reading comp was my best section out of the gates when I started Bootcamp. I used a mixture of vanilla and search and destroy to finish my RC section because I would usually be running very low on time during my 3rd passage. I felt more comfortable reading vanilla and saw better performance from it, so I utilized that for my first 2 passages but then fell upon search and destroy as my low-time strategy. I would say that, again, it is important to at least do some of the practice tests to understand how you deal with the time constraints. I personally had to make a strategy change because I wasn't moving fast enough and you may end up doing something similar to that as well. Experiment with the variety of RC strategies and see which one works best for you.
BIO:
My approach to the biology section revolved around keeping the material fresh in my mind and practicing recall of the material as often as I could. I used both the question banks and the practice exams to strengthen my recall and used my data from the practice exams to see which area of biology I struggled with the most. In my case, I was doing the worst on reproductive bio and genetics so this is when I utilized the High-Yield Biology notes to refresh myself on the material without spending hours watching the chapter videos. For me, I would look over my worst sections in the high-yield notes to make sure that the content felt fresh and familiar in my mind before test day. I think I did so well on the bio section because I would give a dedicated effort to understand every question I got wrong on the practice exams. I would not exit the review until I felt I got a little better at each question I missed. In doing so, I definitely over-prepared for the bio section and thought the real DAT was much broader and easier than the Bootcamp practice exams.
GC:
My preparation for the GC section mainly consisted of reviewing the equation sheet and making sure I knew how to handle the math portions of the GC section. However, Dr. Mike’s videos for this section are AMAZING! if you ever feel like you're not understanding a portion of the material, this is where I would actually recommend rewatching his videos and trying to practice what he is teaching in real-time by completing the practice questions he lays out for you.
OC:
The OC section was my worst section going into Bootcamps and I continued to struggle with it throughout my studying. I am actually surprised my GC was lower than my OC but I guess the extra time I put into OC paid off. Understanding the "basics" of OC really does prepare you for the application of the material on the test. I spent a lot of time talking to myself and trying to understand the ins and outs of how acids and bases react with certain functional groups and how that creates unique mechanisms which are utilized in different reactions. It also might seem obvious but try your best to understand the reaction list and avoid simply memorizing it. Many reactions will often have a key reagent that gives away what it does, so if you can find certain parts of the reaction that stand out to you, you can spend less time memorizing and focus more time and understanding how different functional groups react with one another. Again, Dr. Mike is amazing with his videos here. Review them and complete his practice questions if you feel you are still lacking in a certain area of OC.
Summary:
DAT Bootcamp was an amazing resource for my studying and I would have most likely been lost without it. What I wish I would have known before starting the process is 1) Do not underestimate how much there is to review and it will be much easier and less stressful if you break it up into smaller chunks over time. 2) Enjoy the process as much as you can. It is crucial that you give yourself breaks in between studying or days to destress and have fun. I personally took a few days to go play volleyball with my friends instead of studying and while I was missing out on study time, I felt more motivated and refreshed after exercising and having fun.
I hope this info helps some of you prepare for your exam. Remember that you got this and it is not the end of the world if it doesn't go well this time. I met many dental students at my state school who got in after taking the DAT 2 or 3 times. However, you need to simultaneously respect the sacrifices you are making to prepare yourself for such an exciting career. Do not slack in your study preparation and you will be rewarded for it down the road. Happy studying everyone!
AA: 27
TS: 25
PAT: 22
QR: 28
RC: 27
BIO: 30
GC: 23
OC: 25
My not-so-perfect study timeline and warnings for those who haven't started yet:
I used the DAT Bootcamp 90-day subscription and began studying while I was still in school finishing up my junior year. I would say that while this allowed me to take the DAT relatively early on in the application cycle, I underestimated just how much content there was to prepare for and it forced me to spend my last 2 weeks before the exam studying about 8-10 hours a day once my finals had wrapped up. While that piece of information is not to say that it is impossible to study for the DAT while in school.. if you're having a particularly hard semester or feel you won't be able to manage both class work and 1-3 hours of DAT studying per day then I would look to study during a summer or gap year. I would love to hear others' opinions in the comments on when you studied and how beneficial you thought your timeline was.
My biggest piece of advice/What to focus on:
I used/looked at nearly every piece of content on DAT Bootcamp and I think that is one of the reasons I was so prepared for the exam. However, if you're short on time or wondering what to focus on the most, I would 100% advocate for the practice exams (both the full-length tests and the subject tests). If you know how to use the practice test well then it can become your best friend when filling in the gaps in your knowledge. I treated my studying as 2 different phases, with the first portion of my work going into watching all of the lectures and completing most of the question banks, and the second phase of my studying mainly consisting of doing 2-3 practice subject tests a day with a thorough review after each test.
How I utilized the practice tests for success:
Again, I think the practice tests were the most representative and useful study tools I used when preparing for the real DAT. It is important that you do some (I recommend trying all) of the practice tests in order to gain a sense of pace when completing sections with tight time constraints like the RC and PAT sections. It is also important to prepare yourself for the length of the test and make sure that you are familiar with and comfortable with the long periods of question answering.
After completing a practice exam, I would immediately go into reviewing both what I got wrong AND anything I guessed on or wasn't 100% sure about (mark these questions during the test). I would make sure to read any info they had below the question or watch the answer videos until I had a good level of understanding of the topic and understood why I got it wrong. This will benefit you much more if you utilize all 10 practice tests for each subject because you will be exposed to a much wider range of questions and you are more likely to find the gaps in your knowledge. Doing many of the practice exams also allows Bootcamp to obtain and present you with data on the specific subjects you struggle with the most. This will allow you to do targeted studying when you're not taking practice exams. *More about that in the Bio section*
PAT:
The PAT portion of the exam was the part that I spent nearly the least amount of time studying for, but was something that I quickly got better at after finding the strategies that worked the best for me through the PAT chapter videos. The keyhole and TFE sections came the easiest for me and this was confirmed by my practice test results where I would get 10-13 of the 15 TFE questions but then 5-7 of the pattern folding or hole punch questions. Understanding this, I dedicated most of my PAT study time to practicing my worst sections. I would rewatch the PAT Academy videos and really try to implement their strategies into my own practice. I wouldn't say that I gave myself enough study time to fully perform to the best of my abilities but focusing on my weaknesses definitely did help improve my score when it came to the real thing.
QR:
The QR section was a surprisingly hard section for me when I did my first practice exam on Bootcamp. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS CONTENT. I guess it had been a while since I had done that kind of math and I just assumed I would be able to figure it out with little preparation, but I was wrong about that. MY BIGGEST TIP is that all the questions they ask you will follow a certain format and you can almost guarantee that many of the questions you see on the real DAT will be Bootcamp practice questions with the numbers changed. Because of this, I would recommend dedicating your time to the practice exam questions and really understanding the format of the question and the pitfalls that come with it. Focus less on the specific numbers or answer for that one problem, and instead be sure that you know how to solve that type of question if you ever saw it again with different numbers. Repetition repetition repetition helped me the most in this section. Be sure you've seen all their question formats and you'll be prepared for almost anything they throw at you.
RC:
Reading comp was my best section out of the gates when I started Bootcamp. I used a mixture of vanilla and search and destroy to finish my RC section because I would usually be running very low on time during my 3rd passage. I felt more comfortable reading vanilla and saw better performance from it, so I utilized that for my first 2 passages but then fell upon search and destroy as my low-time strategy. I would say that, again, it is important to at least do some of the practice tests to understand how you deal with the time constraints. I personally had to make a strategy change because I wasn't moving fast enough and you may end up doing something similar to that as well. Experiment with the variety of RC strategies and see which one works best for you.
BIO:
My approach to the biology section revolved around keeping the material fresh in my mind and practicing recall of the material as often as I could. I used both the question banks and the practice exams to strengthen my recall and used my data from the practice exams to see which area of biology I struggled with the most. In my case, I was doing the worst on reproductive bio and genetics so this is when I utilized the High-Yield Biology notes to refresh myself on the material without spending hours watching the chapter videos. For me, I would look over my worst sections in the high-yield notes to make sure that the content felt fresh and familiar in my mind before test day. I think I did so well on the bio section because I would give a dedicated effort to understand every question I got wrong on the practice exams. I would not exit the review until I felt I got a little better at each question I missed. In doing so, I definitely over-prepared for the bio section and thought the real DAT was much broader and easier than the Bootcamp practice exams.
GC:
My preparation for the GC section mainly consisted of reviewing the equation sheet and making sure I knew how to handle the math portions of the GC section. However, Dr. Mike’s videos for this section are AMAZING! if you ever feel like you're not understanding a portion of the material, this is where I would actually recommend rewatching his videos and trying to practice what he is teaching in real-time by completing the practice questions he lays out for you.
OC:
The OC section was my worst section going into Bootcamps and I continued to struggle with it throughout my studying. I am actually surprised my GC was lower than my OC but I guess the extra time I put into OC paid off. Understanding the "basics" of OC really does prepare you for the application of the material on the test. I spent a lot of time talking to myself and trying to understand the ins and outs of how acids and bases react with certain functional groups and how that creates unique mechanisms which are utilized in different reactions. It also might seem obvious but try your best to understand the reaction list and avoid simply memorizing it. Many reactions will often have a key reagent that gives away what it does, so if you can find certain parts of the reaction that stand out to you, you can spend less time memorizing and focus more time and understanding how different functional groups react with one another. Again, Dr. Mike is amazing with his videos here. Review them and complete his practice questions if you feel you are still lacking in a certain area of OC.
Summary:
DAT Bootcamp was an amazing resource for my studying and I would have most likely been lost without it. What I wish I would have known before starting the process is 1) Do not underestimate how much there is to review and it will be much easier and less stressful if you break it up into smaller chunks over time. 2) Enjoy the process as much as you can. It is crucial that you give yourself breaks in between studying or days to destress and have fun. I personally took a few days to go play volleyball with my friends instead of studying and while I was missing out on study time, I felt more motivated and refreshed after exercising and having fun.
I hope this info helps some of you prepare for your exam. Remember that you got this and it is not the end of the world if it doesn't go well this time. I met many dental students at my state school who got in after taking the DAT 2 or 3 times. However, you need to simultaneously respect the sacrifices you are making to prepare yourself for such an exciting career. Do not slack in your study preparation and you will be rewarded for it down the road. Happy studying everyone!
