Is It Worth Getting Dat Bootcamp Again

Dental Admission Exam: Exercise it correct, practise it one time.

Like the championship says, if you can report effectively and efficiently for this painful test, you don't accept to dish out another hundreds of dollars ($460.00) and relive the stress and anxiety episodes all over again. I am going to share my experiences, the resources I used, the strategies I tried, and all the above to assistance me get the score I got. But think, my method worked for me and may not work for you. Take information technology with a grain of salt and structure your strategy in a way that works for you. If someone similar me can get a score like this so chances are y'all accept the potential to practice even better.

Brief Background Most the DAT:

The dreaded dental admission test (DAT) is a computerized standardized exam all students have at some point in their undergraduate years or afterward graduation. Kind of like how we all had to take the ACT or Sat to use to college, the DAT is that examination students need for admission into dental schoolhouse. As you can encounter from the photo, in that location are 6 total sections students are tested on. The test (with tutorials and optional break included) totals to 5 hours in length….talk about a marathon. Most dental school grade profiles take acceptances of AA scores ranging from 18–21. Anything above that and so y'all are in good shape. I won't elevate on too much virtually the details simply you tin can detect more information in the DAT guide on the American Dental Clan website.

DAT Written report Schedule:

For me specifically, I defended 3 whole months (Jan-March) studying for this test while taking i form: Organic Chemistry 2 lab. I usually woke up between 9–10am and started my day of studying post-obit Ari's Schedule and studied the entire day (except during lab hours) before going to bed at 12–1am. This schedule is a 10 week schedule (five weeks learning the material and so 5 weeks of practicing/testing/reviewing). At that place were many days where I fell behind or needed more time to focus on certain topics/problem-sets and so don't feel discouraged if y'all start to fall backside. This schedule is only a GUIDE, remember that.

Accept the time you need in order to learn the material, don't compare yourself to others who took less fourth dimension/worked role fourth dimension/took classes and did well…they are non you and your way of learning and preparing is different from theirs. The biggest mistake you tin can brand is downplaying yourself past comparing to others.

At present some of you probably don't retrieve you lot tin or fifty-fifty desire to report 10+ hours a solar day like I did, but what I did was farthermost. I am generally bad with timed/standardized tests. I had many nightmares about the SAT during that phase of my life and it stressed the hell out of me because I always under-performed compared to mock practice exams I took out of the CollegeBoard books. Throughout undergrad, I had plenty of experiences where I could have and should take washed better on exams but I was always a bit slower in finding the correct thought procedure than my peers, especially under timed atmospheric condition. Now with another standardized test at my doorstep with even greater weight and all those past experiences haunting me, I decided to practice annihilation and everything possible to make sure I didn't screw this up. This meant that 6 out of the vii days in the week I gave upward my social life, my gym life, and literally barricaded myself in my room.

But I couldn't proceed upward that streak forever. I ended up having a couple "cheat" days where I but decided not to written report and practice something relaxing like play Overwatch/PUBG, watch a flick, play sports, or drink with friends. This was very much needed considering I had episodes where I thought I was going crazy…have advantage of rest days and don't worry if you need more than than the schedule suggests.

Main resources I used were:

• DAT Bootcamp (used to be $247 for 90 days, now is $347 for xc days)
• DAT Destroyer (orgo, gen chem, bio, QR) + Math Destroyer Combo ($199.95)
• Chad's Videos ($l per calendar month)
• Dr. Romano'south Biology Notes (free on DAT Destroyer Study Group Facebook folio in "files")
• Dr. Romano Orgoman practice problem videos on YouTube (costless)
• DAT Bootcamp Study Group on Facebook
• DAT Destroyer Written report Group on Facebook

How I split up the topics:

• For the review phase of Ari'south Schedule, I followed it almost exactly. However, later on week 5 information technology got hard to follow all the problem sets AND reviewing my incorrect answers AND studying other areas.
• For weeks 5–x I decided to break it up:

Dominicus, Tuesday, Thursday = PAT, Math, Reading Comp.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday = Biology, Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry.

• Ii weeks before my exam date, I did fully-timed mock exams first thing in the morning, took an hr break, and then began reviewing the incorrect answers. DAT Bootcamp provides v of those and I did one every other day while keep reviewing on the days I didn't take it. This part is draining but information technology helps y'all get used to how yous'll experience throughout the actual examination.

At present to break it downwards per section…

Perceptual Ability:

Resources: DAT Bootcamp

I actually had the near fun with this section because I am a very visual learner. My experiences in sports, gaming, and designing helped me commencement off with a strong foot in this department but I was still nowhere perfect.

There is no better resource than DAT Bootcamp for this section. The all-time matter about DAT Bootcamp are the generators and large number of practice questions for each subsection in the PAT section. If you are weak with bending ranking or keyholes, you lot can practice those specific questions to your hearts content. I noticed that this is generally a hard section for many students because they never had this kind of exposure in their curriculum equally a tradition science major (Bio, Chem, BioChem, etc.) But don't worry, this section is all about practice and you will amend with time. Sounds novel correct?

You need to train your brain to see these shapes, to recognize patterns, to rotate objects in your caput, and to pick out subtle differences in objects just like a dentists will need to do with patients.

Strategy:

• Practice this DAILY.
• Following Ari's guide, practice sets of 15 initially untimed to raise accuracy. It is very important that you beginning developing mini-strategies for certain types of issues, peculiarly with angle ranking, keyhole, and pattern folding.
• Subsequently many many practice issues and at present you experience somewhat comfy, aim for speed and see how many and how accurately you can practice 15 problems in ten minutes. Y'all will likely see that your accuracy sinks when you lot do this…that is OKAY. You lot are now training your brain to recognize these patters faster and as a result accuracy will suffer initially. This will ameliorate over time.
• Once you are comfortable with the speed and accuracy improves even by a little bit, now you tin start focusing on your weak sections. My weak sections were Keyhole and Angle Ranking. Those sections would often take me the longest (12–fifteen minutes for 15 questions). Keyhole I would often miss 5 or 6 questions. Angle ranking I would often miss seven or viii questions.
• Specifically with angle ranking, I struggled the near with obtuse angles and Bootcamp is notorious for giving you difficult birdbrained angle issues. I ever tried imagining a right bending and visualize which supplementary angle was larger and go from there.
• For astute angles, what really helped me was thinking these were precipitous teeth or pointy objects and trying to encounter which I don't desire to be poked/bitten with. The smaller the bending, the sharper the object…and I would rank from there.
• For angles with one curt side and one long side, I would just drag my mouse along the shorter side to run across how it would await if that side was longer and compare from there.
• Other strategies is elementary process of emptying by looking at the answer choices and seeing which are falsely ranked that you lot can hands distinguish. For instance, if you know bending 4 is for sure larger than angle 3 so eliminate all answer choices that say otherwise.
• On the actual DAT there's a specific order of which sections start kickoff: (Keyhole, TFE, Angle Ranking, Pigsty Punching, Cube Counting, Pattern Folding). I tried jumping effectually doing the sections I was most comfortable with first only that was likewise much a hassle then I just skilful going through sections in the same order as the DAT and if I defenseless myself taking too long in a department, I marked and moved onto the adjacent department.
• Once you recognize which sections take you longer/shorter, you can estimate how much longer you tin can spend in other sections.
• I can't emphasize enough to practice practice practice.

The Bootcamp questions are meant to be challenging. You Will get many wrong because it is designed to exist more difficult than what yous may come across on the actual DAT. And so don't freak out if you're not doing well, everyone else beyond the land is experiencing the same thing. There were days where I did very well and missed 1–2 from each section. Then there were days where I missed half from some sections. Just keep practicing and understanding what you got wrong and why.

DAT Bootcamp Scores: |20|xx|21|20|twenty|

Quantitative Reasoning:

Resources: DAT Bootcamp and DAT Math Destroyer

Kind of similar the PAT section, I always enjoyed math because of how absolute an reply was. At that place was no subjective answer. It was either correct or wrong. Once again with this section though I sympathise not many pre-dental students fancy mathematics and accept not even revisited math after taking their basic requirements freshman/sophomore twelvemonth. Merely once more, with practice yous can catch up and master these bug.

DAT Bootcamp provides some videos that tin refresh your memory on these topics and you can even find videos on YouTube to assistance supplement if you demand. This department is all about practice problems and getting exposed to equally many unlike problem types equally possible. You volition see a general design in the type of problems they commonly enquire and the mode to solve those problems. DAT Bootcamp is proficient considering information technology has do sets for each topic specifically (Applied Mathematics, Geometry, Statistics, etc) and besides has many Quantitative Comparison questions which is a newly added question type on the DAT to supplant trigonometry issues. Yup that's right, in that location are NO More than trigonometry problems.

DAT Math Destroyer is a book filled with a TON of do tests (xl questions each) that volition challenge your understanding of the math concepts farther. The destroyer books are known to be more hard and discouraging to many students merely that is how you learn! These two resources will definitely prepare you well for the DAT.

Past facing your weaknesses, you lot will realize how much more you are capable of. Don't be afraid because yous "are not a math person". Face your fears, fail forward, and fail oft to learn as much equally you tin can.

Strategy:

• Review the videos provided by DAT Bootcamp on the math topics covered on the DAT. If a topic or video doesn't make sense, either post/enquire about it in the Facebook grouping or wait for supplemental videos on YouTube to better aid your understanding.
• TAKE YOUR Time REVIEWING. You virtually likely have not seen this textile in a looong time so expecting you to become information technology downwardly right away is unrealistic.
• Exercise practice questions/tests in accordance to Ari's schedule initially. These tests will be untimed at beginning, then timed later. Information technology is VERY VERY important that you review the right answers and why your thought process or answer was wrong. Information technology's not virtually doing the most amount of problems, it's well-nigh understanding each problem you practise.
• After going through the Destroyer book fully one time and a few Bootcamp tests, make a note of what your weak areas are. You likewise can beginning branching manner from Ari's schedule at this betoken because with his schedule, you'll repeatedly exercise full length practice tests which will consume up time when instead yous could use that fourth dimension to focus on your weak areas specifically and non waste fourth dimension on questions yous're already comfortable with.
• Utilize DAT bootcamp's specific subject bug and practice practice do on the weak areas.

My weak areas were statistics, applied mathematics, and quantitative comparison. I used to get those questions wrong every time I saw them. All the same, with enough practice I saw full general patterns in statistic questions. I became ameliorate at interpreting the applied mathematics questions, and better at thinking of scenarios to answer the quantitative comparison questions.

DAT Bootcamp Scores: |xx|xx|20|

Reading Comprehension:

Resources: DAT Bootcamp, Scientific American manufactures, DAT Destroyer Facebook Group articles

I was the most scared for this department…and biological science which I will get to later. Reading comprehension was always non my forte because I hated reading as a kid. I hated the books they would make the states read at school and never found them highly-seasoned or interesting. Even during the SAT, I grudged through the passages. Reading comprehension was e'er one of my everyman scoring sections and I would always migrate in and out while reading the paragraphs, translate something wrong, or forget what I just read and only proceed reading. The first several DAT Bootcamp reading comprehension tests I took I got a 15. I began to think I would always exist bad at reading comprehension, but I refused to accept that.

Unfortunately, this is weird section to set up for because all you tin do is….well, read.

I initially avoided this department as much as I could. Why? Considering this was a WEAK section for me and I all the same hated reading boring articles. But I knew I needed to overcome my fears and gradually forced myself to read more and modify how I viewed reading. This shift in mindset is crucial with whatsoever section y'all are scared of in the DAT.

Strategy:

• Make information technology a habit to read a scientific commodity daily. Then throughout the day try to remember what the article was about, perhaps talk about what you read with a friend or with family to assistance your recall memory.
• Betrayal yourself to a broad range of commodity topics. If you struggle with biology articles or chemical science articles then seek those out and read those more.
• Try a agglomeration of strategies proposed in DAT Bootcamp (Search and Destroy, Vicviper, Vanilla Method, etc). Run across what works best for you and so create your own strategy based off of that.
• I didn't like whatever of those strategies so I merely made up my own. Anything requiring me to write something downwards bankrupt my concentration. I would waste time writing or thinking of what to write and would have to glance down repeatedly to remember what I wrote…it was just a mess. Then what I did was read v paragraphs every bit thoroughly as I could be while highlighting what I thought were important dates, facts, words. Then go to the questions and try to answer as many equally possible Simply based off of what you read so far. Now at this point y'all have a full general sense of what the questions are that y'all couldn't respond. Read some other five paragraphs thoroughly while highlighting and repeat the process until you lot are washed with the offset passage. Past breaking it upward this fashion, you are not overloading your caput with tons of facts and yous don't have to worry about searching for a specific fact in 15+ paragraphs. Plus you lot get exposed to all the questions and then every bit you lot continue you read…you may call up "hey that word/fact looks familiar from one of the questions I could not answer before" and it will make the hunt for the answers easier.
• What besides helps is that when reading, keep thinking that this is the best freaking article almost any topic it is of all time. You've probably heard that one but it actually helps a little to get you lot more focused into the passages.

Each strategy volition take time to go used to so again, you volition have to practice to get these strategies down. Choose what is more comfortable with yous… if none of these strategies work for you and so yous will have to create your own that suites you. Also, the reading passages in DAT Bootcamp are meant to be difficult. I would oft become sixteen or 17 on many of the practise tests and would often non finish in time. They are choosing hard reads to fix yous as all-time as possible then don't be discouraged similar I was! Bootcamp besides puts you in the worst-case scenario where the questions are not chronologically presented. I gradually improved my score to average xx on the Bootcamp practice tests and did much better on the actual DAT!

DAT Bootcamp Scores: |less than xv|17|17|18|18|21|

Biological science:

Resource: DAT Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer, Romano'due south Biology notes, YouTube videos

My second about feared department…before taking biological science 1 and 2 in the year of 2017, I had not taken a single biology related course since 2008. Although some of the information was all the same fresh in my caput from form in 2017, at that place was however a lot that I didn't know or understand. What makes this department difficult is the shear volume of topics they can ask you lot well-nigh. But call up, "breath over depth."

I initially started with Cliff's AP Biology tertiary Edition and Feralis Notes every bit many students suggested and read through these once while taking notes. However, I soon realized I was hardly retaining whatsoever of these because they were very very dry out reads. I also found myself returning to the volume/pdf instead of the notes I wrote downwardly so in the stop I was just wasting time writing down notes.

The AP book is informative just not in depth plenty. Feralis Notes are super in depth merely very difficult to read and nothing seemed to menstruation and so I couldn't connect the dots. I used these materials for about 1.5 months before I decided to switch to something else. That something else was Romano'southward Biology notes. His notes were like a hybrid of the the AP book and Feralis Notes and it flowed much better. He runs his own DAT training plan and students generally do well (20+) on the Biology department.

For the practice questions, both DAT Bootcamp and DAT Destroyer are very proficient. Once more, Destroyer questions will be more than difficult but both test your knowledge on the topics well. I take heard some people just use DAT Destroyer and get above 22.

Don't go caught upward too much on the details, merely don't neglect the details. Know these topics enough where y'all tin distinguish it between the other answer choices or at least narrow it downward between two. Think breath over depth and become equally much exposure equally possible.

Strategy:

• Ari's Schedule does not utilize Romano's notes and so you may have to adapt it a little. Romano's notes has a total of 45 chapters with many of them being 10–xv pages each. So for the review phase, you could do 1–2 chapters a twenty-four hour period.
• If y'all demand to spend an actress day or two on a specific chapter to empathize it then do it! Apply YouTube videos to supplement your studying like Khan Academy and picket whenever you can (during your breaks, while you lot're eating, or before y'all get to sleep).
• After fully going through Romano's notes one time, go through the practice questions and take note of your weak topics. Review the answer choices and become back to those topics for farther review.
• I also used the Anki app (free) on my desktop which allowed me to create flashcards, insert pictures (Quizlet you have to upgrade $$ to insert pictures), and kept track of questions that were difficult for you lot (based on how yous'd rank it) then the app would enquire you those questions the next day.
• I originally made flashcards for each chapter of Romano's notes just realized I couldn't get through reviewing a whole chapter within a twenty-four hours and oftentimes never reviewed some capacity I fabricated flashcards for so I shifted strategies again and just made a set with questions I got wrong, the answer choice, and the explanation. This I reviewed every mean solar day.
• Utilize DAT Bootcamp's mnemonics!
• This is a section that yous will constantly have to review until the very last 24-hour interval since this is a ton of information.

When I get-go started this section I was getting a "less than 14" on my score reports. That'southward literally what information technology said. It was very discouraging because I kept getting low scores since I plain didn't know everything. But instead of sulking over information technology, I took every defeat as an exciting opportunity to add to my knowledge. And so I was happy when I saw a xix on my score report because that was ameliorate than most of my score reports throughout DAT Bootcamp.

DAT Bootcamp Scores:|less than fourteen|15| 15|

Chemical science and Organic Chemistry:

Resource: DAT Bootcamp, DAT Destroyer, Orgoman YouTube videos, Republic of chad'south Videos

The aforementioned strategies can be applied to both and so I volition combine them here. In that location are ii main review sources that are probably the best ones out in that location: Republic of chad's Videos and Mike's Videos. DAT Bootcamp subscription comes with Mike'southward Videos but Republic of chad'south Videos are something divide which you'll take to pay actress for. I personally didn't like the way Mike talked or executed his videos. He seemed a bit cocky and talked with a "you lot should know this and if you don't you're stupid" kind of tone. I liked Republic of chad'due south Videos because he was engaging, respectable, and his notes were also spot on with what to expect on the bodily DAT. I've heard that Mike's Videos also prepare you lot well, information technology's just a thing of personal preference.

Even if y'all did bad in your undergrad classes or had nightmarish experiences, these will non be equally bad! The DAT covers general topics and doesn't dive also deep into each concept like in your classes at school. However, there is still some level of proficiency you volition demand to take. I accept read testimonies of people who did bad in their undergrad chemistry and organic chemistry classes but manage to pull twenty+ scores. Information technology's possible!

Strategy:

• Review Chemical science and Organic Chemistry through either Chad's/Mike's videos. Both comprehensively cover the topics that yous'll need to know for the DAT. This should take about 5 weeks or less depending on how many lessons you lot go through in the day.
• Take notes as you become through the videos and if you lot need to spend more time on a certain topic, practise information technology.
• When yous showtime hitting practise issues, it volition start off untimed at commencement then you can showtime to get in the rhythm of things and eventually you will start doing timed tests/practice question sets. Tape and review all questions you get wrong.
• Both sections have specific subsection topics on DAT Bootcamp for extra practice if y'all're weak in a specific area.
• DAT Destroyer is definitely more difficult than DAT Bootcamp merely develops your agreement of the material on a deeper level and is first-class practice. Information technology besides has reaction Roadmaps that are really helpful to memorize. These will help yous breeze through reaction related questions on the real exam. DAT Bootcamp too has their own version of reaction roadmaps which is likewise good and so utilize both!
• Supplement these with watching Orgoman videos on YouTube! Information technology's a dainty low-cal, quick review with videos being around 4–7 minutes long and Dr. Romano uploads videos on a daily basis.

I actually enjoyed Chemistry and Organic Chemistry since Chemical science was half math, half conceptual and Organic Chemistry was one-half reactions, half conceptual. At that place were a few sections I struggled with both on the conceptual side merely with plenty do and exposure, you will improve your scores.

DAT Bootcamp Scores (Chemistry): |19|18|xix|17|21|

DAT Bootcamp Scores (Organic): |19|21|17|20|

ii Weeks Earlier Your Test Date:

At present that you lot've grinded up to this point, you lot should kickoff taking the five full-length practice tests under similar testing conditions provided by DAT Bootcamp. This means observe a place where no one volition disturb y'all for five hours and go through an entire practise test. After you should take a break and come back to review the questions you got wrong. This volition status you so that when the actual test solar day comes, yous volition have gone through the motions and y'all information technology will be like a casual practice test day.

At this point you will feel like you lot desire to die. You will be and then tired of studying and you might even recollect "F$#yard this" but this is the concluding stretch of the marathon. You will be at your limits and anxiety volition have started to kicking in. It is mostly important to not get discouraged by the full-length do test scores. Keep focused with the mindset "what did I do wrong, what can I learn from this" and motion on. Exercise non freak out and dwell on that yous didn't practice too as you wanted.

Practice Test 1–5 Scores:

• Biological science 19 | Chemistry 24 | Organic 20 | PAT 24 | RC 23 | QR 20 |
• Biological science 15 | Chemistry xix | Organic 20 | PAT 28 | RC 19 | QR 22 |
• Biology xvi | Chemistry 26 | Organic 18 | PAT 26 | RC 21 | QR nineteen |
• Biology 26 | Chemical science 22 | Organic 21 | PAT 23 | RC 19| QR 24 |
• Biology 21 | Chemistry 21 | Organic 21 | PAT 24 | RC 21 | QR 22 |

If you need to push your examination date back considering you KNOW you are not prepare then push it back. At that place is no shame in that. Paying a small actress fee is better than paying for another full test. I was scheduled to take the DAT after two months of studying but I was not ready so I pushed it back one more month and am glad I did.

Closing thoughts:

Past now I am certain you see a mutual theme in my strategies. You demand to face your fears, tackle each problem as an opportunity to learn something, keep a positive attitude despite your failures, accept that past experiences don't take to exist the nowadays or time to come, and always review your answers to understand the what and why of the questions/answer choices. Y'all don't need tons of resources around you. You merely need to use a few resources the right manner.

I am not some super smart person who eases through classes. I am just a hard worker. I have had many times in the past where my difficult work would non even compare to some of my peers. I always complained how unfair things were. I would spend long nights producing the same result my classmates could exercise in 1 hr. Only despite all of this I knew that I had one thing going for me: grit. You should NEVER give up. Keep trying, continue failing, keep learning…one day you will see the result of all your sacrifice and hard work. You don't accept to be a prisoner to your past experiences and y'all certainly are not predisposed to have a certain level of intelligence. That is a fixed mindset and you need to scrap that if you desire to go along on the road toward success.

Y'all have every capacity to accomplish these scores and even do meliorate. Y'all demand to be aware of what works for you and what doesn't. Change your strategies if they aren't working. Put yourself in a setting where there is less distraction and so you can focus. Cake social media when you study and then yous are not breaking your concentration. Do what is necessary for yous do the best y'all possibly can.

Temporary pain and sacrifice tin can lead you lot to a lifetime of opportunity. This is a test you want to take once, the right way. Do NOT compare your journey to someone else's. You accept been raised nether different conditions and have lived a different life from anybody else. Employ other people's journeys as inspiration and references merely don't try to mold your life into theirs.

I promise this helps those on their journey into dental school. Skillful luck studying and recollect that yous are not solitary in this journey. Be open to support effectually yous and don't shut yourself off. Do what yous need to then you don't go insane in the procedure. You can do this.

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Source: https://soohan-chung.medium.com/dental-admissions-test-do-it-right-do-it-once-b0fc2752c881

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