DAT 101 | TTB

The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is a rough 5-hour test that tests you on all the difficult science content you’ve learnt over the years. While studying for the DAT is by no means easy, having the right mindset and a study plan will help you achieve the score you want.

• Make a study plan

Most students found the best DAT study schedule is 3 to 6 hours of work per day for 3 to 6 months. They’ve found having rewards, breaks and limitations in review materials helped them achieve the score they needed for dental school.

• Practice

There are a few steps to this: reading, questions and review.

• Reading

Start by reading chapters and making notes on them. You may want to further consolidate your learning by watching science review videos.

• Questions for Review

Next, complete the chapter review questions so you get feedback on your understanding of the chapter material.

Once that is done, have a go at some full-length DAT practice tests.

After a test, make notes on the areas that you struggled in and study them more. You can make flashcards with the practice questions you would get wrong followed by the right answer and a detailed explanation for why it is correct. Review the cards whenever you can.

• Take care of yourself

Eat, sleep, exercise, be social, and get enough sleep. Don’t be a zombie; it’ll be harder to remember content when you’re tired physically and mentally. Becoming a doctor of dentistry will be difficult. But the culmination of your efforts will make the whole experience worth it.

Effective DAT Books / Resources

Achieving a good DAT score means limiting your study materials, as too many materials may lead you to rush through and not perform as well as you could. The key here is to stick to three or fewer study resources that fit your needs. Some of the best resources we’ve found on the market include…

DAT Bootcamp and DAT Destroyer both provide hundreds of practice questions to study with. DAT Bootcamp even has a study guide at https://datbootcamp.com/Ari'sStudyGuide.pdf

The Kaplan DAT book has informative chapters as well as good review sections with practice questions.

Chad’s Videos are great if you want to review general and organic chemistry. He explains topics clearly and concisely, plus access to his videos are very affordable.

Crack the DAT is a computer program that comes with videos on how to face the PAT section. It also has practice questions that simulate actual test conditions.

PATBooster is an online resource that provides PAT questions. The program is self-learning; it analyzes a student’s weak spots and generates questions to help them improve in these areas. DATCrusher is the prep course for Canadian cDAT takers. DATCrusher offers over 4000 cDAT questions, 600 videos, and unlimited printable PAT questions.

Written by: Kadence Wong