People around me - including my dentists that I interned at - told me to give myself extra time to do practice tests and full length tests. I must say that this was one of the best pieces of advice that I’ve heard, as you truly gain experience of how the tests go and realize how much you need to review all of the material that the DAT can hold.

I developed this strategy for the Reading Comprehension section of the DAT by combining my natural approach with insights gained from practice tests. It blends aspects of the "Vanilla" and "Search and Destroy" methods, emphasizing a balance between understanding the passage and efficiently answering questions.

The DAT is one of the biggest hurdles we have to overcome on our pre-dental journey, and it can often feel daunting and exhausting to study for it. As someone who is on the other side, the biggest challenge for me was staying dedicated and motivated, but Bootcamp’s resources will help keep you on track. Most importantly, believe in yourself!

I highly recommend taking at least 5 full-length practice tests. Doing this built up my stamina and made test day feel like just another practice session. For someone with severe anxiety, this was a huge relief—it made the actual exam feel much less intimidating.

The Bio videos and the PAT practice banks in particular were so well organized and easy to digest! I come from a strong chemistry background, so my biggest worry going into the exam was not knowing any of the Bio content, but I felt super confident come the start of the exam thanks to the video series!

"I thought the practice exams were EXTREMELY similar to the actual exam, if not harder than the real thing. Some questions were almost word for word repeats of the practice exams. I felt relieved when the math section in particular showed me almost no questions that I hadn't seen at least a variation of before."

I watched all of Dr. Mike’s videos for this section and was able to remember a lot of the information from my university courses. The question banks and practice tests were very useful for applying the material. I went through all the questions I completed to confirm I knew why I got the questions right or wrong.

Never give up and make sure to take deep breaths and understand this test is a marathon not a sprint! You got this! 😊

Overall, Bootcamp prepares you so well for the DAT. There was nothing on my test that I haven’t seen before. Practice problems and understanding why you got questions wrong is essential! Everyone is different and will struggle with different sections, so be sure to practice a lot for sections you are struggling with. Studying for the DAT is stressful and overwhelming, so make sure you have a good support system and take care of yourself! You got it, and it will all be worth it in the end!

I used Bootcamp’s comprehensive biology videos as a starting point, sketching connections between terms to form a web of knowledge, rather than learning in isolation.

"I would not focus too much on your practice test scores, as mine were often different than the actual score I received. Focus on learning the material as thoroughly as you can and you will do well. Stay consistent and often remind yourself of the reason for your studying."

At first glance, it might seem overwhelming—a mountain of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and more. But here's the thing: just like training for a marathon, conquering the DAT is all about patience and persistence. Sure, you could try to sprint through your study materials, cramming every detail into your brain in a frenzy of late-night study sessions. But trust me, that approach is a recipe for burnout and frustration. Instead, take a deep breath, and recognize that it's okay to stumble along the way, to have days when you feel like you're barely treading water. What matters is that you keep moving forward, one step at a time. So, how do you navigate studying for the DAT? It's all about adapting your study habits and finding the most efficient way to absorb and retain the material. There won't be one strategy that will work for every student. It might take some trial and error to figure out what that looks like, but trust me, it's worth the effort.

Bootcamp has some great resources so definitely take advantage of them - my favorites were DAT Biology High Yield Notes, Dr. Mike's videos for GC/OC, PAT videos for TFE and pattern folding, QR Academy handouts, and most importantly the BOOTCAMP PRACTICE TESTS. Know these 10 tests like the back of your hand. Tag every question you answer. Focus on your weaknesses. And definitely make time for yourself!

I feel like for me, the key was setting ‘realistic’ goals. The DAT is a beast and the only way to tackle it is focused studying, one day at a time.

The practice tests are SO SIMILAR to the actual thing! Once you start to get more comfortable with similar questions, it is really just the numbers that are changing and I know my confidence continued to grow leading up to the test.

Putting your all in this test is one of the best investments in your future that you could make. Just know that if you do find yourself in a similar situation, it is completely possible to score well on the DAT in a short amount of time.

Everyone comes to the table with a different skillset and knowledge base, so it’s counterproductive to study together. Simply studying in parallel (think parallel play among kindergartners) and coming together only to review the material in common is more than enough to enjoy the benefits of having someone to suffer with.

I would often not finish my goals for the day cause life happens, don't feel too stressed out by this just move those tasks on to the next day or figure out how to compromise. I highly recommend finding something that keeps you mentally strong during your preparation, this exam is mentally taxing (at least to me it was), so make sure to check yourself and take breaks if you need it, and postpone your test date if you need to!

For me, the two most impactful factors that got me to this score were the materials I used and the way I learned / practiced. 99% of my time was spent with DAT Bootcamp. As for how to learn, I think there is a way to intake information that is the most conducive to understanding, remembering, and being able to dynamically apply it: start broad, conceptual, and real and only AFTER that, go into the specific, mechanistic, and hypothetical. After you have a grasp of the information, test yourself with practice sections. A day later, come back to the questions you got wrong and ask yourself why you got the incorrect answer, then review Bootcamp's thought process to get the right answer.

I want to emphasize that if you use Bootcamp EFFECTIVELY, you WILL be prepared for this exam. I made sure to do all ten of the Bootcamp practice exams, and these practice exams were VERY representative of the actual exam. If you are on a tight studying schedule like I was, definitely make it your priority to get through all of the practice exams, and focus on studying any concepts you struggled with that consistently showed up on practice exams.