Dr. Ari Rezaei

Many students ask if DAT Bootcamp is a realistic representation of the DAT. In this post, we answer that question and give advice on how to ace the DAT.

High-yield, quick DAT focused biology review. Everything you need to get a great bio score, nothing you don’t.

This Anki deck is based on the DAT Bootcamp Organic Chemistry Reaction Cheat Sheet. Download the deck to practice memorizing the OC reactions the DAT will test you on.

In this DAT Study Guide I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to ace the DAT. It’ll take you from zero to DAT hero.

The average score for acceptance is around 20 AA. This is just an average though, a quick look at the ADEA Guide to Dental Schools shows that students get accepted with lower scores as well! 

The majority of students study for the DAT while enrolled in classes, in the summer between junior and senior year. They start studying around April and take the test in the summer, around June through August. It's challenging, but it isn't anything harder than what you're going to do in dental school, consider it a test run!

There are three "traps" that can distract you from getting the correct answer in the DAT Reading Comprehension section. We talk about each trap in this article so that you can avoid them on test day.

In this article, we discuss how the ADA scores the DAT and what you can do to improve your score for test day.

Many students have asked us how we score our practice tests on DAT Bootcamp. We answer those questions by talking about our scoring system and what the next steps are to prepare for your DAT.

What is the best way to predict my score for the DAT? We address what a student can do to get the best score estimates for his or her DAT.

There are many factors that can make a good personal statement great. In this 3-part article series, we go over the ten steps necessary to evaluate a personal statement.

There are many factors that can make a good personal statement great. In this 3-part article series, we go over the ten steps necessary to evaluate a personal statement.

There are many factors that can make a good personal statement great. In this 3-part article series, we go over the ten steps necessary to evaluate a personal statement.

You just recently took your first practice test and want to know what you can do to improve your score. In this article, we talk about the one secret to raising your score for future tests and on exam day.

Everyone knows taking practice tests is important before your exam day--here are three key reasons why you need to use practice tests to prepare for the DAT!

Check out the latest updates we've made at OAT Bootcamp.

Check out the latest updates we've made at DAT Bootcamp.

Bootcamp.com uses a unique tagging system where you rate how well you understand a question during review. Learn how to use it to its full potential.

Genetics makes up a large portion of the biology section on the DAT. Here is a list of genetic technologies you should definitely know for the DAT.

We’ve created a brand new website and mobile app that makes studying for anatomy even easier.

Many students are using Anki as a replacement for traditional flashcards. Anki utilizes spaced repetition to encourage more frequent active recall, helping cement information.

Gen Chem lab can be a confusing place. This post will explain the basic techniques, equipment, and safety information you need to know.

A topic in biology that many students find challenging (and is known to appear on the DAT) is the number of chromosomes and chromatids present during the various stages of meiosis and mitosis in eukaryotes.

Bootcamp has several ways to study biology, depending on how you learn best. I’ll explain the differences so you can choose the study method that works best for you.

The day of the DAT can be a stressful time, but it’s important to remain confident in your preparation. Knowing exactly what to expect the day you arrive can help ease a lot of the anxiety that comes with taking such a big test.

So how do you tell when it is time to take the DAT? There are two ways you can go about it: qualitatively and quantitatively. Both of them work and have their own advantages.

The ADA offers an official online DAT practice test sold through the Prometric testing site. Is it worth it?

It’s pretty simple: how you study will determine how high you score on the DAT. In this strategy lesson, I break down a critical study method “A” students use when taking DAT practice tests.

In the study schedule, I recommend you complete tests 1-5 as individual practice tests (ex. Biology test 1) and use tests 6-10 as full length tests. 

We’ve created a brand new website and mobile app that makes studying for the DAT even easier. Learn how to transfer your DATBootcamp.com account over to the new site.

DAT Bootcamp has been updated for the 2022 DAT Bio changes. We’ve done the research for you to find the highest-yield information on the new topics and what comes up most often in the DAT exams.

The dental boards frequently test on specific bacteria found in the oral cavity. This table is designed to be a high-yield list that will allow you to focus on the most important and frequently tested ones.

Here are some practical tips to beat procrastination, something that I can be too familiar with at times.

You completed your first practice test and didn’t score what you were hoping to. Feeling a bit discouraged? That's OK! Here's what to do next.

One of the most frequently asked questions we get at Bootcamp is how to better prepare for the Biology Section. Here are some tips that can help you get the most out of your study.

Setting up a group discount for you and your classmates has never been easier! You and your classmates can snag huge discounts by teaming up and taking on your boards together.

If you’re a member of a pre-optometry club or society, check with one of your officers to see if you have a discount already set up for your school.

Be sure to follow the steps exactly as specified on the ADA’s website when you register for OAT.

OAT test dates are offered year-round through the Prometric test centers, but I recommend registering early – seats tend to fill up quickly and it’s common for the next available seat to be up to 2 months away!

The OAT consists of 4 sections: Survey of Natural Sciences, Perceptual Ability, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning. The test will take you just about 5 hours to complete.

The average AA for acceptance across all optometry schools is approximately a 320. You can get accepted with a lower OAT score depending on the strength of your application and where you apply.

Each subject is scored on a standardized scale from 200 to 400 points. A score of 300 equates to the 50th percentile in that section. A good OAT score for acceptance is around 320.

Here is a comprehensive list of definitions to start off your Quantitative Reasoning studies.

There are 40 questions in the quantitative reasoning section of the DAT, all with varying difficulty. You will most likely react to each question in one of three ways.

Below is a cheat sheet you can use to study organic chemistry lab techniques tested on the DAT.

A major part of the DAT organic chemistry section is knowing your reactions. I have constructed the following reaction sheet to expose you to every reaction that could possibly show up on the DAT.

Now we need to focus on benzene substituents and how they affect the location of subsequent additions. Here’s a list of the ones you would most likely see.

In an Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution (EAS) reaction, the benzene ring acts as a nucleophile that attacks an electrophile. The reaction mechanism below outlines the flow of electrons that occurs during all EAS reactions.

One of the toughest parts of organic chemistry is understanding the mechanisms behind reactions. Immediately, many pre-dental students want to know if they have to go through the same torture as they did in their college organic chemistry classes to memorize these complex reactions.

Here is a list of formulas you need to know for DAT General Chemistry. However, remember that you have to memorize these formulas and this cheat sheet will not be available on the real DAT.

Here’s a general chemistry concept that frequently appears on the DAT. We’re talking about intermolecular forces, not to be confused with intRAmolecular forces, which bind the atoms within a single particle (i.e. covalent bonds, metallic bonds, ionic bonds).

This is an important issue to address, because I feel a lot of study materials for the DAT sway pre-dental students in the wrong direction.

The DAT general chemistry section expects you to be fluent in chemical compounds. For example, do you know the formula for chromate?

There are two important features the DAT has that you can use to improve your score.

This strategy combines the best of all the other strategies and reading techniques. BYU4you, a pre-dental student, was scoring 19-20 on DAT Bootcamp’s RC section, and got a 28 on the real RC section.

This is a popular method a pre-dental student used to score a 30 on the RC section of the DAT. It is a version of the search and destroy method.

I used on the DAT reading section because it’s what made me feel most comfortable. It’s a very simple method. I would read the passage in full and then answer the questions in order.

Search and Destroy (or S&D) is a method used on the reading comprehension section of the DAT. In brief, the method is to skip reading the passage and to just go straight to the questions.

Often times on DAT and OAT reading passages, certain words and phrases will be used to convey the structure of the passage.

Digestive enzymes is a topic frequently tested on the Biology section of the DAT and OAT. Knowing the function of key enzymes, where they are produced, and how they are regulated will translate to easy points come test day.

Mnemonics are a great tool to memorizing large amounts of information quickly. Here are a couple I used to answer some questions on the DAT and OAT.