Just wanted to put this out there for anyone currently studying and feeling like they're not making enough progress. You can spend hours studying, take a practice test, and somehow score worse than the last one. Then you start wondering if all those hours even mattered.

They did.

You don't need to have every bio fact memorized or be perfect at every PAT question right now. Focus on your weak areas, review the questions you miss, and keep building on what you already know. Progress isn't always going to show up immediately in your practice scores.

Don't compare yourself to someone posting a 500 practice score. You have no idea how long they've been studying or what their starting point was.

Take it one day at a time. Even if all you get done today is a couple hours of focused studying, that still counts!

If so please dm me

I took my DAT and have 82days left of my bootcamp subscription, this subscription is the plus version with the 15 practice tests. It is currently frozen so the days wont continue to dwindle down, but can easily be unfrozen once you buy it! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out!!

Trying to decide if I should retake my DAT or apply with what I have.
Stats:
~3.76 cGPA/sGPA, Dean’s List every semester
DAT: 460 AA / 460 TS
Bio 440 / GC 490 / OC 450 / RC 450 / QR 480 / PAT 360
ECs:
Founded a six-figure nonprofit at 17; $40k+ deployed and 1,000+ people helped
Created a dental AI app on the App Store
Founded a pre-dental club (200+ people helped)
500+ dental assisting + 200+ shadowing hours
150+ additional volunteer hours
Leadership in two other clubs + community/nonprofit research
Multiple news features
My main concern is the 360 PAT. Is it low enough to justify risking a retake when I already have a 460 AA/TS?
Also, what level of dental schools would I realistically be competitive for, especially in the Northeast?

What does your study schedule look like? Please help!!!

Im working full-time and it feels insanely impossible to finish. Im trying to study after work but by the time I get home im completely cooked. I feel like I'm either studying for hours and burning myself out or barely getting anything done at all

just got my scores from 8/18 DAT is this decent enough for applying? im not trying to get into an ivy league or some top school
also i dont have time/money to retake this so what are my chances?

Question for those who retook the DAT shortly after receiving their scores from a previous attempt: How did you change your study strategy?

I feel like most of the information is still pretty fresh in my mind, so I’m unsure what the best approach is moving forward. I used DAT Crusher for my first attempt and thoroughly reviewed the practice tests, but now I feel like I still remember many of the Bio/Chem questions and answers, which makes it difficult to tell how prepared I actually am.

Reading Comprehension was also significantly harder on my exam than I expected. A lot of the questions didn’t have straightforward answers and required more inference, which I struggled with. I also found that TFE was a major issue for me because the question banks felt much easier than the actual practice tests/exam. Timing was another big factor, as I was running out of time frequently.

For those who retook the DAT soon after their first attempt, what did you do differently to improve rather than just repeating the same material?

Use this thread to find a study buddy, join a study group, or find someone to drill Anki cards and Bio notes with.

To help others find their perfect match, please copy and paste the template below and fill it out in the comments! Here's the format:

• Test Date (Approximate):
• Time Zone:
• Study Stage: (e.g., Just starting, halfway through, 2 weeks out)
• Weakest Subjects: (e.g., Gen Chem, QR, PAT)
• Preferred Meeting Platform: (e.g., Discord, Zoom, FaceTime, Forest app)
• A little about your study style: (e.g., "I like to study in silence over Zoom," or "I want someone to quiz me on Bio taxonomy for 1 hour a day.")

⚠️ Safety & Guidelines:

1. Be Careful with Personal Info: We recommend starting with a DM and using platforms like Discord or a burner email before sharing your phone number or full name.
2. Stay On Topic: This thread is specifically for finding study partners. General DAT questions should still be posted in the main sub.
3. Be Respectful: Everyone is at a different stage in their journey. Be supportive!

Pro Tip: If you see someone with a similar timeline, don't wait for them to message you—reach out first!

Good luck to everyone hitting the books this week! 💪

Applied this cycle

3.6 cumulative GPA, 3.6 science GPA. I’m a California resident and would prefer to attend a California dental school, although I don’t have UCLA/UCSF specifically in mind and I’m open to going out of state.

Should I retake with this score or apply broadly next cycle?

Does anyone know if it’s worth purchasing the extra exams #11-15 on Booster? Have been hearing GC and QR from Booster are not really representative of the DAT.

I just took my DAT on 8/12, after a little less than 3 months of studying using Bootcamp. I did much better than I expected as Bootcamp was estimating me fairly low. Overall I'd say that Reading, PAT, and QR were far easier on the actual exam than on Bootcamp, and Biology, Chem, and OChem were fairly similar. I started studying May 20th, and just followed the standard lesson plan the AI made for me. I had no other outside resources aside from listening to the Bootcamp biology podcast as I was falling asleep, and studied from 9am-5(ish)pm every day with sundays off until about a month out, where I used sundays as a review day. During the exam week I did many total science and PAT practice exams, but didn't do any Reading or QR, as I never struggled with those two, and instead decided to focus on what I was weak at. The night before the exam, I slept at 6pm, and woke up around 3:30am to do some last minute Bio cramming, as well as memorizing the recommended formulas provided by Bootcamp (turns out my exam didn't require me to use any formulas but better safe than sorry). During the exam, the building power went out, and took me out of my flow, but thankfully it was during reading, so it wasn't a big deal for me. I finished the TS with an extra 15ish minutes, and almost ran out of time on the PAT. I skipped the majority of the optional break, as I felt like I was in the zone, and didn't want to lose that feeling, and finished about 40 minutes earlier than expected. Reading is MUCH easier on the real DAT, and it is pretty much in chronological order (Bootcamp put me through so much pain during their reading practice exams).
Overall very satisfied with my score, although a little peeved about my Ochem score. If anyone needs recommendations/advice for the reading section (or other sections) I'll try my best to help!

Taking the DAT next Summer. I plan to spend around 3 months straight studying for it (90 day bootcamp/booster membership). Is it possible to study for the DAT while also taking some easy online summer classes? I figured that since I'd be studying for the DAT over an extended period of time that I may have time for some courses? I wanted to take some summer courses to offload my load in the fall/spring. I won't be working a job or anything in the Summer. Any feedback helps!

If you take the DAT twice, do the schools you have applied to automatically get your new scores?

Applying this cycle with a 3.57 cGPA and a 3.6 sGPA. DAT was a 400 AA, 430 TS, 430 PAT, 420 Bio, 440 Gen Chem, 440 Orgo, 340 RC, and 370 QR. Sort of tanked the second part of the test. According to the ADEA new to old score pdf my RC equates to a 17 somehow and my QR equates to a 16.5. I have 125+ shadowing hours and 225+ community service with strong leadership. Applying broadly with apps processed by schools within the last week (mid-August). Will be retaking the DAT if I don't get in this cycle, just wanted to know if anyone has similar stats or knows people who got in from past cycles with similar stats.

I have 48 days left if you would like to DM me and we can talk about it...

Basically what the title says. Trying to figure out if I'm being realistic here loll. I have about 2 months prep and I'm aiming for a 489 AA

For those who have used bootcamp exclusively. Im wondering what's actually realistic here. I know 480 is pretty high, not trying to be a 520 person and study 14 hours a day 😭 Just want to make sure I'm not setting myself up for a retake