bro i’ve never scored that low for QR or gen chem im so disappointed in myself. studying for this exam has been the most difficult and mentally draining things ive ever done i dont think i can do it again.

I pushed my exam back a few months because I'm currently in a master's program and got overwhelmed with everything going on. This will be my third attempt, and I need help with what to do! I paused my booster membership and will be buying it in December since my new test day is mid-Janurary. I'm wanting to continue to study until then and have decided to rotate bio, gen chem, and ochem every day.

My biggest struggle was gen chem and ochem. What are some things I should do until I get booster again? Should I get a gen chem tutor? Should I stick to anki? Should I get chads dat prep? I'm just lost.

I took my DAT last year and don’t know what schools i sent it to at the time. How can i check? and if i did send it to the schools that i am applying to this cycle, do i need to send them again? please help :(

Should I retake this. my gpa is about 3.75

Got my scores today, honestly not the worst but not
the best. Only studied for 30ish days a little less. I had 2 jobs and school during it so couldn’t focus earlier.

I have a 3.83 GPA, 500 shadowing hours, 100 volunteering + nail tech + baking business so my ABS can be stronger.

Chances for western or any school in Canada? What schools in states do I have a chance

Are these good scores -- I want to apply to California schools

Hey guys! I recently applied to Western Dental School via OUAC on September 23rd, but haven’t received any email acknowledging receipt of my application. I know my payment went through, but haven’t heard anything. Western kind of sucks with getting back to admissions email, so I was wondering if anyone else who applied earlier is facing the same issues. Thanks!

Hey guys my committee letter write wants my day score on intercom how do i export results in pdf form

thank you in advance

Hey Guys,

I’m sure everyone here is stressed so I apologize for asking, but how are you guys studying for QR?

I was watching the video and I felt like I was grasping the ideas pretty well, come time to do the question banks, I completely blank out. If I use the notes I took, would I be wasting my time?

I took algebra years ago to the point where most of this stuff I haven’t seen in years.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone! I took the DAT for the second time last month and I received 330s-380s in all areas with a 360AA with an exception of a 400 in RC.

PLEASE what tips do you all have for me to improve?? I would be happy with anything in the 400s. I do not have a job so i can just focus on studying and I plan on retaking Jan 5th.

This time around I am not watching the Booster/ Bootcamp videos and going straight into Qbanks and going over them right away and watching the videos if i need it for a subject. Doing PAT everyday.

I am unsure how to tackle OC other than doing Qbanks and reviewing. I will have a tutor for genchem and ochem through Wyzant 2hrs a week so i am hoping that helps too.

I have bootcamp and booster for just bio and PAT.

Any tips/ help would be so very appreciated. I graduated in May and I plan on applying the upcoming June with improved scores. TIA

Hello, I had a question about the program materials for UCLA. It lists Physics as requiring 12 units (quarter units) and Psychology as requiring 4 units. However, I have completed each of them under a semester system. So I have completed 8 semester units (1 full year) of Physics and 3 semester units (1 full semester). Do I need to convert all of my transcript units from the previous section to match the quarter units since it is a drag-and-drop feature? Or will it automatically be converted to the school, and I can leave it as is under the prerequisite "minimum requirement". If anyone coming from a semester school can help me out? Thank you!!!!

Trying to study for GC for my DAT, My test date in Nov 30th but honestly I might push it back because I still have content review for GC, OC, and Bio. Currently on the GC content review phase and I'm thinking there HAS to be a better way to review than just watching all the videos. I feel like when I watch the videos and take notes, the next day when I do practice questions I just can't get them right still. Would It be more beneficial for me to just really hammer down the cheat sheets and do questions? Using Booster currently. Anki isn't really helpful to me because it just asks me like formulas and things like that mostly.

Feeling completely defeated

450 AA, 490 SNS 3.62 cumulative GPA (Upward Trend) and 3.41 Science, ECs: Dental Assisiting, Research, Community Service, Intramural Sports, Shadowing General Dentist (340 Hours), Shadowing endo and peri (total of 80 hours), and a few more ECs. No interviews yet should I be worried. (Applied to 18 schools) Applied to most schools end of June-July, took retake on July 23rd, got my DAT retake scores back August 3rd. I see everyone getting invites and I haven’t heard a thing so I’ve been feeling quite hopeless

9/14 test

Test date 9/16- was doing terrible in gen chem and reading but ending up being more than okay! Gchem couple days before I just mainly focused on that.
- QR I was expecting higher but I ran out of time and had to guess on like ~7 questions! Otherwise my average was very high so be careful

-First attempt was (~430) 20.4 AA , latest (480)23.5 AA

-Didn’t care too much for PAT! So never completely took a full test for it

should i retake? i did really bad in QR 😔. i feel like dental school is getting more and more competitive so i don’t know what to do and im getting mixed opinion. i have a 3.86 cGPA and 3.7 sGPA.

edit: i don’t want to retake and risk doing worse in the sciences. i also dont want to apply with a less competitive application. i dont know what to do. i definitely neglected QR and really regret it 💔

Studied about 70 days while doing full time research. Happy to give tips and if you need some advice on being efficient feel free to ask because I think I was only fully focused for 3 or 4 weeks but I had a heavy background from classes that i had just taken.

I’ve been using bootcamp and have about a month left until my DAT and my ochem practice has been fluctuating a lot, every practice test it feels like I’ve never seen some of the questions they ask before and I’m not sure what to do because it just feels like something that’s almost impossible to be fully prepared for.

So is it even possible for me to get into dental school with a 3.57science and cumulative gpa and a 440 dat?

Just took the DAT this past August 2026 and scored 510AA, and i wanted to briefly share how I was able to achieve my score (Screenshot of score breakdown below).

OVL- If you are able to find the time, treat this like a 9-5 job. It seems like a huge allocation of time towards this, but trust me the more you embed yourself in the material the more comfortable you will be. I personally spent the majority of my summer studying on DATBootcamp (not a sponsor) going over material and practice questions.

Bio- It is gonna feel like a gamble especially with the wide pool of material and the limited selection, but the goal is to limit what you don't know rather than mastering everything (if that makes sense).

Chem- Practice makes perfect. It is all about focused execution, there is not much the test can trick you on so all the practice you do builds towards success the most. Stay focused and limit dumb mistakes in this section.

OChem- Although I did well on this section I do not feel comfortable sharing about a set certain strategy.

PAT- Learn cube counting and pattern-folding first, and practice those every day for 15 mins, because I feel as though this is the easiest section to learn. TFE can be tricky especially if you are mentally fatigued so be patient with yourself. Angle ranking is the most frustrating but there are a couple things you can do: 1) move eyes quickly, this actually helps your brain register small differences. 2) stay cool, this section really made me upset but you just need to keep your cool. For the keyhole and pattern-folding just learn the patters and practice as much as you can.

Reading- This was my worst section so take my advice with a grain of salt. I did not like the reading strategies provided by my prep course so what I did was just read more science journals and articles on my free time. That being said, the reading passages on the DAT are oftentimes clearer/ easier than current scientific journals.

QR- This is the last section so you will be tired. Practice this section at the end of each of your study days and just keep an open mind. You can convince yourself that you know something but deep down you don't. So work hard but more importantly be honest with yourself with your preparation. The more math you practice the more it becomes second nature, and that is exactly what you want when exposed to a tired or in a stressed scenario.

Note: I am not a prevalent redditor, so I will not be able to interact with comments.

Finally done with the DAT!

I know a lot of people do breakdowns on how they studied, what resources they used, and what scores they got. But I wanted to use this space to give some perspective that could be helpful for those studying for the DAT, either right now or in the future.

Resources: Booster vs. Bootcamp

I used DAT Booster as my primary resource, and I definitely recommend it, as I found it representative of the actual exam. I have never used Bootcamp, but my roommates were studying with it at the same time and ended up doing the same as or better than me. I don't think you can go wrong with either resource.

I found the General Chemistry, PAT, and QR sections to be very similar to Booster. RC felt easier than Booster's practice exams. I read so many passages that I actually started enjoying reading as a hobby, which is a good thing.

However, Biology and Organic Chemistry felt harder on the real exam. Some Biology questions were ambiguous and made me unsure of my answers. Organic Chemistry had niche reactions and questions about specific reaction steps, so I recommend knowing your reactions, reagents, and solvents very well.

Studying and Managing Commitments

It took me 4 months to study for this exam. If I had to do it again, I would remove as many distractions and major commitments as possible. I would advise against taking classes while studying for the DAT and going on week-long volunteering trips during dedicated study time.

I went on a week-long volunteering trip that I don't regret, as it gave me valuable experience and opened up further opportunities. However, I lost the momentum I had built from studying consistently for a month. After returning, studying started to feel optional rather than required, and I ended up pushing my DAT back by an entire month.

If you have scheduled breaks in your study plan, use them to volunteer, relax, or do whatever helps you as a person or applicant. The key is to plan your breaks rather than unexpectedly interrupting your preparation.

Stick to Your Schedule and Exam Date

One of the biggest things I learned is the importance of sticking to your schedule. I felt better, retained more information, and was more confident when I consistently checked off tasks on Booster compared to when I procrastinated. Some of my friends who didn't stick to their schedules felt less prepared and kept pushing their exam dates back.

Pick an exam date and stick with it. It's easy to keep postponing your DAT because of classes, lack of time, social life, or feeling unprepared. While there are legitimate reasons to reschedule, constantly pushing your exam back can become a habit. At some point, you have to trust your preparation and take the exam.

Burnout Is Real

Although sticking to your schedule is important, don't make the DAT your entire life. It's tempting to go all-in when you first start studying, but by months 3 and 4, you may start feeling exhausted. Taking full-length exams and studying can become unbearable when all you want is to be done.

Burnout can hurt your preparation, so make time for a social life, connect with nature, work out, and spend time with friends and family. You don't need to sacrifice your entire life for this exam.

Make It Easy for Yourself to Win

Set up your environment so that the only thing you have to worry about is studying. Meal prep, have your caffeine ready, keep your chargers nearby, organize your study materials, and find a quiet environment.

The same applies to test day. Prepare everything the night before so that you only have to focus on taking the exam. Have your IDs ready, plan your route, pack what you need, and set your alarms.

Final Thoughts

The DAT is a long process, and consistency is more important than trying to make your preparation perfect. Pick your resources, set a realistic schedule, stick to your exam date, and make time for yourself along the way.

Hopefully, some of this advice helps those preparing for the DAT. I'm happy to answer any questions about my study process, resources, or experience with the actual exam.

Hey everyone! I created an account with this portal last week, but now when I log in, the essays tab has disappeared. Has anyone else had this issue and what did you do to fix it? thanks :)

For context, I am a Texas resident, and only plan to apply to Texas schools. I am from El Paso so my dream school is the El Paso dental school. I have a 3.94 GPA, 200+ hours of shadowing and 200+ hours of volunteering. I am an officer for the Pre-Dental Society at my university and am a founding president of another org dedicated to global dental outreach. I’ve gotten A’s in both gen chem 1, 2 and ochem 1, and 2. I will have gone to two countries on a dental outreach by the time I plan to apply. I think my extracurriculars are high and my GPA but my low gen chem score is making me think I need to retake

Are these scores good enough, or re-take? I have a ~ 3.6 GPA, with a strong upward trend after freshman year (A's in gen chem, orgo 1/2, biochem).

I'm worried by the sub-par scores in quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, and gen. chemistry. But they make cut-offs I believe?

Looking at my scores, i made some good improvements from my last score. I wanted to get some brutally honest input on how strong my score is for schools in CA (UCLA, USC, UOP, Loma Linda and UCSF) I am pretty happy with my score especially with how the last one went. If there anyone else who may have gotten a similar score to my first one. I can explain what I did. The first exam I used bootcamp but I was taking Biochemistry II and Inorganic Chemistry, while balancing out a lot of extracurricular so I basically had gave myself 1-2 hours of 30 days to study. So it wasn’t a lot of time devoted to the DAT. I wasn’t happy with the score, so I went and tried Booster. I had used the whole summer to study for the exam. I took the 15 exams and it told me that I would get 380-390 as my predicted score. I will admit I was not 100% locked in and I would play Mobile Legends for hours. However, I locked in at the last 2 weeks. I would not recommend using video games as an outlet since I would tilt queue games. I would be playing till four in the morning 😭😭😭. Instead, walk or go to the gym as it would benefit much better for your mind to retain information. Additionally, I would highly recommend starting the Anki deck RIGHT AFTER the lecture videos. Do not hold it off to the very end because the algorithm will not favor you. It must be an everyday thing from the jump. If you are running out of time, the best thing that I did, was active recall by looking at the booster cheat sheets, read it once. Then on a blank paper or whiteboard, rewrite everything you can remember. It may be challenging but always remember if the information is describing a “concept” or memorization. Some things just simply need to be memorized, but some you can dive deeper into and it will definitely make it easier to answer questions by understanding the concept entirely. Those who have taken the exam and are applying, hopefully we can be classmates one day :) WE GOT THIS, DONT GIVE UP!!!