Becoming a dentist is a long road in terms of time and the difficulties you’ll face before officially calling yourself a professional. Pre-dental students must work to meet dental school requirements.
Some challenges include taking the proper prerequisites, achieving a high GPA in school, and then studying DAT resources before finally registering for the exam.
Moreover, most pre-dental students will also volunteer with a professional to get work experience and commit to community service.
Getting into the best dental programs is also about more than simply checking boxes off a list. Dental students must do these things well to impress an admissions board. The dentistry field remains competitive, and no aspiring dentist wants an admissions committee to see them as “just another dental aspirant.”
With dental school requirements demanding significant attention, efficiency remains critical to succeeding in undergraduate school, adequately utilizing DAT study, performing well on the DAT examination, and ultimately becoming a stellar dental professional. You must determine where and how to focus while not spending too much time on any particular area.
Although you can quickly look around and see what other students do to prepare, your peers may approach things incorrectly. Wondering what you need to know before opening a single DAT prep book? Our team from Orgoman can help you prepare.
What to do Before Taking the DAT
Determining what to do before and when to take the DAT is a common topic for many pre-dental students. Although the DAT test is one of the essential steps to becoming a dentist, students must take some proper steps to register for and overcome their DAT examination.
You should wait to register for your DAT until the time is right, it is a test you only want to take once! Test takers must also wait for ninety days after testing before they can register for the DAT again, and after taking it three times you must ask for permission from the ADA to take it again.
Most dental students feel that the best time to register for a DAT exam is after completing their prerequisite biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry courses.
To perform well on the DAT, dental students must possess a solid foundation in biology and other sciences and utilize proper DAT resources that lean heavily on these subjects. The stronger your knowledge of these sciences, the better prepared you will feel once you take the exam.
When to Take the DAT Exam
Dental students should take the DAT approximately a year before they want to begin dental school. Many students register to sit for the DAT exam at the end of their Spring semester, during their junior year of college.
Taking the DAT at this time ensures that applicants still have a fresh memory of applicable sciences while also enabling them to go over DAT study materials, practice tests, etc. Taking the DAT a year before dental school also gives students time to wait the required ninety-day period, study their DAT resources, and retest if they don’t score well during their first admission test.
Other students may choose to schedule their Dental Admission Test when their chosen dental program requires applications. Sitting for the test at this time could help familiarize you with the dental school’s requirements. However, it doesn’t leave much time to make up an examination or familiarize students with the DAT study material.
Preparing Yourself for the DAT Exam
Students must complete at least one year of college education before registering for the DAT. During this first years of school, you’ll complete courses that cover Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry.
Nonetheless, prospective dental students will need to resource professional DAT prep books and other DAT resources to help them prepare and eventually succeed on the examination. The average pre-dental student will take 3 to 4 months to prepare for their Dental Admission Test adequately.
Resources like DAT Destroyer from Orgoman replicate the conditions pre-dental students will see on the actual examination. The more you practice, the more prepared you’ll be.
DAT Destroyer and other comprehensive test preparation materials efficiently help students prepare for their DAT. Find a proper study resource with practice tests, questions, explanations, and content reviews in kits that provide everything you need for success in a single DAT program.
Formulate a study plan using the best materials you can find. Proper preparation with a well-thought timeline can help to keep you on track, enabling you to study as efficiently as possible.
Relax
When you finally take your DAT examination, you’ll likely feel stress, apprehension, and doubt. Everyone is different. Although it may initially seem like life and death, if you take the necessary steps to success, you’ll soon find yourself not only scoring well on the DAT, but entering dental school with all the trials and tribulations behind you.
Some students take the day before their exam to read or relax the night before testing day. How you spend the last moments before your examination is entirely up to you. Do what will make you feel the most at ease, comfortable, and confident when you sit for the DAT.
Don’t use the time attempting to cover every area you might’ve missed during your study efforts with the DAT resources. Review a few sections and some light information to ensure you feel well-prepared for the examination. However, overdoing it can lead to testing anxiety, and you don’t want to panic regarding what you have already learned.
As hectic as things may seem while you prepare for your future dental career, the DAT represents a minor step in a long journey. It can seem like a significant task, but dental school can be even more challenging. Dedicate yourself and adequately prepare, and you should perform well.
Our team from Orgoman takes pride in assisting future dentists through their DAT and DAT prep. To learn more about how we can help you conquer your DAT examination, contact our friendly and professional team for additional information.