Any career in the dentistry field promises a lifetime of study. But before a prospective student can get into dental school, they must pass the Dental Admission Test (DAT).
The DAT is one of the most intimidating and vital experiences a future dentist will face. Studying for the Dental Admission Test can take a significant amount of preparation. With so much potentially at stake for future dentists, students must devote appropriate time to analyzing DAT study resources. The ultimate question is how long to study for the DAT?
When preparing for your Dental Admission Test, you may wonder how much and how often you should study. While this can depend on your specific DAT study books and other DAT study materials, Orgoman can outline some general tips to help you decide when to start and how much to study for your examination.
Study Smarter: Choosing How Long to Study for the DAT
With most challenging exams, you’ll hear “start early” repeatedly. It’s very true, and you shouldn’t ignore this advice. Beginning your studies as early as possible can provide you ample time to study examination materials properly with surplus time to review what you learned.
We recommend early preparation when acquainted with DAT study resources as well. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances, you may find that you cannot start to prepare for your examination far in advance.
Nonetheless, with adequate preparation and organized study habits, you can make the most of your time with adequate preparation and organized study habits. Consider the following when preparing for your DAT:
Choose the Right DAT Study Materials
No dental student can study every DAT preparation material. Therefore, choosing the right books and DAT study resources is essential for the admissions exam. Go over the contents of each available DAT preparation package and choose the right one for you. You can also find forums and other online networking spaces to contact other individuals who previously sat for the DAT.
Our Orgoman.com team additionally provides comprehensive DAT preparation packages like DAT Destroyer that helped many previous test takers experience success.
Create a Schedule
Before starting your study routine, create a schedule and review the testing syllabus. Take time to mark chapters and other information in your DAT study books or guides that require additional attention. When formulating your study schedule, complete the more difficult portions of your study information first. Leave more manageable portions for later.
Work Consistently But Remember to Rest
If you can afford the time, prepare for your DAT like it's a full-time job. Put in at least 40 hours of studying each week. However, take care not to overwhelm yourself by overworking on the material. Consistency is critical when analyzing and retaining information from your DAT study. Although you may not retain the information or don’t want to study eight hours every day, you’ll need to make up this time with over 8 hours on another study day.
The idea is to study daily while keeping in touch with learned information from your DAT study books and other DAT study materials. Preparing this way will help you to stay in rhythm and not deter your study regimen.
Get Organized
Studying one topic at a time may seem like the ideal organizational method. Consequently, one topic at a time for long study sessions often proves counterproductive and monotonous and may lead you to feel bored.
When students get bored while studying, their brain often wanders or lags, resulting in poorly retaining the study material information. Create a study schedule that enables you to cover all subjects evenly.
Practice and Practice Some More
You should work to study your DAT information every day until your testing appointment. On practice questions like the DAT Destroyer provides, it may seem like you initially get many questions wrong. However, you’ll learn more from the queries you get wrong than from ones you can correctly answer. DAT practice testing is also typically more challenging than what you’ll find on the actual DAT, which means you’re sure to be well prepared.
Practicing and studying help you understand and learn how to approach a question. When studying for the DAT, you’ll want to focus more on DAT study resources that teach how to solve a problem than simply learning the answer to a question.
Form Your DAT Study Schedule
Most candidates that sit for the Dental Admission Test prepare over two hundred hours before their examination appointment. Preparing for the DAT remains a difficult but not impossible task.
Outline a general study schedule that you can modify to your personal needs. You will use a schedule as a template that you can make your own.
If you face time constraints, we recommend a complete overview of all your DAT study materials within six weeks. Forming your study schedule like this lets you focus the last two weeks of study on taking practice tests, answering practice questions, and reviewing material areas where you still feel deficient.
Alternatively, if you have a ton of time, review the information as much as possible; the more, the better. You should continue conducting practice questions and quizzes throughout your studies. A good rule of thumb is to answer practice questions related to the information you just learned at the end of each study block. This is a fantastic way to retain information. Remember to get plenty of rest when you’re done, allowing your brain to organize the information in your head while you sleep.
Score a 30 on Your DAT
A basic study schedule for the DAT can go a long way toward you seeing improved scores and success. Personalize it, but ensure you maintain enough time to get all the necessary information. Take a day or two off each week, but don’t sacrifice your study time. Some students will take Saturday or Sunday off every week or choose to only study for a few hours on one weekend day.
If you don’t want to study on the weekend, don’t study. As with anything, you’ll get what you put into your study regimen. Make up the time you could study on the weekend elsewhere. Adjust your time spent studying according to your unique needs and strengths.
All the study guidelines and tips presented here by Orgoman.com are suggestions. You can utilize this guide as a foundation to make your own DAT study schedule. Everyone has different needs and proficiencies.
With the right materials and discipline to follow your study schedule, you should experience little issues scoring high on the Dental Admission Test. Proper study habits remain essential for conquering any test, as well as dental school and beyond.
To learn more about DAT study resources and how Orgoman.com and our “DAT Destroyer” preparation can help you overcome your exam, contact our team today!
