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When to take the DAT

Hi everyone! I am currently a sophomore at Ohio State. I have been asking others when they took the DAT and for feedback on When it’s best to take it. I am still unsure if I should take it this summer or the summer after junior year while juggling applications. thank you!

4 answers3 replies

7 Comments

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predentalstudent11

Nov 23, 2021

I took the DAT just before I applied to dental school. I believe I took mid-May and submitted my application the first week of June. I felt good about this because I had finished all my courses that the DAT covers and I had a lot of time to study leading up the exam!

hatfield.300

Nov 24, 2021

Replying to

@predentalstudent11 thank you for the advice! when did you start studying ? And what program did you use? Thanks!

predentalstudent11

Nov 24, 2021

Replying to

@hatfield.300 I used Kaplan. I probably started studying 6 months before the exam (but I wasn't very committed since I was busy with school). I started studying full time (50-60 hours per week) about 6 weeks before the test. Kaplan was fine. I think there are better resources out there, but it worked for me!

predentaladvice

Nov 23, 2021

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hatfield.300

Nov 19, 2021

Hey Rachel! Thank you for the feedback, I have only taken one bio class so far. It is bio 1113 here at osu, should I wait to take the DAT until I have more bio classes under my belt?

Rachel Hansen

Nov 22, 2021

Replying to

I personally would, but that’s just my opinion. :) You can always learn most of it through your DAT prep course, but taking the classes does help!

Rachel Hansen

Nov 19, 2021

Hey! :)

I took the DAT a few months before applying to dental school (towards the end of my junior year). While it doesn’t really matter, most people I knew waited until around that time because they didn’t finish all the courses the DAT covers until then. I would say as long as you have taken all your classes the DAT covers (bio, gen Chem, o Chem) and you feel ready to take it, go for it! :)