Are you planning to pursue a career in Dental education? DAT is probably the toughest step between you and your dream. It is a combined assessment of all those hard science courses you opted for – in conjunction with portions of the SAT – concluded into a 5-hour exam. Yet, a large number of aspirants just like you get enrolled in the DAT Bootcamp to attempt the dental assessment test each year. Most of them manage to perform well and get accepted to a dental school.

To score high enough in DAT, you need to take one step at a time. First and foremost is the DAT Bootcamp and study aides. Quality study guides are a leading factor in helping you score well and getting accepted into an acknowledged dental school. Being aware of what to expect from the test is a big plus.

Second, you need an effective DAT study timetable that will precisely demonstrate what you need to study day-by-day to ace the DAT exam. Becoming a dentist is a challenging yet gratifying journey. It will need a lot of hard work and determination on your part. But the moment you see the smile and gratitude of your first patient, it will make you realize all the years of studying and sacrifice were more than worth it.

DAT Bootcamp: Best DAT Prep Books

In this article, we shall cover the DAT Bootcamp in detail, and give you our list of the best DAT prep books to help you understand and crack the DAT. If you cannot wait for more to find out, here’s the list:

DAT Prep Plus Paperback

Kaplan has been keeping the tradition of the best recommendation for the DAT study guide for years. The majority of the students state it as the most detailed Dental Aptitude Test review book. Besides being comprehensive, it includes a fair number of the best quality online and print resources to help you ace the exam. Following is the list of features you’ll find in this book:

• Two comprehensive online exams
• More than 600 mock questions covering all topics
• 12-page study charts for on the spot review
• Complete review of all topics and sections of the exam
• Guide to the DAT exam with tips and what to expect on exam day

Cons 

• A minute number of typographic errors

The two full-length mock tests precisely demonstrate the length and difficulty level of the DAT. In our opinion, this guide is worth your money. Its amazing features and thorough coverage on all aspects of the exam, make this book top our list of DAT Bootcamp guides. For all these reasons, it has been the best-selling DAT prep book year after year.

DAT Bootcamp- Cracking the DAT

Cracking The DAT manages to gain a second-place spot in our list of DAT prep books with plenty of review material. Same as our first pick, it provides a thorough analysis and explanation of the important exam content. Here is the list of complete features included in the book:

• 2 comprehensive online mock tests
• Demonstration of concepts with examples and step by step explanation
• Full-color reference guide with tear out feature
• Detailed discussion on all test sections

Cons

• A few typographic mistakes

This is a comprehensive review guide and a fair alternative to the Kaplan prep book that tops our list. It serves as both, a last few days crash course, or as a lengthier and thorough study guide. The online tests give you a good understanding of what to expect from the test. However, some of the practice questions can be a little overly naive compared to the actual exam.

In general, this is a good DAT prep book and it won’t disappoint you.

DAT Secrets Study Guide

DAT Secrets Study Guide is another optimal study guide for Dental aptitude test-takers preparing to review for the exam. It is a bit deficient in full-length mock test content but serves well as a DAT Bootcamp prep book when it comes to reviewing the material included in the exam. This study guide includes the following features:

• In-depth review of the test content and structure
• Effective strategies on how to attempt the exam
• Inserted video tutorial codes for substitute learning styles
• Practice questions to help you understand the test format

Cons

• This study guide is not as detailed as compared to other options on our list

This DAT prep book couldn’t make it to the top spot on our recommended books list due to rigid competition with other available resources. However, this is definitely a good option for DAT preparation. If you are not willing to take practice tests and some of the other online prep strategies offered in the first two guide books, this is a good substitute.

DAT Bootcamp: Barron’s Test Prep

Barron’s DAT is another good book that managed to enter our list of best DAT prep book picks this year. This book is a big player in the exam prep and review section. It serves as a good resource for DAT prep. With a fair number of full-length practice tests, this study guide can be quite helpful in the final days of your exam preparation. Features of this prep book include:

• 3 full-length mock exams (plus 1 diagnostic test)
• A large number of practice questions with thorough answer explanations
• A comprehensive review of all exam sections
• Access to video lessons by the authors

Cons 

• Review questions and practice tests are not always illustrative of the actual exam complexity

With all the solid content and online resources, this study guide is completely worth your consideration. For thorough study and complete preparation we recommend the books that top our list, however, it’s a great option if are looking for additional prep material. Along with other DAT prep books, this book will give you a complete comprehension of the exam format.

DAT Flashcard Study System

Flashcard Study System for the DAT Bootcamp is our first choice for flashcards to help you prepare for the Dental Aptitude Test. It contains more than 650 cards comprising key information on all test sections. The key features of this prep book include:

• Above 650 flashcards
• Reviews all major sections and themes included in the test

Cons 

• Cards are stuffed with dense information which is not necessarily required for the test

If you plan to go for flashcards to help you in better preparation, this book is your best bet. Repetitive discussion on major topics is a helpful way to help in your last days of preparation for the exam. Flashcards have an excellent advantage for students who opt to use them in their exam preparation.

DAT Bootcamp – How to do Effective Study

You need a minimum of 8 weeks to adequately prepare for the Dental Admission Test. Within this time, you can make a schedule to cover the chief and most relevant subjects that will be the deciding factors whether you get accepted or fail.

You can modify your DAT study schedule to work on your weak areas or other points you’re facing difficulty with. In case you make a tight schedule; you can increase your study duration for more than 8 weeks by reducing the study hours you spend studying every day. However, keep in mind to keep your study schedule less than 12 weeks.

Trying to review all the test material too fast isn’t recommended either. We suggest you keep the general study plan longer than 4 weeks. Keep in mind that resting and allowing your brain to absorb all the new information is also a key factor for effective study. On average pre-dental students need to devote about 10 to DAT preparation. However, you can reduce that prep duration period to 8 weeks with a good study routine.

The most common bachelor’s degree pre-dental students opt for is biology. This is good since it provides a strong foundation on biology concepts and to some extent chemistry as well. Irrespective of how well you performed in either chemistry or biology, you will still need to spend several hours in your study schedule to work on your weak points.

Conclusion 

A dental aptitude test is probably the key factor to determine whether you are going to have a career as a dentist or not. To make it to a good dental school, you need to perform well on DAT.

Along with a proper study schedule, high-quality study aides make sure you manage to get a good score in your exam. We have compiled a list of the best books that help you develop a better understanding of the test format. The full-length practice tests provide you hands-on experience on what to expect from the exam. Select one from our top picks and, you won’t be disappointed by the study content.

Becoming a dentist is a long and challenging journey but, once you ace it, all of the efforts become worth it. Good luck preparing for your DAT!