10/12/12 DAT Breakdown

[oac1]

Hi All,

First of all I just want to say that while I am not an active poster in the forums I have received tons of great advice about study methods and materials from posts in here so I really appreciate the effort everyone has put into sharing their experiences!

I took the DAT this past Friday and feel that my results were somewhat successful:

PAT - 18 (54.5%)
Reading Comp - 28 (99.7%)
Bio - 18 (65.9%)
Gen Chem - 20 (85.9%)
Orgo - 23 - (94.2%)
QR - 19 (91.2%)
TS - 20 (84.5%)
AA - 22 (97.3%)

I little bit more about me and my approach to studying. I was a Biology major at an Ivy League university and graduated in 2011 with a 3.3 overall GPA and a 3.4 science GPA. Since graduating I have been working in biomedical research. I also spent every summer of undergrad working in research. As far as studying goes, I spent approximately 2 months doing very focused studying (also working full time). The primary materials I used were Kaplan Blue Book, Cliffs AP Bio and Chads Videos. I did not feel that any additional materials were necessary. Chad is absolutely amazing! Gen Chem was a real weak point for me starting out and I felt that he really helped me build a strong foundation for the exam.

I was definitely a little surprised by a few sections of the test. First off, I felt that the Bio section was TOTALLY RANDOM. Ironically, I was a biology major in college and graduated with distinction in my major (3.8 major gpa). Biology has always been a subject I excelled in and was interested in but this test just seemed so obscure. Definitely a frustrating way to start the exam.

My other weaker section, PAT, was no surprise to me. This section of the test did not come easily to me and to be perfectly honest, I did not prepare for it as much as I should. I completed 2-3 Crack DAT PAT tests and was just so discouraged by it. Ultimately, I felt that my time studying was better spent focusing on the science sections and just trying to get by here. I was hoping to get by with at least a 17 so the 18 definitely felt like a victory here.

I was very pleased with my reading comp section. This has always been something I excelled in but 28 was better than I could have hoped! I actually did not study at all for this section. IMO if you stay calm and collected and do not panic about the time constraint you can excel here. The key is to recognize that they are giving you all the information you need to get the correct answer.

OChem and GChem were both a little lower than I had hoped. I felt extremely prepared after using all of Chad's materials and was hoping to score 24+ in both of these. I had a couple of Gen Chem questions that required you just to set up the equations and I got a little tripped up here.

So here is my question to you all... From what I have gathered from perusing these forums a 22 AA is a very good score but I know the my AA is extremely inflated due to my high reading comp score. Do you think this will negatively impact me? Additionally, how do you think I will fair in the admissions process with these scores and my slightly lower than average gpa? Do they care at all that I went to a very competitive school for undergrad?

Thanks again to everyone in these forums. The advice about studying materials is truly invaluable!!!

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[tough]

hello...congrats on your awesome scores!which other materials did u use?how was u scoring on practice tests?

 

[LaughingGas]

So here is my question to you all... From what I have gathered from perusing these forums a 22 AA is a very good score but I know the my AA is extremely inflated due to my high reading comp score. Do you think this will negatively impact me? Additionally, how do you think I will fair in the admissions process with these scores and my slightly lower than average gpa? Do they care at all that I went to a very competitive school for undergrad?

1)Dental schools like high RC.Also a lot of people have high QR which inflates their AA.So, no, It won't affect you negatively.
2)Applying early and good ECs, good PS could offset your slighly lower GPA.
3)Hm. It depends which situation. Student A from Harvard with 3.4gpa and student B from state school with 3.4 gpa, then yes it will matter. Student C from state school with 3.8 GPA. Then adcoms will choose the one with higher GPA. There is a debate that has going on in the old forum.

Congrats on your scores, I envy your high RC.

 

[ThunderUp64]

I think you are doing great! DAT scores have reflected scores on the boards, so a 22 is kicking butt! (That's what I got too). My AA was a little inflated by my QR section, and none of my other sections were below a 20. Congrats on the RC, that's an amazing score and many schools will give that heavy consideration (as mentioned above). And I agree with you, Bio was my hardest section just because there is so much information. It really depends on how lucky you get with the questions you are given. Where are you applying?

 

[oac1]

I'm actually not applying this cycle. Planning to apply for admission in 2014. I'm a Texas resident so will apply to the 3 Texas schools and then probably 5 or 6 others (UCSF, Penn, Michigan, UC-Denver, BU and likely a few others). It may seem crazy to even consider subjecting myself to the torture of DAT studying again after receiving a 22 AA but, given that I have so much time until applying, and want to have a shot of acceptance at some more competitive schools, I have thought about a retake in January or so. I really feel like I could bring up my Bio and PAT scores. From what I've gathered schools prefer applicants that only take the test once though... so even if i were to bump my TS up to 22+ and my AA up to 23-24 do you think this would be worth it?

 

[jpark1800]

I'm actually not applying this cycle. Planning to apply for admission in 2014. I'm a Texas resident so will apply to the 3 Texas schools and then probably 5 or 6 others (UCSF, Penn, Michigan, UC-Denver, BU and likely a few others). It may seem crazy to even consider subjecting myself to the torture of DAT studying again after receiving a 22 AA but, given that I have so much time until applying, and want to have a shot of acceptance at some more competitive schools, I have thought about a retake in January or so. I really feel like I could bring up my Bio and PAT scores. From what I've gathered schools prefer applicants that only take the test once though... so even if i were to bump my TS up to 22+ and my AA up to 23-24 do you think this would be worth it?

yes. 22 is avg at the competitive schools. go for it.

 

[Glimmer1991]

I would not risk a retake. Peoples' scores often go DOWN. I think you have competitive scores; so long as they are no other gaping holes in your application, I think you are in a great place with a 22AA. Best of luck to you!

 

[onionlala]

Congrats, superb RC score!

 

[magriva]

Nice scores! What school did you attend?