DAT manual dexterity soap carving section help

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ali_md

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Hey guys,
I'm going to be taking the Canadian DAT on November 5th and I'm kind of freaking out about the manual dexterity section. I have a friend that did really well in the DAT but failed the soap carving portion so he had to retake the test. I have no problem with the sciences or reading comprehension, that's just a review.... As for the PAT I've been able to find many resources to practice but the soap carving... I have no clue. I tried to do it yesterday and it takes me like 2 hours to do and when I looked at how the grading works there's almost no room for error... Any suggestions and tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

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The Soap Carving section isn't mandatory, it's optional, and only a few schools in Canada look at it. Anyway, I would suggest to just keep practicing. Try to do 3 soaps a week even if it takes you 2 hours. Don't rush. Learn the techniques first and once you get better, you can try to do it in 30 minutes. The first time I did the section I got a 4. I hated it so much but the more I practiced, the more I enjoyed it, and it became relaxing haha. So the second time I took the test, I ended up getting a 20. Just play with the soap and see what works for you. IQ Publications has a book on Soap Carving and there are some good videos online as well.
 
Are you going to be applying to US dental schools?
 
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I'll try and do that I'd just like to try and have it down before school starts that way I can just review.
What do you think caused you to get a 4 the first time?

I'm only applying in Canada for now but if I dont get in then I'll do the prerequisites for the states and try there.
 
Hey guys,

So I found this site www.DATsoapcarving.ca, it seams promising but have any of you ever tried them?

Thanks

I found them too. The only thing is that they are located in Montreal... (Now I live in Montreal so that's not a problem), but for anyone outside of Montreal, I'd assume it would be pretty difficult to take their course. Also, they are extremely expensive... I really can't see myself spending that much....
 
lol ya, I'm in Montreal too :). I wish that Université de Montreal and Université Laval didn't require it like McGill!
Anyways... I think I'm going to give them a try cuz I havent seen anything else out there lol and it looks like their having a sale.
Completely lost, will this be the first time you pass the DAT? Are you only applying in Quebec?
 
So, I registered 3 days ago and so far I've watched the first 10 videos and I must say, I'm very impressed. I can finally map out the pattern I want and I'm getting better at some of the cuts. Finally getting the hang of it, Woohoo! lol

I have another question though, I just received the soap that they give you in the mail and it came with a letter that mentions how the CDA's soap which comes in the DAT kit is not the same texture as what will be on the test and that theirs is more similar to the test texture. Can anyone who passed the CDAT confirm if the practice soap and the test soap is the same or not?

I purchased like 18 soaps from the CDA specifically because I wanted to practice with the same thing that will be on the test...
 
So, I registered 3 days ago and so far I've watched the first 10 videos and I must say, I'm very impressed. I can finally map out the pattern I want and I'm getting better at some of the cuts. Finally getting the hang of it, Woohoo! lol

I have another question though, I just received the soap that they give you in the mail and it came with a letter that mentions how the CDA's soap which comes in the DAT kit is not the same texture as what will be on the test and that theirs is more similar to the test texture. Can anyone who passed the CDAT confirm if the practice soap and the test soap is the same or not?

I purchased like 18 soaps from the CDA specifically because I wanted to practice with the same thing that will be on the test...
The practice soap and the test soap is not the same. I found the test soap to be a lot softer. But it's the closest thing to it!
 
The practice soap and the test soap is not the same. I found the test soap to be a lot softer. But it's the closest thing to it!

Oh god... well ya, the size seems exactly the same on this one and it seems softer when I cut into it. Also, when I carve it the edges dont just break off easily like on my CDA soap. It's hard to describe, but it seems less brittle. Does that all sound more like the test one?

I attached a pic of them, the CDA one is on the right.
I'm not sure if I should keep the CDA ones and practice on both or try and return the CDA ones and just get a bunch of these? cuz I can get almost double the amount so more practice.... if I manage to get a refund! But if I keep both then I'll have less practice but on two different textures so maybe thats better?
 

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Hey ali_md, I took my DAT at UdeM last year and me and a couple of my friends took a DAT class in Montreal with Steve who teaches on that website. He was a super nice teacher, always there for us and he still helped us even after our classes right up until our DAT date last February. My friends and I did really well thanks to those classes, so I would highly recommend anything that Steve teaches for the DAT! :)
 
Hey ali_md, I took my DAT at UdeM last year and me and a couple of my friends took a DAT class in Montreal with Steve who teaches on that website. He was a super nice teacher, always there for us and he still helped us even after our classes right up until our DAT date last February. My friends and I did really well thanks to those classes, so I would highly recommend anything that Steve teaches for the DAT! :)

Ya, I almost finished the lessons and my soap carving skills have improved exponentially lol.
I'll add some pics to show my improvement soon. I'll just need to keep practice on a regular basis until November 5th...
What kind of grade did you get if you don't mind my asking?
 
Ok, so as promised here are the pics of my progression:
This is before the lessons: 20160817_100049.jpg 20160817_100126.jpg 20160817_100154.jpg 20160817_100205.jpg
 
And this is my most recent one:20160817_100400.jpg 20160817_100416.jpg 20160817_100430.jpg 20160817_100443.jpg
I have been practicing the techniques regularly... Also, these were all done in the 30 minute time limit.
Please let me know what you guys think, and if you see anything wrong with them that I might be missing.
 
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I think it looks great, just make sure your measurements are all right.
If they are, then I find it looks perfect.
Good job!
 
I think it looks great, just make sure your measurements are all right.
If they are, then I find it looks perfect.
Good job!

Thank you! And my measurements are all within a millimeter
 
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