20AA, should I retake?

[Blake1e]

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Hey Everyone, I took the DAT for the 1st time today and I'm looking for some advice.

PA 2X
QR 1X
RC 1X
BIO 2X
GC 2X
OC 2X

TS 2X
AA 20

When I got these results I was deeply disappointed in myself.
I took this test utterly sleep deprived because I couldn't sleep the night before. My mind was racing all night, reviewing info over and over. I worked through the entire exam with a dull pain in my head as a result.

For the QR, the 90s era computer the exam was on killed me b/c the calculator program was often unresponsive. But aside from that killing my time I know I couldve done better b/c this isn't a difficult section and I was getting the majority of them right on the DAT Destroyer. At the end I ended up running out of time and guessed on the last 5 questions. I shouldve studied this section with a time restraint, so my thinking process would have been faster.

For the Bio I had some blind spots b/c some of the topics on the exam were not covered on DAT destroyer. Though I am certain I couldve done better on both chem.

On the RC, I deserved the horrible score b/c I didnt practice it at all. Which I regret b/c this could have easily been a score booster if I payed it some attention prior to the exam.

On the PA, my grade falls within the 21-24 range I was scoring on the CrackdatPat and I'm somewhat satisfied with that grade.

I know I couldve done better than a AA20. I lived, breathed and ate DAT study materials during every waking moment in the 2 months leading up to the exam.

My question is ---- Are these scores decent enough to get into NYU or some other school?

Or should I retake the exam and live up to my full potential?

By the way, my cumulative GPA is 3.XX (rough freshman year).

 

[ushaseos]

You might want to retake for the RC score. Everything else is actually not bad at all (its actually damn good!). Given your lower than par GPA, you'd want an above average DAT score in all the subjects. RC is pretty do-able with enough practice. Use the next 3 months before attempt 2 to really ensure you nail the RC section and do as well on the Sciences

With even a 1 pt increase in RC and QR your AA would have been 21. Your AA was 20.2 which the system rounded down to 20. If you scored 18 and 17 respectively, your AA would be 20.6 which the system rounds up to 21.

 

[littlemisspiggy]

nice scores!

how did you study for chems?

 

[Blake1e]

nice scores!

how did you study for chems?

I used to be a [REDACTED] for organic chem and I used the DAT destroyer as a brush up.

The Destroyer was also immensely useful for gen chem b/c the questions reviewed a wide array of topics.

I went over both sections in the destroyer at least 3 times each, just to make sure all the concepts were hammered into my head.

 

[smileeyes]

You should retake the DAT. I had similar scores with a higher GPA and received one interview, but was rejected and told to retake the DAT to become more competitive (I had a low QR score, everything else was fine). You shouldn't rely on the calculator as it is laggy in general and you really don't need it. There are certain methods from Kaplan that may help with the RC section.

 

[Blake1e]

Thank you for the feedback.

Ok, Im gonna send my application right away and take the DAT again in 3 months.

Im gonna buy CrackdatReading and math. Also all tests from datQvault.


If anyone has anything else to say, Im interested in hearing from you.

 

[ushaseos]

Not sure CD Math is the best thing. If you want QR practice, get the Math Destroyer. Crack DAT's PAT and RC are great but I haven't heard too many good things about their other stuff.

 

[Blue87Fiero]

Not sure CD Math is the best thing. If you want QR practice, get the Math Destroyer. Crack DAT's PAT and RC are great but I haven't heard too many good things about their other stuff.

👍 I would recommend MATH destroyer it is very similar to the DAT type questions just a little bit harder which is good practice especially in math.

I would really focus RC. A 17 or 18 is ok in QR but for RC I would want a minimum of 19

Good luck on the retake

 

[Blake1e]

👍 I would recommend MATH destroyer it is very similar to the DAT type questions just a little bit harder which is good practice especially in math.

I would really focus RC. A 17 or 18 is ok in QR but for RC I would want a minimum of 19

Good luck on the retake

Thanks.

 

[ryansgs]

Remember this thread dude? Obviously you do you "redacted" your scores recently. Your disappointment here is palpable to me. You "lived, breathed and ate DAT study materials" and it ended up working quite well for you at the end. Big congrats dude!

 

[Blake1e]

Thanks. Yeah it was a long and a bit painful study journey for this test. I dont think this is much to celebrate over, an acceptance would be a good reason to rejoice b/c my new scores dont guarantee anything.

 

[wb1]

You did great Blake1e. Thanks for the pm. I hope you get good news soon!!!
Do you mind telling me the gpa? I am still trying to figure out if I should not take it to save time and $ and rather focus on EC stuff.