3rd Retake. 10 Days left. Need Advice Please!

[Agnathans]

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Hey Everyone,
My retake is in 10 days. it is my third attempt, and my scores on Kaplan online practice tests are at 18 aa, and 24 PAT. I struggle in reading comp primarily because I am a slow reader, so that section is not inflating my score. I have recently been using DAT destroyer ( starting about 4 days ago) to supplement my Kaplan DAT information. I have to say, in G chem, and the Math destroyer, the problems are MUCH more difficult, and it is making me second guess myself, and really making me nervous for the Exam ( not to mention this is my final retake, and it could help me get in off the waitlist at buffalo). I have been trying to do 40 Q's in Gen chem and 40 in Orgo 1 day and then 40 in BIO and math destroyer the next day, and alternating like that. Will this help me or should i return to Kaplan and start retaking some of the section tests instead? VERY NERVOUS all of a sudden. any advice is appreciated.

 

[Daneosaurus]

This is my first time taking it. Are you taking it on the 17th, as well? I've been doing Destroyer and for a while felt like the gen chem is so difficult, it's nearly useless - but I pushed through it anyway. I was getting really frustrated with it, but noticed I've been getting more and more questions correct. I took a Bootcamp practice exam (#4) And got a 22 on it, which is much improved over the 16 I got on test #1 after watching Chad's, but before I started doing practice problems in Destroyer. As difficult and frustrating as Destroyer is, I am positive it's really helping.

TL;DR: Destroyer is awesome. Eff Kaplan.

 

[Agnathans]

This is my first time taking it. Are you taking it on the 17th, as well? I've been doing Destroyer and for a while felt like the gen chem is so difficult, it's nearly useless - but I pushed through it anyway. I was getting really frustrated with it, but noticed I've been getting more and more questions correct. I took a Bootcamp practice exam (#4) And got a 22 on it, which is much improved over the 16 I got on test #1 after watching Chad's, but before I started doing practice problems in Destroyer. As difficult and frustrating as Destroyer is, I am positive it's really helping.

TL;DR: Destroyer is awesome. Eff Kaplan.

I am taking it on the 17th. I'm wondering if it's too little too late. You know what I mean? But then again I guess every little bit helps even if it makes me feel like a zombie haha. Also wondering if I should try to push back my date another week....

My science fluctuates between 19 to 17 on all my Kaplan practice tests. 1 more to take on tuesday

 

[customx]

You may want to delay your test date, especially since this is your 3rd attempt and you won't be able to take it again unless you obtain a waiver.
I can't speak for Kaplan personally, but I haven't read good things about it on this forum.
You need to watch Chad's videos (if you haven't already), take all his quizzes a couple of times and supplement it with Destroyer. In my opinion, the best resources are Chad's, Destroyer, Feralis' bio notes and Crack DAT PAT. You can also use Bootcamp, DAT Qvault, youtube and wikipedia to supplement those. Good luck!

 

[Daneosaurus]

The 17th isn't too late to take it. But you may have wanted to start Destroyer sooner. If you push back your test date, it should be for more than a week - IMO, it should be at least a month.

 

[customx]

You may be better off delaying your test for a month if that means you can get a 20+. If you study 4-8 hours a day with the sources I mentioned, I'd like to think it's almost guaranteed to score well, probably much better than what you're getting on your practice exams.

 

[Agnathans]

You may be better off delaying your test for a month if that means you can get a 20+. If you study 4-8 hours a day with the sources I mentioned, I'd like to think it's almost guaranteed to score well, probably much better than what you're getting on your practice exams.

Where can u get access to chads and boot camp and us it free? Iv already wasted a lot if money on this thing....

 

[customx]

Where can u get access to chads and boot camp and us it free? Iv already wasted a lot if money on this thing....

Since you wasted money, didn't do research on which sources to use, and are now running out of time, you want to avoid paying Ari, Chad and Alan for all their hard work and dedication? Best of luck to you

 

[Agnathans]

Since you wasted money, didn't do research on which sources to use, and are now running out of time, you want to avoid paying Ari, Chad and Alan for all their hard work and dedication? Best of luck to you

No need for that I was just asking. A little stressed out here. I'll pay if that's what it takes but I wanted to ask people who know. that's why I came here.

 

[customx]

You won't find much sympathy here

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[Agnathans]

N

You won't find much sympathy here

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not looking for sympathy. Looking for information from informed people. Thanks for the advice.

 

[kingseven]

N

not looking for sympathy. Looking for information from informed people. Thanks for the advice.

How long have you been studying for this Test. have you only done Kaplan? Have you used destroyer?

 

[Agnathans]

At the end of the day I am wait listed at a school and doing better on this exam can move me up on the list. I would normally not hesitate to get the resources and take the additional time to prepare and succeed on the exam however I feel time is of the essence and everyday my scores don't go up someone else may be admitted instead of me. I also have committed to a family trip at end of this month where air fair and hotels are nonrefundable. What would you do in my place if dentistry has been your dream since high school. Thank you in advance.

 

[skyguy1]

Not sure if your last post was serious or not. Trip or career.... decisions decisions

At the end of the day I am wait listed at a school and doing better on this exam can move me up on the list. I would normally not hesitate to get the resources and take the additional time to prepare and succeed on the exam however I feel time is of the essence and everyday my scores don't go up someone else may be admitted instead of me. I also have committed to a family trip at end of this month where air fair and hotels are nonrefundable. What would you do in my place if dentistry has been your dream since high school. Thank you in advance.

 

[Anselmian]

My advice would be to maybe delay your test a week and a half (just for the sake of your sanity) and go through the destroyer thoroughly. While you're going through the destroyer, make sure that you UNDERSTAND the explanations and are LEARNING. My first time through the Destroyer, I thought it was enough to simply do the questions, and the knowledge would come. There is no miracle solution and you have to work for everything. If you can't push your test back too far, and this is your last attempt, as unappealing as it might sound, you have to really kick things into overdrive. You can do this!

 

[Agnathans]

How long have you been studying for this Test. have you only done Kaplan? Have you used destroyer?

Iv been studying on and off since since march but seriously since April with Kaplan ( third time use) I have done approx 50 questions in each destroyer section and all of the qr destroyer from the dat destroyer book ( now using math destroyer)

 

[matty675]

What would you do in my place if dentistry has been your dream since high school. Thank you in advance.

I'm pretty sure we all dream of being dentists one day. That's why were here. I am not sure why you haven't done research and implemented proven study techniques into your preparation. A simple Google search would have told you that Kaplan is not the best resource out there and that Chad, Bootcamp, Destroyer etc. are gold.

Postpone the test, skip the vacation, and put in some quality time with Chad, Destroyer, and Bootcamp.

 

[Agnathans]

My advice would be to maybe delay your test a week and a half (just for the sake of your sanity) and go through the destroyer thoroughly. While you're going through the destroyer, make sure that you UNDERSTAND the explanations and are LEARNING. My first time through the Destroyer, I thought it was enough to simply do the questions, and the knowledge would come. There is no miracle solution and you have to work for everything. If you can't push your test back too far, and this is your last attempt, as unappealing as it might sound, you have to really kick things into overdrive. You can do this!

Thanks anselmain. This is what I am considering. And yes I know my choice is not to go on the trip if that is what it takes.

 

[Daneosaurus]

Since you wasted money, didn't do research on which sources to use, and are now running out of time, you want to avoid paying Ari, Chad and Alan for all their hard work and dedication? Best of luck to you

I would absolutely buy Chad's videos if I were you. However, the first test on Bootcamp is free. I wouldn't spend money on Bootcamp (sry, Ari) with only a week to go. Chad's videos can be found at coursesaver.com. Bootcamp is at DATbootcamp.com. These two resources, along with Destroyer and about 8 hrs/day (maybe more is you can hack it) of focused study is the best advice I can offer if you are hell-bent on taking it in less than 2 weeks.

Edit: sry that was meant for OP, not you, @customx.

 

[Agnathans]

I would absolutely buy Chad's videos if I were you. However, the first test on Bootcamp is free. I wouldn't spend money on Bootcamp (sry, Ari) with only a week to go. Chad's videos can be found at coursesaver.com. Bootcamp is at DATbootcamp.com. These two resources, along with Destroyer and about 8 hrs/day (maybe more is you can hack it) of focused study is the best advice I can offer if you are hell-bent on taking it in less than 2 weeks.

Daneosarus,
Thank you for helping me out, I appreciate it. Honestly, I think it may be in my best interest to skip my vacation and postpone my test 3 weeks at least. I wish I had looked at other resources before...all I had ever heard about was how great kaplan was, and honestly I am kind of doubting it now.

 

[Daneosaurus]

Daneosarus,
Thank you for helping me out, I appreciate it. Honestly, I think it may be in my best interest to skip my vacation and postpone my test 3 weeks at least. I wish I had looked at other resources before...all I had ever heard about was how great kaplan was, and honestly I am kind of doubting it now.

I wish you would have come here first and got this info before spending all that time and money on Kaplan. By all accounts, their product is not up to par. I think what you are planning to do will be in your best interest.

 

[soydentista]

You should pospone your exam until you can master Destroyer!! Invest on Chad's videos, achiever, topscores and Crack PAT.. I had taken the DAT three times and I felt that Kaplan by itself was useless.. Most of the question on DAT were very similar to Destroyer. Good luck!!

 

[hl808]

Something that is rather difficult for people to do during crunch time is to address the weaknesses and go back, waaaay back to basics of learning/relearning/understanding the material. What I mean by this is we tend to try and push through gen chem/o chem and hope with repetition we will understand the topics better and get better scores. But I strongly urge you glance through the problems you've been getting wrong and see if there is a certain topic that you're struggling with. And then go back, through old textbooks, Chad's videos (why is he so amazing?!), old notes, etc. from the very beginning. While it seems counter-productive, it helped me immensely! Definitely continue with alternating sections with practice problems. You want to stay sharp in all the sections. If you focus too heavily on certain sections, when you go back to the others, you may feel like you forgot some things.

Not sure what you have to score in order to get off the waitlist but this is your future on the line. Vacations can wait. Friends and family can wait. If dentistry is truly your passion then your friends and family will 100% understand your commitment to doing well on this exam. I had to cancel a $1300 flight to Asia (which I only received $400 back...) for a mission trip last minute because I felt like I needed more time to study. It was the best decision I could have made and the best part is that the trip director respected my decision because she knows how badly I want to pursue dentistry. Also, don't look at anything as a waste of time or money. "This is an investment towards your future" <--- fine words by my boss who is the head oral pathologist at a dental school. If you feel like you need more time, you should reschedule but I consider 10 days plenty of time to hone in on your weaknesses and improve your score. The waitlist won't be there forever so can't take too much time either! 😉

 

[hl808]

Also, Bootcamp is AWESOME! Sure, 10 days may not be enough time to do all 5 tests (and I urge you NOT to do all 5) but it was by far the best practice test prep I've used. Bootcamp and Destroyer after all of Chad's videos was the best combination for me! Kaplan is more rudimentary studying (which is why I did that first), CDP is great practice (only way to get better at PAT is constant practice), Topscore sucks but supposedly simulates the real DATs...uh pretty sure the real DAT's DOESN'T skip the RC section mid exam and have weirdly formatted questions...LOL

 

[BrazilianRider]

My biggest piece of advice is to just stay calm dude. Postpone your exam like others have said. As much as it sucks, skip the vacay and study it up instead. You can still nail this.

The worst thing you can do now is to lose faith. Stay calm and put in the hours. I am 100% confident you can rock this thing with a few more weeks of studying.

Message me if you have any questions/ need motivation. You can do it!

 

[kingseven]

You should pospone your exam until you can master Destroyer!! Invest on Chad's videos, achiever, topscores and Crack PAT.. I had taken the DAT three times and I felt that Kaplan by itself was useless.. Most of the question on DAT were very similar to Destroyer. Good luck!!

What did you do different in your third time that you believe made you successful?

 

[youngy]

Destroyer can feel like an overkill but the questions coupled with great explanations in the back can really drill you down on the concepts that you need to know for the DAT.

I found some biology questions helpful, especially ones on topics that weren't covered in AP bio books and what not, but the way Dr. Orgoman wrote the answer choices somehow made it obvious to guess the answer (like all of the above, none of the above) because if you can rule out a choice, you can either pick all or none. So, best to make your time most useful by picking which subjects you will focus the most on the destroyer.

Anyways, my advice is get your foundation strong, possibly by watching Chad's video and doing the quizzes and by reading AP chem books/ Gen chem books. And if you have spare time, or if you do delay the test date, then do the destroyer and understand them thoroughly.


I can guarantee you that you will be pleasantly surprised that the actual test is much easier than the destroyer.

 

[Agnathans]

Also, Bootcamp is AWESOME! Sure, 10 days may not be enough time to do all 5 tests (and I urge you NOT to do all 5) but it was by far the best practice test prep I've used. Bootcamp and Destroyer after all of Chad's videos was the best combination for me! Kaplan is more rudimentary studying (which is why I did that first), CDP is great practice (only way to get better at PAT is constant practice), Topscore sucks but supposedly simulates the real DATs...uh pretty sure the real DAT's DOESN'T skip the RC section mid exam and have weirdly formatted questions...LOL

Hey everyone, I want to echo my apology for the double post of my other thread (which is a repost to this I did accidentally as that was my first post ever on the site). anyways GREAT advice from you all, thank you so much for taking the time to try to help me out. I have pushed my test back to July 17th. I feel this give me enough to to develop my foot hold and make sure I can get through destroyer, chads and bootcamp tests thoroughly. As for PAT that has always been my strong point every test iv taken in kaplan has been 23-24 in that section without doing any of the workshops and I got a 23 on my last real dat.

 

[Daneosaurus]

Hey everyone, I want to echo my apology for the double post of my other thread (which is a repost to this I did accidentally as that was my first post ever on the site). anyways GREAT advice from you all, thank you so much for taking the time to try to help me out. I have pushed my test back to July 17th. I feel this give me enough to to develop my foot hold and make sure I can get through destroyer, chads and bootcamp tests thoroughly. As for PAT that has always been my strong point every test iv taken in kaplan has been 23-24 in that section without doing any of the workshops and I got a 23 on my last real dat.

Good idea. Now that you actually have time, buy Bootcamp.

 

[disciple155]

Great decision to reschedule! I recently took my DAT for the 3rd time, so I understand the pressure you may feel. I absolutely recommend DAT bootcamp and Chad's videos! Good luck on your test!

 

[Agnathans]

May end up pushing it back a little more depending on how things go I will be going on that family trip because my parents won't let me get out of it apparently ( frustrating how people just don't understand the test and what it takes )

 

[customx]

Just be prepared to not have as many pre December interviews were you to take the test earlier. Is the rest of your app prepared?

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[Agnathans]

It is not I may consider taking a masters before reapplication