7/18/11 dat done!

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DentGirl23

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All i can say is WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!! 7/18/11 has been the best day of my life! To those of you DAT takers that are studying right now and freaking out and being nervous (just like i was) you NEED to understand that once you see your score at the end of 4 1/2 hours of misery, IT'S ALL WORTH IT. The DAT is not as bad as you think, and you WILL be fine..just have confidence and give the test your absolute best!
Okay i wanna start out by thanking the SDN community, i was seriously on here 24/7 checking every thread and every post hoping i could feed off of yall's positiveness and words of advice...and let me tell you, they are what got me through this!
I'm not going to disclose my score, BUT through the support of God, my family and friends, i got MORE than i wanted/expected and I'm proud to say i won't be needing to take it again...and if you are well prepared you'll do the same :)

Preperation Materials I Used: (Rating 1-5*)
Kaplan Blue Book (KBB) ***
I used KBB merely for the basics, I really didn't think this book went in great detail BUT you should read it just to get basic ideas and to build a foundation for other materials :)
Cliffs Biology *****
This book covered all of biology and went in great detail! two words: GET IT.
DAT destroyer *****
This was far by the best tool I used in preparation for Bio, gChem, oChem, and math...I went throught the book 3 times and made sure i understood everything before i started with practice tests.
MATH destroyer *****
This is the BEST way to study for your QR section guys, go through all the problems and make sure you heavily concentrate on your weaknesses...I went through the problems twice before i started with practice tests.
CHAD's VIDEOS ********* (a million stars)
Chad is AWESOME..and his videos are the reasons why I did so well on the gChem and oChem part of the DAT. If you watch his videos, take notes, take the quizzes after each section you will do just fine on the DAT. He makes everything so much easier and goes over pretty much every concept that the DAT asks for. I HIGHLY recommend this!
Biology datQvault *****
I LOVED THIS. I took all 10 benchmark tests and made sure I understood the main concepts and on any errors i would make i would review it..it scored your performance and timed you and everything. it was awesome!
TopScore *****
Alright, AFTER you have finished preparing over everything, make sure you get TopScore...these practice tests are the BOMB DIGGITY. You can take them by section or choose to take a full length test..they have explanations and solutions for every section (except perceptual ability). Get this program! you wont regret it!
Crack DAT PAT *****
Want a high score on your PAT? GET THIS!!!!!! It helped me visualize everything and is one of the many reasons why I did well on my PAT!
2009 ADA Sample Test/All the other practice test i found ****
Having MORE practice will boost your self confidence and help better prepare you for the DAT..i strongly encourage you do as many practice tests as you can AFTER you have fully went over the preparation materials you use!

Comparing Prep Materials to the Real DAT:

Bio: okay this section I thought was pretty on par/a tad bit harder than TopScore, easier than DAT destroyer, and on par with biology datQvault. I went over this section 3 times in the destroyer and you should too! I guarantee you'll make a 20+ on this section IF you prepared well enough for it :)
gChem: alright guys, if you are prolly thinking "how the heck am i going to do well on this section if i can't do these calculations on TopScore in the amount of time that's given?!" YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY. I thought TopScore's gchem was wayyyyyy harder than the real thing. Go over Chad's vids and you'll be golden...i love chad! :oops:
oChem: oChem is my strongest subject so i didnt really review for it that much and scored the highest in this section! go over chad's videos, dat destroyer and know the basics...(most acidic, o/p activators, etc) and you will do GREAT..oh and it was easier on the real DAT than on TopScore.
PAT: PAT PAT PAT...where do i begin? i went from not knowing how to do a single TFE problem to them being my favorite..USE CRACK DAT PAT for this section..if you're using TopScore then this is how they relate to the real test..Cube side counting, Keyholes, TFE, and Pattern Folding were on par. Angle ranking and Hole punching were HARDER on the real thing...the key to angle ranking is to glance at the angles back and forth really quickly and GO WITH YOUR GUT, you'll most likely always be right, trust me!!
Reading Comprehension: I was EXTREMELY worried about this section,it was going to be possible to read 3 scientific passages and answer 50 questions in exactly one hour..but it was FINE!!...don't stress about it too much! I read scientific ariticles and journals online daily to get myself used to the kinds of readings that were going to be on the DAT..make sure you do that! Umm the method i used for this section was SEACH AND DESTROY and it worked out for me. I made sure to read the first paragraph or so to get myself familiarized with the passage and then would move on to the questions. I thought that TopScore was EASIER than the real DAT in this section.. but if you are freaking out about this section like i was, please dont..you'll do fine! My passages were actually pretty interesting, and this section overall went smoothly!
Quantitative Reasoning: Math Destroyer, DAT destroyer...ENOUGH SAID. There was not a single question on the real test that wasn't covered in these two books..awesome tools for QR. TopScore's QR was on par with the real DAT. oh and btw the calculator does NOT lag.

Overall DAT experience:

It definitely went better than I thought. I ended up finishing bio gchem and ochem with 34 minutes to spare, so i rechecked my answers, i finished math with 5 minutes to spare and the other sections i finished right on time...but this is ALL DUE TO PRACTICE, make sure you have enough of it!! To those of you that are thinking negatively about it...DONT...make sure you have confidence in yourself before you go in, eat a good breakfast, and sleep well the night before. The day before the big day you should not do any practice tests or anything..just take it easy and relax! I would also check out your testing center prior to your test date to get a feel of the place and atmosphere. umm note: the thin markers are IMPOSSIBLE to erase once they're dry, make sure you TEST your markers before going in..and take one of each type of marker provided. Like i said a million times before, go in with confidence and give the test your best...because if you tell yourself "I can do this" then you undoubtedly will :)

GOOD LUCK DAT TAKERS!!!!!!!! SHOW THAT TEST WHO'S BOSS!!!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

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Congrats!:thumbup:
I remember you were asking me how hard it is to get 18.
Did you get 20+ AA?
 
Supera, thank you!! I got more than I what I needed to get into Dental School!

Tryangiel, Thanks! I studied for a good 2 months about 5-6 hours a day..do you take it soon?
 
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Nope I already took it, just was a question I found helpful to be answered in past breakdowns when I was studying, so I thought I'd ask.
 
We appreciate you taking the time to write a long report, but without any scores, your feedback is kind of worthless as there's no validity to your words.

I mean it's one thing to say that X, Y, Z were such great prep materials for the science section but you only scored 16 vs. saying that those prep materials scored you a 22.

There's real validity if your scores backed up your claims.

So I think you should post your scores. I don't understand why you want to keep it a secret when everyone on this forum is anonymous anyway. Plus, if it makes you feel safer, then you can always create a new handle later on.
 
We appreciate you taking the time to write a long report, but without any scores, your feedback is kind of worthless as there's no validity to your words.

I mean it's one thing to say that X, Y, Z were such great prep materials for the science section but you only scored 16 vs. saying that those prep materials scored you a 22.

There's real validity if your scores backed up your claims.

So I think you should post your scores. I don't understand why you want to keep it a secret when everyone on this forum is anonymous anyway. Plus, if it makes you feel safer, then you can always create a new handle later on.

ACTUALLYYYYYYYY...I wouldn't be giving recommendations if I was making scoring in the 17s...all of the recommendations i made are good to get anyone a 20+ on every section..and I can safely say that because i went through it :)

My TopScore Scores were:
1st test: AA 18/19 PAT
2nd test: AA 19/19 PAT
3rd test: AA 20/20 PAT

and i scored relatively well on the real thing, so i won't be needing to take it again
 
ACTUALLYYYYYYYY...I wouldn't be giving recommendations if I was making scoring in the 17s...all of the recommendations i made are good to get anyone a 20+ on every section..and I can safely say that because i went through it :)

My TopScore Scores were:
1st test: AA 18/19 PAT
2nd test: AA 19/19 PAT
3rd test: AA 20/20 PAT

and i scored relatively well on the real thing, so i won't be needing to take it again

Alright I hear ya. Congrats on your scores whatever they happen to be! I'm sure they are good.
 
nice job, and good note on the markers they give you lol... i couldn't wipe them clean even with spit...

enjoy your summer you earned it.
 
Good to see some of your posts have color in them again. haha.
But congrats on your dat, and your guaranteed spot! I knew with your kind of prep, you'd come back with a success story.:thumbup:
 
ACTUALLYYYYYYYY...I wouldn't be giving recommendations if I was making scoring in the 17s...all of the recommendations i made are good to get anyone a 20+ on every section..and I can safely say that because i went through it :)

My TopScore Scores were:
1st test: AA 18/19 PAT
2nd test: AA 19/19 PAT
3rd test: AA 20/20 PAT

and i scored relatively well on the real thing, so i won't be needing to take it again

Awww no come on!!! Tell us!!!!! It's like waving chocolate cake in front of a fat kids face...don't do this to us!!

But congratulations! I bet it must be an awesome feeling to know you are definitely 100% going to go to dental school at such a young age. You should feel very accomplished!
 
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Hahaha thanks Dusk!!
I start next year!

she obviously didnt do as well as she hoped. ( just my 2 cents) . Sorry dentgirl if this offends you but no one here knows you and posting up a whole breakdown without scores is weird might as well not post anything but what ever floats your boat !
 
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she obviously didnt do as well as she hoped. ( just my 2 cents) . Sorry dentgirl if this offends you but no one here knows you and posting up a whole breakdown without scores is weird might as well not post anything but what ever floats your boat !

wowwwww are you serious? It didnt give it away when i said "I won't be needing to take it again"?

All of my recommendations are good to get anyone a 20+ on each section.
And i love how you quoted what i said "I start next year" and you're telling me I didn't do as well as i wanted..do you have common sense? use it.
 
wowwwww are you serious? It didnt give it away when i said "I won't be needing to take it again"?

All of my recommendations are good to get anyone a 20+ on each section.
And i love how you quoted what i said "I start next year" and you're telling me I didn't do as well as i wanted..do you have common sense? use it.

this thread isn't about you.... if your true desire is to give-back to SDN... you should tell people what you scored so your study methods can be evaluated.

You had a good breakdown, unfortunately, no one knows how "successful" your study-plan is cause we don't know what you got.

If you are happy with 18-20... thats great for you, some people around aiming for the skies (22+), so your breakdown would offer benefit if it was coupled with ur scores..... just my 2 cents
 
wowwwww are you serious? It didnt give it away when i said "I won't be needing to take it again"?

All of my recommendations are good to get anyone a 20+ on each section.
And i love how you quoted what i said "I start next year" and you're telling me I didn't do as well as i wanted..do you have common sense? use it.

where did i quote " i start next year" ? Do you know how to read? Apparently not. Like i said, i doubt you did as well as you said, and now that i think of it, even if you do post your scores, id be skeptical. Good luck in your apps either way but your words are worthless to me and lots others on this board.
 
Congrats on achieving your goals!

But you are on an anonymous forum anyways, with an anonymous username.

No one is going to know who you are, even if you tell us your scores, but it will help future test takers determine which study material to focus on!
 
First of all, not that I'm dying here to know your scores or anything. Frankly, at the end of the day, I can careless what your scores are.

But I believe the only way you could be helpful (if that's your intention after all) to any of us, is by posting your scores so we can evaluate your study methods and correlate them to the scores you got. Every person has different standards and needs on this test. Maybe a good score to you might not be a good score to someone else and vise versa! When you say you won't be needing to take it again doesn't mean anything if you have a 4.0 GPA. An 18AA will get you in with that GPA too! Get my point?!

Overall, it seems like you're happy with your scores and you gotta do what makes you happy. I guess that's all that matters. Congrats and Good luck!
 
If I had to bet money, her scores were around 18-19 across the board. I remember her saying in a prior thread that she belongs to an undergrad-dental program that would offer automatic acceptance to the dental school if achieving a certain GPA and DAT score. All of these programs I've read about typically require a min. 3.3 GPA and 18 DAT scores across the board.

I remember her mentioning that she didn't study too hard just for the reason of not needing to score so high. Thus, the reason why she states that one would achieve 20+ scores with the prep materials, despite only scoring 18 herself, is because she knows if she studied harder, then she would've gotten a few more answers correct on each section and hence, higher scores.

So am I spot on DentGirl?
 
i was seriously on here 24/7 checking every thread and every post hoping i could feed off of yall's positiveness and words of advice...and let me tell you, they are what got me through this!
Post your scores. Edit the original post and add them.

You have 28 posts and joined in Jul 2011, make a new accnt for dental school and never look back if your worried about anonymity.

The scores are the breakdown whether they are good or bad, and everyone benefits from them regardless.

It's actually not a big deal, no one will really care if you don't add them, there's 1000+ breakdowns, but personally, I (and others) feel it's the least someone can do when they've benefited from SDN, which is why so many are requesting it.

Congrats, nonetheless we are all happy your hard work has benefited you, enjoy dschool :thumbup:
 
Jeez... she is being trolled on hard.

Nonetheless... I do have to agree that a break down is not as useful and loses it's validity without actual scores.

It's kind of like a TV commercial that tells you that their product is good, without actually showing you the product in action.
 
Post your scores. Edit the original post and add them.

You have 28 posts and joined in Jul 2011, make a new accnt for dental school and never look back if your worried about anonymity.

The scores are the breakdown whether they are good or bad, and everyone benefits from them regardless.

It's actually not a big deal, no one will really care if you don't add them, there's 1000+ breakdowns, but personally, I (and others) feel it's the least someone can do when they've benefited from SDN, which is why so many are requesting it.

Congrats, nonetheless we are all happy your hard work has benefited you, enjoy dschool :thumbup:

+1 but I really don't care about your scores just how your study materials helped you get that score.
 
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