anyone taken MCAT and DAT>

[lakersfan]

I'm wondering if anyone here has taken MCAT and DAT and would mind posting their scores. I got a 33 on the MCAT (yes, I'm probably dropping med since I'm tired of all the **** I'm gettin from med schools post interview) and I will be taking the DAT within the next 2 months (just got the big fat white book from Kaplan). Anyways, I wanna see the correlation just to measure the degree of dificulty. Thanks in advance and I'll post when I get my DAT scores (if i don't, remind me!!!).

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[waltoncj]

hey

 

[drat]

I'm wondering if anyone here has taken MCAT and DAT and would mind posting their scores. I got a 33 on the MCAT (yes, I'm probably dropping med since I'm tired of all the **** I'm gettin from med schools post interview) and I will be taking the DAT within the next 2 months (just got the big fat white book from Kaplan). Anyways, I wanna see the correlation just to measure the degree of dificulty. Thanks in advance and I'll post when I get my DAT scores (if i don't, remind me!!!).

For what it's worth, I scored a 33 on the MCAT and a 24 AA on the DAT. However, there was a 4 year time span from the time I took the MCAT until I took the DAT. I remembered the chemistry (I have been a chemist for 3 years) and I still knew how to read, but I needed to freshen up on the bio and perception crap. I do feel I could have done better on the MCAT, especially the verbal, but I thought I gave it my "all" on the DAT given the circumstances (working full time, training for a marathon, travelling, etc.).

It is my personal opinion that one who has done well on the MCAT will do well on the DAT, but it is not necessarily true the other way around. The MCAT requires more "knowledge" whereas the DAT is more memorization -- not really tying things together. I echo the other poster's comment that the DAT was more enjoyable to study for, particularly the perception stuff and math.


A word of caution before I sign off -- don't apply to dental schools because med school didn't work out for you. 1.) You may not be happy within the dental profession. 2.) Dental schools won't accept med school "wannabes". Even though I applied to dental schools 3 years after I applied to medical schools (I ultimately withdrew from med school after my 3rd interview because the thought of being a doctor made me violently ill!), every dental school asked me something about my med school experience. They wanted to make sure dental school wasn't my back up, if you will.

drat

 

[stoshic]

I studied pretty hard for the MCAT and ended up getting a 26. I also took the Princeton Review- then I saw oral surgery, loved it, and that is now my goal. Took the DAT about a month after the MCAT before I got my scores back, studied for about 2 weeks for a couple hours. DAT scores were 21/22/18 With your scores, you should be more than fine walking in cold turkey. I'd suggest lookin over the math for a few days, you probably know how to do it, just a time thing.. good luck

 

[lakersfan]

For what it's worth, I scored a 33 on the MCAT and a 24 AA on the DAT. However, there was a 4 year time span from the time I took the MCAT until I took the DAT. I remembered the chemistry (I have been a chemist for 3 years) and I still knew how to read, but I needed to freshen up on the bio and perception crap. I do feel I could have done better on the MCAT, especially the verbal, but I thought I gave it my "all" on the DAT given the circumstances (working full time, training for a marathon, travelling, etc.).

It is my personal opinion that one who has done well on the MCAT will do well on the DAT, but it is not necessarily true the other way around. The MCAT requires more "knowledge" whereas the DAT is more memorization -- not really tying things together. I echo the other poster's comment that the DAT was more enjoyable to study for, particularly the perception stuff and math.


A word of caution before I sign off -- don't apply to dental schools because med school didn't work out for you. 1.) You may not be happy within the dental profession. 2.) Dental schools won't accept med school "wannabes". Even though I applied to dental schools 3 years after I applied to medical schools (I ultimately withdrew from med school after my 3rd interview because the thought of being a doctor made me violently ill!), every dental school asked me something about my med school experience. They wanted to make sure dental school wasn't my back up, if you will.

drat

Hey drat,
Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty conflicted right now. I live in Southern California right now and interviewed at 6 M.D. schools, including USC (my top choice all along...even when I was in high school). My dad is a dentist and I would love to be a dr so long as I get to stay in California. However, for me, being able to live in California for the next 4 years and stay near my family is very very important. If I got into USC med, I would definitely go since I want to be a doctor. However, if I get into med school outside of California (and don't get into USC), I'm completely against it because I REALLY do not want to move out of the state (even if it is only for 4 years). My dad is a dentist so I have a pretty good idea of the field and I would definitely shadow him (I would probably go with him to his office each day since I just graduated from UC Berkeley) so that I'm sure of what I'm getting myself into. When I interviewed at USC, I loved it because of the clinical opportunities offered there . I really think that entering a dental specialty like oral surgery might be very cool and similar to the field of medicine. I hope that I can get a 22+ on my DAT althought from what I've heard that is the 99% (my MCAT -33- was only 90% so hoping for a 22+ DAT might be a stretch). Anyways, thanks for your advice.

 

[vertical bite]

I'm wondering if anyone here has taken MCAT and DAT and would mind posting their scores. I got a 33 on the MCAT (yes, I'm probably dropping med since I'm tired of all the **** I'm gettin from med schools post interview) and I will be taking the DAT within the next 2 months (just got the big fat white book from Kaplan). Anyways, I wanna see the correlation just to measure the degree of dificulty. Thanks in advance and I'll post when I get my DAT scores (if i don't, remind me!!!).

A


Any of you who have taken the MCAT AND THE DAT dont deserve to be in the medical profession because you obviously dont know what you want out of life.

 

[lakersfan]

A


Any of you who have taken the MCAT AND THE DAT dont deserve to be in the medical profession because you obviously dont know what you want out of life.

Thanks...I'm sure I will take that into consideration.

 

[jk5177]

You should score well. I took the MCAT and got a 26. I screwed around and took the DAT a few months later in 2/3 the time needed to take each section(and forgetting a lot) and scored a 21 on the Kaplan diagnostic of the AA. I imagine after studying 2-3 months hard again and refreshing my memory, I will have every reason to get at least a 23 when I take it in June. I am sure with a 33 on the MCAT, I wouldn't expect anything less than a 23 on the DAT, but they are two different tests. A lot of people can get away with scoring well on the MCAT without having an immense science knowledge because they have great reading comprehension (many of the answers are in the passage). However, with the DAT it is based more solely on the amount of info you know, not your reading comprehension. Therefore, some people test better on one or the other. I I have horrible reading comprehension (10-ps, 6-verbal, 10-bs) so the DAT fits my capabilities more, but I imagine you should do very well regardless. Either way, the DAT is a much easier test than the MCAT. I enjoy studying for the DAT where as the MCAT was unbearable.

I agree with waltoncj, so there is no need for me to post.
You may find studying for the DAT as easy, so I suggest you trying to get 30s. Challenge yourself and see if you can get 30s on any section - it will be challenge.

 

[jk5177]

A

Any of you who have taken the MCAT AND THE DAT dont deserve to be in the medical profession because you obviously dont know what you want out of life.

Dear Vertical Bite:

You comment certainly came across to me with a lot of conviction, and I respect your sharing, or maybe your humor. Well, if you feel so free to make a comment like that to other peers, then I am justified in making this comment.

Any body who discourages another human being from pursuing their dreams or struggling with their confusions lacks empathy for humanity. How much empathy the person lacks is unclear and I don't know, but it shows. And when I hear such comments from people, it reminded me of how diverse this world is and that not everyone is all kind, understanding, humble nor sincere. Especially in any health field which we interact with people everyday, it alarms me that there are people in this field that is not empathetic, and that's okay, afterall dentistry is a diverse field.

Thank you Vertical Bite for sharing your thoughts. However, I strongly disagree with you and I believe that we all go through different sets of confusions, and deal with them differently.

For those who have taken both DAT and MCAT. I actually commend you for wanting to stick with the health profession and not give up. Maybe your reason is not the most ideal, but that's not the point, and I will think positively of you no matter what.

Often one may not be fully sure about what path to pave, but it definitely shows dedication and committment toward paving a path. Good luck.

ps. VerticalBite. I love your avatar. That is absolutely one of the best I've seen.

 

[vertical bite]

im not discouraging anyone thats not already discouraged if not they wouldnt take the pcat mcat dat lsat, blah blah blah

why not just graduate and take all the entrance exams and just take whatever. thats what it seems like


i suggest this, be truthful and tell the ADCOMS that you took all these tests.

see how quick they grant you a seat in dental school. I dare you !

 

[ncalcate]

i suggest this, be truthful and tell the ADCOMS that you took all these tests.

see how quick they grant you a seat in dental school. I dare you !

Actually, this is exactly what I did and I got an acceptance from my top choice waiting for me the morning of December 1st.

In my opinion, it is up to you as an applicant to explain why you are more interested in dentistry than medicine. If you can explain it effectively, then it can be an asset to your application. In my personal statement I explained what I did - took the MCAT, applied to medical school, got in to several schools but became disechanted with medicine, and then started shadowing. This went over very well with the dental schools and they never once doubted my commitment to dentistry.

To the OP (lakersfan) - taking the MCAT, and getting a score like you did, that will be an asset to your application IF you can explain the "why I like dentistry more than medicine" question that you will inevitably face. And to your original question, I got a 35R on the MCAT and then scored a 29TS / 27 AA / 18 PAT. With your 33, you will have no problem with the DAT. Just study for the PAT, and brush up on some bio topics (comparative anatomy, plants, etc.) that aren't on the MCAT but do show up on the DAT.

Good luck.

 

[vertical bite]

Actually, this is exactly what I did and I got an acceptance from my top choice waiting for me the morning of December 1st.

In my opinion, it is up to you as an applicant to explain why you are more interested in dentistry than medicine. If you can explain it effectively, then it can be an asset to your application. In my personal statement I explained what I did - took the MCAT, applied to medical school, got in to several schools but became disechanted with medicine, and then started shadowing. This went over very well with the dental schools and they never once doubted my commitment to dentistry.

To the OP (lakersfan) - taking the MCAT, and getting a score like you did, that will be an asset to your application IF you can explain the "why I like dentistry more than medicine" question that you will inevitably face. And to your original question, I got a 35R on the MCAT and then scored a 29TS / 27 AA / 18 PAT. With your 33, you will have no problem with the DAT. Just study for the PAT, and brush up on some bio topics (comparative anatomy, plants, etc.) that aren't on the MCAT but do show up on the DAT.

Good luck.

whatever. I doubt that.

 

[impuny]

whatever. I doubt that.

Actually I had much the same experience... I did well on the MCAT, got into some med schools, but decided that ultimately I was more suited to go into dentistry... and I got accepted. I agree that if you're truly sincere about becoming a dentist then you should have no problem relaying that to the admissions committee.

 

[vertical bite]

Actually I had much the same experience... I did well on the MCAT, got into some med schools, but decided that ultimately I was more suited to go into dentistry... and I got accepted. I agree that if you're truly sincere about becoming a dentist then you should have no problem relaying that to the admissions committee.

well its a major bummer that you had to study for both the MCAT and DAt.

ARE THEY SIMILAR?

I only took the DAT.

 

[impuny]

well its a major bummer that you had to study for both the MCAT and DAt.

ARE THEY SIMILAR?

I only took the DAT.

After studying for the mcat I only had to study like a week for the DAT... mostly to brush up on the math and get familiar with the perceptual ability stuff... Either way, what I'm saying is that not everyone knows from the get-go what they want to be... so i don't see how it matters that they figure that out after they've already taken the mcat. Better now than later.

 

[JakeMUSC]

Hey Vert, I bet you'll love this one..... I applied to only ONE school, unlike those who apply to 10 different ones....damn people who dont know what they want.

 

[Rezdawg]

To the OP, you will do very well on the DAT. Ive taken both exams as well. Did nowhere near how you did on the MCAT, but was able to pull a 21 on the DAT.

And Vertical Bite, I was truthful to ADCOMS about my previous interest in medicine. The application asks about it, so I dont see why you would lie about it in the first place.

 

[jk5177]

Hey Vert, I bet you'll love this one..... I applied to only ONE school, unlike those who apply to 10 different ones....damn people who dont know what they want.

Good response!

 

[stoshic]

Vert,
your an idiot... your post is like saying just because you like apples, you can't like oranges. I applied to both med and dental and told the ADCOMS that I had applied to both schools, told them my scores, ect, but told them my train of thought.. because I knew I had options. I was right and have gained acceptances to great schools. ADCOMS respects people who are open minded and not tunnel visioned.

 

[GENERAL TSO]

Vert,
your an idiot... your post is like saying just because you like apples, you can't like oranges. I applied to both med and dental and told the ADCOMS that I had applied to both schools, told them my scores, ect, but told them my train of thought.. because I knew I had options. I was right and have gained acceptances to great schools. ADCOMS respects people who are open minded and not tunnel visioned.

Hey, I have a family member who is a dental professor and on an ADCOM and I can tell you quickly that you DO NOT want to tell her that you applied to both dental and medical school. That gets you the big red post-it.

So do what you want but you heard it here!

 

[tommie]

mcat: 33 dat: 25

 

[Aero047]

mcat: 33 dat: 25

Is it crazy to study for the MCAT and the DAT at the same time? I'm thinking it shouldn't be too hard since some of the subjects are similar.

 

[DrTacoElf]

On the mcat i got 11biol/10phys/7verbal
On the dat i got a 23aa/23ts/17pat