can i take both mcat and dat?

[skazyjae]

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I am junior right now. gpa 3.84 sGPA 3.94 math gpa 4.00.
Im not sure if I want to be dentist or doctor. I am still deciding, but time goes fast and it is time for me to take either one of those tests. Is it possible to take both? has any one do that yet? are materials similar? I know that mcat has physics in it, but im okay with physics (in my opinion, I am better with physics than biology.)

Thanks for helping me guys!

 

[coyotelime]

Different exams, different methods of preparation. I would explore both fields and see which one you have more of an interest in.

 

[MShopes]

I am junior right now. gpa 3.84 sGPA 3.94 math gpa 4.00.
Im not sure if I want to be dentist or doctor. I am still deciding, but time goes fast and it is time for me to take either one of those tests. Is it possible to take both? has any one do that yet? are materials similar? I know that mcat has physics in it, but im okay with physics (in my opinion, I am better with physics than biology.)

Thanks for helping me guys!

If your life decision of whether you want to be a dentist or a doctor will be based in how well you do in either exam then you are going about it the wrong way. You shouldn't take both exams for any reason whatsoever. You should base your life decision on what you actually enjoy based on possible clinical experience. You should have shadowed some dentist or doctor and knew what kind of work to expect.

But in general, DAT is a recalling material exam where the MCAT is critical thinking exam where you need to analyze passages in the allowed time which is generally short time so you gotta be quick. MCAT is much much harder than the DAT in my opinion.

 

[Ombligo]

I took the PCAT and the MCAT.

The DAT and PCAT are pretty similar, aside from the spatial reasoning on the DAT (also, the PCAT has an essay component).

I'm sure you've already heard this but THE MCAT IS MUCH MUCH HARDER!

I recommend taking the MCAT in the winter and the DAT in the summer. You'll be overprepared for the DAT in this way.

On the other hand, studying for the DAT first (during the winter) may prime your brain for the content review of the MCAT. This is what I did, not exactly for the purposes of "priming" my brain - but it was definitely helpful to have reviewed some of the overlapping content a few months before (although again, the MCAT is way harder. DAT preparation will not be anywhere NEAR enough for the rigor of the MCAT.)

I took the PCAT for peace of mind (as a back-up route, in case I discovered my feeble-mind was incapable of scoring >30 on the MCAT.) I understand your reasons might be a bit different - you probably just aren't sure of the lifestyle you want and THATS OKAY. Take both tests. It'll buy you some time to figure out what you want for your future. Forget the haters.

 

[aspiringmed]

Yeah that's what I'm planning to do if I don't get the score I would like from this round of MCATs. I know a lot of people who were set on going straight med, but then ended up not being able to perform as well as they'd like on the MCAT. One of them ended up taking the DAT, and got such a good score that he got into Columbia dental school the following year. I don't think there's any problems with trying to take both, especially when you say you're unsure what you want to do for a future career. Rather, I think it's smart to not put all your eggs in one basket, and prepare both routes simultaneously.