Can I take the DAT without Orgo 2?

[deleted446889]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to say this place is a great resource, I feel so much more guided and confident thanks to all the knowledge here.

My question is, can I take the DAT without taking Orgo 2? I am just finishing up my freshman year at UCF, and I would really like to get the DAT done with next summer after my sophomore year. Due to Dual enrollment credits I have already taken Bio I and II (Both B's unfortunately) and Gen Chem I, likely going to get a C (my grandmother was critically ill in the hospital). I know I have to really get A's in the coming science courses....

I plan on taking Gen Chem II in the Fall, and Orgo Chem I in spring, and then I would like to take the DAT during the summer, as I will have adequate time to devote solely to the DAT (2-3 months). Getting it done and scoring well would give me confidence and peace of mind, and let me focus on getting A's during my junior and senior years.

I plan on using "Orgo chem as a second language", Chad's videos, and whatever other materials I can to prepare.

Has anyone here taken the DAT and done well without Orgo II? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[Glimmer1991]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to say this place is a great resource, I feel so much more guided and confident thanks to all the knowledge here.

My question is, can I take the DAT without taking Orgo 2? I am just finishing up my freshman year at UCF, and I would really like to get the DAT done with next summer after my sophomore year. Due to Dual enrollment credits I have already taken Bio I and II (Both B's unfortunately) and Gen Chem I, likely going to get a C (my grandmother was critically ill in the hospital). I know I have to really get A's in the coming science courses....

I plan on taking Gen Chem II in the Fall, and Orgo Chem I in spring, and then I would like to take the DAT during the summer, as I will have adequate time to devote solely to the DAT (2-3 months). Getting it done and scoring well would give me confidence and peace of mind, and let me focus on getting A's during my junior and senior years.

I plan on using "Orgo chem as a second language", Chad's videos, and whatever other materials I can to prepare.

Has anyone here taken the DAT and done well without Orgo II? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

There are lots and lots of threads on this, and I know that I have commented on some in the past. Search for them and see if after reading them, you still have any questions. In a nutshell, I wouldn't recommend it, but it is doable.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

the test has orgo 2 on it. you haven't taken orgo 2. your orgo score will potentially suffer, so take the course first.

 

[ddsmission]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to say this place is a great resource, I feel so much more guided and confident thanks to all the knowledge here.

My question is, can I take the DAT without taking Orgo 2? I am just finishing up my freshman year at UCF, and I would really like to get the DAT done with next summer after my sophomore year. Due to Dual enrollment credits I have already taken Bio I and II (Both B's unfortunately) and Gen Chem I, likely going to get a C (my grandmother was critically ill in the hospital). I know I have to really get A's in the coming science courses....

I plan on taking Gen Chem II in the Fall, and Orgo Chem I in spring, and then I would like to take the DAT during the summer, as I will have adequate time to devote solely to the DAT (2-3 months). Getting it done and scoring well would give me confidence and peace of mind, and let me focus on getting A's during my junior and senior years.

I plan on using "Orgo chem as a second language", Chad's videos, and whatever other materials I can to prepare.

Has anyone here taken the DAT and done well without Orgo II? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

if you take your test AFTER orgo 2 you'll save alot of time studying. orgo 2 will comprise majority of orgo on DAT

 

[deleted446889]

Is it possible that I can attempt the DAT in the summer between sophomore and junior years without Orgo II, and if I get satisfactory scores I can be done with it, but if not, I can take it again in the spring after taking Orgo II? Does it look bad if you take it a second time?

 

[ATG20]

I could imagine taking the DAT without Orgo II under my belt. I felt that 40% of the section was Orgo II. The rest was a lot of basics. It'll take you a lot longer to prepare for this section, but with chad's videos, I'm sure you could learn it in enough detail for the exam. I wouldn't ever want to take the DAT again, however. The studying and anticipation is rough, and if you can wait to take it until later, do it.

 

[Hawkteeth]

If you study hard you can do it no problem. I took the DAT some 5 years after I had organic chem I and II, didn't recall much from the class, and got a 24 on the orgo section. I used Chads videos, DAT destroyer and the kaplan book, among other materials, and found that sufficient.

 

[Hawkteeth]

It doesn't look bad if you take it a second time, if you get a better score, especially if your taking it early. I took mine four times...

 

[CleverThought]

I took the DAT mid orgo II. Did I go fantastic? meh. But it was doable

 

[Baba Yaga]

I took the DAT mid orgo II. Did I go fantastic? meh. But it was doable

Your 19 is good for not having taken all of orgo II, though. Did you study all the orgo II material or just take it with half of the knowledge of orgo II (since you took it mid orgo II)?

 

[Glimmer1991]

Thanks for replying! I searched and read most of the threads, but I was looking for a bit more specific information, specifically about my situation haha. May I ask you when you took the DAT? Also, do you think it is a good idea to take the DAT in the summer after sophomore year without Orgo II, or to take Orgo II in Fall of junior year and take the DAT the next summer?

I took the DAT the summer between my sophomore and junior years and am SO glad I did! I'm applying in June, and it will make everything so much less stressful. I'll be able to be in the first batch, and I don't have that ominous "DAT cloud" looming over my head when a lot of people are just starting to stress about it. It feels wonderful, and I totally suggest it! Plus, if something terrible happened, you'd have the chance to retake it.

If you are super motivated, I think you can take the test without orgo II. It depends on what you're shooting for, though. Chad covers basically everything you need and I thought he was very easy to understand, but I'm sure that having a background in orgo II at least contributed to me feeling this way. The OC section of the DAT doesn't really test you on the nitty-gritty details (well, only 2 or 3 questions do), so as long as you know the basics, you should be good. However, just missing 3 questions can knock you down to a 26 or so, which means that every question matters!

If orgo II is the ONLY thing you'll be lacking, go for it. It'll be stressful, but it's doable. I know a girl who hadn't taken ANY organic chemistries before taking her MCAT and scored highly enough to be accepted to a few medical schools. She taught it to herself, and although she's smart, she isn't a mega genius or anything like that. Use Chad and know him like the back of your hand.

Get your DAT over with, especially if you think you'll easily be prepared for the other sections. You'll be thanking yourself next summer when everything else gets crazy.

Oh, and a final note: It isn't bad, necessarily, to take the test twice. But TRUST ME, you DON'T want to do that. You have to wait 3 months after your first test date to take the test again. You'd have to keep studying for that long. For me, that would be a nightmare. It's also very expensive, and I'm sure that schools *prefer* to see students do well the first time, even if it isn't explicitly stated. Don't plan on taking it twice!

 

[LaFleur]

I took the DAT the summer between my sophomore and junior years and am SO glad I did! I'm applying in June, and it will make everything so much less stressful. I'll be able to be in the first batch, and I don't have that ominous "DAT cloud" looming over my head when a lot of people are just starting to stress about it. It feel wonderful, and I totally suggest it! Plus, if something terrible happened, you'd have the chance to retake it.

If you are super motivated, I think you can take the test without orgo II. It depends on what you're shooting for, though. Chad covers basically everything you need and I thought he was very easy to understand, but I'm sure that having a background in orgo II at least contributed to me feeling this way. The OC section of the DAT doesn't really test you on the nitty-gritty details (well, only 2 or 3 questions do), so as long as you know the basics, you should be good. However, just missing 3 questions can knock you down to a 26 or so, which means that every question matters!

Did you take the DAT without orgo II?

If orgo II is the ONLY think you'll be lacking, go for it. It'll be stressful, but it's doable. I know a girl who hadn't taken ANY organic chemistries before taking her MCAT and scored highly enough to be accepted to a few medical schools. She taught it to herself, and although she's smart, she isn't a mega genius or anything like that. Use Chad and know him like the back of your hand.

Yeah one of my closest friends took the MCAT without having taken ANY physics. And she had scored D's in high school physics, so it's not like she knew it back then either. She just taught the whole thing to herself, but it was a huge time suck for her to be honest because she was doing it out of a college physics textbook and not any type of review book or anything like that. Still, she scored highly enough on the MCAT (combined with her great GPA) to be accepted to 5 medical schools.

 

[deleted446889]

I took the DAT the summer between my sophomore and junior years and am SO glad I did! I'm applying in June, and it will make everything so much less stressful. I'll be able to be in the first batch, and I don't have that ominous "DAT cloud" looming over my head when a lot of people are just starting to stress about it. It feel wonderful, and I totally suggest it! Plus, if something terrible happened, you'd have the chance to retake it.

If you are super motivated, I think you can take the test without orgo II. It depends on what you're shooting for, though. Chad covers basically everything you need and I thought he was very easy to understand, but I'm sure that having a background in orgo II at least contributed to me feeling this way. The OC section of the DAT doesn't really test you on the nitty-gritty details (well, only 2 or 3 questions do), so as long as you know the basics, you should be good. However, just missing 3 questions can knock you down to a 26 or so, which means that every question matters!

If orgo II is the ONLY think you'll be lacking, go for it. It'll be stressful, but it's doable. I know a girl who hadn't taken ANY organic chemistries before taking her MCAT and scored highly enough to be accepted to a few medical schools. She taught it to herself, and although she's smart, she isn't a mega genius or anything like that. Use Chad and know him like the back of your hand.

Get your DAT over with, especially if you think you'll easily be prepared for the other sections. You'll be thanking yourself next summer when everything else gets crazy.

Oh, and a final note: It isn't bad, necessarily, to take the test twice. But TRUST ME, you DON'T want to do that. You have to wait 3 months after your first test date to take the test again. You'd have to keep studying for that long. For me, that would be a nightmare. It's also very expensive, and I'm sure that schools *prefer* to see students do well the first time, even if it isn't explicitly stated. Don't plan on taking it twice!

I cannot thank you enough!! This is just the reply I needed thank you very much. And yes I really intend on devoting myself to the DAT next summer so I can be in an advantageous position like you stated. Again, thanks a lot!

 

[Glimmer1991]

Did you take the DAT without orgo II?

Nope! I had just completed the course with an awesome teacher. Orgo II was a whirlwind for me, though, so I was a bit fuzzy on some concepts--Chad ironed them out.

And you're welcome, wildcherry! If you ever need help with anything, let me know!

 

[CleverThought]

Your 19 is good for not having taken all of orgo II, though. Did you study all the orgo II material or just take it with half of the knowledge of orgo II (since you took it mid orgo II)?

I basically read through Barron's and some Kaplan. I just feel like if you can get some time of grip on nucleophile, electrophile, ect. you can usually narrow it down to 2 choices. From there, it's an educated guess.

I only studied for 2 weeks (shame on me ), so I focused largely on Gen Chem, because I took it at a community college over the summer, in reverse order. So my background was EXTREMELY weak. Orgo, I kinda flew by the seat of my pants because I was in the class at the time. Mostly memorized the Destroyer roadmaps and hoped for the best.

 

[ktran17]

I know Glimmer probably meant no harm but missing three questions on the OC section is probably the equivalent of getting a 22~23 rather than a 26.. It's rather extreme for certain sections like GC. I'm pretty sure I only missed one question but got docked down to a 26.

Here's a table that gives you a rough idea on what it takes to get a particular score:
http://i50.tinypic.com/1exgxw. jpg <remove the space

 

[Glimmer1991]

I know Glimmer probably meant no harm but missing three questions on the OC section is probably the equivalent of getting a 22~23 rather than a 26.. It's rather extreme for certain sections like GC. I'm pretty sure I only missed one question but got docked down to a 26.

Here's a table that gives you a rough idea on what it takes to get a particular score:
http://i50.tinypic.com/1exgxw. jpg <remove the space

I've seen that before, and I think it must vary a lot on tests. How could I have made a 29 on OC if just missing one question bumped the score down so much? I highly doubt it was impossible to make a perfect score, so this must mean I missed one.

 

[ktran17]

I've seen that before, and I think it must vary a lot on tests. How could I have made a 29 on OC if just missing one question bumped the score down so much? I highly doubt it was impossible to make a perfect score, so this must mean I missed one.

Seeing as how the ADA has never formally posted a formula on what it takes to get a particular score, anything we say is at best guess work. However,I think it's in an applicant's best interest to assume the scoring formula is more rigorous rather than easy.

Also, if top score is any indication, it is possible to get less than a 30 even though you get all the questions right. In addition, I think top score's results are relatively indicative of what you'll get on the actual dat, at least from what I've seen around the forum.

 

[free99]

It's all speculation, but I doubt you'd be able to get a 30 in TS with any incorrect answers. My guess is you were 100/100. Speaking of freakishly high DAT scores, check out the AA range for U Pitt in the 2013 ADEA guide... "17-30" !!!

 

[ATG20]

Seeing as how the ADA has never formally posted a formula on what it takes to get a particular score, anything we say is at best guess work. However,I think it's in an applicant's best interest to assume the scoring formula is more rigorous rather than easy.

Also, if top score is any indication, it is possible to get less than a 30 even though you get all the questions right. In addition, I think top score's results are relatively indicative of what you'll get on the actual dat, at least from what I've seen around the forum.

My TopScore reports were dead-on, but like everyone said, my real scores were 1-2 points higher on the real thing. I think practice and all that adrenaline helped me on the real deal.

 

[Glimmer1991]

It's all speculation, but I doubt you'd be able to get a 30 in TS with any incorrect answers. My guess is you were 100/100. Speaking of freakishly high DAT scores, check out the AA range for U Pitt in the 2013 ADEA guide... "17-30" !!!

Ahhh!

 

[rpatel104]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to say this place is a great resource, I feel so much more guided and confident thanks to all the knowledge here.

My question is, can I take the DAT without taking Orgo 2? I am just finishing up my freshman year at UCF, and I would really like to get the DAT done with next summer after my sophomore year. Due to Dual enrollment credits I have already taken Bio I and II (Both B's unfortunately) and Gen Chem I, likely going to get a C (my grandmother was critically ill in the hospital). I know I have to really get A's in the coming science courses....

I plan on taking Gen Chem II in the Fall, and Orgo Chem I in spring, and then I would like to take the DAT during the summer, as I will have adequate time to devote solely to the DAT (2-3 months). Getting it done and scoring well would give me confidence and peace of mind, and let me focus on getting A's during my junior and senior years.

I plan on using "Orgo chem as a second language", Chad's videos, and whatever other materials I can to prepare.

Has anyone here taken the DAT and done well without Orgo II? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I took the DAT without Orgo 2 and I would recommend taking it before taking the DAT. I would have done better if I would have taken the class before the exam. So you need to decide lol

 

[deleted446889]

I took the DAT without Orgo 2 and I would recommend taking it before taking the DAT. I would have done better if I would have taken the class before the exam. So you need to decide lol

Yeah, I realize that its better to take it before, but people are saying it is possible (with some extra dedication and effort) and due to my class schedulings, I cannot take Orgo II before fall of my junior year.

The great advantage of being done with the DAT a year early (with the comfort, confidence, and freedom after having a solid score) is something I am really motivated to achieve.

Any more suggestions/tips on how to prepare for Orgo II on the DAT are greatly welcomed!

 

[babowc]

Been there, done it.
I wouldn't.

I will be retaking my DAT in June, I finished Orgo2 this semester. Gave me a much better understanding, than Chads or whatever source I used.

Note. It's been over 2 years since ochem1.
Scored a measly 16 on ochem on first DAT

 

[JP9122]

Original poster: I was scheduled to take ochem1 and ochem 2 before my DAT, but I was doing bad in ochem 1 and was faced with the decision of dropping the course, taking it again next semester, and taking the DAT without ochem 2, or just stick it out and get a bad grade. I chose to drop it, so I took the DAT without ochem 2 and did good on it. I didn't manage my time well and left myself only 15 minutes for the 30 ochem questions, and still managed to pull out an 18 in ochem. So it is possible to learn ochem 2 yourself, and know the reactions well enough to even get right answers going with your gut like I did. The DAT is mostly basic reactions, without many mechanisms, so if you just make flash cards for all of the new reactions, and study the crap out of them (starting and ending products), you can do good.

 

[deleted446889]

Thank you!

 

[dentalWorks]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to say this place is a great resource, I feel so much more guided and confident thanks to all the knowledge here.

My question is, can I take the DAT without taking Orgo 2? I am just finishing up my freshman year at UCF, and I would really like to get the DAT done with next summer after my sophomore year. Due to Dual enrollment credits I have already taken Bio I and II (Both B's unfortunately) and Gen Chem I, likely going to get a C (my grandmother was critically ill in the hospital). I know I have to really get A's in the coming science courses....

I plan on taking Gen Chem II in the Fall, and Orgo Chem I in spring, and then I would like to take the DAT during the summer, as I will have adequate time to devote solely to the DAT (2-3 months). Getting it done and scoring well would give me confidence and peace of mind, and let me focus on getting A's during my junior and senior years.

I plan on using "Orgo chem as a second language", Chad's videos, and whatever other materials I can to prepare.

Has anyone here taken the DAT and done well without Orgo II? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My DAT version had more than a fair share of orgo 2 reactions. I strongly believe I would have done myself a disservice taking the exam without orgo 2 class.

As far as "taking DAT for ease of mind"... its most ideal to take the DAT when you are near the application cycle... because DAT has an expiration date (some schools is 2, 3, and others even 4 years). So if you (say) take DAT today, and you don't apply for another 2 years, the schools with a 2-year expiration requirement may not accept it and will request a retake.