completely lost!!! need help

[danbarr]

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okay....so the first time i took the dat back in 2006 was a desaster not even worth mentioning the scores.....when i took it last year I REALLY PREPARED but evenso i got 15 AA and 17 science average......for obvious reasons no dental school has called me for an interview........my GPA was a 2.9 last year undergrad but i started grad school and my gpa there is 3.5 which is half way decent.........alright i´m not ready to give up just yet but since this would be my third time taking the dat i must be very careful............i´m completely lost as far as what went wrong the first time.......i bought all the study materials kaplan,dat achiever, topscore but during test time i honestly felt like nothing that i studies was on the exam.....anyhow I NEED SOME ADVICE BECAUSE I´M DRIVING MYSELF CRAZY HERE SPECIALLY SINCE NONE OF THE POSTBACC PROGRAMS I APPLIED TO HAVE CALLED ME NEITHER.... i know some people are telling me to give it up but í´m not ready just yet....

for bio i just bought the cliffs AP biology and mcat examkrackers materials now..... is this campbell biology textbook really worth getting?.... i felt like i overstudied bio and i need to concentrate this time in key areas.... like achiever and topscore really focused on phyla and subphylum but the exam had nothing on phyla ....at least on my exam........it had slides.... .the infamous FRAP question which i still can´t find anything online for....histology apoptosis..and applied ecology questions...etc......so does the campbell book address these areas???? í´m desperate here guys any hellp would be appreciated.......

 

[smile101]

hey,
I understand your situation and your willingness to not give up shows how much you actually care for this. So, just hang in there.

As far as studying goes, I would advice you to think more about you learn rather than just memorizing the material. I took DAT last year and i know that almost all the questions were applied science more than anything. I used topscore, schaum's outline of bio, kaplan, and barron's, and I did 18/18 and 19 in all 3 sciences.
I am taking it again this time and as I study I think about the type of question they could ask on the topic, which helps me understand the big pic. I am also using destroyer, DAT odyssey for orgo, achiever, CrackDAT PAT and crack DAT MATH this time to cover everything I possibly could in a given time, and to expose myself to various difficulty levels and types that could help me prepare better for the exam.

 

[tooth123]

crack dat math is the worst product out there

 

[blankguy]

Different sections require different approaches. The Bio section tends to be about rote memorization. Gen Chemistry a little memorization a little problem solving. Orgo more memorization than Gen Chem but also requires understanding concepts by doing problems. The bottom line is that all sections require practice problems.

As for products to use
Kaplan
TopScore
DAT destroyer
Barrons for the PAT

 

[tamkhan]

When doing the DAT destroyer, MAKE SURE you go over each and every problem and check its solution at the end of the book. Even if you know the answer, the book contains some nice formulas that will help you hone your problem solving skills.

 

[rose786]

When doing the DAT destroyer, MAKE SURE you go over each and every problem and check it's solution at the end of the book. Even if you know the answer, the book contains some nice formulas that will help you hone your problem solving skills.

Agreed. Do this with every missed problem. Working problems and studying what you missed is your bread and butter, IMO. Don't neglect this. Passively reading while your eyes glaze over is not studying!

 

[jdoc04]

i need to concentrate this time in key areas.... like achiever and topscore really focused on phyla and subphylum but the exam had nothing on phyla ....at least on my exam........it had slides.... .the infamous FRAP question which i still `can´t find anything online for....histology apoptosis..and applied ecology questions...etc......so does the campbell book address these areas???? í´m desperate here guys any hellp would be appreciated.......

Don't trap yourself into thinking b/c this subject was not on my last exam and this section was tested heavily, hence you study a few sections very hard and pay little attention to others. There are several versions of the exam and you never know which one you will get. Judging from your above statement it sounds as if you do not have a good grasp of the material. I believe you could benefit from Campbell's biology text.

I don't think your using the materials correctly. You state top score and achiever focused on this and the test focused on that. Top Score and Achiever are better suited to get the test taker comfortable with taking the exam on the computer and with the time needed to finish each section. As for their content, don't think they will be indicative of the questions you will see on test day.

Kaplan is a good place to start but does not offer the depth within its material to adequately prepare one for the DAT. Start with Kaplan as a review/overview then move on to other prep material, DAT Destroyer, Schaums Bio, etc.... there's tons of materials recommended on SDN. Figure out what you think will help you the most.

The best advice on using any material. Don't memorize the question and answer, but know why the correct answer is correct and why the other answers are wrong.

Good Luck!