First of all, I just want to say that this forum is great. I'm a non-traditional pre-dent and this is really the only place where I can find people who understand what I'm going through. This forum really helped me learn a lot about the application process, researching dental schools, and preparing for the DAT. I took my DAT on Sunday, July 18th. I was so nervous that I couldn't really sleep the night before. I hadn't really eaten the day before and didn't eat that morning because I was afraid I'd get sick. Instead, I got hungry and tired and had a little trouble focusing during the first part of RC (but I literally shook it off and continued). I'm so glad I'm done now!
PA – 23 (98.1%)
QR – 27 (99.1%) – Highest score in the subject that matters the least. Nice.
RC – 21 (84.5%) – PIANO!!
BI – 21 (91.7%)
GC – 24 (95.2%)
OC – 22 (91.5%)
TS – 22 (96.0%)
AA – 23 (98.3%)
I was hoping for higher scores but I'm happy with what I have, especially considering I practically had to relearn everything on my own in a month. I work full-time and just started taking A&P this winter, so I didn't really start studying for the DAT until mid-June. I actually didn't study as much as I could/should have because of work… and my boyfriend started getting annoyed by how much I studied. Also, one of the reasons why I want to be a dentist is for the work/life balance, so it would've been ironic if I gave up my social life and just studied all the time. I hope schools take my non-trad status into account for my scores, but I don't know if that would make a difference…
I graduated in 2005 from a good university with a double degree (chemistry and engineering). My cGPA back then was 3.72 and my sGPA is probably around 3.8. I haven't had any science classes since then except for A&P, which I just started taking this past winter (still need to finish the 3rd quarter though). That probably helped me with bio a little, but I basically had to relearn everything else (and I actually didn't have that much A&P on my DAT). My general bio, organic chem, and upper division classes are all from the university, but I have quite a bit of CC credits (including my A&P class) so I hope that doesn't hurt me. I haven't applied yet because I'm still working on my personal statement. I'm going to try to get my application out by the end of the month, but I hope that applying "late" (or at least not early) doesn't hurt me. I know it's not going to help...
Sorry this is so long. I'm so happy to be done with my test. Anyway, I'm at work right now, but I'll post a breakdown later.
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Here's the breakdown:
PA – CDP. This is basically all I used. I didn't even do all the tests. I thought the real thing was a little harder than CDP, but only because the hole punching pictures weren't very clear. If you can handle CDP, then you'll be fine on the real thing.
QR – I'm Asian. I've always been pretty good at math though. I used DAT Destroyer once and did a few tests on Crack the DAT Math. I bought Math Destroyer but never used it. During the test tutorial, I wrote down a sin/cos/tan table and a few trig identities. The calculator was nice but I didn't really use it. Hand calculations are usually faster and easier.
RC – I think the difficulty with the piano passage is that it has a bad reputation. I freaked out once I saw it but I think that's what hurt me (not the passage itself). It would've been better if I had remained calm and just worked through it. I took two CDR tests but otherwise didn't study for this.
BI – Cliff's AP, DAT Destroyer. I read through Cliff's twice and did DAT Destroyer twice. This section is totally random though. This was the section of the test I was most worried about. Luck and being a bio major (or having more advanced bio classes) might help. Maybe I should've read those chapters in Campbell's too...
GC – Chad's videos, DAT Destroyer. I tutored general chem when I was in college, so this section was a little easier for me to relearn. I watched Chad's videos and did DAT Destroyer twice.
OC – Chad's videos, DAT Destroyer, my old textbook. I watched Chad's videos, read my old textbook, then rewatched some videos. I did DAT Destroyer twice. I made flashcards from the DAT Destroyer roadmaps. This really helped because I could pull them out and study during breaks at work. I was a little disappointed in my score, considering I'm a chem major.
I also used the internet when I needed more help. I had Barron's and Crack the Dat Science, but those both suck. DO NOT BUY BARRON'S!!! It lures you in because it's cheap… but it's cheap for a reason. In the end, it's just a waste of money. Crack the DAT Science is not representative of the real DAT. It just made me want to cry. Actually, Kaplan was also probably a waste. I didn't really use it besides reading through it once.
For bio, Cliff's is probably sufficient. For the chemistries, use Chad's videos (and your old texts, if necessary). Supplement with DAT Destroyer and internet searches for anything you still don't understand.
PA – 23 (98.1%)
QR – 27 (99.1%) – Highest score in the subject that matters the least. Nice.
RC – 21 (84.5%) – PIANO!!
BI – 21 (91.7%)
GC – 24 (95.2%)
OC – 22 (91.5%)
TS – 22 (96.0%)
AA – 23 (98.3%)
I was hoping for higher scores but I'm happy with what I have, especially considering I practically had to relearn everything on my own in a month. I work full-time and just started taking A&P this winter, so I didn't really start studying for the DAT until mid-June. I actually didn't study as much as I could/should have because of work… and my boyfriend started getting annoyed by how much I studied. Also, one of the reasons why I want to be a dentist is for the work/life balance, so it would've been ironic if I gave up my social life and just studied all the time. I hope schools take my non-trad status into account for my scores, but I don't know if that would make a difference…
I graduated in 2005 from a good university with a double degree (chemistry and engineering). My cGPA back then was 3.72 and my sGPA is probably around 3.8. I haven't had any science classes since then except for A&P, which I just started taking this past winter (still need to finish the 3rd quarter though). That probably helped me with bio a little, but I basically had to relearn everything else (and I actually didn't have that much A&P on my DAT). My general bio, organic chem, and upper division classes are all from the university, but I have quite a bit of CC credits (including my A&P class) so I hope that doesn't hurt me. I haven't applied yet because I'm still working on my personal statement. I'm going to try to get my application out by the end of the month, but I hope that applying "late" (or at least not early) doesn't hurt me. I know it's not going to help...
Sorry this is so long. I'm so happy to be done with my test. Anyway, I'm at work right now, but I'll post a breakdown later.
------------
Here's the breakdown:
PA – CDP. This is basically all I used. I didn't even do all the tests. I thought the real thing was a little harder than CDP, but only because the hole punching pictures weren't very clear. If you can handle CDP, then you'll be fine on the real thing.
QR – I'm Asian.
I've always been pretty good at math though. I used DAT Destroyer once and did a few tests on Crack the DAT Math. I bought Math Destroyer but never used it. During the test tutorial, I wrote down a sin/cos/tan table and a few trig identities. The calculator was nice but I didn't really use it. Hand calculations are usually faster and easier.RC – I think the difficulty with the piano passage is that it has a bad reputation. I freaked out once I saw it but I think that's what hurt me (not the passage itself). It would've been better if I had remained calm and just worked through it. I took two CDR tests but otherwise didn't study for this.
BI – Cliff's AP, DAT Destroyer. I read through Cliff's twice and did DAT Destroyer twice. This section is totally random though. This was the section of the test I was most worried about. Luck and being a bio major (or having more advanced bio classes) might help. Maybe I should've read those chapters in Campbell's too...
GC – Chad's videos, DAT Destroyer. I tutored general chem when I was in college, so this section was a little easier for me to relearn. I watched Chad's videos and did DAT Destroyer twice.
OC – Chad's videos, DAT Destroyer, my old textbook. I watched Chad's videos, read my old textbook, then rewatched some videos. I did DAT Destroyer twice. I made flashcards from the DAT Destroyer roadmaps. This really helped because I could pull them out and study during breaks at work. I was a little disappointed in my score, considering I'm a chem major.
I also used the internet when I needed more help. I had Barron's and Crack the Dat Science, but those both suck. DO NOT BUY BARRON'S!!! It lures you in because it's cheap… but it's cheap for a reason. In the end, it's just a waste of money. Crack the DAT Science is not representative of the real DAT. It just made me want to cry. Actually, Kaplan was also probably a waste. I didn't really use it besides reading through it once.
For bio, Cliff's is probably sufficient. For the chemistries, use Chad's videos (and your old texts, if necessary). Supplement with DAT Destroyer and internet searches for anything you still don't understand.
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