DAT date coming up and I'm getting scared

[ddsnp]

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Hey guys, I just joined this site because it seems pretty helpful.

I have my DATS coming up on June 22end. I'm planning on studying everyday until then. I took the Kaplan course (waste of time). I was wondering how much schools look at the dat scores vs. gpa and extra cirricular activities.

My GPA is about 3.86
I do research, shaddow a dentist, and am vice president of two campus organizations including the pre dental club. I really do not like standardized tests and on my Kaplan tests I got about a 17(didn't study too much during the class). I'm pretty scared about just getting too nervous during the test and bombing it.


And, I was also wondering if anyone knows a good service that goes over ones personal statments.

Thank You

 

[Sprgrover]

I was worried to the hilt this time last year about the DAT and had a similar gpa and background. I really hit the books and did alright (20AA/20SCI/18PAT), although in the last week the stress and worry built up to a point that I just turned apathetic towards the whole thing, but I digress. Be diligent and if you put in the time you'll do fine as well. As far as good essay editing services I recommend Essayedge and I was very pleased with the recommendations that my editor proposed.

 

[Profchaos]

Hey guys, I just joined this site because it seems pretty helpful.

I have my DATS coming up on June 22end. I'm planning on studying everyday until then. I took the Kaplan course (waste of time). I was wondering how much schools look at the dat scores vs. gpa and extra cirricular activities.

My GPA is about 3.86
I do research, shaddow a dentist, and am vice president of two campus organizations including the pre dental club. I really do not like standardized tests and on my Kaplan tests I got about a 17(didn't study too much during the class). I'm pretty scared about just getting too nervous during the test and bombing it.


And, I was also wondering if anyone knows a good service that goes over ones personal statments.

Thank You

You have nothing to lose. What's the worst situation that could happen to you?
Retake in Sept.
Last year I took mine in November and I had no plan B at all, but it turned out I did alright. You have a high GPA and if you are smart enough in science, you will have a decent score.

 

[Gulch]

Respect the DAT and it will respect you. Don't be too afraid of it. To the best of my knowledge it hasn't killed anyone to date, but if I were you I would study like my life depended on it anyway.

Review your strengths in the last four days preceeding the test. Just chill the day of. You're still a month out-you have time to raise your scores 20+ from your 17 with some dedicated effort. I only got a 3.5 cum, 3.3 sci but got a 22 after a few long, focused hours at the Kaplan center. Good luck. Keep on rocking in the free world. You'll do fine.

 

[2thluvr]

yeh, you should be scared, i would to if I got a 17 on the practice DAT's. As for your other volunteer work, etc. trust me, it does not count for much. It is your gpa and the DAT that will only get you in. Pray. You will not get in anywhere unless you do well. you will get rejected.





I have my DATS coming up on June 22end. I'm planning on studying everyday until then. I took the Kaplan course (waste of time). I was wondering how much schools look at the dat scores vs. gpa and extra cirricular activities.

My GPA is about 3.86
I do research, shaddow a dentist, and am vice president of two campus organizations including the pre dental club. I really do not like standardized tests and on my Kaplan tests I got about a 17(didn't study too much during the class). I'm pretty scared about just getting too nervous during the test and bombing it.


And, I was also wondering if anyone knows a good service that goes over ones personal statments.

Thank You[/QUOTE]

 

[mvs04]

no need to be, that test is easy.

 

[45540]

so make 17's across the boards and you'll be the same as everyone with a 3.0-3.5 gpa.

Do applicants realize that it's not the end of the world? 17-18 is national average, so shoot for that.

The people who need 20's on up are those who couldn't handle undergrad and ended up with some pretty bad GPA's.

 

[45540]

On a side note, GPA means you're very dedicated. DAT means you're pretty intelligent or very dedicated to studying.

So they're both admirable. Most adcoms will tell you that both are very important and decide a lot.

 

[Gulch]

yeh, you should be scared, i would to if I got a 17 on the practice DAT's. As for your other volunteer work, etc. trust me, it does not count for much. It is your gpa and the DAT that will only get you in. Pray. You will not get in anywhere unless you do well. you will get rejected.



This may be a long shot, but I'm guessing you're a "glass half empty" sort of person...or you're working on reapplying right now after a bad round.

 

[ianwright]

question - what is the best way to study for the DAT's?

 

[mg777]

question - what is the best way to study for the DAT's?

There is only one DAT, hence in the vernacular we refer to this as the DAT not DAT's. But more importantly, I would study just about everyday and of course focus on your weak areas in the beginning and as the test nears solidfy your strong points to help build your confidence. I usually took practice tests in the morning and studied in the afternoon. If you study for tests at your home institution and can do well on them, you already know how to study. This is just a little bit bigger of a test.

 

[ddsnp]

There is only one DAT, hence in the vernacular we refer to this as the DAT not DAT's. But more importantly, I would study just about everyday and of course focus on your weak areas in the beginning and as the test nears solidfy your strong points to help build your confidence. I usually took practice tests in the morning and studied in the afternoon. If you study for tests at your home institution and can do well on them, you already know how to study. This is just a little bit bigger of a test.

What practice tests did you take. I took kaplan and i'm going over their material.

 

[mg777]

I used topscore, and i also took the kaplan course which I would say now is not necessary. However, i did find their online component of quizzes useful as well as their online practice tests and PAT tests. I also took an abridged practice DAT provided by the ADA I received when I went to a UFCD orientation for people interested in attending their school. FInally, I also used acethedat for PAT only, and this was ridden with errors. However acethedat is good in that is more difficult than the real PAT.

What practice tests did you take. I took kaplan and i'm going over their material.

 

[ianwright]

There is only one DAT, hence in the vernacular we refer to this as the DAT not DAT's. But more importantly, I would study just about everyday and of course focus on your weak areas in the beginning and as the test nears solidfy your strong points to help build your confidence. I usually took practice tests in the morning and studied in the afternoon. If you study for tests at your home institution and can do well on them, you already know how to study. This is just a little bit bigger of a test.

Vernacular - wow, that's impressive

 

[bouncy_ball]

hi ddsnp,

i know you probably feel overwhelmed now, but the dat really isn't too bad. most people score 2-3 points higher than kaplan on the real dat. the only exception is for the pat, where people generally score 2-3 points lower than kaplan on the dat. your 17 on the kaplan practice test *should* translate to a 19 or 20 on the real dat. do a search for dat scores in the dat discussion forum if you'd like to see other people's test day experiences and results.

don't worry too much! also, i recommend, as others have, that you get topscore from scholarware.com. it's very similar to the real thing, but like kaplan, your scores on topscore will likely be lower than on the real dat.

Hey guys, I just joined this site because it seems pretty helpful.

I have my DATS coming up on June 22end. I'm planning on studying everyday until then. I took the Kaplan course (waste of time). I was wondering how much schools look at the dat scores vs. gpa and extra cirricular activities.

My GPA is about 3.86
I do research, shaddow a dentist, and am vice president of two campus organizations including the pre dental club. I really do not like standardized tests and on my Kaplan tests I got about a 17(didn't study too much during the class). I'm pretty scared about just getting too nervous during the test and bombing it.


And, I was also wondering if anyone knows a good service that goes over ones personal statments.

Thank You

 

[Gurl21]

hi ddsnp,

i know you probably feel overwhelmed now, but the dat really isn't too bad. most people score 2-3 points higher than kaplan on the real dat. the only exception is for the pat, where people generally score 2-3 points lower than kaplan on the dat. your 17 on the kaplan practice test *should* translate to a 19 or 20 on the real dat. do a search for dat scores in the dat discussion forum if you'd like to see other people's test day experiences and results.

don't worry too much! also, i recommend, as others have, that you get topscore from scholarware.com. it's very similar to the real thing, but like kaplan, your scores on topscore will likely be lower than on the real dat.

Why is that exactly? Because the questions on kaplan and topscore are harder than those on the real thing?

 

[JavadiCavity]

Why is that exactly? Because the questions on kaplan and topscore are harder than those on the real thing?

Yes, they are harder than the real DAT. Kaplan and Topscore questions tend to require more calculations than you'll need on the DAT. I used the periodic table once on the real DAT, but on the practice tests I used it all the time. Also, as far as calculations, Kaplan and Topscore generally require you to calculate a final answer for general chemistry questions like:

x = (4.5*10^-3)^45 (this is no joke)

However, on the DAT, many times the answer for difficult calculations will be left at the step right before you would need to pull out a calculator or do some long tedious computing. Does that make sense?

Anyhow, you should do alright on the test. I scored 6 to 10 points higher than Kaplan in every section except for biology and PAT. I increased 3 points on biology and I decreased about 3 points on the PAT.

I ended up with a 23 AA, 22 TS, and 21 PAT. Study hard and it'll pay off.

 

[reLAXgirl]

Why is that exactly? Because the questions on kaplan and topscore are harder than those on the real thing?

If you score lower on their tests you wont be disappointed on the real thing and therefore, wont take advantage of their guarantee--that you can retake the course if you are unhappy. Even if you don't get the score you were aiming for, you'll probably be content with a score that was higher than you were expecting based on your practice tests.

 

[bouncy_ball]

Why is that exactly? Because the questions on kaplan and topscore are harder than those on the real thing?

absolutely. just as javadicavity said, the kaplan and topscore questions, particularly in the chemistry section, tends to be more math based, so most of your time would be spent doing calculations for the problem. many people find that they are way more pressed for time doing the natural science section in practice tests than in the real thing.

as for o-chem, some of kaplan's questions are ridiculously hard... way harder than what you'd encounter on the real thing. in fact, quite a few people on this site have scored a 'perfect' 29 on the organic chemistry portion of the real test, while i think it'd be almost impossible to do on the kaplan ochem.

 

[a2thdr]

absolutely. just as javadicavity said, the kaplan and topscore questions, particularly in the chemistry section, tends to be more math based, so most of your time would be spent doing calculations for the problem. many people find that they are way more pressed for time doing the natural science section in practice tests than in the real thing.

as for o-chem, some of kaplan's questions are ridiculously hard... way harder than what you'd encounter on the real thing. in fact, quite a few people on this site have scored a 'perfect' 29 on the organic chemistry portion of the real test, while i think it'd be almost impossible to do on the kaplan ochem.

I would do your best to prepare. The DAT is what puts everyone on a level playing field. GPA is a bit distorted because O chem at one school with an A could be equal to O chem at another school with a B because of the level of difficulty of exam/prof. DAT is the make you or break you point of your app. Anyway I took the Kaplan and I did the Topscore. I got 20 AA and 19 TS. I feel it helped me because I took most of my science courses after I graduated high school in 1997. I need the review. Good luck and remember they encourage retakes if necessary and at $165 a pop, its only money! 😀