DAT done 8/01/09

[dufran3]

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Well, I took the DAT for the second time, and believe it or not...did worse than the first! My 1st DAT scores were not good...so that is bad news for me. I'm at loss for words after this 2nd test...Maybe I'm just not taking the studying seriously...I'm not sure. I have Kaplan BB, Destroyer, Schaum's, and Baron's. Read through BB once, Baron's once and half of Schaum's. Destroyer I did about half of the problems in each section.

PAT - I thought I did really well on the PAT. Except angle ranking and pattern folding, which I could have got them all wrong...who knows.

RC - The only section that I did well on was RC, I got a 22, so I am not going to focus on that at all.

Bio - I don't know how you guys score so well on this section. I got a 12! A freaking 12! I must be studying wrong, or doing something because after the BIO section I actually thought I did ok. FYI 12 = 2.5 percentile. After getting 4.0's and 3.4's in upper division biology classes, this is really frustrating for me.

Any advice on what to do would greatly appreciate it. My app is already in, but I can't retake until Nov 1. Please any suggestions would really help...

 

[dfymarine]

Well, I took the DAT for the second time, and believe it or not...did worse than the first! My 1st DAT scores were not good...so that is bad news for me. I'm at loss for words after this 2nd test...Maybe I'm just not taking the studying seriously...I'm not sure. I have Kaplan BB, Destroyer, Schaum's, and Baron's. Read through BB once, Baron's once and half of Schaum's. Destroyer I did about half of the problems in each section.

PAT - I thought I did really well on the PAT. Except angle ranking and pattern folding, which I could have got them all wrong...who knows.

RC - The only section that I did well on was RC, I got a 22, so I am not going to focus on that at all.

Bio - I don't know how you guys score so well on this section. I got a 12! A freaking 12! I must be studying wrong, or doing something because after the BIO section I actually thought I did ok. FYI 12 = 2.5 percentile. After getting 4.0's and 3.4's in upper division biology classes, this is really frustrating for me.

Any advice on what to do would greatly appreciate it. My app is already in, but I can't retake until Nov 1. Please any suggestions would really help...

man I am so sorry about it, but it perplexes me that you got 12 on Bio and you did so well on the upper division courses.. 😕 can you describe what happened in that section? I thought BIO was just very broad and basic.

p.s. DON'T GIVE UP! KILL THE DAT NEXT TIME! I AM SURE YOU WILL!

 

[dennisDDS]

did you take any practice tests?

How were your bio scores in your practice tests?

 

[dufran3]

I'm not sure what happened in the Bio section, I thought I was going to get at least a 17, 12 is not even close to that. I remember thinking after the bio section, aw that wasn't too bad. Apparently not...

I didn't take any practice tests...I took the one in Kaplan BB before my first test, but nothing before this one.

 

[Dentite99]

Sorry about the bio. For me it was important to get my hands on as many practice tests as possible (topscore, kaplan) especially for the sciences. I would recommend doing that. I would also make flash cards for all my wrong answers as a study aid and constantly review them.

 

[Kneecoal]

agh that's really rough, sorry to hear that. i don't know how much you've read on this site, but a lot of people for bio use cliff's as their main source of info, and read through it about two times, and really know the stuff. judging by your gpa, it sounds like you know how to study, unless you're just some kind of genius that doesn't have to put any work in. really buckly down and KNOW the stuff! doing both chems more than once in destroyer to really learn what you're doing wrong is pretty helpful too. for pat, there's a website where you can download crack the dat - pat... while it's not necessary to get the royal flush edition, the 5- or 10- test package is very helpful. also, topscore is another program you can purchase and download that's like a mock DAT. it all adds up, but it's absolutely worth it.

good luck next time!!

 

[dufran3]

Yeh, I thought about getting CDP, but the $$ thing has been the issue. Now I wish I would have gotten it in the first place, because I now have to spend yet again more money to take the test for the 3rd time...:-(

for Cliff's, I looked on amazon and found several different books. Which one specifically have people been using?

Thanks Again

 

[ucla2134]

Yeh, I thought about getting CDP, but the $$ thing has been the issue. Now I wish I would have gotten it in the first place, because I now have to spend yet again more money to take the test for the 3rd time...:-(

for Cliff's, I looked on amazon and found several different books. Which one specifically have people been using?

Thanks Again

http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Cliff...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249316460&sr=8-1


hey sorry to hear this, if you read the cliff, memorize it and doing questions at the end, i guaranteed a 19.
If you have time, doing the destroyer, read campbells, and other practive test (topscore, kaplan), guaranteed a 20

But kuddos to you scoring high on RC, a lot of students struggle with this section.

Gluck

 

[dufran3]

Ordered Cliff's right now. Yeh, I had the ethics passage on my first DAT, still did ok. I don't study for the RC section, I'm a fast reader. Too bad the RC section is the section no schools care about! All that tells them, is I can read fast, I retain what I read, I am just a crappy test taker! ...🙁

 

[Chrono]

Did you take any of the topscore tests??

Dufran, what happened - did the questions in science just threw you off, or had you not seen that test material during your review?

 

[UCB05]

Well, I took the DAT for the second time, and believe it or not...did worse than the first! My 1st DAT scores were not good...so that is bad news for me. I'm at loss for words after this 2nd test...Maybe I'm just not taking the studying seriously...I'm not sure.I have Kaplan BB, Destroyer, Schaum's, and Baron's. Read through BB once, Baron's once and half of Schaum's. Destroyer I did about half of the problems in each section.

I hate to say it, and I don't mean this in any mean-spirited or smug way, but you got exactly what you deserved. The people on here pulling 19's/20's are studying for hours a day, reading through all their material many times, analyzing the problems, and doing practice tests. BB is a starting point, and you said yourself you only read Barron's once and did not even get through Schaum's or Destroyer. All you said you did, I could've done in 2, maybe 3 days.

It's unfortunate that you got what you did, but if you want to do better on the next write, you should really try a serious attempt by putting in the time necessary to score what you're aiming for. If you have questions, SDN is always a great resource for answers and encouragement.

 

[orangutan777]

sorry about the bio :\ but UCB05 is exactly right. for your third try read all your materials multiple times (3 or 4 at least) and go through the destroyer until you know every single problem (or at least close to it). you have to go over your material more than once so that it gets ingrained into your mind. good luck studying!

 

[Chrono]

hey orangutan did u get my pm?

 

[dufran3]

Did you take any of the topscore tests??

Dufran, what happened - did the questions in science just threw you off, or had you not seen that test material during your review?

I didn't take any of the topscore tests...money is an issue for me, and I couldn't really afford to get that. The bio section, i must have been tricked or something, I felt like I knew at least half of the questions...maybe more...

I hate to say it, and I don't mean this in any mean-spirited or smug way, but you got exactly what you deserved. The people on here pulling 19's/20's are studying for hours a day, reading through all their material many times, analyzing the problems, and doing practice tests. BB is a starting point, and you said yourself you only read Barron's once and did not even get through Schaum's or Destroyer. All you said you did, I could've done in 2, maybe 3 days.

It's unfortunate that you got what you did, but if you want to do better on the next write, you should really try a serious attempt by putting in the time necessary to score what you're aiming for. If you have questions, SDN is always a great resource for answers and encouragement.

I guess you are right, I wish more people would post their "not so spectacular scores" to help erase the "illusion" that everyone scores well. I guess I just didn't spend enough time studying. I think I'm going to borrow some $$ to put down on CDP, but not sure what package to buy etc...

A quick Question, when you guys are reading through the Kaplan, Cliff's and other material, are you taking notes during the reading? I usually read through and just try and make sure I understand the concepts.

 

[dufran3]

Do any of you take notes while reading the material?

 

[navneetdh]

Do any of you take notes while reading the material?

I am really sorry about your scores. You still have time if you take the DAT in 3 months. WHat ever little you have done should be still fresh in your head It will be worse if you drop it now and start studying months later. I would suggest getting back in the study mode right away. I took the DAT last year and the only advice i give to those who are trying to take it again is do not take a huge break. You will end up wasting months again.

ABout notes:...yes yes yes. Take notes in everything. Bio ochem chem math I even have special print outs for the PAT from the wicked sick PAT tutorial and I look over them again and again. EVen though I know teh problem that is being discussed but the way to do it is what is really important.

CDP is definitely a must. Maybe if you and someone else you know who is taking the DAT...can split the cost and just have it on 1 computer. You guys can study together and he/she can take half the test and you take others. I think the 10 test version is enough

WHat did you use to study chem and 0-chem? Destroyer is like the bible for DAT o-chem.

Bio take notes on paper for the big processes..like teh endocrine system, nervous system kidney etc. But then also make flash cards for the key terminology and smaller concepts. I honestly have like almost 2000 bio flash cards. I split them into 500 and go over one set a day.

I hope this helps. Again don't be discouraged, its only as hard as you tell yourself it is. Good luck👍🙂

 

[dufran3]

Thanks for all the information. For Ochem and chem I used Kaplan BB and Dat Destroyer. However, I didn't get through Destroyer all the way.

 

[Holopeachy1]

hey, just to put my two cents in! I took the test last year and did not do too well although I studied for a few months. I preparing now to take the test for the second time and Im doing all lot of things differently. Just like you when I took the test I thought that the science sections were really easy, I was sure that i had scored in the 20's but I only scored around 18. Anyways what i am doing now is when I read i take notes and I make note cards, my notes I will probably never read again but just the process of taking notes and re-writing facts helps you memorize. The note cards are for things that I dont really grasp well.

So as you read, you have to write, write things in your own words and rewrite if you have to. Also practice exams are a must, not only to learn and reinforce the material you know, but to build your stamina and refine your test taking skills.

I just took a practice test yesterday, didnt do to well, but i am spending all day today going over everything I missed. Analysing why I missed those questions and writing down which sections to read on again, that is to make sure that next time around I dont miss the same question. If you do this enough times, you will become a pro.

Materials that I am using are mainly Kaplan BB for reference, Destroyer, and some text books. Ive skimmed through Shuams and purchasing Achiever, Topscore and CDP an investment of $200 on these practice tests alone are totally worth.

Dont give up, you can do this, you just have to change your study habits a bit.

 

[dufran3]

Yeh, thanks for the motivation. My brother-in-law was accepted to dental school, and is starting this September. So the fact that I bombed the DAT twice in a row really leaves me feeling Suicidal...well not really....but I definitely am down in the dumps. I plan on reading more, finishing all my books, getting through destroyer at least twice, and taking 1 practice test of some kind each week....for well...90 days... Nov 7th, here I come!

 

[turkalurk]

If money is an issue DO NOT waste money on Destroyer its as much as the test itself. I got a 21 on the Bio by memorizing the Kaplan book and looking at my Bio notes/book from freshman year. Remember is just Gen Bio. Dont get to specific. I though Kaplan prepared me well.

 

[needa20]

kaplan book and topscore tests really helped me.

if you really think that you got half of the questions right, you can pay about $50 and have them rescore your test. If i had gotten a 12 thats what i would have done.

 

[UCB05]

Don't forget SDN is freeee~ Don't overlook this site. Ask for advice, ask questions, check out other people's threads, etc. SDN is priceless and most of us are more than happy to help you out with anything you need.

...within our capacity, of course. I might have to turn you down if you ask for my kidney.

 

[crackdat]

how do you get your test rescored????

 

[dufran3]

Yeh but how often are the tests mis-scored?

 

[allstardentist]

if ure going to retake, check out my blog.