DAT Done 8/11/2009, HELP!

[UntamedFox]

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Hey guys and gals,

First time posting here, a buddy of mine said that this was a good site for pre-dental students. I took the Kaplan Course at home over the summer, spending ~2-4 hours each day studying. I studied 6 days a week for 2.5 months. I found the Kaplan course to be very very helpful, tho i forgot to implement the strategy on the QR section... and it hurt me.

DAT scores:
PA=21
QR=16 (ran out of time with 10-12 questions left)
RC=22
Bio=19
GC=19
OC=19
TS=19
AA=19

My QR section is way below what i could have gotten. I was wondering if I should retake the exam this semester (my last year of undergrad) or if i should stick with my scores? also, do they only take the most recent score, or do they take the best of as many times you take the exam? like, if i got better than 16 for QR but lower in some other field, will i get the most out of both, or does only the 2nd time taking the exam count? i'm just trying to get into any dental school i can, i have ~10 on my list. I'm a 3.2 GPA student with a 3.4 science GPA. can y'all give me a little insight as to what my chances are? also, i have ~150 hrs of dental volunteering and shadowing/interning and i am planning to intern/shadow another dentist this year, trying to get around another 100 hrs.


Ohh yea, you guys apparently review the exam....
The best advice i can give is to use one of the study helpers (kaplan, DAT destroyer, etc) and use it to improve your strengths and fix your weaknesses. The DAT wasn't too bad, i thought while taking it. Like i said, if i had used my time more strategically and used the Kaplan techniques when doing the QR section, i would have gotten better on that.

 

[alanan84]

Your scores are good. I think the problem you may run into is your GPA is below average. IMO you should roll with these scores. If you've applied to a lot of schools and applied smartly, you may get an interview or two and if you do well on the interview you might get accepted.

If you do plan on retaking I would try to not rely as heavily on Kaplan.

 

[UntamedFox]

don't rely on Kaplan?? why say that? and thanks for letting me know my scores aren't too bad. I know my GPA is low, unfortunately i had some crap teachers in subjects unrelated to the sciences (French and adv. calc 2) and i got a C in both those. Thanks for the reply and I would love to hear more replies and advice if anyone can help!

 

[nze82]

Your scores are good. I think the problem you may run into is your GPA is below average. IMO you should roll with these scores. If you've applied to a lot of schools and applied smartly, you may get an interview or two and if you do well on the interview you might get accepted.

If you do plan on retaking I would try to not rely as heavily on Kaplan.

I agree!
Relying heavily on KAPLAN will simply set you for failure!
Don't get me wrong. They have great online resources, and their review books aren't that bad either. But they don't teach you all the details. For example, it would be really hard to score 20+ if you limit yourself to KAPLAN's biology and/or O-chem (In fact, the O-chem section of KAPLAN is poorly written, providing the students with very few reactions). Furthermore, KAPLAN's PAT is a joke. Use it as your only practice source for PAT and I can guarantee you won't be scoring any higher than 19.
Finally, you must realize that many students are taking advantage of the numerous resources that are available to them. So, if you limit yourself to KAPLAN, you won't get as much practice as them, which means they'll be more competitive compared to you. So, it's always a good idea to use multiple resources.

P.S. You're scores are decent. I don't think you need to retake!

Good luck👍

 

[mazaag]

hahah..hilarious...its my first time posting here too and i just took the exam today ..oh and guess what ALSO ran out of time for QR...there were so many word questions eh? I got 17..in practice exams i was really doing well..but there was much less word problems. I felt that they were easy..just that they needed time. I had 1 minute left and 8 questions unanswered! So ya i really feel your pain hehe.

For those people criticizing Kaplan...i agree with you 100%...BUT only on Bio..i memorized all the BB and was only able to pull a 19..the exam had LOTs of detail questions that i confirmed were not in Kaplan BB. But interms of Orgo and Chem..Kaplan is more than enough! I got 21 on both and i feel i could have scored higher if i didnt run out of time in the exam and reviewed a couple of questions.
Hope this helps! gluck all!

 

[alanan84]

hahah..hilarious...its my first time posting here too and i just took the exam today ..oh and guess what ALSO ran out of time for QR...there were so many word questions eh? I got 17..in practice exams i was really doing well..but there was much less word problems. I felt that they were easy..just that they needed time. I had 1 minute left and 8 questions unanswered! So ya i really feel your pain hehe.

For those people criticizing Kaplan...i agree with you 100%...BUT only on Bio..i memorized all the BB and was only able to pull a 19..the exam had LOTs of detail questions that i confirmed were not in Kaplan BB. But interms of Orgo and Chem..Kaplan is more than enough! I got 21 on both and i feel i could have scored higher if i didnt run out of time in the exam and reviewed a couple of questions.
Hope this helps! gluck all!

Here's my problem with the Kaplan Blue Book. It hardly gives you any practice questions. The bio section isn't broad enough. The chem's may be OK but Chad's videos are much better. The PAT section is a joke. I didn't study for RC and the QR section seems to be outdated with not enough word problems. It's a decent quick reference book but the only thing I really used it for the second time around was Ochem lab techniques. (which I thought it did a great job on)

Now if we're talking about the Kaplan class, that's better, (b/c of the materials) but if you buy Destroyer, the ACS study guides (like $40), and watch Chad's videos, you can get better resources for a fraction of the cost.

 

[crew09]

They are actually pretty solid overall (and GPA) play your cards right and you may land an interview!

Good Luck

 

[a1pha]

KBB is absolutely sufficient for organic and gchem to get 20s in both. If you want more, you'll probably need some other materials. It's not that kaplan's bio sucks...it's just too hard to condense all relevant info into a review book. No single source is gonna get you a high bio score...you really just need to have taken upper lvl bio classes or use lots of resources.

 

[mazaag]

Here's my problem with the Kaplan Blue Book. It hardly gives you any practice questions. The bio section isn't broad enough. The chem's may be OK but Chad's videos are much better. The PAT section is a joke. I didn't study for RC and the QR section seems to be outdated with not enough word problems. It's a decent quick reference book but the only thing I really used it for the second time around was Ochem lab techniques. (which I thought it did a great job on)

Now if we're talking about the Kaplan class, that's better, (b/c of the materials) but if you buy Destroyer, the ACS study guides (like $40), and watch Chad's videos, you can get better resources for a fraction of the cost.

You definetly make a good point! Yes Kaplan BB for Bio, QR, PAT is definetly worthless. Interms of Chem and Orgo ..i found that they explained the concepts well..and understanding for me in those two sections specifically is what made a difference for sure.

My experience is that I relied ONLY on Kaplan BB (and Topscore tests) for one month..and did 19 Bio, 21 Chem, 21 Organic. I have to say that i had the BB inside out in my head before the exam so to score more I certainly could have benefited from other material if I had the time. For those of you out there who have time on them...i say..get all practice material you can get your hands on like alanan84 mentioned!
Good luck!

 

[UntamedFox]

thanks guys! i did only use KBB, but i thought it did an okay job. i'm betting many of you know better than me tho, so for all others, def try and get multiple soucres for study help. thanks for the good words that i don't really have to take that thing again, it was torture for over 2 months... we'll see where i'm at later this year with interviews.... tHANKS!

 

[kallie902]

I don't necessarily agree with all of the Kaplan bashing. I have been out of school for over a year, and it's been at least 3-4 years since I'd taken gen chem/orgo... and all I used to study was the Kaplan online course. I thought the organic section was a little sparse, but I ended up with a 20/20/25 with only about a month of studying. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, just wanted to let people know that Kaplan isn't necessarily worthless, it helped me out a LOT.

 

[UntamedFox]

thanks Kallie, i thought it did an okay job too. GREAT SCORES! good luck getting into where u want!

 

[jorasic]

You have borderline competitive stats. But in reality, most people do.
The difference you can make is to BELIEVE you are eligible.
Be proud of yourself and what you've done through your years at your college. Start thinking that way and it'll show when they interview you.

Goodluck!