DAT DONE (8/14) -- $hitty computer

[ResidentPersian]

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Today, I went into my exam calm, cool, and collected. However, my computer froze 4 times during my exam (twice during the sciences), which cost me a few points. It froze at the very end of orgo, which would not allow me to answer the last question, which was EASY...and it wouldnt let me go back to change the answer to another question, which I got wrong, but figured out at the very end.
PA: 18 (61.1%) -- froze at the beginning, cost me 10 seconds (as a result could not fill in the last question, which I knew...grrr)
QR: 18 (75.8)
RC: 17 (Piano) -- The asprin and cAMP were EASY AS HELL...piano was --wow. got unlucky (had to guess on last 5 b/c I ran of time)
Bio: 21 (91.7%) -- not bad
Chem: 21 (87.4)
Orgo: 18 (62.6%). would have been higher if it did not freeze (I also never took orgo before in my life)
TS: 20 (86.2)
AA: 19 (77.2)

BCP Gpa: 3.83
Overall GPA: 3.6

Top 30 research University -
6 Science/Health Care Based Publications already
President of 3 Clubs
Personal trainer
Manager of a Gym
A LOT of research experience

Pennsylvania state resident


BREAKDOWN

Bio: Bio was A LOT easier than I thought it was going to be. It wasnt really that random. I'm kicking myself because I studied everything that was tested on the exam, but just blanked on a few topics...the answers came back to me after the section was over....shoudl have had a 25+, but i messed this up. A LOT of questions were from Destroyer -- I was surprised, because everyone was saying that Destroyer didn't really hlep much (about 8 or 9 questions came directly from destroyer questions or in the explanatinos). To study, I read 80% of campbell's bio textbook about 3 or 4 times (not necessary, you could easily get a 25 or so just by studhing cliffs).

Chem: A lot easier than I thought it was going ot be. I thought I did better than a 21. Not sure what I got wrong. On topscore, my scores were 20, 21, 15 (yes, a 15 on the last topscore)....but I thought that Topscore was a pretty good indicator of how you will score overall on the real thing

Orgo: As I mentioed above, I never took orgo before. I started studying for orgo in July (read kaplan BB, examkrackers, Destroyer, and Destroyer Odyssey). Destroyer covered everything, even NMR, imo. I'm kicking msyelf b/c if my comp did not freeze, I probably would have had a 20. The questions were easy (easier than Topscore, imo)....I kinda screwewd myself over b/c i spent so much time on bio/g-chem (I did the entire ochem section in 17 minutes).

PAT: All I have to say is "wow." I was getting 21's and 22's on CDP. Keyholes were on par with CDP, but TFE was MUUUUCH harder than TFE on CDP. Angles and holepunches were harder, as well. Cubes were CAKE, but i couldn't finsih the last or two b/c I ran out of time -- I saved this section for last). Folding was surprisingly easy, IMO.

RC: I got the dredded "Piano" passage. I was getting in the mid 20's on topscore. I am a VERY fast reader. I got an 800 on SAT verbal. I am used to reading technical passages, as I have 6 publicatiosn already, and I'm CONSTANTLY reading... The Asprin and cAMP passages were easy (I thought I did really well on them...probably missed one or two on both). Piano, I had to skip/guess on about 5 b/c of time. I'm RAELLY REALLY kicking myself.

QR: A lot of word problems, but I finished. I thought I did better than 18. My comp froze again during QR (lost about 20 seconds). As a result, I couldn't answer two problems at teh very end, which were very easy. Best advice: just SKIP the ones that you KNOW will take you 30+ seconds to do and come bakc to tehm. I made this mistake. My scores would have been higher, IMO if I had done this.


blah. I'm pissed off the whole computer freezing thing. I probably lost about 5 combined points on the whole exam b/c of it. though I'm somewhat happy with my scores, it's kinda hard to be happy b/c I know my scores SHOULD have been better. There is no reason why PROMETRIC can't use functioning comptuers.

Time to drink away teh paiiiiiiin.




What do you think my chances are at schools like Penn, Temple, Pitt, etc?

 

[uncbestyet]

I thought organic chemistry is pretty much a pre-requisite for all dental schools.... but you say you've never taken it??

Edit: Never mind you're probably taking it this year.

 

[ResidentPersian]

Just added the breakdown.

I"ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

[enfuego]

Is there any way you could contest your scores? If the computer malfunctioning prevented you from answering questions, then there's has to be something you can do about it.

 

[ResidentPersian]

Is there any way you could contest your scores? If the computer malfunctioning prevented you from answering questions, then there's has to be something you can do about it.

Apparently, the only thing I could do is mention it in the post-exam questionnaire. The person who was overseeing the exam was didn't really seem to care. I'm going to contact AADSAS and dental school admissions counselors on monday to see what else I can do.

 

[Chrono]

hey residentpersian,

What did you think of the piano passage, was it hard/easy, or was only the timing a problem? People here make it sound really hard...

 

[ResidentPersian]

Let me start off by saying that I was getting RC scores of 22-25 on Topscore. I'm a good reader and I tend to do well on these things. The RC passages on topscore are mostly 'search and destroy'-- meaning you can read the question and find the answer in the passage with relative ease. The piano passage, however, is DEFINATELY not this easy. Though relatively easy to read, the qeustions are rather vague, and you have to read the entire thing to actually answer quetions -- you ahve to understand the passage to answer ethe questions. The other two passages (asprin and cAMP) were easy and you could just read the passages and pick out the right answer....not the case w/ piano.

What killed me was that I initially tried to do search and destroy on the passage....after five minutes, I only had one question done (that's when my panic set in), so I scrapped that method and started to read quickly. I ended up having to guess on about 5 or 6 (after 20 min I left piano to go to the other passages, but didn't have time to go back).

My advice: don't do search and destroy..I thought I could get away with it, but I couldn't. Just raed each paragraph and understand whats being said. if I had done that fromthe beginning, my score would be much higher.

 

[Chrono]

Let me start off by saying that I was getting RC scores of 22-25 on Topscore. I'm a good reader and I tend to do well on these things. The RC passages on topscore are mostly 'search and destroy'-- meaning you can read the question and find the answer in the passage with relative ease. The piano passage, however, is DEFINATELY not this easy. Though relatively easy to read, the qeustions are rather vague, and you have to read the entire thing to actually answer quetions -- you ahve to understand the passage to answer ethe questions. The other two passages (asprin and cAMP) were easy and you could just read the passages and pick out the right answer....not the case w/ piano.

What killed me was that I initially tried to do search and destroy on the passage....after five minutes, I only had one question done (that's when my panic set in), so I scrapped that method and started to read quickly. I ended up having to guess on about 5 or 6 (after 20 min I left piano to go to the other passages, but didn't have time to go back).

My advice: don't do search and destroy..I thought I could get away with it, but I couldn't. Just raed each paragraph and understand whats being said. if I had done that fromthe beginning, my score would be much higher.

ok, thanks. Do you suggest looking at the questions first for this passage or reading whole passage before attempting questions?

 

[jorasic]

Hey,

You did prety well dude! You should explain to the Ad comms at interview what happened! Anyway, I'm taking my DAT soon and I'm looking for some advice if you don't mind??

Where there any ochem or gchem questions that threw you off, that you overlooked?

e.g. the geometry of see saw, bent..

Thanks man!