DAT Done!!! 8/3/2010

[Chemboy23]

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First of all, like so many others, I would like to thank everyone for their help. I think this site is a great resource for predents.

First, I got shafted by the calculator. I could NOT get it to clear, and no matter what button I hit, it just continued to act crazy.

PAT - 17
QR - 16😱
RC - 17
BIO - 18
GC - 16😱
OC - 20
TS - 17
AA - 17


PAT - personally, I thought it was a lot harder that CDP. I was making consistent 22s and got as high as 25. Don't know what to say other than I am VERY UPSET with my scores. It could have been that my nerves were rattled going into it from the randomness of the SNS.

QR - ridiculous...I didn't have enough money left in my budget to buy the MATH Destroyer, so I just worked problems over and over thinking that would help (from the DAT destroyer and Topscore). Calculator started acting crazy and I couldn't clear it, ran out of time.

RC - of course, I got shafted (pianoed). I guess luck just wasn't on my side at all today. I had a passage on Aspirin, Cell Communication (cAMP 2nd messengers), and of course the piano passage. If you get the piano passage, may the Lord in the skies bless your little sweet heart. Elton John would have trouble figuring out some of the questions I got. The other two were more difficult that TopScore, but they were still fair.

BIO - very random as everyone else says. I don't know how I got this high. I had like ~10 questions that I hit "mark" on b/c they were things I've never heard of in my entire life, I'm a Bio major as well. Things I remember were Cladistics, a graph about mosses living on top of a mountain and other things living at different elevations, etc...Nothing at all on plants, embryo, or taxonomy, which is where I thought I was weak and studied a lot.

GC - don't know wth happened here. I've tutored GC for four years, and I felt pretty good about all of my answers, but obviously that was a mistake. The questions are just so "nit-picky" and off the wall type. I made A's in both semesters of GC, and studied for it a lot. This section upsets me the most out of all my scores.

OC - VERY VERY fair...not only b/c this is my highest grade, but just because I had actually seen most of it before, unlike all the other sections.

Things I used to prepare:
-Topscore
-Acheiver (T1-T3)
-Cliff's AP Bio
-Barron's AP Bio Notecards
-George Wolf's tutoing (Bio)
-DAT Destroyer
-Chad's Videos
-OChem notes from lecture

Well, I know I probably won't get in this cycle, and I am so upset that I'm shaking right now. I really felt well-prepared going in. I have studied for the last 2 months for about 10-12 hours per day. Oh well, best of luck to everyone else.


Schools I'm applying to:
-Loma Linda
-Western
-UNLV
-ASDOH
-MWU (Glendale)
-Tennessee-Memphis
-Mississippi (from there)

 

[sfoksn]

I'm sorry DAT computer program messed up on you. I am sure you are eligible for a retake if you let them know about your calculator problem.

You definitely need to retake, though.

Good luck.

 

[Destiny11]

First of all, like so many others, I would like to thank everyone for their help. I think this site is a great resource for predents.

First, I got shafted by the calculator. I could NOT get it to clear, and no matter what button I hit, it just continued to act crazy.

PAT - 17
QR - 16😱
RC - 17
BIO - 18
GC - 16😱
OC - 20
TS - 17
AA - 17


PAT - personally, I thought it was a lot harder that CDP. I was making consistent 22s and got as high as 25. Don't know what to say other than I am VERY UPSET with my scores. It could have been that my nerves were rattled going into it from the randomness of the SNS.

QR - ridiculous...I didn't have enough money left in my budget to buy the MATH Destroyer, so I just worked problems over and over thinking that would help (from the DAT destroyer and Topscore). Calculator started acting crazy and I couldn't clear it, ran out of time.

RC - of course, I got shafted (pianoed). I guess luck just wasn't on my side at all today. I had a passage on Aspirin, Cell Communication (cAMP 2nd messengers), and of course the piano passage. If you get the piano passage, may the Lord in the skies bless your little sweet heart. Elton John would have trouble figuring out some of the questions I got. The other two were more difficult that TopScore, but they were still fair.

BIO - very random as everyone else says. I don't know how I got this high. I had like ~10 questions that I hit "mark" on b/c they were things I've never heard of in my entire life, I'm a Bio major as well. Things I remember were Cladistics, a graph about mosses living on top of a mountain and other things living at different elevations, etc...Nothing at all on plants, embryo, or taxonomy, which is where I thought I was weak and studied a lot.

GC - don't know wth happened here. I've tutored GC for four years, and I felt pretty good about all of my answers, but obviously that was a mistake. The questions are just so "nit-picky" and off the wall type. I made A's in both semesters of GC, and studied for it a lot. This section upsets me the most out of all my scores.

OC - VERY VERY fair...not only b/c this is my highest grade, but just because I had actually seen most of it before, unlike all the other sections.

Things I used to prepare:
-Topscore
-Acheiver (T1-T3)
-Cliff's AP Bio
-Barron's AP Bio Notecards
-George Wolf's tutoing (Bio)
-DAT Destroyer
-Chad's Videos
-OChem notes from lecture

Well, I know I probably won't get in this cycle, and I am so upset that I'm shaking right now. I really felt well-prepared going in. I have studied for the last 2 months for about 10-12 hours per day. Oh well, best of luck to everyone else.


Schools I'm applying to:
-Loma Linda
-Western
-UNLV
-ASDOH
-MWU (Glendale)
-Tennessee-Memphis
-Mississippi (from there)

My anxiety level just went up 3X from reading this...what were your scores on practice tests?

 

[Chemboy23]

My Topscore tests averaged:

Bio ~20
GC~23-25
OC~20
PAT~20 (Topscore) and ~23CDP
RC~20-23 (didn't do many, I think I did like three practice ones)
QR~23 for Topscore

I have studied so much for this test and I feel like punching myself in the face. Good luck!

 

[Veloce]

My Topscore tests averaged:

Bio ~20
GC~23-25
OC~20
PAT~20 (Topscore) and ~23CDP
RC~20-23 (didn't do many, I think I did like three practice ones)
QR~23 for Topscore

I have studied so much for this test and I feel like punching myself in the face. Good luck!

Chemboy, you should try and get an immediate retake because of the calculator thing.

My topscore scores were much lower than yours, your topscore scores indiciate that you should and can do much better! Don't give up yet, your practice test scores show that you definitely know the material very well.

Your test sounds very similar to mine. I had the same passages and I have to say the piano is not as hard as everyone is making it sound! You do have to read the passage and understand it but the language is plain simple english. I found it to be easier than the achiever RC passages.

I also had the moss graph, and I recall that it is one of those problems that appears tricky but is very straightforward. The topics are covered clearly in Cliffs.

Destiny don't be scared, I think confidence is one of the biggest assets on this test.

 

[Chemboy23]

So, I didn't mean to make you nervous and he/she is so right. I was so rattled when I went into the test b/c of the science section.

How do you do that? Ask for a retake?

 

[dds2015]

im sorry but i can't figure this out...is "piano'd" a catch all term for complex reading passage with lots of inference questions or just a really long passage...reading these threads it sounds as if the word piano pops up on the screen and you are instantly screwed or something
also do you remember how long the passaged were? achiever passages seem to be 19/20 paragraphs each but one of the subject tests from kaplan had a RC passage with only 6 paragraphs...what should i expect on the real DAT?
thanks, sorry im no help on the reschedule question

 

[flyingforever]

Same thing happened with me when I took the exam first time in January. I am getting ready for second try in few days. I was blank for ~10 mins. because I was very nervous and my anxiety level went up too. This time around I am working on keeping my nerves down, remain confident all the way through. I am pretty sure you can do better than this. Sign up again and destroy this damn exam.

 

[Chemboy23]

Who do we contact in the case our calculator screwed us over? I need to call them probably today, what do you think?

 

[Chemboy23]

--->dds 2015...no the actual passage is about a piano. I'm not musically-inclined AT ALL and maybe it was just me. The questions were extremely difficult to me. To some they may not be, but this is probably what brought my score down so far.

 

[Bio Dental Mom]

Chemboy 23, it sounds like you got screwed by the calculator like me. I got the same score as you in math and honestly, I was getting like 20's on the math destroyer exams so I don't know what happened. It was giving me wrong #s in the beginning so I just stopped using it during my exam. However, for your sake I hope they let you retake b/c it sounds like your nerves got the best of you. I was super nervous yesterday too and just kept taking deep breaths and get angry 😡 at the exam and push forward. I refused to let it own me like the last time I took it. I hope things work out for you b/c I know you put a lot of time into this thing and have already invested so much.

 

[Chemboy23]

Thanks so much Bio Dental Mom. I thought the test was just utterly difficult all the way around. I don't know what else I could have possibly done to prepare more. If I had just not studied, I could understand why this happened. I don't know, I'm so stressed. I just emailed ADA because their offices are apparently closed (par for the course). I told them that I've spend thousands of dollars on all of this and I will do whatever I need to do to prove that happened. The guy that started the test with me was not in the room the whole time and I couldn't get up and leave the test. I don't know what to do 🙁🙁🙁

Have they ever allowed someone to retake it under these circumstances before 90 days have passed?

 

[DQLEUCD]

Thanks so much Bio Dental Mom. I thought the test was just utterly difficult all the way around. I don't know what else I could have possibly done to prepare more. If I had just not studied, I could understand why this happened. I don't know, I'm so stressed. I just emailed ADA because their offices are apparently closed (par for the course). I told them that I've spend thousands of dollars on all of this and I will do whatever I need to do to prove that happened. The guy that started the test with me was not in the room the whole time and I couldn't get up and leave the test. I don't know what to do 🙁🙁🙁

Have they ever allowed someone to retake it under these circumstances before 90 days have passed?

I don't think they will let you retake it if it's the calculator. A lot of people relied on the calculator too much and instead of doing things the short way, they sit there punching in the numbers. I would suggest if the calculator is not working, just don't use it and do things the old fashion way, estimating. The scores in general don't look too great, you should retake it ASAP if you want a chance at applying this year. Either that or study again and retake the test and apply next year.

 

[RedDevilDDS]

Chemboy you and I had the same test version! lol I got pianoed and destryoed lol and I remember that Bio questions you are talking about lol.

Did you already submitted your application?

 

[Chemboy23]

Yes I did. I wonder if it's even possible for me to get an interview. That test was horrible!

 

[RedDevilDDS]

At this point, there is nothing you can do. If they don't allow to re-write, i guess you have to wait 90 days and retake DAT and shoot for 20+.

Good luck

 

[Chemboy23]

Yeah, a couple of the schools I applied to have people that got in with similar scores. It's surely not a promising situation, but I guess I can keep my fingers crossed for now.

 

[nicUD]

Chemboy, I'm so sorry about your dat. My heart plummeted into my stomach when i read your post! I've been studying the same as you in reference to time/materials, and my topscore scores have not budged (AA19), yet i study 10+ hrs each day🙁. my DATs in 5 days .nervous as hell. If you could do it over what would you do differently?

Ps. Should i start reading up on pianos just in case? Would that be helpful?

 

[UndergradGuy7]

There have been people that the computer froze for part of their exam. The ada investigated and let them re take the exam in like two weeks.

You can try and call the ada and explain the calculator thing. They might let you re take it without waiting 90 days. Worth a try.

The calculator does not explain why you still did ~17 on the other sections, but you can use it as an excuse.

 

[Chemboy23]

nicUD, no problem. I would definitely recommend you reading up on pianoes. Know what does what...they asked what holds strings in place, what kind of piano would you want to play if you didn't want your neighbors to get upset (lol), what the pedals do, what the plate is made of...etc...basically know what produces tone, pitch, volume, etc..., which ends (treble or bass have two or three keys....) Those are just a few of which I remember. Don't really know what else to recommend. Just know the anatomy and physiology of the piano in very deep detail.

As far as what I would have done differently...I don't really know because I made high scores on all of my TopScore tests as well. Just try to get your hands on as many practice tests as possible. I think what may have happened with me was that I took the same tests like three times, and of course my scores went up each time. Little did I know, I knew the correct answers in the back of my mind.

For the PAT...use the 4 x 4 grid method to get it down pat and then stop using them. It's hard to do this with CDP because their hole punching section is ridiculously difficult. Angles...weren't that bad. I've always been good with them though for some odd reason. TFE and Keyholes were a lot harder to me, that's just a personal opinion. Cubes are a piece of cake on the real test. I got the 10 test version of CDP and went through it twice. I got 20-23 for the majority of my tests in the days leading up to today.

For QR, man...I don't know. I was low on funds and couldn't afford to purchase the Math Destroyer, but seeing my grades...I guess I should've prostituted myself to afford it lol. I have spent sooooooooo much money on all of this and just don't know what to do. With the math section, practice doing it without a calculator. Know random things like absolute inequality graphs (yeah I know), arcsincos (tutored trig and have never seen such a thing), know probability of course. Probability was expected. Know the bell curve graph of standard deviations...like "what percentage of people would fall in this score range if the average was 78 and assume a standard deviation of 4..."

For Bio...I had a pic asking me what a sporangium looked like, another asking me "why do some plant species live in different altitudes?" I think this was an ecology question. Another, "which of the following could be a producer? bacteria, leech, and some other choices. It wasn't as bad as I expected overall, you just have to be able to reason out certain answers and get a little lucky too. I was pleased with my Bio score, would've liked ~20, but oh well.

GC - mentioned above (don't know what happened), I remember getting a question that was oh sooooo hard to balance the reaction.

OC - Just watch Chad's, do the quizzes, and memorize the road maps. If I can get a 20 in OChem, anyone can. It is VERY basic. Know your CNMR and HNMR, acidity, Diels Alder, Aldol condensation (Chad has a very easy way of making this a shortcut), SN1, E1, SN2, E2, etc...

My brain is fried, I'll try to add some more tomorrow. Until then, just pray to God you don't get the same test I did. My spirits are torn right now!

Hope this helps!

 

[dwallin]

Chemboy I'm sorry to hear about your scores. That's frustrating man. To the rest of you, I also took my test today and I'm going to post a link about how I did. I feel it may be somewhat reassuring to those of you applying in a few days, I'll post it right now.

 

[Chemboy23]

ahhh...i'll be alright. just have to buckle down and get it done. curious to see your scores, hopefully, they're better than mine lol. best of luck to you!

 

[kevinrho]

hey chemboy! i think it was just a bad day. everyone has those days. hopefully you can get interviews with those scores, if a retake is necessary, I'm sure you would destroy it... goodluck!

 

[Chemboy23]

Hey thanks man. I just hope and pray I can get something. I hated to sound like a complainer yesterday, I was just very upset. Overall, the scores are my fault and I felt way better prepared than my scores indicate. If you study 10-12 hours per day for 2 1/2 months, you feel like you know at least a little something haha. Thanks again everyone for the hope and encouragement.

 

[Chemboy23]

--->Undergrad guy, lol, I'm not trying to use it as an excuse. I think the ADA should let us use normal calculators (granted, I agree Prometric should provide them because people could cheat and put formulas in them). The calculator on screen is of no help at all. The next time I take my test, I will not even use it. I don't care what kind of problem it is. It is almost impossible to get even close to finished with the QR section in the little amount of time. So they have you b/t a rock and a hard place. If you use the calculator, it glitches and fails to clear. If you do it by hand (the way I would prefer), there's not enough time. Either way, you get screwed. I don't see where the QR section is so important to have such strict guidelines on it. But, who am I to say this. It's obvious that many others have taken the DAT and smashed this section. We'll see what happens and I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[dwallin]

In all honesty I think everyone is a little to negative about the math section. I finished with 10 minutes to spare, went back and reworked two problems and clicked "end" still with 5 minutes left. My calculator wasn't glitchy though so I don't know about that, mine worked just fine. I only used it on maybe 4 problems though. Either way, stay optimistic!!

 

[chippy]

this is probably a stupid question, but what exactly does it mean to get piano'd?

 

[Chemboy23]

No, no question is stupid. On certain test, the RC section contains a section that is extremely difficult to decipher unless your a pianist. It's in depth information (sort of like A&P) of the piano. You can try to do some research about what makes the piano work and know the mechanics of the piano in and out. Still, some question require more information and you basically have to get very lucky. About 10 of the 18 or so questions in this particular passage, I had no idea about. I remember a question like this:

A. A piano and keyboard are alike in that they use the same methods to produce sound (not exactly the question, but it's all I can remember).

B. Some other random statement about a piano that the passage DID NOT contain.

Your choices are:

Both are true
Both are false
Only A is true, B is false
Only B is true, A is false

So...as you can see, you start to freak out a little if you miss this many questions. The other two passages, however, were very fair. Some of the questions were a little tricky, but they did contain the info w/in the passage.

Hope this helps 🙂

 

[shiftypoptart]

Retake IMO what are the odds of getting piano'ed twice?

 

[lmaozedong1]

The calculator didn't freeze...it has a long lag time. Retake the exam and do well...don't use it as an excuse.

 

[Chrono]

Retake IMO what are the odds of getting piano'ed twice?

I'm preety sure you won't get the same exam twice. The test with the piano passage is "one version" of the exam, and you won't get the same version again when you retake. In this case, thats a good thing cause the piano version is the worst version of the DAT.

 

[Chemboy23]

I'm not using it as an "excuse." The calculator would not clear, so what am I to do? The Prometric guy was an a-hole and how was I to approach him, he kept saying, "it's not my fault." Who the hell said it was his fault lol. You have to admit, there were 3-5 questions on the test where a calculator would have been really helpful. I am going to do a retake, so you all wish me luck. I've definitely put the work in, so hopefully the results are different this time. I know right (about the piano) I don't get that version again, there's no way the test can get any harder than that one. I was really upset with myself overall though, my PAT scores and GC scores are wayyy low. I was making 20-24 on the CDP practice tests and on TopScore, my highest scores were in GC lol. I tutored GC for four years at a CC, so I don't know how the heck I got a 16. Anyways, thanks for all the support guys. Best of luck to everyone, and just remember to NEVER give up. I've learned through all of this that we just have to keep pushing and pushing.

 

[Ibraiz]

I'm preety sure you won't get the same exam twice. The test with the piano passage is "one version" of the exam, and you won't get the same version again when you retake. In this case, thats a good thing cause the piano version is the worst version of the DAT.

Really? I got the Piano version of the Test and I thought over all the test was not that difficult. Biology section had some graph curve questions which I didn't have much experience with, other than that science was easy.

Chemboy23, I remember seeing your name on SDN. I think you even answered few questions for me. I truly think you are much smarter than what scores you got. It may be that you got a little nervous. Just a brotherly suggestion, try to fight it and see if you can retake the Test, "you aint got none to loose". I think you have potentials to do much better than this. Good luck!

 

[Chemboy23]

Ibraiz...thanks bro! I actually filed a formal statement via fax with ADA, I'm currently waiting to hear back. I did it today, and called to follow up and the guy told me that it may take 2-3 business days to push through. Thanks for the intelligence comments, I know I am not the brightest human on the planet, but I also do not deserve those scores after working so hard these past three months or so.