DAT done/and done

[SadMonkey]

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Hey guys 🙁,
I have been reading SDN posts for about four years now and I never had the courage to talk about my own experience in trying to get into dental school. I just graduated undergrad and I am in grad school. I think I have a similar story as a lot of you (not the "oh, I have a 25 and 3.9 GPA, do you think I will get in story".) I am an average student, with a lot of drive and motivation. I took the DAT twice now, and both times I fell short of my goal. I studied using Kaplan, Crack PAT/MATH, Destroyer, Schaums.. I pretty much did what others have done. I obviously know I won't get in with my DAT score, but I wanted to get your input. I plan on taking it over winter break, I finish with my MS in June. 🙁What do you think I am doing wrong here? What should I do to bring up my scores:
10/26/07
PA 12
QR 12
RC 15
Bio 15
GC 17
OC14

09/20/08
PA 16
QR 11
RC 18
Bio 18
GC 16
OC 15

 

[keliao]

yikes....how long u'v been studying for your second test??

 

[SadMonkey]

I studied for about three months, but really hard core for about three weeks. I don't know.. what should I do? more reading? mor exams?

 

[nhpham2]

well you did improve so that is a good thing. But you just have to practice more. How long did you spend studying? You definitely need to do more math problems and work more on chemistry. Third's time a charm right? Good luck with the next one!

 

[SadMonkey]

So math is a huge problem for me, how do most people study for it? I used crack math, but I still don't know how to attack the problems, i sorta freak out when I see numbers.

 

[IWantSmile]

hey, don't be sad.. You can do it. It already shows up improvement.

 

[r8 dds]

For Math, I would say spend an hour on it each day and expose yourself to with many word problems and trigonometry problems as much as possible.

For PAT, what have you been scoring on those tests? (Big improvement though! Good job! 🙂)

Like npham2 said, third time is a charm! Good luck!

 

[Dmitry Malayev]

I would spend at least 6 hours a day of hardcore studying at least 5 days a week for 3-4 months in your case.

Also as far as practicing Math, if may be easier to go through the easy questions first on the DAT and then try and get the long harder ones.

QR: Use Kaplan and anything else you can get your hands on.

Sciences: I would know the Destroyer inside and out, if you have trouble understanding the concept check it up online, study in front of a laptop or a computer so you can check wikipedia or google. I would also use textbooks and class notes if necessary.

RC: Well i really don't have much of a recommendation for it.

PAT: CDP is the best and i would also do TopScore.

I've seen people take this exam 3 times and get in on their 3rd try. Since you'll be getting a Masters it'll give you some benefit in your application. Also do a lot of research and volunteer work as well as shadowing to improve your chances. You will need to retake the DAT and i would recommend retaking it when you don't have any classes. For example if you don't have any classes next semester seeing as how you are graduating, i would take at least 3-4 months of hardcore studying starting from the beginning of next year and then take the exam and apply for the 2010 cycle.

I hope everything works out for you, i wish you all the best. And hopefully this information helps your decide what you want to do. 🙂

 

[Marmar tala]

I would spend at least 6 hours a day of hardcore studying at least 5 days a week for 3-4 months in your case.

Also as far as practicing Math, if may be easier to go through the easy questions first on the DAT and then try and get the long harder ones.

QR: Use Kaplan and anything else you can get your hands on.

Sciences: I would know the Destroyer inside and out, if you have trouble understanding the concept check it up online, study in front of a laptop or a computer so you can check wikipedia or google. I would also use textbooks and class notes if necessary.

RC: Well i really don't have much of a recommendation for it.

PAT: CDP is the best and i would also do TopScore.

I've seen people take this exam 3 times and get in on their 3rd try. Since you'll be getting a Masters it'll give you some benefit in your application. Also do a lot of research and volunteer work as well as shadowing to improve your chances. You will need to retake the DAT and i would recommend retaking it when you don't have any classes. For example if you don't have any classes next semester seeing as how you are graduating, i would take at least 3-4 months of hardcore studying starting from the beginning of next year and then take the exam and apply for the 2010 cycle.

I hope everything works out for you, i wish you all the best. And hopefully this information helps your decide what you want to do. 🙂

Hi ,
I have the same background as you, (BSC in Math).
with 0 Biology and Chem background, how long did it take you to prepare for the science part? like how many hours a day and for how long?

 

[Dmitry Malayev]

Hi ,
I have the same background as you, (BSC in Math).
with 0 Biology and Chem background, how long did it take you to prepare for the science part? like how many hours a day and for how long?

Well i am 1 class away from a Minor in Chem. So my Chem background is pretty good. Also i did take my basic Bio courses plus Anatomy & Physiology. Bio was by far the hardest section to study for me.

I used my textbooks, destroyer, and cliffs ap bio. I also once skimmed through Kaplan, i think Kaplan is way to easy for DATs and won't be enough.

I would recommend taking those general chemistry and bio courses as well as organic chemistry courses before taking the DAT, you will need it to get into Dental school anyways. It's a requirement.

 

[ruomengd2000]

All I can say to you is don't rush into your last DAT. I just talked to a USC admissions officer and they said a lot of schools (including them) will only allow you to take the DAT 3 times in your entire life. You may not want to dive right in during winter break. Make sure your ready.

 

[missDDS]

well the good news is that it seems you're doing better in the harder areas such as Bio and RC, so just keep on reviewing shaums and destroyer for Bio so you dont forget all of it. What helped me in Bio was also the MCAT exam krackers book, because it was clear with lots of pictures, which helped me study without falling asleep.
Math and PAT are probably those areas where if you do a lot of practice itll help out. And that means not just doing a hundred timed CRACK tests and getting around the same score and moving on, it helps to look at each problem and see what its asking etc, and go through the concepts of each problem. Ppl on this forum have said that SAT math books have also been helpful, but Idk b/c math was also my lowest score.
For Chem it depends what you're having trouble with... The destroyer is very heavy on calculations, so if thats the problem you should try to do that a couple times till you know it really well. Kaplan I believe is better for conceptual stuff.
Ochem... same, if the reactions are problem then roadmaps in destroyer are the way to go, if its more the concepts and SR type stuff, Kaplan has a more basic overview in my opinion.
The second scores showed a big improvement, so you're almost there, just keeeepp studying! 🙂

 

[jdent]

LIsten not as an advertising gimick but i used romanos dat camp yes the guy who wrote destroyer gives dat prep classes i think its worth it find out about it dont trust me but consider it go to his website orgoman.com

 

[thethethe]

maybe dentistry isnt for you

 

[Dmitry Malayev]

maybe dentistry isnt for you

Nah don't say that. I know people who have taken the DAT 3 times and got in on the 3rd try.

 

[SadMonkey]

maybe dentistry isnt for you

and you think it is for you? I hate when people discourage others. Speak only for yourself

 

[IWantSmile]

and you think it is for you? I hate when people discourage others. Speak only for yourself

Forget about what "thethethe" said.
hey, Monkey, keep it up your work and make sure you will get into one of the dental school in near future.

 

[polarmolar]

Since this is your third attempt, def do not take the test until you feel 110% confident and your practice scores look good.