DAT done, maybe a retake?

[JRock310]

---

Members don't see this ad.

my scores are not horrible for the most part, but my QR is. i realllllly dont want to retake it but i really think i have to. part of me thinks the rest of my app is good enough (i have a really unique situation and a LOT of extracurriculars, pretty good GPA, etc) that i MAY be able to get away with it...if it wasnt for the math. 😡

but anyway...

how many of you had to retake it? did you go up tremendously? WHAT did u do differently?

what i have done for each...

PAT
-crack DAT PAT. im not very good in perception but when i started off in crack dat i got 15s. i got a 17 on the actual DAT. that is good for me lol.

RDG
got a 20 so i dont really think i need to study too much for this?

GCHEM & OCHEM
ugh. went through destroyer three times. studied the road maps for orgo carefully. thought id do better on this than i did.

MATH
went through destroyer twice. probably should have tried harder. math isnt my best subject apparently.

BIO
cliffs AP bio flashcards. glanced at MCAT hyperlearning.

i just dont know what to do differently. do i just put MORE hours into what im already doing?

someone suggested MCAT 1001 Qs for gchem (my weakest subject). i can do those, but the DAT chem Qs were SO RANDOM. everyone says bio is bad/random, but i thought the gchem qs were HORRIBLE. as in, made NO sense to me whatsoever. a lot of them i hadnt even thought id seen before. some were super easy of course, but most of them i seriously guessed on.

ugh. advice would be appreciated. 🙂 im very frustrated.

 

[predentlsu1]

Can't give much advise without knowing what you made in each section........

 

[JRock310]

bio-18
gchem and ochem-17
math...i dont even want to post it. hahaha. all i can do at this point is laugh at it.

 

[JRock310]

i think a retake would be a good idea...obviously im going to need to for my math. however, i am wondering if i should put on my app right away that i am going to retake it in dec? or should i wait a month/6 weeks and see if i get any interviews with my current scores?

 

[chromosome21]

I'm using mcat hyperlearning too. do you think cliffs AP and mct hyperlearning is good enough for the bio part of the test? did you use hyperlearning for g.chem and o.chem?

For g.chem and o.chem, you can watch chad's videos. barron's AP chemistry is a good reference book for g.chem. I am not using destroyer, so I have no idea what's in there!

 

[The Anhedonia]

i would look at the cutoff's that your choice schools list. many schools will not accept scores lower than a 17 on certain sections. if this is the case for your QR, then your may have no other choice but to retake.

 

[wantVCUdental]

I am very sry to hear that the DAT didn't go well. Since the first time I saw your profile, i remembered you are a single parent, it is very tough.

so for you to have come so far and done all the ECs, i think it's really impressive, if you got good DAT scores, i think you stand a great chance, and obviously, a retake is necessary in the current situation.

Are you living with your child? young kids are so much work, maybe you have too much on your plate. Is it possible to ask your parents or relative to look after your child for 1 month while you prepped?

4 years of dental school will also be tough, and if you live with your son, you may not succeed. If you are fully set on dentistry, i think you should endure the pain of separation from your child (temporarily). Once you graduate, everything will be good.

I sound heartless, perhaps it was the way i was brought up, my dad pursued his career for 12 years, i've known him for less than half of my life

 

[JRock310]

I am very sry to hear that the DAT didn't go well. Since the first time I saw your profile, i remembered you are a single parent, it is very tough.

so for you to have come so far and done all the ECs, i think it's really impressive, if you got good DAT scores, i think you stand a great chance, and obviously, a retake is necessary in the current situation.

Are you living with your child? young kids are so much work, maybe you have too much on your plate. Is it possible to ask your parents or relative to look after your child for 1 month while you prepped?

4 years of dental school will also be tough, and if you live with your son, you may not succeed. If you are fully set on dentistry, i think you should endure the pain of separation from your child (temporarily). Once you graduate, everything will be good.

I sound heartless, perhaps it was the way i was brought up, my dad pursued his career for 12 years, i've known him for less than half of my life

i totally get what youre saying, but i am definitely set on this. not to get too much into my personal life, but oh well, here it goes. basically, i came to my college when hayley (my daughter) was 8 months old. she will be five in december. every extracurricular i have done, every grade ive gotten, every whatever...i have done raising her. now...i am definitely not "alone." i am very lucky in many ways. i have a lot of people here that help me w/ her if i need to study. i also have a boyfriend that i met here when hayley was a baby. we have been together almost 4 years and will probably be engaged this year. he has raised her with me and we are a family...so it's not like i feel so much like a "single parent" all the time. but yeah...long story short, i KNOW i CAN do this and i WANT to do this. i dont think my DAT scores are HORRIBLE, per se, but i know that im not a great test taker (especially standardized tests) and to be very honest, i went about studying it the completely wrong way. it wasnt until about 3 weeks before the test that i cracked open destroyer and started doing a lot of practice probs. i know when i retake in dec that i will be a lot more prepared.

chromosome, MCAT hyperlearning is MORE than enough to prepare for the bio (actually, some parts are overkill) but you def have to supplement with cliffs for the plants, evolution, ecology stuff. if you have any specific questions please feel free to PM me and i will answer them for you. 🙂

 

[JRock310]

oh and yes...it is VERY tough. and yes she lives with me. we have an apartment here on campus (single parent program, if youre curious about it you can go to Endicott College's website and see more info). however, i wouldnt change a thing about my life. 🙂

 

[wantVCUdental]

I am glad to hear you are doing well, and now that you have had a test, you know exactly how it works
DAT is a standardize test, any standardized test can be beat through doing problems and gathering resources. You sound very determined, i am sure you will fare much better next time around.
Best of luck
RESPECT!