DAT Done..no good..need advice

[BiomajorPreDent]

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I have used Kaplan, Cliffs, Destroyer (only bio), Topscore, Achiever

I need to retake it, I need more materials..what else do I use?????

i got a 18 bio 18 chem, 15 ochem..

Ochem: I had an 19 in ochem the last time and I got 19s in topscore and I knew this stuff more solid than I did the last time..so I have no idea what the hell happened..some things i just didnt recognize but still...

bio: off the wall random with things about cDNA?? and experimental stuff and diagrams of genetic things I had never seen before

i dont even think destroyers bio was really representative of it b/c in destroyer and practice tests I ALWAYS recognized things the questions were asking about, even if I didnt know the answer, some of these bio questions I had NO idea what it was even talking about

genchem..there was alot of theory but i thought i did alot better in it...im really upset and not sure what to do..i dont wanna say i just got a bad test..but it was ALOT harder than topscore and achiever i felt..

 

[tsitneD]

so this was your second time?

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

3rd

 

[nze82]

I don't think you need more material. What you need is to spend more time studying what you already have.
Make sure you do the G-chem and O-chem problems from destroyer. I found them to be very helpful.
You might wanna use CDP for your PAT section.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that wasting money buying more books and software isn't gonna improve your score. You can buy all the books and softwares out there, but if you don't spend time studying them it isn't going to make a difference. Stick with what you got, and spend more time learning the material and doing lots of problems.



By the way, was this your 3rd try? Does that mean you're going for your 4th try?
Don't mean to disappoint you, but isn't it true that most dental schools don't like it if you take the DAT more than 3 times?

Good Luck!

 

[4thMolar]

How much time did you spend studying for the previous 3 times you took it? You could also use your textbooks as review material, which will be your best bet since you have used just about everything else. Did you consistently score lower or higher on some sections over others? If that is the case, spend more time studying the sections you need to focus on.

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

Idk..i knew kaplans bio subject tests cold and i went over all of destroyers bio making notes of everything i didnt get right and constantly reviewed

and i went over cliffs more times than i can remember

i didnt even have plant questions..i think it was obscure genetics stuff that i had no idea about..most of the bio section seemed to be off the wall genetics

the genchem, i was comfortable with the calculations i guess some oddball theory questions threw me

the organic..i knew all topscore and achiever rxns and all of the stuff from kaplan, but i just did not recognize some rxns on the actual thing for the life of me..i dont know what happened

its frustrating to me because..bio and ochem were my best sections..i know this stuff..im still certain i know my stuff, but on the test day it was like some stuff i had never seen before, that never happened on practice tests, even on achiever

thats why im gunna take it again in 90 days..it will still be the summer and maybe i just got a bad test.

Im gunna use the rest of destroyer (gen chem, and ochem) and review my other stuff and see how it goes

Im annoyed because there seemed to be a ton of stuff (genetics and like advanced molecular biology) that wasnt covered in cliffs or any of the prep material, and i dont know where to read to learn that stuff. why doesnt any of the prep material cover those topics?

 

[Vicviper]

When you were doing the Kaplan subject tests, did you review the explanations for all of the answers, even the ones you got right? That's where I learned most of the material I didn't already know, and filled in most of all of the holes in my knowledge.

Take your time, don't rush in studying.

 

[iwannabadentist]

i dont think any material will cover EVERYTHING that you need to know. Its not like a class where theres a textbook and you take the final. They expect you to not only memorize the information, but actually understand specific concepts and be able to apply to a broad area of questions. Like nze said, maybe you need to change up your studying strategies a bit? You have taken this test 3 times now so you clearly have access to a lot of resources. My suggestion would be to look around on the forums and try to find out what study strategies others have used and how its different from yours. Gluck

 

[achytooth]

Idk..i knew kaplans bio subject tests cold and i went over all of destroyers bio making notes of everything i didnt get right and constantly reviewed

and i went over cliffs more times than i can remember

i didnt even have plant questions..i think it was obscure genetics stuff that i had no idea about..most of the bio section seemed to be off the wall genetics

the genchem, i was comfortable with the calculations i guess some oddball theory questions threw me

the organic..i knew all topscore and achiever rxns and all of the stuff from kaplan, but i just did not recognize some rxns on the actual thing for the life of me..i dont know what happened

its frustrating to me because..bio and ochem were my best sections..i know this stuff..im still certain i know my stuff, but on the test day it was like some stuff i had never seen before, that never happened on practice tests, even on achiever

thats why im gunna take it again in 90 days..it will still be the summer and maybe i just got a bad test.

I have to say that I got stumped on a bunch of the genetics stuff too, but for me, if i sat back and thought about it, it tied in alot with some of the fundamental stuff, you just had to try and put 2 and 2 together.

While I didn't rock my bio like some of our fellow posters, I found that just taking time and actually reading the review books helped me best for bio. There are soo many damn random questions that if you were to try to memorize every question you see, (at least for me) you'd might not hit the ones the test throws at you.

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

Ya i always reviewed even the stuff i got right

well let me tell you guys..the genetics and molecular bio stuff is what tripped me up..

And my stomach just did a backflip..I know the SDN policy on posting questions, but let me just say..I googled cDNA..and wikkipedia led me to an explanation that was pretty much verbatim I was in shock. The topic was listed as "molecular bio"

So..I took molecular bio but we never covered this topic. I havent taken genetics either.

I think i am gunna get a genetics book and review that too. I think that will help alot

 

[nze82]

Ya i always reviewed even the stuff i got right

well let me tell you guys..the genetics and molecular bio stuff is what tripped me up..

And my stomach just did a backflip..I know the SDN policy on posting questions, but let me just say..I googled cDNA..and wikkipedia led me to an explanation that was pretty much verbatim I was in shock. The topic was listed as "molecular bio"

So..I took molecular bio but we never covered this topic. I havent taken genetics either.

I think i am gunna get a genetics book and review that too. I think that will help alot

Perhaps you're not as focused as you should be, while studying. Almost everyone has access to the same study material. For example, I studied KAPLAN and Cliff just like you did, and I ended up with a 21 in Bio. Stop trying to find a review book that covers every single topic in the field of biology! You won't find one. You need to revise your strategy.
Before I give you couple of suggestions, let me ask you this? Are you a biology major? Have you had any upper division bio classes?
The reason I'm asking is that biology is such a broad topic. You can't learn everything in 3 months. So, having a strong Bio background is crucial. Taking classes like Physiology, Anatomy, Ecology will greatly improve your Bio score! Now these are my suggestions:

1-When you read the review notes, don't simply read and memorize. Pointless memorization won't get you anywhere. First, see if what you're reading makes any sense at all. Second, try to summarize different topics in your own language. Third, if you find terms that you're not familiar with, don't just memorize that term. Look it up on the internet and try to learn some additional information that are closely associated with that topic. For example, if you come across the term "Inferior Vena Cava" and you don't know what it is, google it. After learning what Inferior Vena Cava is, try to learn something additional about it. For example, try to find out how blood pressure changes in the Inferior Vena Cava, after the umbilical cord is cut off at birth. My point is, don't simply memorize a term and think you're gonna nail it on the exam.

2-In terms of genetic problems, genetics is a topic that requires solving problems. There's no way you can answer genetics-related questions simply by reading the text. After getting the basic ideas down, take out your text books and start doing additional problems. Simply knowing the definition of F1 and F2 generation isn't enough to understand mendalian genetics. You need to do lots and lots of problems.

3-When you're taking the practice exams from KAPLAN, TopScore, etc pay particular attention to the type of questions you see. Try to categorize your questions into broader categories. For example, after taking few of the KAPLAN subject tests I quickly realized that I can categorize most of the questions into four broad categories as follows:
-Genetics
-Fertilization & Cell Division
-Endocrinology (Hormones and stuff)
-Taxanomy
This didn't mean that I could ignore all the other topics. It simply meant that I should focus on these topics more.

4-Make a cheet-sheet and write down all the important terms on it as you're reading your review notes. At the end of each week, look at those terms and try to define them for yourself. Also, try to see if you can name other terms and processes that are related to the term you're trying to define. For example, if you're trying to define the term "Chromosome" see if you can define terms such as:
-Kineticore
-Spindle Apparatus
-Sister Chromatids
-Terlomeres

5-Stop justifying your lower scores by saying that the test was hard. Work hard, and you WILL see the results.

Good Luck!👍

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

I hear ya, but I am a bio major. My study methods work, and yes ive taken all the biology and physiology classes in my biology major, including upper divisions, besides genetics, (which may be the problem..although I dont know what topic these obscure bio questions fall under)

I basically have biology coming out of my sweat glands. thats not the problem

the problem is that there seems to be alot of "off the beaten path" topics covered on the bio section of the DAT which I havent seen in any review material I have used

I dont mean to blame the test because I got a bad score, but I mean, I dont even know what the topic would be so that I can read up on it. biotechnology, genomics?

My campbells text has a chapter on DNA technology and genomics, and I am going to buy my genetics textbook that we will be using for class this fall, and get started reading it now for my re-take.

 

[PrivateJoker]

I haven't taken the DAT yet but it sounds like you may just be reading over old exam questions and learning just what is in that question instead of learning the material that question is based on.

Each question I do I try and think about how the question could be asked in many different ways as well as reviewing the broader material that encompasses the part of the subject and other things it may relate to.

Ex. If they ask you about a telophase I that should trigger your brain to make sure that you know everything about meiosis first off and then anything that it relates to...Mitosis, Asexual reproduction, Binary Fission, plant reproduction..est

Ive found that supplementing my old text books while focusing mostly, but not entirely on the parts of certain subjects emphasized by Kaplan, destroyer has really brought up my scores on practice exams.

Focus on the core material first, then go onto the more obscure, random small stuff they could ask about.

I am not sure if this is what you have already done but it has helped me improve quite a bit on practice exams so I thought I would share for anyone else as well.

Sorry you are having bad luck I am sure that is frustrating. Don't give up.

 

[achytooth]

It's not even the obscure stuff on the test.

Alot of my questions were like, if something did this, which organ does this affect. Or one of the genetics one, where they gave me a case where the dna got messed. I remembered reviewing in kaplan, that it was non disjunction, but the test didn't ask that. It took it further by asking me what might happen to the # of chromosomes.

That's where the test gets "hard", picking up another book loaded with questions really isn't going to help.

 

[zoralsurgeon]

Hey there,

I took my test Tuesday…I am only a sophomore and got 18's. I also felt the biology section was ridiculous (considering the fact I have not yet had genetics, biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, or developmental)…I am a double major business/biology and thought the biology questions were so vague…

Don't freak out. The DAT does not tell how smart someone is. It tells how good of a test taker someone is in a LIMITED amount of time! I know the scores are important, but take your time, and learn the information. I am confident you will do better next time if you take the time to thoroughly learn why this or that happens…

Best of luck to you!

 

[adizzle87]

From all the Bio classes I've taken I can tell you that studying Bio for the DAT is quite different from studying for a class, whether it be UD or LD. With a class you either a) write in answers that contain keywords that the professor wants and/or b) use the application of concepts on an exam. The DAT requires a little bit of both but is a whole much broader in what it covers and what sort of answer it expects of the test taker. I've taken enough classes to practically be a Biology major but even with all the classes I've taken I don't think its tailored to effectively help you to do well for the DAT.

When I was studying I thought Kaplan Bio was a little weak so I stuck to Cliffs AP. whatever else I needed to know that wasn't covered by Cliffs I used the Campbells text book. It wasn't fun but I dug my head into those books and reread concepts I didn't understand completely. What helped me as well was reading from different sources because having things phrased in a different way ensures that one is learning the concept and the rote memorizing words from a book.

DAT Guideline

At the end of the document is an outline of exactly what you need to know for each section of the exam. Best of luck to you, I hope you rock it next time around!

As for the OChem, I would check out Organic Chemistry as a Second Language and use that in conjunction with Kaplan and Destroyer.

 

[dmd87]

oops wrong thread

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Chemi...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243535528&sr=1-1#

Is that the book?

Is there one for organic 2?

Has anyone else used this?

http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?SRT=R&WRD=Organic%20Chemistry%20as%20a%20Second%20Language&DREF=838

It looks like theres a new edition of the first book but what about the 2nd one??

 

[adizzle87]

Yeah, the 1st half of the series has a 2nd edition whereas the 2nd half only has one edition. Those books will give you a basic foundation for OChem and doesn't cover everything so be sure to study other materials to supplement. Good luck!

 

[2014DMD]

I took the DAT yesterday and I couldn't agree more with BiomajorPreDent and achytooth - the bio was extremely rough (my worst section by some margin - I got a 15 in it), for the exact reasons they've mentioned.

 

[allstardentist]

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