Dat done....sigh

[AM4EVA]

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So i took the dat
PAT 13
QR 14
RC 18
Bio 16
OC 17
GC 17
TS 17
AA 16
I have no idea how this happened but it did....😕😕😕🙁🙁🙁🙁
Im gonna have to see what the individual d schools are.going to say. I know majority reading this are gonna say "retake" but honestly i gave myself five weeks and i busted my ass to do well. Believe it or not im proud of the scores at the end.of the day bcuz alot and alot of hard work and sacrifices went behind it. Im just not good with these exams...honest.
I have a masters in.neuroscience wih a 3.75 and taking post baccalaureate courses ie. Microbio and anatomy and physiology. oh and throw in a couple of kids, years of clinical experience and lets see how it goes


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[Shazzam]

Unfortunately, I think there's a 100% chance that you'll need to retake the DAT. I think you may have a had a shot if you didn't hit a 13 / 14 on PAT / QR. How many hours a day did you study? What materials did you use?

 

[AM4EVA]

Yeh i know those two sections killed me...i.put in 7-8 hours somtimes 9-10 and im not just talking quantitiy im talking quality 9-10 hours . It was not like i went on to any social media. I studied for two hrs took a break then again two hours

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[Shazzam]

How did you do on your practice exams (2007 / 9 ADA, TS, Achiever)?

 

[AM4EVA]

I will post later on with details but to be honest I did well enough on them to feel comfortable in taking the real thing
I took this very very seriously and made sure that i studied and went over all the questions I when i reviewed the practice exams . My point is that i studied thoroughly. And to be honest the exam i had today was extremely straightforward and not tricky at all. I just have no idea what happened to me. The only that is keeping me sane since i took the exam is that i worked hard and honestly and thoroughly (and also.my kids 🙂)
And well if that isnt enough for d school then i will go.my way
This was the time that i had to.study and these are the results
If they can see past the numbers and look at the me and who.i am and where i have come from to get to this academis point in life then they will look over these two sections...so we will see


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[Ferneezy]

Now I feel a little bad telling you what I told you in pm earlier this week.

It is an overwhelming likelihood you will take the exam again. Hopefully, when this is a few days behind you, you will be able to look at things more objectively and nail down a strategy for improvement.

 

[miathescientist]

You have strong scores in science and reading! I hope you are not too discouraged.

 

[dentalWorks]

So i took the dat
PAT 13
QR 14
RC 18
Bio 16
OC 17
GC 17
TS 17
AA 16
I have no idea how this happened but it did....😕😕😕🙁🙁🙁🙁
Im gonna have to see what the individual d schools are.going to say. I know majority reading this are gonna say "retake" but honestly i gave myself five weeks and i busted my ass to do well. Believe it or not im proud of the scores at the end.of the day bcuz alot and alot of hard work and sacrifices went behind it. Im just not good with these exams...honest.
I have a masters in.neuroscience wih a 3.75 and taking post baccalaureate courses ie. Microbio and anatomy and physiology. oh and throw in a couple of kids, years of clinical experience and lets see how it goes


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#1) you will need to retake...

#2) forget about this exam for 4-5 weeks.... go enjoy life, don't look at a single DAT related thing. If your planning to apply in June/July period, you have ALOT of time to go.

#3) you need to give us a break down of HOW you studied and WHAT you used. There are alot of good resources out there, and I've seen and advices my pre-dents whom had same-to-lower scores than you end up scoring 19+ on all sciences because they started using the right material.

trust me, you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Glimmer1991]

I think you have to retake this test. It really, really sucks, but that's the truth. Unless you've cured world hunger, you aren't meeting cutoffs and I fear you'll be cast into the rejection pile without a second look.

I don't know if I'd take a break, though. I'd schedule my test for 3 months from today and get it over with. If you stop studying, you may forget a lot of what you'd learned. I know that a LOT of what I learned in the sciences is totally gone by now because I haven't used it whatsoever! Also, it might be easier to just stay on the "studying grind" than to have to get back into it. Just my two cents.

I'm sorry about this, but with hard work and perseverance, I think you can do much better on your second shot. You know more of what to expect now, and you won't have to worry about the "unknown" factor!

Also, what study materials did you use? I have some great suggestions. They're all in my breakdown, but I'd be happy to expand more on them.

 

[ajhalls3]

And well if that isnt enough for d school then i will go.my way
This was the time that i had to.study and these are the results
If they can see past the numbers and look at the me and who.i am and where i have come from to get to this academis point in life then they will look over these two sections...so we will see

If you continue feeling this way I wouldn't recommend a retake, I would just give up now. If you think what you have already done is tough, it only gets harder and you can't just drop one of your classes so you can focus more on one that is giving you trouble. You are going to be taking 20 of the hardest credits at a time, with some of the most qualified students in the country and you have to keep up or perish.

This program is going to push you, and keep pushing, you don't get to say take the best I have and deal with it, it will always want more than that, especially if this is your bar. If you had gotten an AA of 25-28, sure school is no big deal, give it what you want and move on, but you my friend are going to struggle, with attitude most of all.

I have seen 2 of my classmates fail the first year, I have seen others that made it through but struggle with the 2nd year hand skills, and others in clinic that realized they made the wrong decision but are too deeply in debt to change now.

You have to want this badly enough to realize you can do better, and that you need to, otherwise go find something else to do, there are millions of other great jobs, dental school isn't for everyone, and that is OK.

 

[ajhalls3]

That might be the meanest thing I have ever said, but I feel it to be true, sorry.

 

[AM4EVA]

So here was what i did guys:

I went through all of chads videos and made copious notes and took all of his quizzes.
I used destroyer in two ways:
To locate weaknesses and strengths and it was also a good source of information
I plowed thru destroyer and was averaging 17 in TS
So i really dont know what to do


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[AM4EVA]

That might be the meanest thing I have ever said, but I feel it to be true, sorry.

No you are not being mean at all
I do appreciate all the feedback be it positive negative neutral 🙂


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[AM4EVA]

If you continue feeling this way I wouldn't recommend a retake, I would just give up now. If you think what you have already done is tough, it only gets harder and you can't just drop one of your classes so you can focus more on one that is giving you trouble. You are going to be taking 20 of the hardest credits at a time, with some of the most qualified students in the country and you have to keep up or perish.

This program is going to push you, and keep pushing, you don't get to say take the best I have and deal with it, it will always want more than that, especially if this is your bar. If you had gotten an AA of 25-28, sure school is no big deal, give it what you want and move on, but you my friend are going to struggle, with attitude most of all.

I have seen 2 of my classmates fail the first year, I have seen others that made it through but struggle with the 2nd year hand skills, and others in clinic that realized they made the wrong decision but are too deeply in debt to change now.

You have to want this badly enough to realize you can do better, and that you need to, otherwise go find something else to do, there are millions of other great jobs, dental school isn't for everyone, and that is OK.

I really feel that its the pat and QR that has brought down the scores had these two been like my other scores i think i would have been maybe ok
No i dont believe that what i did was the toughest thing in the world
I am just scared bcuz first i need to go back to.my two courses that i have been neglecting and if i embark on a retake idk how im going to fit it into my schedule from now until may...
I felt that by putting sole focus on the dat would be far better than sharing the dat studies with coursework you know what i mean
So Yeh idk....

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[AM4EVA]

I think you have to retake this test. It really, really sucks, but that's the truth. Unless you've cured world hunger, you aren't meeting cutoffs and I fear you'll be cast into the rejection pile without a second look.

I don't know if I'd take a break, though. I'd schedule my test for 3 months from today and get it over with. If you stop studying, you may forget a lot of what you'd learned. I know that a LOT of what I learned in the sciences is totally gone by now because I haven't used it whatsoever! Also, it might be easier to just stay on the "studying grind" than to have to get back into it. Just my two cents.

I'm sorry about this, but with hard work and perseverance, I think you can do much better on your second shot. You know more of what to expect now, and you won't have to worry about the "unknown" factor!

Also, what study materials did you use? I have some great suggestions. They're all in my breakdown, but I'd be happy to expand more on them.

Oh and also i forgot to.mention qvault i was averaging 20-21 in bio and 17-19 in the gc and OC sections
Idk part of me makes me feel like it is not meant to be🙁🙁🙁
Bcuz by God it was very straightforward. Im so ashamed even tho i know that im a 110 percent confident that i gave it my all

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[Glimmer1991]

Oh and also i forgot to.mention qvault i was averaging 20-21 in bio and 17-19 in the gc and OC sections
Idk part of me makes me feel like it is not meant to be🙁🙁🙁
Bcuz by God it was very straightforward. Im so ashamed even tho i know that im a 110 percent confident that i gave it my all

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The fact that you can say you gave it your all is an awesome thing. You have nothing to be a ashamed of.

However, AJ is right. This path isn't for everyone. If this was truly your best--and I believe you are telling us the truth--then maybe this isn't the career for you. Dental school will be outrageously hard. With your GPA, it sounds like you are intelligent, and I am certain there are many other options out there for you! Best of luck.

 

[Shazzam]

The fact that you can say you gave it your all is an awesome thing. You have nothing to be a ashamed of.

However, AJ is right. This path isn't for everyone. If this was truly your best--and I believe you are telling us the truth--then maybe this isn't the career for you. Dental school will be outrageously hard. With your GPA, it sounds like you are intelligent, and I am certain there are many other options out there for you! Best of luck.

Not necessarily, I think the biggest mistake the OP made was to study for the DAT in 5 weeks. Sure, some people can do it; but from what I've seen on these boards, the average study time for the DAT is right around 8 weeks which IMO could have been the difference in her scores. 3 weeks is A LOT of time to hammer down subjects.

 

[Msmouth]

I agree with above poster. Give your self more time to prepare. If you still want this, study harder,smarter, and longer and try again.

 

[ajhalls3]

I really feel that its the pat and QR that has brought down the scores had these two been like my other scores i think i would have been maybe ok
No i dont believe that what i did was the toughest thing in the world
I am just scared bcuz first i need to go back to.my two courses that i have been neglecting and if i embark on a retake idk how im going to fit it into my schedule from now until may...
I felt that by putting sole focus on the dat would be far better than sharing the dat studies with coursework you know what i mean
So Yeh idk....

My comment certainly had nothing to do with your intelligence, you do have a great GPA so as some of the other posters said, you may have simply not given yourself enough time. Many people spend months preparing, especially if you have kids. My comment was only concerned with your idea that if they didn't accept you the way you were... well you know.

Do well in your classes this year, as much as you want to apply this year, think about next year so you keep a great GPA. I was 29 when I decided to go to dental school which was old enough to know that the next year I would be 30 whether I was sitting on the couch doing my home business, or busting my butt getting into school.

Next year you will still just be another year older and it won't matter except how you look at it. I know people that are 50 who swear they are too old to go back to school, and I have friends in my dental class who are over 50 who are succeeding with their choices.

 

[Msmouth]

My comment certainly had nothing to do with your intelligence, you do have a great GPA so as some of the other posters said, you may have simply not given yourself enough time. Many people spend months preparing, especially if you have kids. My comment was only concerned with your idea that if they didn't accept you the way you were... well you know.

Do well in your classes this year, as much as you want to apply this year, think about next year so you keep a great GPA. I was 29 when I decided to go to dental school which was old enough to know that the next year I would be 30 whether I was sitting on the couch doing my home business, or busting my butt getting into school.

Next year you will still just be another year older and it won't matter except how you look at it. I know people that are 50 who swear they are too old to go back to school, and I have friends in my dental class who are over 50 who are succeeding with their choices.

Wow 50? I'm a spring chicken in comparison😀
Great Advice for sure!

To OP: Listen if you have a good GPA then I would do what I did....devote your summer to studying for the DAT and take it in August. You will still be early in the cycle in my opinion. Good luck!

 

[LaughingGas]

you have great GPA,so it's not your intelligence that's holding you back.
1)Maybe you got a really hard version of the test
2)Test anxiety
3)You as neuroscience major probably know this, it's more efficient to study about 1 hr and give 5 ~10 min than do 2 hour straight.
4)Maybe for sciences, you could have "understood the materials but not memorize essential points, thus, not able to recall correct information during test.
5)Did you run out of time?
6) PAT and QR can be improved with practice. Also the sciences can be improved if you find a good strategy to study and tackle down 100 questions within the given time.
7) It seriously could been that you got a hard version of the test. I believe there is a big portion of "luck " on the DAT, so with fresh mind and correct methods, you could improve your scores drastically.
Despite of the test results, you deserve a break. Thankfully, you can take the DAT up to 3 times. Forget for now, enjoy what you are doing and maybe you can destroy it in the near future.
Best luck.

 

[dentalWorks]

So here was what i did guys:

I went through all of chads videos and made copious notes and took all of his quizzes.
I used destroyer in two ways:
To locate weaknesses and strengths and it was also a good source of information
I plowed thru destroyer and was averaging 17 in TS
So i really dont know what to do


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actually from what I remember, first time going through destroyer, I was getting 30's and 40's percent right on Gen chem & Orgo (its actually pretty common....first time through destroyer litterally destroys you). Did you go through destroyer multiple times? I found this to being EXTREMELY helpful.

 

[two thirty]

I don't know your situation, and excuse me if I'm wrong, but I have the hunch that you had a bad test day. Were you calm and running on a full night's sleep or were you panicking before?

You did ok on the sciences, and I feel like that was your main area of focus. Did you start to freak out after the TS section was over and let it affect the rest of the test? QR and PAT can be improved by repetition in practice. I just don't think you were well prepared for these sections as time was probably a huge factor that killed those scores.

My advice: Don't give up just yet. I know you don't want to retake but that's going to have to happen if you want a realistic shot. I'd give science a little break and just start working on Crack DAT/QR casually for a couple of weeks to give you a little break before studying for science again. I'd give it at least 2 months of solid study. Also, I don't know your practice test strategy, but try to 100% simulate the real test by getting yourself in a test morning routine and doing the whole thing in one sitting(with the 15 minute break).

Good luck

 

[AM4EVA]

Hi all

So once more thank you all

I have been contemplating and talking to other students as well as family members that have been thru this process. I have decided that if i want to pursue this path and i do im gonna have to give myself another fair chance
I agree with many posters that the pat and qr needs to be tackled with plenty of practice
Now for this i have questions:
My chad subscription ends today so i wont have access to his quizzes for the math section no.longer and also does anyone have any other recommendations for QR? I used math destroyer until test number 7 but i didnt have time to finish the rest.
And then inhave achiever (ends in a couplease of.months i believe)
and crack the pat will probably be expiring soon
Please advise me as to what other resources i should use for these two sections

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[free99]

Hi all

So once more thank you all

I have been contemplating and talking to other students as well as family members that have been thru this process. I have decided that if i want to pursue this path and i do im gonna have to give myself another fair chance
I agree with many posters that the pat and qr needs to be tackled with plenty of practice
Now for this i have questions:
My chad subscription ends today so i wont have access to his quizzes for the math section no.longer and also does anyone have any other recommendations for QR? I used math destroyer until test number 7 but i didnt have time to finish the rest.
And then inhave achiever (ends in a couplease of.months i believe)
and crack the pat will probably be expiring soon
Please advise me as to what other resources i should use for these two sections

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I don't believe Crack ever expires. Shoot me a PM if you want!

 

[AM4EVA]

I don't believe Crack ever expires. Shoot me a PM if you want!

yes thank you lol i just checked myself