Dat in less than 72hrs...am I ready?!?!? Pract test scores inside!

[rickblas]

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Hey so I don't really post often but I have been getting really nervous about my upcoming DAT this tuesday. I just took my last topscore test today and pretended like it was the real DAT and took it the same time I will be taking it, 12:30pm (I even used a dry erase board and everything!). Moreover, I am getting really nervous! especially about Bio and Math. I don't know what to do about bio and god knows what I am going to do about math! I am using Cliff's and the Kaplan BB but I never hit above a 19 in bio on topscore. I am also very nervous about the math because I DO NOT have the Math destroyer because I ran outa money to buy it and I have only done the math problems in the DAT destroyer and read Kaplan BB's math (which isn't very useful...).

I have been studying for the DAT seriously (4-8hrs a day) for the past 3weeks and for 2 weeks before that I only read the Kaplan book. I use the DAT destroyer, Chad's Vids, Cliffs Bio and Kaplan BB.

Here are my practice scores:

2 weeks after reading just the Kaplan BB's online practice test:
Bio/Chem/Ochem/PAT/RC/QR

17 / 16 / 17 / 19 (I didn't do anything after the PAT because I knew I did horrible and was so depressed! I haven't looked at this practice test since.)

Topscore Practice tests done each week for the 3weeks I studied seriously.
Bio/Chem/Ochem/PAT/RC/QR / AA / TS

19 / 18 / 18 / 20 / 21 / 16 / 18 / 18 #1 week 1 of seriously studying
17 / 20 / 21 / 20 / 22 / 17 / 19 / 19 #2 week 2
17 / 19 / 25 / 21 / 20 / 19 / 20 / 20 #3 week 3 (today)

My dentist I work for also was really nice and bought me the DAT sample test you could buy online. I took that test as well except for the reading because reading on paper and computer are so different I just skipped it (and i was lazy)

My scores for that were:
Bio/Chem/Ochem/PAT/QR
21 / 23 / 19 / 22 / 18

I am liking the upward trend but my biology on topscore is horrible. I am really hoping for a 20 AA 20TS on the real thing and a 19 at least in bio! The topscore biology I took today had so many questions on phylums that I had no clue and just guessed! they are so hard to remember! Rhydopta?! what?! Any advice, suggestions? I am also really nervous about the math since I only studied for it for about 3days and people say the topscore math is easy...so if i am getting 17s in Topscore math.....

It is too late for me to reschedule now!

Do you think I will be OK? need some positive reinforcement!

 

[hova137]

haha calm down I think the nerves are getting the best of you but this is natural! Your scores are pretty good for Topscore and most people tend to do better on the real DAT. This is definitely a plus and you are bound to get y2our 20/20 that you are shooting for. Good luck and stay strong and if I were you I would just stick to the 72 hr deadline and grind it out! Good luck and I am sure you will beast it!

 

[UndergradGuy7]

I think you can re-schedule. You need to do it 2 days in advance.

Scores look OK you are scoring 19+ in everything in topscore. Except you said QR is hard for you, that might be a problem.

I got a 17 in exam 3 on topscore in biology too. I didn't review any of the phylum stuff and guessed on all of it. But the first 2 were easier since they didn't have as many phylum questions.

Also the ADA pay sample exam has a bunch of wrong answer in the biology section. Not sure about the others.

My test is tuesday too. I plan on memorizing that cliff's biology chapter on phylums tomorrow and monday. Hopefully all goes well. If you got everything else mostly right except for the phylums just go over that then.

 

[Blarelli]

With practice scores like that I think you'll be fine. I've had friends get 2 points higher on their AA than they were getting on topscore. Hit destroyer hard the next couple of days, find out what you get wrong and why, then go nail it.

 

[rickblas]

I think for rescheduling you need a 2 day advance on business days meaning if i call on monday since my test is tuesday it would be too late Either way, I am leaving for vacation on july 3rd for 2 whole weeks so...rescheduling probably isn't going to happen! I am just going to pray i get an 18 on QR and just keep reviewing DAT destroyer's math and the math solutions on topscore. I am also going to read phylums tomorrow too so it will all be fresh (hopefully) the day of the test. Also, I just reviewed the DAT destroyer and redid the whole orgo section yesterday and only got 15wrong (which i promptly post-it-ed to review the day before the test) and I am reviewing the chem section/math sections today. Hopefully all goes well and the +2 on real AA holds true! Thanks guys! I'm really going into this alone (all my friends are out partying right now having the summer of their lives and forgot all about little ole' me. way to support their nervous-wreck friend!🙄)

 

[Div2388]

Know Cliff's inside and out and you will get a 22+ on Bio

 

[makeyousmile]

go over the mistakes you made on the practice exams! reviewing is key!
good luck!!

 

[warhero12]

rickblas, all I can is I know exactly how you feel! I'm taking the Dat this tuesday too and I'm pretty much sweatin bullets right now and its still two days away! lol. I just took the last topscore test yesterday as well and my scores are almost identical to yours across the board.

Bio/Chem/Ochem/PAT/RC/QR/AA/TS

18/19/26/19/18/20/20


The phylum stuff for the bio section definitly threw me for a loop too and I'm going to try and review that as much as I can for the next 2 days. And I duno if you saw it but I found this thread the other day about how this kid thinks all the 3-4 random bio questions on every exam come from these chapters 19,20,and 21 on the Cambells bio 7th ed. http://more.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=652091
I know our exam is in 2 days and this is like waaaay too many pages to read in depth but Ive just been skimming over it for key terms and words in bold and such...I dont know if this is going to help or not this late in the game but if you had some extra time to look over some of it I think he might be on to something.

As for the QR, I'm really concerned about it too..none of the old practice tests have a calculator built into them so I havent practiced at all with it..and I think now that they do give a calculator we're not going to see that many of the "gimme" easy arithmetic problems (fml). So cuz of that I dont even think these tests are good indicators of the real thing..But yea it's definitly too late to reschedule now so I'm just going to be on the destroyer math like white on rice the next two days and just pray/hope for the best.

I don't know if any of this was helpful but at least for me knowing that I'm not the only one suffering through the torment the next few days makes me feel a bit better lol. So I wish you the best of luck and don't worry you're going to kill it! Come tuesday, I want you to show that test how strong your backhand is.

 

[allstardentist]

from my personal experience, my score on the real DAT was similiar to topscore.

 

[rickblas]

I just finished reviewing chem in DAT destroyer and i didn't do too bad...all my mistakes were on oddball questions or the "TRAP" ones so I am feeling pretty confident on both chemistrys. I am about to start rereading cliffs bio again now and will do so all of tomorrow like my life depends on it! I also read through some DAT destroyer math just now and I understand about 80% of the math...it is just my approximations with the numbers are off so hopefully calculators can solve that (and hopefully DAT destroyer math will suffice to get me at least a 17). But I don't think they changed the difficulty of the math? I saw some posts about it a few weeks ago and people said it is the same difficulty with a calculator?

allstardentist- hopefully my topscore will be representative of my real DAT! I am shooting for that 20/20!!!

warhero12- Thanks for the advice, i read that post too...too bad I don't have Cambell's biology book!
O and did you get those two questions on topscore#3 in chemistry about half lifes and rates where halflife= .693/k?!?! I can't recall ever seeing this...I don't understand it at all and those were 2 questions i got wrong on that practice test.

makeyousmile- Yes I am going to re-review all my post-it-ed pages I put on my destroyer book and review all my topscore tests on monday (I just reviewed some of them today and noticed the problems I got wrong were due to me interpreting the questions wrong 🙄...for chemistry at least)

Lastly, damn alot of people are taking the DAT this tuesday! Good luck everybody!!

 

[CaliPreDent]

I just finished reviewing chem in DAT destroyer and i didn't do too bad...all my mistakes were on oddball questions or the "TRAP" ones so I am feeling pretty confident on both chemistrys. I am about to start rereading cliffs bio again now and will do so all of tomorrow like my life depends on it! I also read through some DAT destroyer math just now and I understand about 80% of the math...it is just my approximations with the numbers are off so hopefully calculators can solve that (and hopefully DAT destroyer math will suffice to get me at least a 17). But I don't think they changed the difficulty of the math? I saw some posts about it a few weeks ago and people said it is the same difficulty with a calculator?

allstardentist- hopefully my topscore will be representative of my real DAT! I am shooting for that 20/20!!!

warhero12- Thanks for the advice, i read that post too...too bad I don't have Cambell's biology book!
O and did you get those two questions on topscore#3 in chemistry about half lifes and rates where halflife= .693/k?!?! I can't recall ever seeing this...I don't understand it at all and those were 2 questions i got wrong on that practice test.

makeyousmile- Yes I am going to re-review all my post-it-ed pages I put on my destroyer book and review all my topscore tests on monday (I just reviewed some of them today and noticed the problems I got wrong were due to me interpreting the questions wrong 🙄...for chemistry at least)

Lastly, damn alot of people are taking the DAT this tuesday! Good luck everybody!!

I'm taking it tues too woohoo! SO NERVOUS

 

[warhero12]

For the half life reaction of a first order reaction:
[A]=[A]0 e-kt
ln[A] = ln[A]0 - kt
t1/2 = ln2/k , where ln2 is ~.693, so thats why they gave you the formula t1/2 = .69/k

I don't think we have to worry about having to calculate 2nd order and above half life reactions, I think we just need to have a general understanding of them.

I'm hoping you're right about the QR and that it's still basically the same..T minus less than two days till d-day..I think im gonna puke haha