DAT is scheduled for less than a week from today. Should I take it or delay it?

[apollonicavity]

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My scores on Bootcamp have not been improving as much as I had hoped. Do you think I should delay my test? If I delay it, I would probably push it to December, so that I can study for it during the winter break. However, I am sure I would have to restudy everything at that point, and I fear that I might be starting over. I'd appreciate any feedback.

Here are the scores from the last practice test I took:
Bio - 19 (25/40)
GC - 20 (19/30)
OC - 19 (20/30)
RC - 26 (44/50)
QR - 20 (29/40)
AA - 21 (137/190)
PAT - 21 (71/90)

Currently, my cGPA is 3.7 and my sGPA is 3.6. I have 3-4 semesters left of school.

 

[sunshinedental]

I would suggest taking your exam and seeing how it goes! This may not be the best piece of advice, but I think if you've been studying for the exam consistently, then you should feel confident the day of. You're never really going to feel 100% prepared to take the exam, but your practice scores are great. Remember that your score is more likely to increase or stay the same, then decrease on test day! Also, if the exam does not go as you're hoping it will, then you can retake it in December/January. I think it's worth a shot to take the exam and see how it goes though, especially since pushing it until December might make it harder to study during the fall semester/you might slack on DAT studying.

Good luck and be confident in your abilities, I know you can do this!

 

[hopefuldentistloading]

I think you should take it. Since it’s a week away, I think you could really work on your gen chem or orgo (whatever area you want to improve in) and raise your scores. For context, I took 11 practice exams on bootcamp, and my bio scores ranged from 16-19. For the week leading up to the exam, I watched many bio YouTube videos and redid practice exams. On the real DAT, my bio score was a 23. If you review all of your practice exams and can understand most of that info, you should be good to go! Bootcamp really does have all the info you need.

 

[HKSZYU]

I'd take it. Your practice test score is respectable. Review your practice test, go over areas of weakness. Ideally take another practice test to get timing and test-taking strategy down.

 

[apollonicavity]

I would suggest taking your exam and seeing how it goes! This may not be the best piece of advice, but I think if you've been studying for the exam consistently, then you should feel confident the day of. You're never really going to feel 100% prepared to take the exam, but your practice scores are great. Remember that your score is more likely to increase or stay the same, then decrease on test day! Also, if the exam does not go as you're hoping it will, then you can retake it in December/January. I think it's worth a shot to take the exam and see how it goes though, especially since pushing it until December might make it harder to study during the fall semester/you might slack on DAT studying.

Good luck and be confident in your abilities, I know you can do this!

I really needed this! Thank you for the encouragement. It's been really tough focusing on the exam with people in my household suffering from COVID. I somehow was able to keep enough distance to not contract it. I'm going to go for it!

 

[apollonicavity]

I think you should take it. Since it’s a week away, I think you could really work on your gen chem or orgo (whatever area you want to improve in) and raise your scores. For context, I took 11 practice exams on bootcamp, and my bio scores ranged from 16-19. For the week leading up to the exam, I watched many bio YouTube videos and redid practice exams. On the real DAT, my bio score was a 23. If you review all of your practice exams and can understand most of that info, you should be good to go! Bootcamp really does have all the info you need.

I am really counting on last-minute review as you suggested. I am re-reviewing all of my weak topics in biology using Bootcamp's condensed notes.

 

[apollonicavity]

I'd take it. Your practice test score is respectable. Review your practice test, go over areas of weakness. Ideally take another practice test to get timing and test-taking strategy down.

I've been taking all of my practice tests timed, but with the QR and GC, it's sometimes hit or miss with finishing on time because I am not blazing fast at doing calculations. I've noticed that quantity over quality works better for me, though.

 

[sunshinedental]

I really needed this! Thank you for the encouragement. It's been really tough focusing on the exam with people in my household suffering from COVID. I somehow was able to keep enough distance to not contract it. I'm going to go for it!

I'm so sorry to hear about that! But I'm glad to hear that you're going for it and I wish you all the best this week. Good luck studying!

 

[Rambunctious]

My scores on Bootcamp have not been improving as much as I had hoped. Do you think I should delay my test? If I delay it, I would probably push it to December, so that I can study for it during the winter break. However, I am sure I would have to restudy everything at that point, and I fear that I might be starting over. I'd appreciate any feedback.

Here are the scores from the last practice test I took:
Bio - 19 (25/40)
GChem - 20 (19/30)
OChem - 19 (20/30)
RC - 26 (44/50)
QR - 20 (29/40)
AA - 21 (137/190)
PAT - 21 (71/90)

Currently, my cGPA is 3.7 and my sGPA is 3.6. I have 3-4 semesters left of school.

Your scores are consistent and pretty good for bootcamp. I remember scoring 19 and 20s on it and got a 22 on the real deal. You look like you're ready to go. Just a side note, you will never feel ready, no one does, and this goes along with every test in dental school. At the end of the day you prepare and go for it with confidence!

 

[apollonicavity]

Your scores are consistent and pretty good for bootcamp. I remember scoring 19 and 20s on it and got a 22 on the real deal. You look like you're ready to go. Just a side note, you will never feel ready, no one does, and this goes along with every test in dental school. At the end of the day you prepare and go for it with confidence!

It seems like it can go either way on the real deal. I've seen some people on the site who get lower and higher scores than their Bootcamp scores -- sometimes it can be a big jump from 20 to 30 in a section, so I'm sure a part of it depends on how well the test material plays to your strengths. For me, time is a big issue in many sections. For example, when I do an untimed test in GC, I can score in the high 20s but fall short when a test is timed. I think I will have to focus on getting faster with my thought process. Thank you for your input!