DAT now vs later - 2009 vs 2010?

[dent2638]

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I am looking to retest and figure there are a few DAT experts out there that can help me understand if there would be any negative impact in putting off the exam until next (calendar) year.

I scored 17/17/20 TS/AA/PAT my first time around, in Sept after being out of school for six years. I know I can bring it up but was counting on the fact that with all the 20+ scores out here, there has to be somebody keeping reported averages in check. I haven't seen any rejections yet, or interview requests, but I am not going to hold my breath...

I initially aimed to retake it in Dec, but I'm not sure I'm ready to kill it yet. It sounds like very few schools will acknowledge my new score if I take it after Jan 1 (assuming scores are sent in a timely manner).

Does a new version roll out Jan 1 each year? Should we expect changes? Any thoughts out there on if there is a benefit to pushing to get it done by the end of the month??

 

[erk005]

I have experienced this situation firsthand. I applied to schools this year with a 17/18/20 (AA/TS/PAT). I held my application to most of the schools, but a few I did not. The ones I did not hold I got rejected from, and all of these schools refused to revisit my application after retaking the DAT. I think there is an unwritten policy about not reviewing an application after rejection, even if you improve your scores. I guess the $1000+ spent on application fees does not warrant looking at an application twice.

Many of the schools have a cutoff of Jan 1st, and I believe this cutoff is based on when the scores are postmarked after being prepared by the prometric testing center. I think there are very few with a Jan 15th deadline, but I wouldn't count on that. If you are serious about dental school and want to get in for the 2010 cycle you should take the test before Jan 1st. Also, make sure you contact the schools and tell them to hold your application until new scores are received.

If you haven't gotten rejection letters yet, do not wait for them because they will arrive (from my personal experience). A 17 is not what it used to be, and it seems like most schools require an 18AA minimum these days to be considered, and a 19+ to be competitive. Study your butt off and take it ASAP. I took mine a month sooner than planned, but still managed to get my 17 up to a 20. If you are not applying for 2010, disregard this, and take the test whenever you want.

 

[dent2638]

thank you for your reply erk.

I had to put off the retake until this month, but now I am wondering if there is good reason to wait until 3/2 aka Calculator Day. Long multi/div slows me considerably and I tend to lose confidence in my answers the more time I spend doing it. Practice will help, I know, but I wonder if it will hurt to have my 2010 QR score competing against the majority of other QR scores that were able to check calculations.

Is the Jan/Feb DAT the same exact version as the post-March DAT??

I have searched around, but have not been able to get a clear answer. Do they update on the calendar year only?

 

[peanutb123]

Just take it in mid march... ONLY if you can. what do i mean by this? If you wait till march you might feel burned out from studying and keep forgetting the stuff. the practice is so limited for dats that you probably know the answers for the practice questions already.

and you have to consider this. since they are introducing calculator(NOT ON CHEM) will the problems get much harder. B/c in math classes i have seen many students just plug in random numbers w/o understanding what they have to do(ex. they would just multiply or divide... until they see one of the answers match the multiple choice). so if you are not one of them it could help you...

regarding the changes of new test versions... if its not stated on the ADA website my guess is no one would know...

 

[Toothypasty]

thank you for your reply erk.

I had to put off the retake until this month, but now I am wondering if there is good reason to wait until 3/2 aka Calculator Day. Long multi/div slows me considerably and I tend to lose confidence in my answers the more time I spend doing it. Practice will help, I know, but I wonder if it will hurt to have my 2010 QR score competing against the majority of other QR scores that were able to check calculations.

Is the Jan/Feb DAT the same exact version as the post-March DAT??

I have searched around, but have not been able to get a clear answer. Do they update on the calendar year only?

Wait wait what is this calculator Day you speak of?? I took a break from the SDN loop, so I'm not up to date with what's new in the world of the DAT.