DAT scores 8/31...kill me

[DentsDoItBetter]

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after 2.5 months of studying.....i was disappointed.

this is my 2nd time taking the ****in test. my last year's score was 16 aa and 18 pat

and todaty????

aa 16
pat 20
qr 15
rc 16
bio 18
gchem 15
ochem 18....

how is this possible.
i did destroyer 3 times...made 1000 flashcards.
used achiever and kaplan.
i thought maybe 1 or 2 points better...but the same mother ****in score?????????????????????????

ok i am going to shoot myslef now! i didnt study at all last year so when i got a 16...i was expecting it..

but this year, i studied my ass off......i dont see the logic in this

do you guys think i still have a chance???
i have a cum gpa 3.63
and science gpa 3.63

great extracuurriculars/volunteer and lots of shawdowing...
should i even bother with teh secondary?

 

[jigabodo]

Truthfuly, I think you should if you have the money, but dont get your hopes up too high. You might be able to hear back from your state school though, don't give up just yet.

 

[sacjumpman]

It happens to the best of us, don't get too discouraged. You just have to reassess and see what you can change for next time...

Did you get rattled during your sciences that caused your RC and QR to go down?

Maybe bio threw you off and messed up your chems? Do you know the info and just don't test especially well?

I would still do some secondaries, but just not to the schools where it seems like a long, long shot, judging by their stats.

Either way, goodluck. Don't get too down on yourself. You have a good GPA, which is really the tough thing to change.

 

[Mrbubbles]

hey, don't be so hard on urself.

give urself some credit for goin in there and taking a 4.5 hr exam! not everyone can do it!

u may have no done so well as u woul dhave thought..some people just aren't test takers (i one of them) and it sucks that dental schools have to look @ a stupid test to evaluate our smartness but don't forget, theres ur personal statement, ur GPA (which is awesome!) and ur extra curr/shadowing etc. if anything, i'd say take it again..the best practice anyone can get from the DAT is actually taking it! =) and u have an advantage over everyone stressing out about it. no worries. what's done is done and u still can take it again.

 

[busupshot83]

after 2.5 months of studying.....i was disappointed.

this is my 2nd time taking the ****in test. my last year's score was 16 aa and 18 pat

and todaty????

aa 16
pat 20
qr 15
rc 16
bio 18
gchem 15
ochem 18....

how is this possible.
i did destroyer 3 times...made 1000 flashcards.
used achiever and kaplan.
i thought maybe 1 or 2 points better...but the same mother ****in score?????????????????????????

ok i am going to shoot myslef now! i didnt study at all last year so when i got a 16...i was expecting it..

but this year, i studied my ass off......i dont see the logic in this

do you guys think i still have a chance???
i have a cum gpa 3.63
and science gpa 3.63

great extracuurriculars/volunteer and lots of shawdowing...
should i even bother with teh secondary?

I am in a similar situation to yourself... allow me to explain:

During Christmas 2006, I signed up to take the DAT on August 31st, 2007. My studies began in January with the Kaplan blue book. From January until March, I basically rewrote the entire Kaplan book in my own words, only to realize that I needed extra stuying material.

In March, I started the DAT Destroyer, carefully making note cards on each topic presented in the problems. I continued this until June, working upwards to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Needless to say, I burnt out, and had to take well over a month off to recover. During this time, I was supposed to reschedule my August 31st DAT date to November, but this passed my mind.

Fast forward to August 30 (last Thursday), at around 8 at night: I was checking my email and realized that I was scheduled to take the DAT the next day. Because I could not reschedule the exam, and faced losing my money, I opted to just go take it and see how things played out. I ended up with the following scores:

PAT - 12
QR - 10
RC - 14
BIO - 15
CHEM - 16
ORGO - 15
TS - 16
AA - 14

The PAT, QR, and RC sections I never studied during my 6+ months of preparation, so my low scores were expected. As for the BIO, CHEM, and ORGO sections, although I had previously studied these, I was now returning from being burnt out, and was definitely not ready to tackle the DAT. However, I am not going to cry over split milk: I was not even expecting to take it, and I literally read over my notes for 1 hour before the exam.

I plan on retaking the DAT 90 days from now in November. This actually works out perfectly because November is when I was SUPPOSED to take the test. Therefore, these scores do not bother me much. At least I got a taste of this beast, and I will be ready come November.

Currently, my application and application fees are already at the schools I applied to. The schools will also be receiving my DAT scores soon... crappy ones, but scores nevertheless . Here is more information about me:

Ethnicity: West Indian, Caribbean (Trinidad)
BCP GPA: 3.83
Science GPA: 3.77
Overall GPA: 3.66
Extracurriculars:
* ESL tutor for over a year
* coordinated an on-campus food drive
* member of the USFSP Fire Ant Research Team, with over 500+ hours of research experience
* member of the Golden Key International Honor Society
* member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Other:
* brain cancer survivor

So as you can see, it happens: people with good GPAs performing poorly on the DAT. Hell, I am living proof! My advice is not to give up so easily. We both got this far with excellent GPAs... that says a lot. If this is what you want, then work for it! As for me, this experience has only motivated me continue studying so that I can conquer this beast. Just remember: you are not alone.

 

[Mrbubbles]

I am in a similar situation to yourself... allow me to explain:

During Christmas 2006, I signed up to take the DAT on August 31st, 2007. My studies began in January with the Kaplan blue book. From January until March, I basically rewrote the entire Kaplan book in my own words, only to realize that I needed extra stuying material.

In March, I started the DAT Destroyer, carefully making note cards on each topic presented in the problems. I continued this until June, working upwards to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Needless to say, I burnt out, and had to take well over a month off to recover. During this time, I was supposed to reschedule my August 31st DAT date to November, but this passed my mind.

Fast forward to August 30 (last Thursday), at around 8 at night: I was checking my email and realized that I was scheduled to take the DAT the next day. Because I could not reschedule the exam, and faced losing my money, I opted to just go take it and see how things played out. I ended up with the following scores:

PAT - 12
QR - 10
RC - 14
BIO - 15
CHEM - 16
ORGO - 15
TS - 16
AA - 14

The PAT, QR, and RC sections I never studied during my 6+ months of preparation, so my low scores were expected. As for the BIO, CHEM, and ORGO sections, although I had previously studied these, I was now returning from being burnt out, and was definitely not ready to tackle the DAT. However, I am not going to cry over split milk: I was not even expecting to take it, and I literally read over my notes for 1 hour before the exam.

I plan on retaking the DAT 90 days from now in November. This actually works out perfectly because November is when I was SUPPOSED to take the test. Therefore, these scores do not bother me much. At least I got a taste of this beast, and I will be ready come November.

Currently, my application and application fees are already at the schools I applied to. The schools will also be receiving my DAT scores soon... crappy ones, but scores nevertheless . Here is more information about me:

Ethnicity: West Indian, Caribbean (Trinidad)
BCP GPA: 3.83
Science GPA: 3.77
Overall GPA: 3.66
Extracurriculars:
* ESL tutor for over a year
* coordinated an on-campus food drive
* member of the USFSP Fire Ant Research Team, with over 500+ hours of research experience
* member of the Golden Key International Honor Society
* member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Other:
* brain cancer survivor

So as you can see, it happens: people with good GPAs performing poorly on the DAT. Hell, I am living proof! My advice is not to give up so easily. We both got this far with excellent GPAs... that says a lot. If this is what you want, then work for it! As for me, this experience has only motivated me continue studying so that I can conquer this beast. Just remember: you are not alone.

brain cancer survivor? omg! u definitely have it in.. not saying it's an excuse in but ur living proof of a STRONG person and that's what dentistry needs..strong will powered people..sorry for sounding hallmarkish. anywya.. good luck to u all. sorry random post.

 

[DentsDoItBetter]

omgosh guys....thank you so much for your kind words and support.
you do not know how much this means to me. after my test, i seriuosly thought that my chances/my world, and my life was over. i know that its only a stupid test and life goes on. but im a perfectionist and when i graduate..in june , i want to do something with my life whereas just working.

im just worried because this is my second time taking the damn test and showed no improvement. so i only have one more chance of taking it.

im going to keep my head up high and hope for the best.

you guys are reallymaking me feel better and keeping my dream alive. for that i thank you guys....

 

[busupshot83]

brain cancer survivor? omg! u definitely have it in.. not saying it's an excuse in but ur living proof of a STRONG person and that's what dentistry needs..strong will powered people..sorry for sounding hallmarkish. anywya.. good luck to u all. sorry random post.

Thanks for the kind words.... I appreciate it. I do not like to think I have had it so bad: there are much worse cases than me. My cousin had cancer since she was young, and passed away at 26... at least I survived.

As for my scores, they are not representative of how I did in the courses, so unless a school miraculously accepts me (which I don't count on happening), I will get ready for November.

To DentsDoItBetter: don't be so hard on yourself. Let's show them that our GPAs were not flukes.

 

[mooredge]

I wouldn't let it get you down too much man. The DAT has definitly gotten harder since last year so don't compare yourself to the old scores people were getting with all 20's. I took the DAT twice as well too. First time was back in 2005, second time was about a month ago. So i have seen and taken both versions, and i can say without a doubt that it has changed.