DAT vs MCAT . . . should you take both?

[coyfish]

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Hey guys im taking the MCAT in august. Would the DAT be something I should take? I have heard its similar with only slight overall concept changes.

Anyone else thinking about taking both?

 

[peanutb123]

lol you gonna start a war!!!

 

[Erhatstil]

def a good back up plan. thats what all of us did we is too dumb get in them med schools. so we go dentistry

 

[crmdental]

Your MCAT and DAT applications are going to ask you if you have ever applied to other health professional schools. Now, I'm not exactly sure if taking a test constitutes as applying but it could potentially look bad on an application. Also keep in mind, a large portion of people who apply to med school do not get in on their first try. Most people get in the second year they apply.

 

[izzymask08]

lol you gonna start a war!!!

yes, how dare you come here and say dat is easier? just kidding. anyway, this is probably the wrong place to ask that kind of question. people will blast the heck out of you, and you wont get any positive response.

talk to an advisor and do both and dont tell us.

 

[sfoksn]

Hey guys im taking the MCAT in august. Would the DAT be something I should take? I have heard its slightly easier with only slight overall concept changes. The main being calculus which I am good at. Apparently its more regurgitating facts than problem solving like the MCAT.

Med school is my preference but dentistry could be a "back up." Anyone else think about this?

Get outa here lol. Just go to a D.O. school and stay in medical field.

Getting that OD is infinitely easier than getting DDS.

 

[peanutb123]

Get outa here lol. Just go to a D.O. school and stay in medical field.

Getting that OD is infinitely easier than getting DDS.

Yo you gotta stop putting down other health care professions...

You probably take similar classes as DO students as in dental school. and DO's is same thing as MD...

I dont know about OD...

 

[dentaldawg32]

Hey guys im taking the MCAT in august. Would the DAT be something I should take? I have heard its slightly easier with only slight overall concept changes. The main being calculus which I am good at. Apparently its more regurgitating facts than problem solving like the MCAT.

Med school is my preference but dentistry could be a "back up." Anyone else think about this?

You have no clue what you're talking about. All you had to do was google "DAT sections" or "topics on the DAT" and you would find out that there is no calculus on the DAT.

Honestly, if you are representative of the quality of MD applicants these days, I fear for the future of medicine.

 

[sfoksn]

Yo you gotta stop putting down other health care professions...

You probably take similar classes as DO students as in dental school. and DO's is same thing as MD...

I dont know about OD...

Peanuts, I'm sorry to cause miscommunication, but I am not actually putting any professions down...

I am just stating the fact that DO schools are easier than dental schools to get in in general, because I thought that information would be important to the OP because obvious he has medical field as his top choice and dental as a "back up" because he has the idea that dentistry is "easier" than medical field to get into.

I am just pointing out that if he wants to do med, he could go to OD school with less effort.

I didn't say anything about one being better than the other in terms of professions, just in difficulties in admissions.

 

[D3Nt1st]

Well, take both if you want. you don't have to tell your school you took the MCAT but they are actually pretty different. in form and in strategy. if you study for the MCAT you are most likely going to do horribly on the DAT perceptual ability section which is really important to dental schools. so make sure you do your research on the DAT first. also you may want to consider your wording when talking to people who have devoted their life to a particular profession, i hope you are not so careless during your interviews.......
I took the MCAT and the DAT and did very well on both of them but studied separately for each test.

p.s. dentistry was not a "back up" for me, i shadowed MD's and realized it wasn't for me. when I shadowed dentists i found it to be a better fit.

 

[coyfish]

Thanks for the help those of you who didn't attack me. I am new to the boards and didn't realize there was so much hostility between the fields. To me its quite an achievement to do either. That is why I "carelessly" worded my initial post.

My intention wasn't to "insult" the dental folk. I have always thought med school was more competitive simply because of more applicants. Although that is changing more and more everyday. I wasn't trying to hint at superior intelligence or anything remotely close.

I have spoken with a few people who have taken both (did well) and they said the DAT was easier. That is why I made the assumption. Both tests ask questions in different manners but cover more or less the same material with a few variations. I know the perceptual concept is on the DAT but that doesn't seem like it would take too much time to master. I guess some people are better at a particular testing style than the other which means it might be good to try both.

I edited my post but let me rephrase my question. Would it be advantageous to take both the DAT and the MCAT in hopes of increasing ones chances of being accepted to med or dental school? Or are the tests so different that studying for both is impractical.

 

[dentalaee]

There is nothing wrong with having options open. But, I think it would be waste to apply both schools. If you are trying to decide where to apply based on your test scores.... I think this is a wrong move. Think about what you want to do for living. Becoming a dentist is getting really competitive... There are no other options beside those 50 somewhat schools -- at least in medicine, there are DO and Caribbean schools. Choose wisely, and save that money for something fun.

 

[shenanigans327]

Peanuts, I'm sorry to cause miscommunication, but I am not actually putting any professions down...

I am just stating the fact that DO schools are easier than dental schools to get in in general, because I thought that information would be important to the OP because obvious he has medical field as his top choice and dental as a "back up" because he has the idea that dentistry is "easier" than medical field to get into.

I am just pointing out that if he wants to do med, he could go to OD school with less effort.

I didn't say anything about one being better than the other in terms of professions, just in difficulties in admissions.

Yes sfoksn, unfortunately I do not believe the OP wants to be an optometrist... as that is what an O.D. would be qualified to do

a D.O. however, would be a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

 

[shenanigans327]

Get outa here lol. Just go to a D.O. school and stay in medical field.

Getting that OD is infinitely easier than getting DDS.

Similarly, I'm not sure that 50 hours in an OMFS clinic would qualify you to make a statement such as this...dentistry and medicine are apples and oranges. Not trying to start anything, it just irks me when people make statements like the one above...

 

[Erhatstil]

Thanks for the help those of you who didn't attack me. I am new to the boards and didn't realize there was so much hostility between the fields. To me its quite an achievement to do either. That is why I "carelessly" worded my initial post.

My intention wasn't to "insult" the dental folk. I have always thought med school was more competitive simply because of more applicants. Although that is changing more and more everyday. I wasn't trying to hint at superior intelligence or anything remotely close.

I have spoken with a few people who have taken both (did well) and they said the DAT was easier. That is why I made the assumption. Both tests ask questions in different manners but cover more or less the same material with a few variations. I know the perceptual concept is on the DAT but that doesn't seem like it would take too much time to master. I guess some people are better at a particular testing style than the other which means it might be good to try both.

I edited my post but let me rephrase my question. Would it be advantageous to take both the DAT and the MCAT in hopes of increasing ones chances of being accepted to med or dental school? Or are the tests so different that studying for both is impractical.

its adventageous to take both if you're applying to both med school and dental school. after all, you must take the mcat if applying to med and the dat if you applying to dental. but keep in mind, the dental application asks if you have taken the mcat, so now you're no longer at an advantage with your dental application. not sure if med school application asks if you have taken the dat, maybe they could care less.

i used a ton of mcat prep while studying for the dat. kaplan's mcat and dat prep books have different covers, but the content of the books is identical. i'd be surprised if the mcat is more difficult, it's all the same material, with some extra physics. if you take both, i'd be interested in knowing which is the harder test.

 

[lovelyinpink11]

but keep in mind, the dental application asks if you have taken the mcat, so now you're no longer at an advantage with your dental application.

👍

Taking both tests will give you "options," but unless your stats are spectacular (and I don't know if that would even do it), you probably won't get into dental school. They want students that are set on dentistry, not straddling the fence or med school rejects.

 

[coyfish]

I appreciate the feedback guys. This is exactly what I wanted. Medicine is my preference right now but dentistry is a close 2nd. Its hard to really know what you wan't to do until you are well into prof school / residency. Thats where you really get exposed no matter how much "experience" you get shadowing / etc. Keeping in mind that being motivated is something entirely different.


To me becoming a doctor isn't all about your "passion". I wish it was that simple. My entire family consists of MD's (dentists and medical) and I have spent more hours following them around than I care to admit. I have learned from them and others that the area I choose should be a balance of many things. Some including what you enjoy, money, liability, work hours, schooling, etc etc etc. There are things I enjoy about dentistry and things I don't. Same goes for medicine.

That is why I have been considering dentistry as well. Its simply another opportunity that I can unlock. Just as if I were more inclined to do dentistry the thought of taking the MCAT might also cross my mind. I realize people are proud of their field of choice but it seems to me things are being taken too far simply out of pride.

Why is getting into dental school so different than medical?? I have EC's, shadowing experience in both fields, the basic prereq's. . . and an MCAT / DAT score. What is so different? Im not a med school reject and im a solid applicant unless I bomb the MCAT which is unlikely. I have been scoring ~35's on my AAMC practice tests. I have a 3.4 GPA right now which should be around 3.5 come august. Not the best but considering I failed out of college my 2nd year I think its quite a turnaround which says a lot. I also played D1 soccer so I think im a solid applicant. Only time will tell however.

Right now im trying to make the most of my application process. To unlock the most opportunities as I can. I can't predict the future but I can be as aggressive as I can right now to stick my foot in the most doors.

Thanks again for all your help and keep it coming.

 

[lovelyinpink11]

Why is getting into dental school so different than medical?? I have EC's, shadowing experience in both fields, the basic prereq's. . . and an MCAT / DAT score. What is so different? Im not a med school reject and im a solid applicant unless I bomb the MCAT which is unlikely. I have been scoring ~35's on my AAMC practice tests. I have a 3.4 GPA right now which should be around 3.5 come august.

Dentistry is a jealous field. If you applied just to dental school and did well on your DAT, you'd have a fighting chance. But when you apply simultaneously, they will probably assume you are choosing dentistry as a 2nd choice (which you are) and they don't want that.

Anyways, good luck to you 🙂

 

[iamthedj]

their going to see that you have no passion or drive for either field (which you may) but its going to come across as a person just trying to get in wherever will take him/her. Choose one a stick with with. You dont want to go to medical school and then figured you like dentistry more or vise versa. See which one your more passionate about and stick with it, you will get in eventually, even if it take a couple of tries

 

[sfoksn]

their going to see that you have no passion or drive for either field (which you may) but its going to come across as a person just trying to get in wherever will take him/her. Choose one a stick with with. You dont want to go to medical school and then figured you like dentistry more or vise versa. See which one your more passionate about and stick with it, you will get in eventually, even if it take a couple of tries

Exactly my point. They are too different, and the OP obviously doesn't care where he goes in, just wants to be a doctor.

Because he said dentistry is a "back up" in his original post, (even though he modified it now, if you want to see it look at my post that quoted him), I suggested him to go into DO school if his back up is to become dentistry, since DO school is easier than dental schools to get in.

Also, DO would give him same abilities as MD, so I thought he would be happier.

If he bombs the MCAT, he could just go into OD rather than having to study for a different test like DAT (which he will most likely bomb also if he bombed the MCAT) and fail to get into dental schools as well.

 

[AmpedUp]

...But why?

 

[D3Nt1st]

but keep in mind, the dental application asks if you have taken the mcat,

no it doesnt. it asks if you have applied to other types of proffesional schools.

 

[Neuron14]

Exactly my point. They are too different, and the OP obviously doesn't care where he goes in, just wants to be a doctor.

Because he said dentistry is a "back up" in his original post, (even though he modified it now, if you want to see it look at my post that quoted him), I suggested him to go into DO school if his back up is to become dentistry, since DO school is easier than dental schools to get in.

Also, DO would give him same abilities as MD, so I thought he would be happier.

If he bombs the MCAT, he could just go into OD rather than having to study for a different test like DAT (which he will most likely bomb also if he bombed the MCAT) and fail to get into dental schools as well.

You shouldn't make this sort of statement unless you've been through the application process and received acceptances to both types of professional schools. I have heard the exact opposite from dentists and physicians - I don't think it's a fair statement in these cases either. In my opinion, gaining admission to either type of school is a great achievement.

Furthermore, it seems like you use "DO" and "OD" interchangeably which is incorrect. They are two different medical degrees/professions.

1) DO = Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (MCAT required)
2) OD = Doctor of Optometry (OAT required)

Therefore, if he "bombs the MCAT" he would indeed have to study for another test, the OAT, in order to gain admission to optometry school.

 

[coyfish]

Well thanks for the advice (some of you).

My mom,dad,3 uncles, 2 grandparents, and 2 cousins are all physicians with a couple of them being specialized dentists. I have been around doctors all my life and I know quite a bit about many fields. I see how their life is in and out of the hospital.

Perhaps because of that both fields have aspects that really appeal to me. So much that I could see myself doing either.

Investing so many years is more than just following your passion (to me). Becoming a doctor ideally has to be a balance between many factors from work hours to personal enjoyment. You can LOVE what you do but if you don't have enough time for your family or yourself . . . its not worth it. It is a complicated collaboration of factors that is impossible to "anticipate" right now or even in med school. If you follow that perfect path to your destination than consider yourself blessed, because that is a rarity.

 

[AmpedUp]

Well thanks for the advice (some of you).

My mom,dad,3 uncles, 2 grandparents, and 2 cousins are all physicians with a couple of them being specialized dentists. I have been around doctors all my life and I know quite a bit about many fields. I see how their life is in and out of the hospital.

Perhaps because of that both fields have aspects that really appeal to me. So much that I could see myself doing either.

Investing so many years is more than just following your passion (to me). Becoming a doctor ideally has to be a balance between many factors from work hours to personal enjoyment. You can LOVE what you do but if you don't have enough time for your family or yourself . . . its not worth it. It is a complicated collaboration of factors that is impossible to "anticipate" right now or even in med school. If you follow that perfect path to your destination than consider yourself blessed, because that is a rarity.

Save the hassle and choose one. Are you not confident enough? If you like both so much, take time to single out the professional school you wish to attend the most. I'll admit...I was torn between a few things, and even applied for them, but in the end it became a HUGE confusion and I lost big time. So learn from my mistakes and CHOOSE just one path. It's nice that you have an open attitude; however, unfortunately dental school and medical school are two separate paths (for now).

I hope you know that it's overkill to study for both the MCAT and DAT. You've got to be a freak of nature to do well in both.

 

[D3Nt1st]

Save the hassle and choose one. Are you not confident enough? If you like both so much, take time to single out the professional school you wish to attend the most. I'll admit...I was torn between a few things, and even applied for them, but in the end it became a HUGE confusion and I lost big time. So learn from my mistakes and CHOOSE just one path. It's nice that you have an open attitude; however, unfortunately dental school and medical school are two separate paths (for now).

I hope you know that it's overkill to study for both the MCAT and DAT. You've got to be a freak of nature to do well in both.

this guy is right, except for doing well on the DAT and the MCAT, i did well on both of them and im no smarty. they do overlap a lot, but dont underestimate either of them. just because you do well on the MCAT doesn't mean you will do well on the DAT!

 

[AmpedUp]

this guy is right, except for doing well on the DAT and the MCAT, i did well on both of them and im no smarty. they do overlap a lot, but dont underestimate either of them. just because you do well on the MCAT doesn't mean you will do well on the DAT!

lol I wouldn't say that; you definitely possess "high" intelligence. Also remember, it takes MOST people multiple attempts to get a "good" enough score.

Not sure if they overlap a lot. However, you'll be studying MORE subjects to have a firm grasp of the material before taking both tests. MCAT has physics, gchem, ochem, verbal, writing, and bio sections. DAT has math, bio (larger scope), gchem, ochem (need to know alkene/aromatic series), reading comp, and PAT (which can take a few weeks to a few months of preparation to fully understand rules of the section). It's tougher to study for both compared to one of them.

To the OP: Therefore, just choose one, and hope to do well in it!!! It's not worth the hassle or confusion. It complicates things. I'm just trying to save your sanity.

Good luck.👍

 

[D3Nt1st]

lol I wouldn't say that; you definitely possess "high" intelligence. Also remember, it takes MOST people multiple attempts to get a "good" enough score.

Not sure if they overlap a lot. However, you'll be studying MORE subjects to have a firm grasp of the material before taking both tests. MCAT has physics, gchem, ochem, verbal, writing, and bio sections. DAT has math, bio (larger scope), gchem, ochem (need to know alkene/aromatic series), reading comp, and PAT (which can take a few weeks to a few months of preparation to fully understand rules of the section). It's tougher to study for both compared to one of them.

To the OP: Therefore, just choose one, and hope to do well in it!!! It's not worth the hassle or confusion. It complicates things. I'm just trying to save your sanity.

Good luck.👍

naw dood really im no smart guy, but you are right in that it is a waste of time to do both, just figure out which path you want take and you wont have to worry about 2 tests

 

[Erhatstil]

no it doesnt. it asks if you have applied to other types of proffesional schools.

this is probably worse than asking if you've taken the mcat. it shows that you have desire to go to med school and have put the time and effort in to applying. it would probably be brought up during a school interview too.

so moral of the story...spend a couple hundred and take mcat, but don't apply to med school.

 

[dentaldawg32]

this is probably worse than asking if you've taken the mcat. it shows that you have desire to go to med school and have put the time and effort in to applying. it would probably be brought up during a school interview too.

so moral of the story...spend a couple hundred and take mcat, but don't apply to med school.

Kaskade ftw!

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Hey guys im taking the MCAT in august. Would the DAT be something I should take? I have heard its similar with only slight overall concept changes.

Anyone else thinking about taking both?

Greetings,

If your passion is truly in medicine, please do not choose dentistry as a back up plan because your life will be unfullfilled. Give that seat to someone who is truly interested in dentistry. With the option of getting to DO school or off shore MD schools and become the physician that you want to be, why do dentistry? It simply does not make sense. DP

 

[khangreen]

Take the time to decide for sure which field you want. Don't go for both. Dental schools don't like accepting people who are still trying to decide. Put in the time and make a decision. It'll save you money, time, and effort.