DAT vs. MCAT

[snooper92]

Has anyone out there taken both the DAT and MCAT?

I know that one difference between them is that there is physics on the MCAT.

Any comments about whether the level of difficulty is about the same or harder on the MCAT? I've heard the MCAT is harder.

If you use DAT materials to prepare for the DAT, would it still be necessary to use separate MCAT study guides for the MCAT or would using the DAT materials + physics be sufficent for MCAT prep?

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[foreverLaur]

bump

 

[Montserrat]

If you use DAT materials to prepare for the DAT, would it still be necessary to use separate MCAT study guides for the MCAT or would using the DAT materials + physics be sufficent for MCAT prep?

I haven't taken the MCAT, but I used MCAT test prep material (sans Physics) for my retake of the DAT. I doubt DAT guides would be sufficient for MCAT preparation. I completed the science workbook for the MCAT while I prepared for the DAT, and the question format and style of questioning is remarkably different. I would say the MCAT questions are more difficult, largely because they are more difficult to prepare for then the regurgitation type questions on the DAT. While I was fishing for advice, I read a lot posts where people were complaining about the series of analytical questions on the DAT, if that gives you an idea of the divergence in question styles. From the MCAT test prep, the analytical questions (aside from those open ended non passage questions) seem to be in abundance.

Are you taking the MCAT for a graduate biomed program ?

 

[domonas]

if you're good at rote memorization of facts, the DAT's will be easier than the MCAT's. I scored... 18AA (i don't remember the breakdown) on the DAT's, 34 on the MCAT's (13 bio, 11 verbal, 10 physical sciences). So it's really not the difficulty in questions, it's really about how you study and how you retain information.

 

[ineffable11]

YES, I did take both MCAT AND DAT.

MCAT is more difficult in a sense that all the problems need to be answered based on given passage. DAT has no passage based questions except RC.

For MCAT, you just need to know how to apply all the basic science knowldge to the passage that is given. If you are good at applications then go for MCAT.

RC is similar for both DAT and MCAT.

 

[bigstix808]

RC is similar for both DAT and MCAT.

yea, i'm going to have to disagree with that one. The MCAT is based on understanding the ideas presented in the passage and applying them to different scenerios and using more a conceptual approach to answer the questions0. and now for the DAT, you don't even really have to read the passage to answer the questions. it's all "find the answer in the passage" type questions. there is very few, if any "apply what you just learned" questions on the DAT. i have taken both DAT and MCAT. i studied for the MCAT for a good while and pretty good on the verbal. when i went to take the DAT i never studied for the RC section because i thought it was going to be the same format. i was wayy off. i only made an average score in that section because i couldn't memorize an entire passage