DATs vs MCATS

[CCDD12]

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i have already taken my Dats bc i thought i wanted to go to dental...now i am not sure and am going to apply to both pod and dental schools this fall. so i think im going to take the MCATS too since only 4 out of the 8 pod schools accept the DAT

my question is.....has anyone taken both the MCATs and the DATs? if so, how comparable are they? if i have already studied a lot for the DATs and know the science pretty well should i be ok for the MCATs? just wondering

thanksss

 

[Imgtnold]

You will need to study up on your Physics...DAT's have spatial arrangement questions in place of the Physics questions.

 

[krabmas]

i have already taken my Dats bc i thought i wanted to go to dental...now i am not sure and am going to apply to both pod and dental schools this fall. so i think im going to take the MCATS too since only 4 out of the 8 pod schools accept the DAT

my question is.....has anyone taken both the MCATs and the DATs? if so, how comparable are they? if i have already studied a lot for the DATs and know the science pretty well should i be ok for the MCATs? just wondering

thanksss

I have not taken the DATs but from what I have heard the DATs are more random science questions and the MCATs are questions more based on passages.

You will most likely need to brush up on reading comprehension for the verbal, and science sections. Most of the science sections with passages - all the info is in the passage to answer the question. There are also random questions on the MCAT that do not have passages. They say that you need to memorize equations for the physics, but I did not find that to be true. I did not use on equation that was not provided for me on the test.

 

[znl343]

I wrote the Canadian versions of both exams but I think the tests are very similar. The science and verbal on the MCAT made the DAT look like a joke (no offense to any dents). Since you wrote/studied for DAT already imo you are not ready for MCAT. If it was the other way around i would say you will be fine.

In terms of which schools accept DAT and which accept MCAT that has been debated somewhat. I know what the websites say but on the phone the schools seem to have different stories. I applied this year (c/o 2011) and all the schools accept for azpod were willing to accept DAT. As I have stated previously this might not be the case for the class of 2012 but better to check on the phone. If you can get into the school you want without writting MCAT and only writting DAT you will save yourself a lot of time and money and hair loss.

 

[bocajuniors]

do you have a pod school that you are interested in attending? if its only a couple then call them and find out if DAT is accepted and most will allow. my little brother took the DAT and it was accepted even by the schools that said that they don't take so check it out before taking the MCAT. it might save some money and a headache

 

[CCDD12]

i called all the schools and barry, temple, ohio, and ny all accept the DATs. Azpod, DMU, and the cali and chicago pod schools will not.

i think i am going to stick w the top four.

is the new york pod in a good area (for crime that is)??

 

[bocajuniors]

not sure but i'm know barry and ohio are in good areas. any big city will have crime but i doubt its too bad. check out local news in that area and find out that what i did

 

[JEWmongous]

I think the OP said he's applying for pod schools this fall. In that case, only 3 schools will take the DAT at this time.......NYCPM, Ohio, and Temple. I heard Temple grills you during the interview if you took the DAT though. NYCPM and Ohio are definitely "cool" with an applicant taking the DAT. I heard from one of the admissions people at NYCPM that they don't really look at your perceptual ability (PAT) score on the dental test.

Anywho, best bet to take the MCAT as it gives you a bigger range of schools to apply to. I believe ALL the schools will be going MCAT only somewhat soon.

 

[CCDD12]

i called barry the other day and they said that the DATs are fine

 

[bocajuniors]

are you trying to get in for this fall?

 

[JEWmongous]

Barry is okay with DAT's for the class of 2012 (beginning pod school summer 2008)???

I e-mailed the school about it and checked the website and was told they only accept the MCAT for the pod program. Maybe they decided to change things for the fall.

 

[bocajuniors]

I think the OP said he's applying for pod schools this fall. In that case, only 3 schools will take the DAT at this time.......NYCPM, Ohio, and Temple. I heard Temple grills you during the interview if you took the DAT though. NYCPM and Ohio are definitely "cool" with an applicant taking the DAT. I heard from one of the admissions people at NYCPM that they don't really look at your perceptual ability (PAT) score on the dental test.

Anywho, best bet to take the MCAT as it gives you a bigger range of schools to apply to. I believe ALL the schools will be going MCAT only somewhat soon.

my recommendation is this, if you wanna go to one of the pod schools that wants just the MCAT then take if you wanna go to one that takes the DAT and your DAT is good enough to get then use the DAT score. my little interviewed at AZPOD with a DAT and they grilled him but in the end he got accepted. the big question will be "why podiatry?" "why not denistry?" thats what he told me that asked him basically. one pre-professional healthcare test is just as good as the other.

 

[JEWmongous]

I think the OP has an advantage in a way that some pod schools still accept the DAT. In the past, the podiatric medical schools ONLY accepted the MCAT and then allowed other tests when the applicants dropped. Now applications are going up, admissions is becoming more competitive, etc and at least 4 schools switched back to the MCAT for this fall cycle.

I think it should be MCAT only since we have much more in common with allopathic/osteopathic medicine than dentistry. If you look at it, its kind of bogus to take the "dental admissions test" for admission to podiatric medical school. With podiatrists pushing for similiar physician recognition as MD/DO's (resolution 2015), then taking the same admissions test as them would be a decent start.

Anywho, If CCDD12 or any future applicant wants to go to Temple, NYCPM, Ohio, maybe Barry for pod school, then he can apply with his DAT scores.

If he wants to apply to Cali, CPMS, Scholl, or AZPOD...then one needs to take the MCAT. One thing is that these schools who switched to the MCAT have some of the highest admission stats and board scores (particularly CPMS, Scholl, AZPOD).

Myself, I considered the DAT earlier this year but I don't want to sell myself short with schools to apply to. The DAT would probably be an easier test (especially since pod schools don't look at the notorius perceptual ability section) but the MCAT gives an applicant much more opportunity.

 

[krabmas]

i called all the schools and barry, temple, ohio, and ny all accept the DATs. Azpod, DMU, and the cali and chicago pod schools will not.

i think i am going to stick w the top four.

is the new york pod in a good area (for crime that is)??

NYCPM is in Harlem. By the time you enter, most students will live in Parkchester in the Bronx and commute to school by Van or subway. Many students choose to find their own housing and commute from Conn, NJ, NY state or other places in Bronx, Manhattan, LI, Staten Island.

Anywhere in NY is as safe as you allow yourself to feel. Crime happens all over NYC. The rapest usually attack in wealthy areas where young white females live, and pretend to be safe, like the upper east and west sides. 2 students that I know about got mugged near the school - a few blocks away. A couple of cars were broken into.

I was never mugged, or pick pocketted. I walked whereever, whenever I wanted. If I was to walk late at night I tried to find some one to go with, but not always.

To live in NY and not have problems, you must be smart about where you live, and when you chose to go where. If you are female, it is not smart to wander around alone at night anywhere.

 

[Dr. Gangrene]

I really hope we get to the point soon where the Mcat is the only accepted test. I think we really need to standardize pod and then raise the bar.👍

 

[bocajuniors]

i agree i really think that by accepting dental tests (which i think is just as hard) makes the schools appear desperate to get students. i see podiatry as a specialized doctor like a dermatologist or radiologist but it gives a feeling to other doctors that its a "joke" which i know ain't true.

 

[Lonman06]

Don't some of the pod schools still accept the GRE as well?

 

[bocajuniors]

oh yeah.... several do. and that's my point. to some people it says "hey i don't know what i wanna do or i couldn't get in anywhere else so i'll do podiatry" and i know this isn't the case for really all pod students. it just has the stigman attached to it like caribbean schools.

 

[Lonman06]

oh yeah.... several do. and that's my point. to some people it says "hey i don't know what i wanna do or i couldn't get in anywhere else so i'll do podiatry" and i know this isn't the case for really all pod students. it just has the stigman attached to it like caribbean schools.

I guess the schools must have a reason for doing it, they must be trying to attract more students, but I understand what you are saying. The good students and I am sure there are quite a few of them were going Podiatry right from the start regardless of what the GPA or test requirements are. I am sure one day admission Podiatry schools will become more unified. As for respect, I have shadowed two Podiatrists, one who has been practicing for about 20 years and the other about 3 years. They both told me that they love their jobs and wouldn't change anything if they had to go back. Also as for respect they said they were very respected by their patients as well as other doctors. The Podiatrist who has been in practice for 20 years told me that the Podiatry field is changing for the better. The only complaint both of these Podiatrists had was insurance, but what doctor doesn't complain about that?

 

[JEWmongous]

Don't some of the pod schools still accept the GRE as well?

I think a few schools took the GRE this year. However, the next application cycle only OCPM (ohio) will take the GRE for sure. Temple states on their website they take the GRE but I am not positive if that will stay the same for long. As I said before, I read from some applicants at Temple who were grilled for taking the DAT instead of the MCAT. I would think an applicant would be grilled even harder if they took the GRE when applying to Temple.

Just for kicks, do you know that OCPM accepts the MCAT, DAT, PCAT, OAT, GRE general, or GRE science subject test for admission to the pod program? I think its not so great that some schools accept the DAT still but this is a little crazy!

 

[JEWmongous]

i agree i really think that by accepting dental tests (which i think is just as hard) makes the schools appear desperate to get students. i see podiatry as a specialized doctor like a dermatologist or radiologist but it gives a feeling to other doctors that its a "joke" which i know ain't true.

I somewhat agree with your views on the DAT as an admissions test for pod schools. Considering the MCAT is now offered 22 times a year (instead of just 2 times), there is really no excuse for pod schools not to make the MCAT as the sole admissions test.

However, from looking over the kaplan DAT blue book and currently studying for the MCAT, I really think the MCAT is more difficult test. The passage based format of the MCAT makes it much more a reasoning/thinking test than just memorizing facts/data.

Furthermore, I was told by an admissions person at a podiatry school that they don't look at the perceptual ability section scores of the DAT. The PAT seems to be the most difficult part of the test! If you throw out the perceptual ability portion of the DAT, then I believe this test really is not that hard.

I honestly don't think you can compare 2 applicants where one took the DAT and the other took the MCAT.

 

[youngmc27]

I don't know why everyone is thinking that the DAT is so much easier than the MCAT if you think that why not take both then you will see. The thing about the MCAT that is so tough is the fact that it is so long it's a marathon and a test of wills as much as knowledge. I applied to Pod school with a DAT score and I don't feel that put me at any sort of a disadvantage. I interviewed at three schools, had offers for three more and was accepted to all three programs that I interviewed at. I also was awarded very good scholarships to those programs. If you want to take that DAT take it you will get in a you can still be a great Pod. The test won't once you are in.

 

[Dr. Gangrene]

I don't know why everyone is thinking that the DAT is so much easier than the MCAT if you think that why not take both then you will see. The thing about the MCAT that is so tough is the fact that it is so long it's a marathon and a test of wills as much as knowledge. I applied to Pod school with a DAT score and I don't feel that put me at any sort of a disadvantage. I interviewed at three schools, had offers for three more and was accepted to all three programs that I interviewed at. I also was awarded very good scholarships to those programs. If you want to take that DAT take it you will get in a you can still be a great Pod. The test won't once you are in.

No one is saying the DAT is easy. It is about standardizing the field. Podiatry is in the medical field. Thus, I feel they should only accept the Mcat (MEDICAL college admission test), and not a dental test or graduate test (GRE). Mcat is a medical test, and would standardize the criteria by which students are accepted.

 

[krabmas]

The pre-reqs for pod and med and dent are basically the same. And the pre reqs for the DAT and MCAT are basically the same. The MCAT back in the 80s was basically the same test as the DAT except the DAT had the spacial relationship thing. At some point the MCAT changed to be reading comprehension more than a memorization of random info test. This change was made because it was determined that reading comprehension and speed of reading comprehension was more important than memorizing random facts when it comes to medical education and being successful in medical education. For some reason the DATs did not change format.

That all being said I agree the MCAT should be the only admission test accepted.

 

[PODonny]

No one is saying the DAT is easy. It is about standardizing the field. Podiatry is in the medical field. Thus, I feel they should only accept the Mcat (MEDICAL college admission test), and not a dental test or graduate test (GRE). Mcat is a medical test, and would standardize the criteria by which students are accepted.

Totally agree.

 

[bocajuniors]

No one is saying the DAT is easy. It is about standardizing the field. Podiatry is in the medical field. Thus, I feel they should only accept the Mcat (MEDICAL college admission test), and not a dental test or graduate test (GRE). Mcat is a medical test, and would standardize the criteria by which students are accepted.

couldn't have said it better myself