Do i have a chance of getting IN?

[ccm5166]

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I have so much experience in the field of dentistry ( dental hygienist) but unfortunately my Dat scores are very low. Bio 16, chem 15, orgo 15, pat 19, red 17, math12 🙁 .. This was the second time taking DAT, but before i got much less, so i did improve but i don't think is good enough 🙁. my application is out there already to NYU,so soon it will be submitted to the committee members...I want to take DAT again but unsure i can do better since the main factor affecting my performance is the clock: i run out of time before finishing each section so that lower my chances.. what should i do to learn how to speed up during the test?

 

[Maygyver]

I'm not sure if this is trolling, but I'll bite. First thing you need to do is retake your DAT again.

 

[CANgnome]

those scores are extremely low, definitely study and practice on the DAT.

15s and 12s mean that you do not know a majority of the questions and i really cannot see how adcom will allow that 🙁

 

[lululime]

I don't have any personal experience with the US DAT, but I've been reading this forum lots and I can tell you that your scores are okay but your QR would require you to retake. If you've got a near perfect GPA, then your DAT scores probably won't mean much. If you share your GPA then you can get some better advice from other students. What I recommend is to get a math tutor if you can afford it, or even a study buddy to help you along with practice tests. In any case, if time is an issue you obviously need to do more practice.

Umm, perhaps you're taking a long time becuase you're looking at all the answers? For things like math its best to just solve it before looking at the answers. Be comfortable approximating values instead of working out the exact answer. Hope this helps!

 

[peanutb123]

whats your gpa... may be taking some more science classes might help you bring those sciences higher? Have you taken micro, biochem, anatomy and physiology these subjects can really help boost your bio score. Chem is all practice like orgo.

First thing to do is to evaluate yourself. Dont make excuses such as i didnt have enough time etc...
ask your self couple questions. HAVE you done your best. DId you do everything that you possible can do in order to do your best in this test.
Were you taking too many credits or have research that took away way too much time from you studying from DAT.... give us some more info about your prep and someone here will surly point out what you did wrong.

 

[randomfilipino]

I would recommend taking Kaplan, or at least buying some practice tests to work on your speed. They have pretty good time management strategies that I felt were somewhat helpful.

Since you only have one DAT attempt left before you have to start petitioning, I'd take as many practice tests I could get my hands on before you end up putting a nail in the coffin w/ another non-competitive score.

 

[peanutb123]

i don't have any personal experience with the us dat, but i've been reading this forum lots and i can tell you that your scores are okay but your qr would require you to retake. if you've got a near perfect gpa, then your dat scores probably won't mean much. if you share your gpa then you can get some better advice from other students. What i recommend is to get a math tutor if you can afford it, or even a study buddy to help you along with practice tests. In any case, if time is an issue you obviously need to do more practice.

Umm, perhaps you're taking a long time becuase you're looking at all the answers? For things like math its best to just solve it before looking at the answers. Be comfortable approximating values instead of working out the exact answer. Hope this helps!

not ture

 

[lululime]

not ture

Really? I guess I'm wrong then. How it works in Canada is that you get into dent if you have 3.8-4.0 and just pass every section of the DAT.

My bad, sorry fellow Americanos!

 

[ugapharm]

not ture

Yeah, I would question someone's transcript if they had a perfect GPA and really bad DAT scores.

 

[Dudez]

Retaking the DAT is probably the best move for you. you should take a TON of practice exams. I used the online kaplan materials and found their timed tests (6 of them, which is great!!) super helpful! but, kaplan is pretty expensive. top score is a good alternative (3 tests for $50). if you don't want to buy tests at all, you just have to practice beating the clock on your own. make sure you time yourself. do practice questions over and over until you do them in better time.
i wish you lot of luck! you can do it!! 🙂

 

[shmendrick]

You guys are so nice to this person. I am truly surprised. In my opinion getting a 12 in math and ~15 TS score after taking the test for the second time should send you a message that this might not be the career choice for you. These scores tell me that you either do not care about this exam or you are taking this exam as if it were a practice test. You have one more shot at this exam and unless you improve drastically (which considering your scores is pretty easy to do), you should definitely consider a different career path. Maybe medical school in the Caribbean?

 

[peanutb123]

You guys are so nice to this person. I am truly surprised. In my opinion getting a 12 in math and ~15 TS score after taking the test for the second time should send you a message that this might not be the career choice for you. These scores tell me that you either do not care about this exam or you are taking this exam as if it were a practice test. You have one more shot at this exam and unless you improve drastically (which considering your scores is pretty easy to do), you should definitely consider a different career path. Maybe medical school in the Caribbean?

F this above advice...

Dont give up but take a break after graduation. while working, take upper level bio classes and get good grades try to understand the material. I felt that while i was doing my masters i was more mature and much more "smarter" than my undergrad. And Taking a break after undergrad and working has really helped me. May be try that. People will tell you to give up etc... But dont do it YET. If you are young ie 20-24 then take it for the 3rd time but actually throw yourself at DAT and nothing else. Then if it does not work out. Wait couple years and your DAT SCORES EXPIRES then try again. But there will be a point where you should give up... But its not NOW, i believe giving up early will always put a ? in your head"WHAT if?"

TRUST ME MY FRIEND "WHAT IF?" in your head is something that you do not want when you are 50 years old. SO TRY HARD NOW... HAVE faith in yourself.

 

[shmendrick]

The advice that I gave is the truest advice anyone will give you. Life isn't a fairytale nor a movie. If you don't work hard for something it wont miraculously fall into your lap. You can take the DAT a hundred times (with permission from the ADA of course) but that wont matter because unless you study hard and prepare for this test like your life depends on it, you wont do well. I took this exam three times and did relatively well my third time. Although I didn't do as poorly as you did (sorry for rubbing it in) I did know that I would improve each time. Why? Because I knew that I was capable of doing better. I was capable of sitting down and giving it everything I got. This test is your life (well it was for me at least) and I wasn't going to let my dream go. I'm not saying that you should give up your dream, but if you realllllllly reallllllly want this then treat this exam as if your life depended on it. If you don't want it then choose something else. And for all of you who think that Im being dramatic and my advice isn't good, stop fooling yourselves you think just like me and you all know that those scores are pure s***, and it is extremely difficult to get scores good enough to be accepted to dental school in the US. Sorry for my French.

 

[shmendrick]

The advice that I gave is the truest advice anyone will give you. Life isn't a fairytale nor a movie. If you don't work hard for something it wont miraculously fall into your lap. You can take the DAT a hundred times (with permission from the ADA of course) but that wont matter because unless you study hard and prepare for this test like your life depends on it, you wont do well. I took this exam three times and did relatively well my third time. Although I didn't do as poorly as you did (sorry for rubbing it in) I did know that I would improve each time. Why? Because I knew that I was capable of doing better. I was capable of sitting down and giving it everything I got. This test is your life (well it was for me at least) and I wasn't going to let my dream go. I'm not saying that you should give up your dream, but if you realllllllly reallllllly want this then treat this exam as if your life depended on it. If you don't want it then choose something else. And for all of you who think that Im being dramatic and my advice isn't good, stop fooling yourselves you think just like me and you all know that those scores are pure s***, and it is extremely difficult to get scores good enough to be accepted to dental school in the US. Sorry for my French. I wish you all the best of luck on your journey.

 

[peanutb123]

The advice that I gave is the truest advice anyone will give you. Life isn't a fairytale nor a movie. If you don't work hard for something it wont miraculously fall into your lap. You can take the DAT a hundred times (with permission from the ADA of course) but that wont matter because unless you study hard and prepare for this test like your life depends on it, you wont do well. I took this exam three times and did relatively well my third time. Although I didn't do as poorly as you did (sorry for rubbing it in) I did know that I would improve each time. Why? Because I knew that I was capable of doing better. I was capable of sitting down and giving it everything I got. This test is your life (well it was for me at least) and I wasn't going to let my dream go. I'm not saying that you should give up your dream, but if you realllllllly reallllllly want this then treat this exam as if your life depended on it. If you don't want it then choose something else. And for all of you who think that Im being dramatic and my advice isn't good, stop fooling yourselves you think just like me and you all know that those scores are pure s***, and it is extremely difficult to get scores good enough to be accepted to dental school in the US. Sorry for my French. I wish you all the best of luck on your journey.

lol to be honest i was not thinking that at all...

if you take the time to explore these forums people have a way to prove other people wrong... Some people here have gotten like 16 something their first time but broke 20+ their 3rd time. So... as you said you have to work hard. Just like you didnt give up on your dream. I dont believe you have the right to tell the op to chose diff. path b/c his/her scores are not that great. We have no clue on how he/she prep for it. Hey the way i see it is... THEY ARE HERE which means they are asking for help, which obviously means they are still interested. We should not kill their dreams, Instead tell them alternatives on how to achieve their goal. Like i mentioned in my posts in this thread. Who know 3rd time for the op might be a charm. PS score expire then you dont have to beg ADA for retakes...

Anyways OP. Dont give up. take sometime off developing your science knowledge by taking science classes.

 

[lululime]

The advice that I gave is the truest advice anyone will give you. Life isn't a fairytale nor a movie. If you don't work hard for something it wont miraculously fall into your lap. You can take the DAT a hundred times (with permission from the ADA of course) but that wont matter because unless you study hard and prepare for this test like your life depends on it, you wont do well. I took this exam three times and did relatively well my third time. Although I didn't do as poorly as you did (sorry for rubbing it in) I did know that I would improve each time. Why? Because I knew that I was capable of doing better. I was capable of sitting down and giving it everything I got. This test is your life (well it was for me at least) and I wasn't going to let my dream go. I'm not saying that you should give up your dream, but if you realllllllly reallllllly want this then treat this exam as if your life depended on it. If you don't want it then choose something else. And for all of you who think that Im being dramatic and my advice isn't good, stop fooling yourselves you think just like me and you all know that those scores are pure s***, and it is extremely difficult to get scores good enough to be accepted to dental school in the US. Sorry for my French. I wish you all the best of luck on your journey.

I agree. There's really no good or bad advice but its good to get different opinions. Everyone's situation is different. Different financial situations call for different plans of action. If you can afford to give it your all, go for it. But if it's both an academic and financial struggle it sure is going to be tough, and there's no guarantee that your efforts will pay off. You might even end up flat broke and bitter in the end. There's no way you can regret anything when you're 50 if you're determined. Why do you think some go through a midlife crisis? 30 isn't too old to try for dental school. Best of luck.

 

[tkylen]

I have so much experience in the field of dentistry ( dental hygienist) but unfortunately my Dat scores are very low. Bio 16, chem 15, orgo 15, pat 19, red 17, math12 🙁 .. This was the second time taking DAT, but before i got much less, so i did improve but i don't think is good enough 🙁. my application is out there already to NYU,so soon it will be submitted to the committee members...I want to take DAT again but unsure i can do better since the main factor affecting my performance is the clock: i run out of time before finishing each section so that lower my chances.. what should i do to learn how to speed up during the test?

I'm sure most people struggle with time on the test. I would suggest you to re-take the DAT, apply early next cycle. If you can get your hand on TOPSCORE, use that to help you with time management. TOPSCORE helped me tremendously in terms of familiarity with testing environment and speed. I still have my CD, message me if you want my copy.

 

[lusity]

I have so much experience in the field of dentistry ( dental hygienist) but unfortunately my Dat scores are very low. Bio 16, chem 15, orgo 15, pat 19, red 17, math12 🙁 .. This was the second time taking DAT, but before i got much less, so i did improve but i don't think is good enough 🙁. my application is out there already to NYU,so soon it will be submitted to the committee members...I want to take DAT again but unsure i can do better since the main factor affecting my performance is the clock: i run out of time before finishing each section so that lower my chances.. what should i do to learn how to speed up during the test?

Hey, good job on the PAT. That's one less section you need to worry about (though there's nothing wrong with honing ur PAT skills and shooting for an even higher score). What resources did you use to study for the DAT? I'd suggest investing in the Math destroyer if you haven't already to bring your QR score up. Other studying resources I highly recommend are: Schaum's biology outline, Cliff's AP Bio, DAT Destroyer, and get Chad's videos for gen chem and o chem. Good luck your third time around. Make sure you don't take it until you are READY.

 

[timwatley]

I don't think those scores will get you an interview, but you did very well on the PAT which is one of the harder sections. Spend some time with chads videos, DAT destroyer (esp. for ochem!), a math program, and a flash card website. Study hard, a solid 3-4 hours a day. When you feel ready take a topscore test. Study for another week and focus on the sections you didn't do well on. Then take Topscore 2. Repeat and take Topscore 3. If you did well on 3, then take the real exam. It's a huge commitment but it's easy if you put in the time. If you really want it you'll be able to do it, good luck

 

[RedDevilDDS]

Like others said, I'm afraid you have to retake your DAT...

Your chance as of now is Extremely slim, almost impossible to get in no matter how good your GPA is and how good is your dental experience is.

For timing, I recommend you to do Topscore and Achiever. These two programs will help you to build up some timing skills and you will do much better when you learn how to manage your timing.

Good luck!

 

[dentalWorks]

I have so much experience in the field of dentistry ( dental hygienist) but unfortunately my Dat scores are very low. Bio 16, chem 15, orgo 15, pat 19, red 17, math12 🙁 .. This was the second time taking DAT, but before i got much less, so i did improve but i don't think is good enough 🙁. my application is out there already to NYU,so soon it will be submitted to the committee members...I want to take DAT again but unsure i can do better since the main factor affecting my performance is the clock: i run out of time before finishing each section so that lower my chances.. what should i do to learn how to speed up during the test?

you do have a chance to get into dental school... but its a very low chance.

spend time on the DAT forums and learn some methods of how people performed. You'll be surprised when you read someone's method that you'll actually feel comfortable with. DAT is NOT a hard test, its an annoying test, sure, but not hard.... I REALLY REALLY believe, anyone who puts in the right time and effort, should AT LEAST hit that magic 19AA/19TS mark.

you need to remember that the NBDE part 1 and 2 exams you take in dental school are much harder than the DAT. If you can't handle the DAT, obviously, chances are, you woun't have much success with NBDE. Keep that in mind, EVEN if a school accepts you the way your scores are right now, do you want to start dental school, spend year 1 and 2 there (paying close to $100,000) and eventually flunking out of part 1? You don't want that.

 

[predent3ke]

I didn't take the time to read all of the other responses but I used the TopScore practice tests for only a week and they were AMAZING! Your PAT score is good!! Don't get discouraged you're obviously on the right track. Good luck!

 

[Munchy]

just remember...you only have 1 more chance at it.