Done!!!! 8/24

[predental1187]

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I'm so excited to be making one of these threads right now!

Here it is...

PAT:19
Bio: 20
GC: 19
Orgo: 21
Tot. Sci: 20
RC: 23
QR: 18

AA: 20 🙂


I was hoping for a 20 AA, so I am very happy with my scores. I am actually not applying until next cycle, so hopefully I will be good with these scores and an early app next year. I am an Illinois resident hoping to stay somewhere in the midwest (first choice probably UIC), although the Univeristy of Pacific 3 year program is attractive. Not sure if my scores are high enough though...
I am a Bio major/Spanish minor with Overall GPA: 3.51 Sci:3.3 at a presitgious research university (although I've heard your undergrad school doesn't matter that much...) I am also hoping to raise the GPA even more this year (my senior year). Lot of ECs - VP of dental club, shadowing, VP of my sorority, study abroad, and am doing neurobio research starting this school year.
Do I have a chance at a school like Univ of the Pacific??

Another question: Do dental schools look at the percentiles at all?? My AA was 84%, which I thought was a little low for a 20, but I'm guessing it's probably different for every test.

Ok here's the breakdown:

Prep:
All in all, I studied about 2 months, about 6 -8 hours a day, with one day off a week. I took the Kaplan course and found many of their online workshops/quizzes/subject tests to be really helpful. I also went through the Kaplan flashards several times and the WB that comes with the course. I had heard about Kaplan's PAT tests being easier than the real one, so I used the 5 test CDP for that. I bought Destroyer but only had time to go through scattered Orgo and GC problems and did about 2/3 of the Bio. I was going to buy TopScore or Achiever but ran out of time. I did do three of the Kaplan full-lengths.

Practice exams:
Kaplan midterm (only about halfway through studying): AA18/TS17/PAT18
Kaplan final (about 2 wks before test): AA20/TS20/PAT20
Kaplan test #1 (3 days before): AA20/TS19/PAT22
CDP: 19/19/18/19 (only did 4 of them)

My thoughts:
I was really worried about the QR after hearing horror stories on here. Honestly, it was MUCH easier than I was expecting, and I actually thought I did much better than an 18...and I'm math was never one of my strong points either. Just definitely use the strategy of skipping the really long/hard ones (but not too often, of course)
I was also getting sooo freaked out about PAT a few days before the test, because my highest CDP was only 19. I am fine with that though, and was very relieved to see that 19 pop up on the screen. This was by far my least favorite section.
As for Bio, most people say it's really general, but I actually had a lot of random detail questions as well as questions that were more general in scope. In my opinion, Destroyer was good for practice on recalling these details.
On Kaplan GC, I usually got around a 16-17 in GC, so for those of you getting worried about this, I thought the real thing was easier!
I always scored fairly high in RC and Orgo, so I wasn't too worried about these (I had a REALLY tough Orgo course when I took it). I was happy to not get piano'd or frap'd though 😉

Hopefully, this helps some of you out there studying now. Let me know if you have any questions, and please answer mine if you can.

Thanks to everyone who answered my questions on here while I was preparing!! You guys were great!

 

[Valigator00]

Very solid and consistent scores. You killed it. 😀

 

[Chrono]

what materials did you use for gen chem and ochem. Any advice for these sections? Thanks.

 

[predental1187]

I mainly used the Kaplan WB and my textbooks (Gen Chem - Petrucci and O chem - Wade). I would do problems from my textbooks for my weak areas, or things I didn't understand very well from Kaplan. I also used Destroyer for this purpose, picking out some scattered problems that dealt with things I was shaky on. I would have liked to have finished all of Destroyer but didn't have time...you should definitely go through it if you have time though. It's a great resource, and the explanations are so helpful.

I also used the Kaplan flashcards, subject tests, and workshops (come with the course).

My main piece of advice is to go to your textbooks or look online for extra problems/explanations of things you don't fully understand.

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

great scores! I take mine on weds so I am praying I get scores like that!

🙂

any lab gen chem q's ?

how was orgo? any wierd naming or spectroscopy?

 

[predental1187]

Thanks everyone!

I didn't know the DAT even tested gen chem lab topics! I didn't see any and never studied anything about them. I would definitely know a bit about basic Orgo lab techniques though. Nomenclature is tested, but on mine, it was nothing too obscure.