Fairness

[podil]

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[drusier]

is this an issue? I have not seen one post listing specific questions that were on the DAT. Put your energies somewhere important

further dont cross post

 

[omaralt]

I just made a similar post in another thread relating to a specific instance of divulging questions on the DAT.

Out of fairness to all DAT test takers including those that do not peruse these boards I suggest that comments regarding specific questions on the DAT not be posted. Questions DO repeat. Though this is generally called cheating, I do not think MANY on this board who post questions from their DAT do so malevolently, but rather with an aim to help. Unfortunately, it does not help Dental School applicants as a whole because it gives a rather unfair advantage to those who use these boards. Instead of posting specific questions and answers, just specify the areas of study that were emphasized. This is both helpful and fair.

I like the format of the DAT and the computerized test. I fear a continuation of spreading question specific information could force the ADA to revert to a MCAT style test that does not repeat questions.

Fairness is in all of our interests. I hope we can all come to agreement on this issue.

-P

hey buddy ur a real loser, if u really think that the ONE question somebody posts online MIGHT come up on somebody elses test AND they still remember the question, then u got issues. and even if they did remember and get it right, then hey, i wouldnt mind helping somebody do better.

 

[DMD_DREAMING]

I just made a similar post in another thread relating to a specific instance of divulging questions on the DAT.

Out of fairness to all DAT test takers including those that do not peruse these boards I suggest that comments regarding specific questions on the DAT not be posted. Questions DO repeat. Though this is generally called cheating, I do not think MANY on this board who post questions from their DAT do so malevolently, but rather with an aim to help. Unfortunately, it does not help Dental School applicants as a whole because it gives a rather unfair advantage to those who use these boards. Instead of posting specific questions and answers, just specify the areas of study that were emphasized. This is both helpful and fair.

I like the format of the DAT and the computerized test. I fear a continuation of spreading question specific information could force the ADA to revert to a MCAT style test that does not repeat questions.

Fairness is in all of our interests. I hope we can all come to agreement on this issue.

-P

Are you for real? GO FIND A HOBBY AND PREACH YOUR MORALITY TO THOSE WITH A QUARTER WHO CARE!

 

[HBomb]

Please stop bashing this poster. Podil makes a very good and valid point. Podil has had awesome, helpful posts in the recent past. They are very informative. Podil is an asset to this forum, and I will not just stand idle while you guys take your pot shots.

There are no grey areas here. Posting specific DAT questions is unethical.

 

[drusier]

the internet was not founded on ethics. any information you gain here could then been seen as an "unfair" advantage as others may not have accessed these boards. Anything I remember is my own knowledge and ill share it however i like. I do understand your/his point however. But i dont see many(if any) posts, of people posting specific questions from the actual DAT.

 

[mightymouse23]

the internet was not founded on ethics. any information you gain here could then been seen as an "unfair" advantage as others may not have accessed these boards. Anything I remember is my own knowledge and ill share it however i like. I do understand your/his point however. But i dont see many(if any) posts, of people posting specific questions from the actual DAT.

So, when you were in your bio class (or orgo, cell bio, etc), and you had copies of exams from the previous years, wouldnt that be considered cheating... yet, I am sure that everyone here has looked at an old exam that a professor had from 2 yrs back. And dont say that its comparing apples and oranges; if everyone does well on an exam, the curve moves up...

 

[omaralt]

i dont think that looking at old exams for orgo, chem, or any other class is cheating??? i'm sure the professors know they're out there, and make their tests accordingly. i always try to get the old tests for a class so i know what level of difficulty i should expect.

omar

 

[HBomb]

Wow.

Now I've made a decision.

Today will be the last day I post in the DAT forum. If anyone needs any advice or help with the DAT, you can PM me.

 

[bryan45876]

Someone should start a website where they keep track of all of the difficult DAT questions you can remember from the test.

 

[Eddie830]

1) podil/HBomb, I agree with you guys 100%. There are comments on this forum that nearly give away questions in full. People also send PMs looking for exact questions. As for omaralt's comment about "helping someone do better". You are absolutely right, you are helping someone. In fact, you are helping the hundreds of someones who visit this forum everyday and do nothing but "ghost". These are people who suck up the info but do not return anything to this forum. Many of us are helping others b/c some people have helped us on this forum. Which is definately cool, if that's the way it really was. However, the majority of those we are helping, we don't even know who they are. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO HELP THESE PEOPLE? We are not giving help to a few people we may consider to be "friends" but to hundreds of strangers. These hundreds of people DO make a significant effect on the DAT curve, especially when you post specific questions (druiser, please read on...).

2) You guys need to chill. Podil wasn't making a post about not helping other people out, but rather not to give away questions NEARLY verbatum from the DAT b/c questions DO recycle. For those of you blind to verbatum questions on this forum (DRUSIER PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PART), do a search on the keywords "forearm" or "forelimb". Podil has made an excellent effort in his DAT recap post to capture the essense of what you can expect on the DAT, w/o giving away specific questions like some people probably keep PMing him about.

Seriously people, I mean you could even be helping an ass (for example, coodoo) do better on the DAT.

3) Hey coodoo did you get a 26/21 on your DAT or a 22/18? Wait, are you really even in/want to be in dental school? Didn't you want to be an optometrist? Or wait, I think you were a Kaplan teacher that LIED on his application. Please do humanity a favor and die. Thanks.

(coodoo, I did you a favor of copying the posts in case you decide to edit them)

 

[drusier]

lets not have this thread turn into the MCAT section. I agree that some1 shouldnt list questions word for word. But perhaps say they had a question on the skeletal structure...Anyways im going back to studying...play nice

 

[qaztake82]

dude i agree with all the people who feel that posting exact questions is really unfair to those of us who took the test early. i got a good score but i worked very hard for it and if everyone had told me the exact questions that they felt were the hardest, i could have gotten a perfect too. So if you want to give away answers and passage topics go ahead and f**k yourselves over, but trust me that you will regret it when one of those people takes your spot in dental school.

BTW questions do repeat cause my friend and i took it together and we had a nearly identical test and exactly the same passage topics and reading comp questions. So please stop screwing me out of a spot in dental school by giving away answers!!!

 

[mg777]

im sure questions repeat on the dat as well, but i bet the ADA does a full dump of all tests and regenerates completely new ones every 90 days. Thats probly why they have 90 day waiting period, so theres no chance you end up taking the exact same test again if you take the DAT more than once.

 

[drusier]

im sure questions repeat on the dat as well, but i bet the ADA does a full dump of all tests and regenerates completely new ones every 90 days. Thats probly why they have 90 day waiting period, so theres no chance you end up taking the exact same test again if you take the DAT more than once.

nice thinking...I dont see any posts with exact questions and answers so this thread is mute

 

[Sprgrover]

I have removed my controversial remarks...
Goodbye...

I agree with Hbomb and Eddie - you are an asset to the forum and please don't feel as if you are not welcome on SDN. Yes, you will encounter some criticism here and there, ce la vie, but there are plenty of us out there with thick skin that value your feedback and can offer encouragement.

To the rest, post what you may. Personally, I don't think that one 'gimmie' question will hurt the lot and chances are you will encounter a lot more on the test that has not been mentioned here on SDN. Perhaps one reason why that forearm question is so salient is because is pops up so much on this forum. That and the fact if you have a cursory knowledge of human anatomy the answer should be painfully obvious. And to those that lurk in these forums and conveniently don't post, or even register, your efforts would be better placed in studying for the DAT and committing the required knowledge and understanding to memory than searching for scraps and dead-give away hints.

 

[omaralt]

hey guys, ya everybody lets chill. but also i was wondering arent the kaplan tests that we all take, arent they previous DAT questions? i mean doesnt the ADA release old DAT's or something? what about topscore?


omar

 

[boogaking]

For realz now... this thread has blown up too much... there's so much more needing to do ...eg write personal statements, get ref letters, fill out AADSAS, correspond with respective dental schools, prepare for interviews etc etc etc.... and more important of all... prepare for the DAT if you haven't taken it yet.... and that takes me to the real purpose of this forum... to only help each other... but to also...selflessly provide each other an edge over the majority of others that don't utilize this service... silient or not... viewing of this forum brings success for the ppl that started this service... Internet communications can become very misinterpreted... so please don't take things personal... lets be real ...the type of questions fed through the database of DAT is so randomly spat out that the probability of getting the same question is about... well lets practice..... the type of question you would receive on QR... if there is a zillion possible questions in a pool and you get only 40 to do in an hour... whats the probability that you will receive one particular question on a test give to hundreds of applicants on that particular day... and what is the probability that this particular right answer will raise this persons chances of getting into dental school.... answer 1 out quadrillion! For some that may take this seriously... lighten up! Life is short and we're here to do as much as we can while we're here..... If you're worried to get your spot taken by someone who got an edge on this DAT forum... I worry for you dawg! But if you're on here constantly ...like I was and am...since I started preparing for the DAT about 2 months ago....then you're probably asking yourself... "can someone help me! ...but please no vague answers... be straight with me....WTF is on the DAT!"...interpreted... can you please tell me an example of a question you had on the real test so I can get an idea of how it is going to be like...from a peer's point of view?"

To answer omar...

Yeah thats what I heard... those past DAT questions are available to various sources... sooner than you can imagine... there are past actual DATs ...earliest ive seen was 1988.... that is actually around... I know Kaplan has one available in some on of their libraries... but their around... one of my friends showed me a copy of this thing way back when... its a big red ghetto looking book... the earlier test really would help... but to get back to what I was writing... these questions are the source for some of these prep course's test banks... ADA knows this so I assume they change their questions on a regular basis...

So to end this reply... and hopefully to end this thread... Think twice and write once... get your face out of your ass and get yourself in dental school... If I do get lucky enough to run into some of you all on the interview circuit ...this year... I really do hope you're really not what I visualize from what I read....I really really hope not 🙂 . SO MUCHO LUCK TO ALL YOU!!! keep rolling the questions.... and i'll do my part to answer what I can... for you "active " ones and for you "silent" ones... CHAO!

 

[hockeydentist]

Were all pathetic if you ask me!


HD

 

[mightymouse23]

hey guys, ya everybody lets chill. but also i was wondering arent the kaplan tests that we all take, arent they previous DAT questions? i mean doesnt the ADA release old DAT's or something? what about topscore?


omar

My thoughts exactly, just didnt want to state them.. The kaplan questions are from old DAT exams, as I was told from a Kaplan representative, and several students (some of which taught for kaplan)...

 

[DrTacoElf]

3) Hey coodoo did you get a 26/21 on your DAT or a 22/18? Wait, are you really even in/want to be in dental school? Didn't you want to be an optometrist? Or wait, I think you were a Kaplan teacher that LIED on his application. Please do humanity a favor and die. Thanks.

(coodoo, I did you a favor of copying the posts in case you decide to edit them)

Ouch!

 

[Biogirl361]

do you guys think posting interview experiences on the interview section is also "cheating", by helping lots of other people better prepare for the questions that will be asked, length and difficulty of interview, etc.? i know i prepared much more efficiently for my interviews due to reading the interview posts, and therefore i have no trouble posting my experiencees to help others, however i have been advised by some not to go on here and "give anything away". what do we think about this?

 

[DrTacoElf]

do you guys think posting interview experiences on the interview section is also "cheating", by helping lots of other people better prepare for the questions that will be asked, length and difficulty of interview, etc.? i know i prepared much more efficiently for my interviews due to reading the interview posts, and therefore i have no trouble posting my experiencees to help others, however i have been advised by some not to go on here and "give anything away". what do we think about this?

Honestly i think anything that you gain isn't that significant. Unless its a totally oddball question. In general most schools want to know that you are sincerely interested in their program and that you have thoroughly thought out your decision to pursue dentistry. Those are the most important factors IMO.

 

[DcS]

the internet was not founded on ethics.

Dental school, on the other hand, was. The posting of questions, IMO, whether they be DAT or NDBE questions, is unethical. If you don't think so then I would question your ethics as a future dentist. If you were sitting in a chair being interviewed to gain admissions into a dental program, I would love to be a fly on the wall if this question ever came up (and all of you people who are bashing the initial poster reply that it is not unethical to share questions). I think you'd be singing a different tune pretty quickly.

 

[boogaking]

in a nut shell.... biogirl... an interview experience forum would be the most useful and most useful.... and did I mention useful... forum that this forum can forum... how does this network work... do you have to create a new one if another gets too old... cuz I saw and earlier forum way back when ... that had interview experiences or questions... I am so glad that this is a network to help each other gain an edge into dental school... so we can truly show our potentials... hopefully for the better... thank goodness this network is not full of pricks and tricks that are full of shnitz.... talking about tall tales of how helping and sharing info can possibly make you into an evil dental root... no pun intended... I'm so glad we're all here to help... aid... selflessly...each other in this quest... AREN't Ya'll GLadd too! 😛

I have another great idea... lets start a forum of interview dates... so some of us can network with each other and ...possibly have a room and board exchange... uh? just an idea.. far fetch... but Im optimistic...

 

[DrTacoElf]

in a nut shell.... biogirl... an interview experience forum would be the most useful and most useful.... and did I mention useful... forum that this forum can forum... how does this network work... do you have to create a new one if another gets too old... cuz I saw and earlier forum way back when ... that had interview experiences or questions... I am so glad that this is a network to help each other gain an edge into dental school... so we can truly show our potentials... hopefully for the better... thank goodness this network is not full of pricks and tricks that are full of shnitz.... talking about tall tales of how helping and sharing info can possibly make you into an evil dental root... no pun intended... I'm so glad we're all here to help... aid... selflessly...each other in this quest... AREN't Ya'll GLadd too! 😛

I have another great idea... lets start a forum of interview dates... so some of us can network with each other and ...possibly have a room and board exchange... uh? just an idea.. far fetch... but Im optimistic...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=141344

and

http://www.studentdoctor.net/interviewdent/interview_read.asp

 

[Sprgrover]

do you guys think posting interview experiences on the interview section is also "cheating", by helping lots of other people better prepare for the questions that will be asked, length and difficulty of interview, etc.? i know i prepared much more efficiently for my interviews due to reading the interview posts, and therefore i have no trouble posting my experiencees to help others, however i have been advised by some not to go on here and "give anything away". what do we think about this?

No, this is not a test and there are no right answers to be had. I do know that Arizona has been left out of the interview feedback section of SDN out of respect for their non-traditional interview style. With that said I think it is very helpful to read other's experiences as I know it helped me prepare myself beforehand - 'will I face a panel?' 'what do they expect?' 'did they treat their interviewees as dog meat?' and so on. Another reason why I feel that posting interview feed back is not 'cheating' is simply because in interviews a person will encounter a lot of questions that he/she can only answer. As far as people suggesting that you don't mention anything so as not to 'give anything away,' I have always felt such individuals have an under-developed sense of identity if they are threatened by the thought of offering an ounce of assistance. If these people are such great candidates they should have nothing to worry about should also be secure in their accomplishments and abilities. I am glad to know that you have posted your feedback and given back, Biogirl. 👍

 

[boogaking]

Thanks Dr.T!!!!!!!!!!! exactly what i was looking for...

 

[joy2dmd]

According to the ADA Testing Services (312-440-2500), there has been no officially released DAT exams in the past 12 years. Also, when I asked, they said you are forbidden to discuss any specifics about the exam and are obligated by this when you register as well as sign in and take the exam on computer. Interesting enough, it was clear to me on the phone that the ADA considers sharing specific information about the exam (e.g. specific content, RC passages, etc.) a violation of the exam rules, will void your exam scores if you are caught, etc. The guy asked me, "well, what do you think?" a little sarcastically I think, but I said I just called to see if you have released exams. He said we want students (doctors to be) that are ethical and not cheaters. We don't release exams and exam candidates are not to either.

I said thanks and wished him a nice holiday.