For Students who Retake

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MikeyD914

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This question is for the people who retook their exam either 2 or 3 times.

This will be my third time taking the exam and im having trouble on how to study. Ive taken Topscore exams twice and ive done the first 3 tests of Achiever the first time i studied, and ive taken all of Qvault and BOOTCAMP exams my 2nd time....

My question is what do you guys do? specifically for the people who are planning on taking the exam for the third time?

What materials are you studying?
What are you doing different?

How can you guys study questions if you have taken virtually all of the practice exams twice before and its pointless to go over them again since you already memorized the asnwers when you see the question?

I cannot give up on my dream of being a dentist one day theres nothing else I want to do in life!
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Hey Mikey, I might have some advice for you. I have taken the DAT once and I'm planning on a retake soon in order to boost some of my scores. The general consensus seems to be that if you want to get high chemistry scores, you MUST use Chad's videos, his practice quizzes, and also DAT destroyer. I scored highly in bio from using mainly Qvault and bootcamp. I found Qvault to be very helpful with PAT practice. As far as math goes.... I am using destroyer alot more than I did last time around, my previous math score was poor so I'm probably not the best person to listen to about math! Best of luck to you.
 
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emitpeels said:
Hey Mikey, I might have some advice for you. I have taken the DAT once and I'm planning on a retake soon in order to boost some of my scores. The general consensus seems to be that if you want to get high chemistry scores, you MUST use Chad's videos, his practice quizzes, and also DAT destroyer. I scored highly in bio from using mainly Qvault and bootcamp. I found Qvault to be very helpful with PAT practice. As far as math goes.... I am using destroyer alot more than I did last time around, my previous math score was poor so I'm probably not the best person to listen to about math! Best of luck to you.
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you know what... i BARELY used my destroyer book. im gonna really go at it this time and I NEED to finish all of the math destroyer tests.. i only did the first 2 and got a 14 in math lol. I will definately utilize the destroyer book more along with youtube videos. I hope this helps me. I plan on taking the exam around early to mid march or early april, i just hope the bio section doesnt change by then!
 
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I would HIGHLY recommend that you use chad's videos, do his quizzes, and then move onto destroyer for the chemistries.
 
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Like emitpeels said, Chad's videos and quizzes are all you really need for the chemistry sections!

Similarly, I thought DAT Bootcamp chemistry questions were the most realistic of the questions I got on my DAT. The first test for each section is free!
 
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ive used chads videos twice. the first 2 times i took my exam. got a 17 on gen chem both twice and a 20 on orgo both times.
 
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Anyone got advice for improving the bio and math sections? I don't mean to jack the thread, but it would go hand in hand with what the OP was asking.
 
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emitpeels said:
Anyone got advice for improving the bio and math sections? I don't mean to jack the thread, but it would go hand in hand with what the OP was asking.
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Feralis notes is awesome. I did destroyer 3 times for bio and I got a 20. Im going to retake however. When are you taking yours bud?
 
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Barrons ap biology/Feralis notes for any gaps. All information I couldn't recall I put into quizlet.com

Destroyer/bootcamp/vault for review. All information I couldn't recall I put into quizlet.com.

Always went through a portion of cards every day. Got a 20 in biology. Got two straight forward questions wrong too.


emitpeels said:
Anyone got advice for improving the bio and math sections? I don't mean to jack the thread, but it would go hand in hand with what the OP was asking.
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Lets just say I severely underestimated the math section and delayed my exam for about two months because I honestly remembered very little from college algebra. Bless those people who are able to pick up the subject after years, I'm just not one of them.

Did destroyer math 1-10 about 2-3x. Used quvualt(2x) for timing. My particular exam resembled qvualt but destroyer is necessary. I believe I had my qvualt averages in my breakdown, just look through my post history if you need them. Going through the math destroyer was the lowest point in my academic career. Got a 19 in QR, the score I felt most happiest about.
 
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:bang:Math is the main reason I'm retaking as well. Wouldn't mind boosting my organic score as well. I'm sad to piss away a 21 on the PAT and a 20 in bio though :(.
 
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emitpeels said:
:bang:Math is the main reason I'm retaking as well. Wouldn't mind boosting my organic score as well. I'm sad to piss away a 21 on the PAT and a 20 in bio though :(.
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I am retaking also. I am sad that I am throwing away AA 20 and TS 21. I just feel it's not competitive enough for Texas. I called in schools because of my PAT 17, I believe they are implying for me to retake it.
 
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wow guys looks like a lot of us are in similar situations. i got a 14 in QR twice it just kills me idk how to score better on it its so hard for me now lol i havnt taken math in a long time and i got a 19 in PAT first time i took it and a 17 the second time i took it. i scored 17 in biology both times 17 in chemistry both times and 20 in orgo both times. my score went down the second time i took it

17 bio 17 GC 20 orgo 17 TS, 19 PAT 19 RC 14 QR 1st time taken in september 2012 (started working for a year after that)
17 bio 17 GC 20 orgo, 17 TS, 17 PAT 16 RC 14 QR taken august 26 2013 (havnt studied till 1 week ago to retake this year)

hopefully biology doesnt change.

i know im an idiot, i should of taken the exam again 90 days after i took it but instead i waited a year the first time and i just started studying again now... its just so hard because im broke and needed to work i owe a lot of money on my credit cards and car payments, bills etc. its just tough on me.
 
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Memorize the equations at the beginning of Math Destroyer. Memorize the unit circle. Watch this to help with trig identities:
I know on my QR section I needed to use the unit circle and trig, so learning both of those proved invaluable. After you memorize the equations, practice the Math Destroyer tests 1-8. Time yourself and make sure you finish within the time limit. I would do 1-2 tests per day starting about 2 weeks before my DAT. The tests would take me 2 hours initially, but with practice I had time to spare and was getting 30-32/40 correct, which led me to scoring a 22 on the QR. I haven't taken a math class in 13 years, so getting a good QR score can be done with enough practice. Good luck
 
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I got a 20AA my first time and 24AA on my retake. Check out my breakdown (link in my sig below) for what I did to improve.
 
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Another math pooper here.

I recently took the DAT with 22's on TS/PAT/RC and a 16 on QR to yield an AA of 21. I'm considering taking it again not only bc of that QR score, but because I feel like I can do better on TS. However, I feel pretty lucky to have those PAT/RC scores. Meh.
 
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WutzUpDoc said:
Another math pooper here.

I recently took the DAT with 22's on TS/PAT/RC and a 16 on QR to yield an AA of 21. I'm considering taking it again not only bc of that QR score, but because I feel like I can do better on TS. However, I feel pretty lucky to have those PAT/RC scores. Meh.
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dude your crazy..... those scores are really good. i would NOT go through the trouble 90 days later to study and retake the exam and RISK getting a lower score. you will certainly get in with a 21AA ! QR doesnt even matter much
 
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MikeyD914 said:
dude your crazy..... those scores are really good. i would NOT go through the trouble 90 days later to study and retake the exam and RISK getting a lower score. you will certainly get in with a 21AA ! QR doesnt even matter much
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Haha you think so? Yea, I know it's a major risk. The thing is, I heard anything below a 17 is crap. Anybody get in with a low score on any one section?
 
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WutzUpDoc said:
Haha you think so? Yea, I know it's a major risk. The thing is, I heard anything below a 17 is crap. Anybody get in with a low score on any one section?
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my brothers fiance got into UCONN with a 13 in QR bro... and an 18 AA, (most stuff was straight 20 across the board though)
 
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MikeyD914 said:
my brothers fiance got into UCONN with a 13 in QR bro... and an 18 AA, (most stuff was straight 20 across the board though)
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Ahhh really?? No way. Well you have to admit... that's quite an anamoly though.

I appreciate the advice. By the way, may I ask what your study schedule looked like for your prior exams? Consistency is key. Also, contrary to popular belief, it's not about studying more. It's about studying well. Hone in on your weaknesses, actively participate in your studies (notes/pictures if your visual like me), create silly mnemonics for material, mini quizzes, etc.

Chad/ Destroyer is great and all, but no material in the world can help if you don't acknowledge your optimal method of learning. The human mind has a limited amt of will power/attention so use that study time wisely.

Hope that's helpful
 
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WutzUpDoc said:
Ahhh really?? No way. Well you have to admit... that's quite an anamoly though.

I appreciate the advice. By the way, may I ask what your study schedule looked like for your prior exams? Consistency is key. Also, contrary to popular belief, it's not about studying more. It's about studying well. Hone in on your weaknesses, actively participate in your studies (notes/pictures if your visual like me), create silly mnemonics for material, mini quizzes, etc.

Chad/ Destroyer is great and all, but no material in the world can help if you don't acknowledge your optimal method of learning. The human mind has a limited amt of will power/attention so use that study time wisely.

Hope that's helpful
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Thank you so much for your advice! Btw, I figured out what my problem is. I've always been tired and cant ever concentrate and study and focus, I just got my bloodwork from my doctor and said i have low hormone levels which is the root of all my problems, sometimes i fall asleep at 8:30-9:00. I need to get that treated now to help revive myself so I can study again.

Thanks again BTW.


As for my study schedule, I mainly focused on chads for the chemistrties and cliffs/feralis for biology along with Qvault and bootcamp then topscore exams(which i think are not that great) the last 3 weeks of my studies i started QR and PAT/RC because I felt as if I never had enough time to finish my sciences so I focused on those more. This time around I'm going to practice QR a lot more and do all 10 CrackDATPAT exams as well as all a like 2 RC practice tests. I didn't put forth my full effort like I should have but I know why now its because of my hormone levels are really low and causing an effect on my entire body. I have to fix this ASAP
 
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Dude, good for finding that out!

I had similar problems as a collegiate athlete at one point... I was overtrained, sleep deprived, and malnourished for an extended period of time. It threw my hormones out of wack and thwarted my cognitive function.

With that, examine your diet and include exercise. Most people don't understand how frikken important diet and exercise are in regards to cognition! I became super diligent on eating clean and getting in physical activity during my DAT studies. Highly recommend that!
 
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Just an FYI, I got into two dental schools with an AA of 17. My highest was RC with 20 and my total science was an 18. I have a 3.64 GPA and volunteered and shadowed quite a bit. I also got the first round of acceptances for both of the schools, once without an interview. So if your grades are top notch and the other parts of your application are great, then don't waste the money if you have in the 20's on most things. I retook it because my original ochem was a 14, but i raised it to a 17.
 
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Michdent said:
Just an FYI, I got into two dental schools with an AA of 17. My highest was RC with 20 and my total science was an 18. I have a 3.64 GPA and volunteered and shadowed quite a bit. I also got the first round of acceptances for both of the schools, once without an interview. So if your grades are top notch and the other parts of your application are great, then don't waste the money if you have in the 20's on most things. I retook it because my original ochem was a 14, but i raised it to a 17.
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which schools if you dont mind me asking? i have a fantastic looking application, with TON of shadowing/dental volunterring, United states coast guard auxiliary volunteering, Volunteering in a Costa Rica at a nursing home, etc. i have 3.3 GPA though but with 3.5 Science gpa
 
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I got accepted to two dental schools with QR13!! I took DAT three times and increased QR11, QR12, QR13...So If you retake make sure at least you increase points in every section :)
 
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soydentista said:
I got accepted to two dental schools with QR13!! I took DAT three times and increased QR11, QR12, QR13...So If you retake make sure at least you increase points in every section :)
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What were your other scores ? What schools did you get into
 
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