How important is Org Chem II in DAT?

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sam26880

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Hi, I've recently decided to go back to school for dentistry. I'm taking Bio I right now and most probably be takiing Bio II and Org Chem I in Fall. Because of some timing issues, I won't be able to take Org Chem II before taking DAT. Do you think that's going to hurt me a lot? I've heard on other threads that as long as i've taken Org Chem I, I'll be ok. I just wanted to make sure that's true and that not taking Org Chem II will not hurt me. Please comment. thanks
 
There is plenty of stuff from Organic Chemistry II on the DAT, but I'm sure if you've had part I you can teach yourself the other stuff and still do well on the DAT.
 
aggie-master said:
There is plenty of stuff from Organic Chemistry II on the DAT, but I'm sure if you've had part I you can teach yourself the other stuff and still do well on the DAT.

thanks for the reply. Would the Kaplan book cover all the stuff from Org Chem II? Would that be enough for me?
 
sam26880 said:
thanks for the reply. Would the Kaplan book cover all the stuff from Org Chem II? Would that be enough for me?
I can't answer that. I only made a 17 on O-chem.

🙁
 
It'll be tough to teach yourself this stuff but it has been done before. I recommend going to a site such as amazon and buying Kaplan's Organic Chemistry Edge - First half of the book is summation of Org I and II, second half is a thorough outline with questions on each section. Used this is about $10. The larger Kaplan DAT book has an organic chemistry section but you'll really need a book just for Organic since your background isn't as strong as other applicants. You could also try Schaums - however, they do not provide enough explanation for it to be useful for me. Good luck.
 
When are you planning to take the DAT? Why not take O-chem 2 in the spring and then take the DAT right after?
 
I couldn't get Orgo II in before the dat too, and I just taught myself from the kaplan book and did well. it was enough for me!
 
jmac44 said:
When are you planning to take the DAT? Why not take O-chem 2 in the spring and then take the DAT right after?

Jmac44, I could do that but I wanted to give myself enough time so that in case I don't do so well in my 1st attempt, I can re-take it 3 months later and still be able to apply early.
 
sam26880 said:
Jmac44, I could do that but I wanted to give myself enough time so that in case I don't do so well in my 1st attempt, I can re-take it 3 months later and still be able to apply early.

If you take the DAT in mid May, you could take it again in mid August. Obviously you can study the o-chem 2 stuff on your own but I think it would definitely be more feasible to take the class first. I took the DAT in mid August a week after finishing o-chem 2. It was nice becasue the class served as the studying for that section of the DAT. I was a non-trad applicant and I've included my class timeline to give you an idea of how I did it. My only regrest is that I didn't submit my AADSAS earlier. Although I did get into my top choice so it was all good.

Fall 04 - Bio I, Gen chem II, English
Spring 05 - Bio II, O-chem I, Physics II
Summer 05 - O-chem II, Anatomy & physiology I, and KAPLAN
August 12? - DAT = 22/22/22
Submitted to AADSAS 10/2/05 - Mailed out 11/3/05
Fall 05 - Biochem I, MicroB, Genetics
Accepted to Maryland by mid Jan and Nova by mid Feb.

Good luck with whatever you decide. My strategy was to do my best for one try. I knew I wouldn't be able to take it again.
 
sam26880 said:
thanks for the reply. Would the Kaplan book cover all the stuff from Org Chem II? Would that be enough for me?


yeah kaplan is fine. i recommend going through all the problems from the kaplan coursework and doing all the practice tests from dat achiever and topscore. no need to go to class for the test. gL.
 
I took the DAT once and got a 18 on the organic part, and i haven't even taken the class yet. I am retaking the DAT on tuesday i'll let you know how I did
 
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