i have lost hope

[docveda]

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I have lost all hope. I have taken all the tests and seem that my scores fluctuate. If on one test i score a 20+ on the bio i score real bad on the ochem and vice versa thus affectiong my TS score. Same with the QR and PAT. RC is the only section i stay consistent on. I have lost all hope as i have ran out of all the practice tests on the Topscore as well as DAT acheiver. I am really frustrated right now and do not now how differently to study. I know all of my material well, but when i go and take the test its a different story all together. Does anyone have the same problem? Any advice on how to approach the actual test questions? Like i said i know all the reading material real well. I was planning to take the DAT next month but i guess ill have to push it back to aug. 🙁 . I really dont know what to do....sigh..........

 

[docveda]

Please anyone....no one has any suggestions on what i should do? 🙁

 

[kokobean]

my scores fluctuate quite a bit also... but I think the main reason is because I do not take the test really seriously. On some of the tests I just get lazy, and stop thinking, and just select stupid answers.. which is bad. Do you take each test like its the real thing? or do you go over it like practice questions? That may be why..
otherwise, if you know the material real well, I see no reason for you not to do well on these practice exams. Look the questions over and see why.

 

[Notoriousjae]

a good idea would be to go back to all the sections of the test you did bad in and look at why you got those answers wrong. it doesnt make sense if you should know everything to not do well.
Relax and breathe you still have until august to prepare.

 

[docveda]

my scores fluctuate quite a bit also... but I think the main reason is because I do not take the test really seriously. On some of the tests I just get lazy, and stop thinking, and just select stupid answers.. which is bad. Do you take each test like its the real thing? or do you go over it like practice questions? That may be why..
otherwise, if you know the material real well, I see no reason for you not to do well on these practice exams. Look the questions over and see why.

Yea i take the tests pretty seriously. Also i use the method if not looking at the answers. Most of the time what i think is the right answer is one of the answer choices, and i am pretty confident about my answers. So i do not know where i go wrong.

 

[docveda]

is there any other test softwares you all have tried that might be worth buying? I need lots and lots of practice on actual questions.

 

[knyt]

hey docveda, don't worry too much. Just like you when I took the practice tests on Topscores, my scores also fluctuated. However, when I took the actual DAT, my scores came out to be pretty uniform. So don't stress too much 🙂, and btw, do you have the Kaplan subject tests? Those helped me a lot.

 

[FatalExtraction]

docveda i have the same problem - the questions are worded in such a way that anyone can easily slip up if they aren't anal...i feel pretty good about my answers until i get my test back...i've fluctuated on the kaplan tests within each section and between other tets like the ada practice dat and topscore so far...have you tried dat achiever? thats supposed to be really really difficult compared to the actual thing but supposidly a good study tool...also do problems in the back of your textbooks

 

[ArmoredTooth]

I'm frustrated about the DAT too. It's very depressing when you don't do well the first time, esp on sections that are important to dental schools.

Well, you do what you gotta do, and that's studying the damn DAT test-prep books again, or buying MORE science books to prepare yourself.

 

[docveda]

I'm frustrated about the DAT too. It's very depressing when you don't do well the first time, esp on sections that are important to dental schools.

Well, you do what you gotta do, and that's studying the damn DAT test-prep books again, or buying MORE science books to prepare yourself.

You got that right.

Fatalextraction- Yes i have also tried Dat achiever which is just a confidence breaker all together. Atleast i have pals on SDN here that are in the same boat as me.

 

[LLU4life]

you'll be fine. i think taking the DAT is a really emotional experience, especially when you want to do really well. just yesterday i was sitting in my room in a pool of tears coz i too had lost hope. but the most important thing is not to stay in that slump but get up shake off your fears and get right back into your 'DAT cave' (as someone else on SDN called it). do those tests over and over again untill you understand where you are going wrong ortherwise you will continue to make the same mistake.

 

[aggie.teacher]

I know those practice tests are tough. I had to take them a section at a time, so I wouldn't get all overwhelmed. It seemed like that was a big help and I was still prepared for the marathon. My scores fluctuated, too, but it all came out pretty even in the end. I agree with Notoriousjae - it really helped to see why I got questions wrong - it trained me to think like the test. I literally wrote out every practice test question (8 practice tests) on notecards and figured out why I got them wrong.

 

[letsgfuad]

if you are fluctuating every test but are scoring 20 on certain subjects, then you are probally ready to take the test. I fluctuated quite a bit, and expecially on kaplan tetsts. This is because each test focused on specific topics so i would do bad on certain tests.

 

[Immuno-guy]

I agree, studying and studying and getting modest scores is depressing. God knows I've been upset. I agree with some previous posts, keep track of all the exams you do in a notebook, and after a week or two just try the questions you got wrong. Also, try to realize why the others are are not correct.

I've been studying this for longer than I care to mention, and I'm still just OK.

I also agree with previous posts that some exams place a greater empahsis on some sections, which can account for fluctuations.

Keep at it.