It's OVER!! 7/18/09

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MTD52

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This is the best feeling I've had in a while :D. No more studying for the rest of the summer ! Anyway, I finished the DAT on Friday 7/17/09. My scores are as follows:

PAT 21
QR 18 (hard)
RC 23
BIO 22 (pumped about this because it was my lowest of the sciences in Topscore)
GC 20
OC 21
TS 21 :D
AA 21 :D

My overall thoughts:
I thought the sciences were comparable to Topscore, although I did better on Bio than I was expecting. However, the rest I thought was harder than Topscore, with perhaps the exception of RC.

Bio: I used Kaplan BB, Destroyer, and reviewed Cliff's/Barron's AP Bio just 2 days before the test. I recommend, if you have time, to at least go over either Cliff's or Barron's. I came across a bunch of problems in Destroyer and Topscore that were covered in Cliff's/Barron's and not in Kaplan.

GC: This was easier than what I was used to in Topscore and Destroyer. I think you're fine with Kaplan, Destroyer, and Topscore.

OC: Also a bit easier, but comparable to Topscore. Destroyer and Kaplan are enough. Make the road maps in Destoryer your friend :)

QR: This, I thought, was much harder than anything I came across in Kaplan or Topscore. I didn't really use Destroyer much for this. There were a lot more word problems that probably needed formulas that I didn't care to memorize. Honestly, I didn't study QR much at all. I was more focused on sciences because that's a lot of memorization and I'm just good at math, so I thought I would be okay. I didn't know any probability formulas or anything like that. The only actual "formulas" I knew were things with trig functions. That being said, I got a 19, 20, and 22 on Topscore, and only an 18 on the real thing. So that was certainly harder.

PAT: The only thing I ever "studied" for this was that wicked sat PAT thread. I did well without ever studying anything though, and then I finally realized that I was folding the pattern folding things the wrong way lol, so that jumped my score up a little. This was harder than Topscore, but obviously still doable. I thought the angle ranks were rough and hole punch harder too, and I have never gotten a hole punch question wrong on any pratice test.

RC: This is another one that I didn't study at all. The only practice I got were practice tests from Kaplan and Topscore, and that was fine for me. I don't have a secret method, and I didn't use search and destroy. I actually read the whole passage quickly enough so that I can remember where main points were. That way, I can find answers easily and also can answer inference questions. That works for me. However, there were some weird questions on there, and IMO they were things you couldn't get with search and destroy.

Some of you may have seen what I've recently written, but if not, I studied for about 6 weeks (maybe 6 1/2, but not every day). In the beginning, it was 3-5 hours a day, 6 days a week until I got through Kaplan, taking notes on things. Then I went back through all the notes I took and studied them. Then I went through Destroyer. Once I did all that, I started taking Topscore tests. I was studying more like 6-8 hours a day for about the last week. I finished my last Topscore 3 days before the test and I reviewed whatever I felt necessary 2 days before. The day before I relaxed and hung out, no studying. I did a few practice problems before I left to it on the day of, just to get me in that mindset. I'm just sharing that for people to hopefully get a decent gauge of what they can do in that amount of time. Obviously, everyone is different, but I'm just saying that 6 weeks can be enough, for those who are freaking out about that.

I have a 4.0 gpa and I applied to NJDS, Columbia, NYU, and UPenn. Those are actually my choices in that order. I feel extremely relieved that this is over :) and I feel like I should no longer be worried. Looks like I'm good to go, no?

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Most apply to a lot more.
Yeah I know. I'm not most people :)

I wanted to stay close too and I figured if I worked hard enough to do well enough, it wouldn't be a problem that I'm only applying to four schools. Hopefully it works out that way. My number one choice is in state and although I think it's a great school from what I've heard, it's the easiest of my choices to get into (in general and because I'm in state).
 
Nice scores, I think OP has a good shot with his GPA and DATs. OP probably has NYU and UMDNJ. Congrats.
 
Congrats on the scores!

So what kind of questions did you get on the QR? I know you said you got some story problems with formulas, but specifically for the QR, what would you say if you would have studied more (be it compound interest, trig functions, etc) would have boost your score the most?

Also, applying to four schools isn't a really bad idea if you're applying to schools that you know you really don't want to go to if you get accepted ^_^. I applied to 8. 7 out of the 8 I would have no problem moving to the area/going to school there, with the last one being a "fall back".

I don't see the point in applying to 15+ schools unless you really don't care where you get accepted to... I just figured that the four + years you spend at the school is going to be what shapes the rest of your career and life for that matter, so why settle?
 
COngrats on your straight 21s :)

You should update the other thread - where the Grinch got bitter :)
 
Yeah I know. I'm not most people :)

I wanted to stay close too and I figured if I worked hard enough to do well enough, it wouldn't be a problem that I'm only applying to four schools. Hopefully it works out that way. My number one choice is in state and although I think it's a great school from what I've heard, it's the easiest of my choices to get into (in general and because I'm in state).

Yeah, this is exactly what I did, only applied to the 3 Texas schools. I know you'll get in somewhere (and we have almost identical stats)
 
Yeah, this is exactly what I did, only applied to the 3 Texas schools. I know you'll get in somewhere (and we have almost identical stats)

Thanks :). If I get into NJDS there's almost no way I'll even consider anything else. It's like 15 minutes from my house, it's much cheaper (huge plus), and the class sizes are smaller than some of the other schools. It's a win win win for me :D.

COngrats on your straight 21s :)

You should update the other thread - where the Grinch got bitter :)

Haha I'm not sure which one you're talking about. There were two where some people got their panties in a bunch.

Congrats on the scores!

So what kind of questions did you get on the QR? I know you said you got some story problems with formulas, but specifically for the QR, what would you say if you would have studied more (be it compound interest, trig functions, etc) would have boost your score the most?

Also, applying to four schools isn't a really bad idea if you're applying to schools that you know you really don't want to go to if you get accepted ^_^. I applied to 8. 7 out of the 8 I would have no problem moving to the area/going to school there, with the last one being a "fall back".

I don't see the point in applying to 15+ schools unless you really don't care where you get accepted to... I just figured that the four + years you spend at the school is going to be what shapes the rest of your career and life for that matter, so why settle?

Honestly, I didn't know jack about the the probability formulas (ex: if you have 10 horses, how many ways can you have 1st, 2nd, 3rd; or how many groups of 6 can you pick from 24 people). I have no shot at those other than using my own knowledge to guess at a method. So I would know stuff like that if I were you. Obviously, those weren't the problems on the test, but just staying. For trig I would just know the main identities. I didn't know compound interest either. Most of that kind of stuff I figure out just by thinking about it, but that's REALLY hard to do with the timing on the DAT, so yeah, you should know it if you have time. My best advice is just know all kinds of word problems.

Like I said, I didn't really study the QR, so I don't know what types of things I should/should not have studied more. If you gave me specific topics, I could tell you whether or not I knew how to do them, but other than that, it's hard for me to say. Sorry if that's coming off completely useless. I'm just being honest.
 
Congrats on those scores! It's a real load off the mind, isn't it? It's such a relief once it's over and you just have to wait to hear back from schools.
 
This might be a dumb question but is compound interest the same as I=Prt or is it something totally different?
 
Oh I just found this formula: A = P (1 + r/n) ^nt

That's a pretty hefty formula to remember haha.
 
This might be a dumb question but is compound interest the same as I=Prt or is it something totally different?

lol it feels like i just went thru 5 threads and answereed questions in a row, but no compund is different i believe it is, shoot i forgot the formula(thats not good) but it is basically the interest everyyear of the new value(including the new interest on it) and simply is simply the interest every year on the original value
 
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Oh I just found this formula: A = P (1 + r/n) ^nt

That's a pretty hefty formula to remember haha.

thats it but there is actually a better formula for the DAT itself i forgot it though. Its a really simple one with I as a variable.
 
congrats on your scores. good luck getting into dental schools. your grades are good enough.
 
Congrats on your scores!! From what I hear about NJDS, since it's your top choice, your scores and GPA put you in a safe spot.. I'd definitely say that you're in.

Can I ask, how was the reading section? I keep reading nightmare stories about it yet you did quite well. How did you prepare? Were the essays hard?
 
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Congrats on your scores!! From what I hear about NJDS, since it's your top choice, your scores and GPA put you in a safe spot.. I'd definitely say that you're in.

Can I ask, how was the reading section? I keep reading nightmare stories about it yet you did quite well. How did you prepare? Were the essays hard?
Thanks, let's hope so =). Reading was definitely harder than what I encountered with Topscore and Kaplan. However, my feelings on the reading are different than most. Reading is reading is reading to me. I don't have a secret method. I read fast and I took in what I could, making sure to try and remember where info was, more than what, so that I could find it easily. The essays were not hard in the sense of comprehension, but some of the quesions were out there. They seemed like things that search and destroy wouldn't really cover, like you had to really think about them. I didn't prepare at all for the reading, other than taking Topscore and Kaplan tests.

congrats on your scores. good luck getting into dental schools. your grades are good enough.
Gracias.

And congrats MTD52 those are some nice scores! what were your practice scores like?
I was about to tell you to GTFO if you weren't gonna comment on my scores, lol :D. Just kidding. Anyway, I'll put those up tomorrow. Don't have them on me now.

Sweeeeet! Congrats :laugh:. Btw, how were you doing pattern folding wrong.

I was folding them up towards me instead of in :(
 
I am taking DAT in three weeks. I am gonna start taking Kaplan pratice exams and just wondering how close were they too the real thing in terms of rigour level. Also should I bother to take topscore exams after taking three kaplan ones after a kaplan final??
 
I am taking DAT in three weeks. I am gonna start taking Kaplan pratice exams and just wondering how close were they too the real thing in terms of rigour level. Also should I bother to take topscore exams after taking three kaplan ones after a kaplan final??

Yeah I would take Topscore. I took a Kaplan practice test and for one thing, the screen isn't exactly the same. Topscore gives you a better feel. That's a stupid reason, I know, but just saying. I think Topscore was more comparable anyway.

Great scores! How long did it take you to go through Kaplan?

Umm I want to say it took me about 10 days, maybe 11, to go through Kaplan, reading each day and taking notes on things. After I did that, I went back through the entire thing again, focusing really just on the notes I took (and if I came across anything along the way). That took me a few more days, more like 4 at that point I think.
 
Thanks!! and one more question.. Did u have a lot of questions on plant and invertebrate bio? I don wanna know wat they were but just an idea whether i shud bother going over that stuff again....
 
There's way too much info for Bio get a lot of questions on any one topic, but I would still know that stuff. Keep in mind you may not even be getting the same test as I.
 
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