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I am rather new to the dental forum. I was pre-med and then switched to pre-dent. I am applying for the 2004 class. I really enjoy reading everybody's post. They are very informative and they have guided me well.
I recently took the DAT and thought I would give people some subjective feedback. All-in-all I agree with Freddy---by the way, awesome job Freddy, your scores are great.
My turn-out:
ACADAVG: 21
PERCEP: 19
QUANT: 18
READING: 20
CHEM: 19
BIO: 21
ORGO: 25
TOTAL SCI: 21
READING- Top-Score was very accurate with respect to the passage-type and questions. There were only a couple "thinking" questions, however. I was pleased that the passages were about material I already knew about, and I hope it is the same for others who have yet to take it. I don't recommned using already-established knowledge to answer questions, however this knowledge is great for an educated guess. My strategy was very effective. For some history on myself, I have never done well on standardized tests. I truly made the extra effort for this DAT and I stuck with my strategies that I used while studying.
My approach at the reading comprehension was that I read the topic sentences of each paragragh first to "map-out" the passage sort of speak. For example--I would keep something of this sort in the back of my mind---"paragragh one is on prevention, paragragh two is on diagnosis, etc." Then I answered each question. This method gave be ~1min per question. I personally believe reading the whole passage is a big mistake, unless you're are a super fast reader. It was imperitive for me to be scientific with the passage. As applicants to dental schools, we are all scientists in our own way. Search for key words in the question stem and focus on that word while frantically scanning the passage for it. It worked for me---however use what works for you.
BIOLOGY: I studied with old text books and used kaplan as time was running out. Cell-related questons, enzymology, cellular respiration, genetics, ecology, and evolution are important areas (recommended) to know---just the basics and not too detailed. I felt like the DAT was written for someone who has not been in school for a while. For recent graduates and soon-to-be graduates, you will find a lot of DAT stuff to be second nature. It was for me with the questions and I believe you don't have much to worry about here.
GENCHEM: Do not forget to know concepts for this. All I can say is that I used the periodic table only one time. Stoichiometry, MORE stoichiometry, and MORE stoichiometry. Study stoichiometry. Top-Score was on the mark with this section 100%, as well as Lipocott, Williams, and Wilkins DAT The Science of Review. Similarly, Exam Krackers 1001 MCAT Chem question is a must have!
ORGO: BUY EXAM KRACKERS 1001 MCAT questions in orgo. I felt like the DAT was a carbon copy of this book. I made it up to question 700 somehting, and this book is solid gold. Please buy this book. You can get it online at www.examkrackers.com. It shipped to me in 2 days. I freaked out during the exam because on question 91 my computer wigged out, scrolled up-and-down at warp speed and jumped to the review your marked-answers screen. I recommend studying first semester stuff a lot, however do not neglect the other stuff. That would be foolish.
MATH: Top-Score was close for the most part. However, the permutations on Top-Score were a litte unecessary. Yor "basic" algebra manipulation questions and percentages are important to know--as well as how to manipulate trigonometric functions. QUANT was my lowest score, however I am prouud of it considering I have never been math oriented.
PERCEP: The angles are impossible. The pixels on the screen are as such that the angles don't look proportional on the screen. My parallel method worked, as well as comparing each angle with the X-axis. All the other perceptual ability questions are similar in dfficulty to Kaplan, Barron's, and others. I recommend using Barron's to study for this section.
Well that is my review of the DAT. When you feel like giving up because your are getting very bored, anxious, upset, and everything else, remember we are all going through it together. Our goal to be dentists is all we need to keep motivated. The potential to practice in the field of dentistry is worth the many hours studying. When you get anxious while studying, just remember what you are doing it for---it is well worth it! The mere act of being on SDN displays your committment to this wonderful field. Gook Luck!
I recently took the DAT and thought I would give people some subjective feedback. All-in-all I agree with Freddy---by the way, awesome job Freddy, your scores are great.
My turn-out:
ACADAVG: 21
PERCEP: 19
QUANT: 18
READING: 20
CHEM: 19
BIO: 21
ORGO: 25
TOTAL SCI: 21
READING- Top-Score was very accurate with respect to the passage-type and questions. There were only a couple "thinking" questions, however. I was pleased that the passages were about material I already knew about, and I hope it is the same for others who have yet to take it. I don't recommned using already-established knowledge to answer questions, however this knowledge is great for an educated guess. My strategy was very effective. For some history on myself, I have never done well on standardized tests. I truly made the extra effort for this DAT and I stuck with my strategies that I used while studying.
My approach at the reading comprehension was that I read the topic sentences of each paragragh first to "map-out" the passage sort of speak. For example--I would keep something of this sort in the back of my mind---"paragragh one is on prevention, paragragh two is on diagnosis, etc." Then I answered each question. This method gave be ~1min per question. I personally believe reading the whole passage is a big mistake, unless you're are a super fast reader. It was imperitive for me to be scientific with the passage. As applicants to dental schools, we are all scientists in our own way. Search for key words in the question stem and focus on that word while frantically scanning the passage for it. It worked for me---however use what works for you.
BIOLOGY: I studied with old text books and used kaplan as time was running out. Cell-related questons, enzymology, cellular respiration, genetics, ecology, and evolution are important areas (recommended) to know---just the basics and not too detailed. I felt like the DAT was written for someone who has not been in school for a while. For recent graduates and soon-to-be graduates, you will find a lot of DAT stuff to be second nature. It was for me with the questions and I believe you don't have much to worry about here.
GENCHEM: Do not forget to know concepts for this. All I can say is that I used the periodic table only one time. Stoichiometry, MORE stoichiometry, and MORE stoichiometry. Study stoichiometry. Top-Score was on the mark with this section 100%, as well as Lipocott, Williams, and Wilkins DAT The Science of Review. Similarly, Exam Krackers 1001 MCAT Chem question is a must have!
ORGO: BUY EXAM KRACKERS 1001 MCAT questions in orgo. I felt like the DAT was a carbon copy of this book. I made it up to question 700 somehting, and this book is solid gold. Please buy this book. You can get it online at www.examkrackers.com. It shipped to me in 2 days. I freaked out during the exam because on question 91 my computer wigged out, scrolled up-and-down at warp speed and jumped to the review your marked-answers screen. I recommend studying first semester stuff a lot, however do not neglect the other stuff. That would be foolish.
MATH: Top-Score was close for the most part. However, the permutations on Top-Score were a litte unecessary. Yor "basic" algebra manipulation questions and percentages are important to know--as well as how to manipulate trigonometric functions. QUANT was my lowest score, however I am prouud of it considering I have never been math oriented.
PERCEP: The angles are impossible. The pixels on the screen are as such that the angles don't look proportional on the screen. My parallel method worked, as well as comparing each angle with the X-axis. All the other perceptual ability questions are similar in dfficulty to Kaplan, Barron's, and others. I recommend using Barron's to study for this section.
Well that is my review of the DAT. When you feel like giving up because your are getting very bored, anxious, upset, and everything else, remember we are all going through it together. Our goal to be dentists is all we need to keep motivated. The potential to practice in the field of dentistry is worth the many hours studying. When you get anxious while studying, just remember what you are doing it for---it is well worth it! The mere act of being on SDN displays your committment to this wonderful field. Gook Luck!
