Just took my DAT today

[zhou381OSU]

Hey guys, I just took my DAT today and here is my score breakdown:

22 BIO
28 CHEM
22 OCHEM
22 PAT
22 QR
26 RC
24 AA

I just graduated from a large state university with a terrible GPA around 3.3 (didn't have the correct mind set for during my freshmen and sophomore year). Anyone have any clue as how likely I'll be able to gain an admission? Or should I go for a master?

Thx =)

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[Jiho15]

Or should I go for a master?

lol

 

[Cello]

I hope you're kidding about having a 'terrible' 3.3 GPA and asking if you should do a Master's. Provided everything else is in order, you should have no problem getting in somewhere.

 

[ZaneKaiser]

Nice DAT Scores man! And provided you have a good upward trend in your GPA, I'd say you will have a great shot of getting in somewhere if you apply broadly!

 

[sjv]

Awesome scores, GPA is sufficient, if everything else is alright, should gain admission somewhere, no need for a master's.

 

[zhou381OSU]

I do have a upward trend; I managed to keep my GPA above 3.6 on my last two semesters (3.9 on the last semester). Now I'm regretting that I graduated a semester early. I should've stayed to boost my GPA a bit higher.

 

[soydentista]

is this a joke? lol you need NO master, your scores are great and GPA of 3.3 is not low
Good luck, you will get lots of interviews
apply to OSU next cycle

 

[wb1]

I do have a upward trend; I managed to keep my GPA above 3.6 on my last two semesters (3.9 on the last semester). Now I'm regretting that I graduated a semester early. I should've stayed to boost my GPA a bit higher.

Made that semester up at a PhD program. Just kidding.

 

[techyguy]

I just talked to an adcom member earlier this week who said they look at your GPA trend. You meet every minimum requirement that I've ever read on a website; most do post that. Polish up your interview skills and you should get in somewhere. Don't use your first interview for practice.

 

[Futuredentguy2015]

can you post a breakdown of how you studied and what you used to study practice test etc?

 

[gn4]

you're good to go buddy

 

[free99]

Your numbers are totally sufficient, how's everything else?

 

[zhou381OSU]

Here's what I used to prepare for the DAT:
1. DAT achiever
2. Chad's video (go through them at least 2 times to get a good grip on all the basics)
3. DAT bootcamp (very similar to the real thing)
4. Scientific Americans
5. CDP (best PAT study tool out there)
6. Topscore
7. old ADA exams
8. Kaplan bluebook
9. Cliff AP bio
10. my old biology textbook (only for reference)

I studied about 7 hours a day for little less than two months. Started out by going through Chad's video. His videos are really helpful in preparing for chem and o chem but not so hot for biology as it is incomplete and are mostly about molecular biology. DAT achiever is extremely difficult and really killed my self confidence (from my own experience, Achiever is difficult because it's testing a lot of little details that you really don't need to know). Although difficult, DAT achiever is still a good buy as it made me study harder but don't get upset if you get terrible scores on it.

DAT bootcamp is really good as questions are extremely similar to the actual test. go through all of the exams couple times and know your weaknesses. reading Scientific Americans is a great way to familiarize yourself with reading DAT format articles. I've always considered myself a fast reader and didn't use the "search and destroy method" for my RC section as it does not work for me. What I did was go through the reading in the beginning and try to remember as much as possible, then try to answer the questions (refer back to the reading if not sure about the answer).

CDP is very good for practice PAT. Keyhole and TFE are similar in difficulty. Angle ranking was a bit harder. Cube counting is not good as the drawing is badly done and have lines that confuses you. hole punching and pattern folding are similar to the actual DAT.

The biology section is simply the most difficult section to prepare. I studied by going through Cliff AP bio and make my own notes. I focused a lot of attention on evolution, ecology and plant biology. Make sure that you understand mitosis and meiosis well as it is very likely to show up (at least 2 times on my exam). There isn't a bulletproof way to prepare for bio so try not to invest too much time on it as you can better prepare yourself for chem and o chem.

Topscore and ADA exams were used at the very end of my study to sharpen up my test-taking strategies.

 

[zhou381OSU]

Your numbers are totally sufficient, how's everything else?

I'm currently shadowing at a dental clinic and working as a research assistant at MUSC. btw, how important is research background for dental school?

 

[free99]

I'm currently shadowing at a dental clinic and working as a research assistant at MUSC. btw, how important is research background for dental school?

Sounds like you're taking the right steps. Research experience isn't necessary, I had none and got into several well regarded, research heavy schools (UCSF, mich, buffalo). I think it's important if you don't have that experience, to have something else that you are passionate about and have devoted a great deal of time towards - for example, I had many human service related volunteer pursuits and work experience which I discussed at length in each of my interviews.

 

[zhou381OSU]

Sounds like you're taking the right steps. Research experience isn't necessary, I had none and got into several well regarded, research heavy schools (UCSF, mich, buffalo). I think it's important if you don't have that experience, to have something else that you are passionate about and have devoted a great deal of time towards - for example, I had many human service related volunteer pursuits and work experience which I discussed at length in each of my interviews.

Thanks. I volunteered at the OSU medical center for two years as OR reception assistant.

 

[gnleff]

What was your sGPA?

 

[Dark Blue]

Master?? C'mon...you're good to go...

 

[zhou381OSU]

What was your sGPA?

It's about 3.3ish

 

[Luna724]

I just talked to an adcom member earlier this week who said they look at your GPA trend. You meet every minimum requirement that I've ever read on a website; most do post that. Polish up your interview skills and you should get in somewhere. Don't use your first interview for practice.

That's exactly what I did on my first interview and profoundly regret that. Make sure every interview counts.

 

[Glimmer1991]

Oh yeah. Looking at these last few posts, I agree that you need to PRACTICE beforehand. I went over tons of questions and potential answers with my parents. I think it increased my interview skills 100x! Just use the questions posted here, and compile a list from multiple schools. Obviously, don't memorize anything, but it will help immensely to have some experiences and stories on hand that you can use to answer a variety of questions. It is stressful to draw a blank in an interview!