Should I really retake it???MATH HELP

[Calident]

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Okay, I took the DAT last year and got AA:21, RC:25, Bio:25, G.Chem:19, O.Chem:21, PAT:18, QR:16. I did apply really late, but when I called UOP they told me that I need to get a math score above 17. Also, my GPA isn't all that high. I'm afraid that my science scores will go down if I retake it--if bio went down a few points, would it really matter if math went up? Also, does anybody have a good way to practice for the QR section---the problem is that I'm really really slow without a calculator----I take practice test without it and never finish--I end up getting 18 or 19, if I take it with a calculator I end up getting 22-24---how can I speed it up? Do you guys think it is worth the risk of re-taking it?

 

[dat_student]

I take practice test without it and never finish--I end up getting 18 or 19, if I take it with a calculator I end up getting 22-24---how can I speed it up? Do you guys think it is worth the risk of re-taking it?

Obviously, everybody can do better with a calculator. It seems to me you have been able to achieve your goal. Isn't 18 the minimum you said you needed to get for the math section? Secondly, based on your conversation with UOP you need to at least get 18 for QR in order to get accepted there. So, I guess if you want to go there then you must take the test and score 18 for that section. I believe 19 is the QR average for UOP and 21 is the overall academic average for that school. If 19 is the average for QR & the minimum acceptable score is 18 most of their students probably got 18. They probably had more people getting below 19 because if one person scores 29 then you need 10 students with 18 to make the average 19 (assuming their minimum acceptable score for that section is 18). I think I read somewhere on their site that the minimum acceptable score for each section is 16 for UOP but I guess their policy has changed and its become more competitive. In order to do really well for that section you have to practice. Everybody has a weakness but with a lot of practice one can improve a lot. By the way, did you apply to any other school last year? Did you receive any acceptance letter from any school? Overall, your scores are pretty good. With those scores you should have been able to get accepted somewhere. Frankly, in my opinion, a dentist is a dentist. So, it won't matter much if you go to UOP or XYZ.

 

[KSDDS]

Okay, I took the DAT last year and got AA:21, RC:25, Bio:25, G.Chem:19, O.Chem:21, PAT:18, QR:16. I did apply really late, but when I called UOP they told me that I need to get a math score above 17. Also, my GPA isn't all that high. I'm afraid that my science scores will go down if I retake it--if bio went down a few points, would it really matter if math went up? Also, does anybody have a good way to practice for the QR section---the problem is that I'm really really slow without a calculator----I take practice test without it and never finish--I end up getting 18 or 19, if I take it with a calculator I end up getting 22-24---how can I speed it up? Do you guys think it is worth the risk of re-taking it?

Talk to the schools you are applying to and see what they say. Some schools will likely over look one low section, but it all depends on where you are applying and how the rest of your application looks. I know it sucks if you have to retake the test, but if you do and you use your time wisely this summer you'll have a chance to bring all of your scores up. Not that you need to on any of the other sections. 🙂 A 25 in Bio is hard to beat so it might drop a point or two, but I wouldn't think it would matter much if you had a 22 on the Bio instead of a 25. Good luck.

 

[r0entgen]

Okay, I took the DAT last year and got AA:21, RC:25, Bio:25, G.Chem:19, O.Chem:21, PAT:18, QR:16. I did apply really late, but when I called UOP they told me that I need to get a math score above 17. Also, my GPA isn't all that high. I'm afraid that my science scores will go down if I retake it--if bio went down a few points, would it really matter if math went up? Also, does anybody have a good way to practice for the QR section---the problem is that I'm really really slow without a calculator----I take practice test without it and never finish--I end up getting 18 or 19, if I take it with a calculator I end up getting 22-24---how can I speed it up? Do you guys think it is worth the risk of re-taking it?

this is the exact reason why i didn't apply to UOP...they're so number-oriented...you have a 16 right now...and they want you to have above a 17? that's a matter of 1 point..which is a matter of 2-3 questions....

any school that tells you to retake your DAT with the score you have is a bit ridiculous, and i would reconsider whether or not you want to go to a school that views you as a number.

for me, i'd rather be considered as a WHOLE, and tha'ts someething UOP doesn't do...

but of course, if you are persistent on going to UOP, then you obviously need to retake it so they can get over themselves..

 

[Calident]

I wanted to stay in San Francisco because my family lives there, but I'm not married to the idea of UOP, just UOP and UCSF are my top schools and I think my GPA (3.06) is a bit too low for UCSF. I suppose SoCal would be okay too. Anybody have any good tricks to speed up the math? Also, I think Kaplan math is harder than the real thing (as I remember it anyway) but this time around I also bought acethedat and topscore--does anybody know how these compare to the real thing?

 

[r0entgen]

I wanted to stay in San Francisco because my family lives there, but I'm not married to the idea of UOP, just UOP and UCSF are my top schools and I think my GPA (3.06) is a bit too low for UCSF. I suppose SoCal would be okay too. Anybody have any good tricks to speed up the math? Also, I think Kaplan math is harder than the real thing (as I remember it anyway) but this time around I also bought acethedat and topscore--does anybody know how these compare to the real thing?

topscore is MUCH MUCH harder than the real math section...if i were you, i woudln't even bother with taht section, cuz it will only make you feel worse about the section...

 

[aatu04]

I was wondering what is the best way to study for the math section, since my score is really bad.... I embarrased, it is only 13. I suck at math, and I totally run out of time every time. I don't know how to prepare, so please anyone, give me some advice on how to do better... Thanks.

 

[dat_student]

topscore is MUCH MUCH harder than the real math section...if i were you, i woudln't even bother with taht section, cuz it will only make you feel worse about the section...

I hope that is the case. I just got QR=22 (test#2).

 

[dat_student]

I was wondering what is the best way to study for the math section, since my score is really bad.... I embarrased, it is only 13. I suck at math, and I totally run out of time every time. I don't know how to prepare, so please anyone, give me some advice on how to do better... Thanks.

(1) round up numbers, (2) set aside answers that make no sense (3) don't try to get an exact answer everytime; sometimes try to guess which answer choice may be correct

 

[aatu04]

Thanks!!

 

[kappa505]

(1) round up numbers, (2) set aside answers that make no sense (3) don't try to get an exact answer everytime; sometimes try to guess which answer choice may be correct

You could also practice using estimation methods or order of magnitude calculations. Example would be 89*45=? order of magnitue would be like 100*50 = 5000 Since 89 and 45 are both less than 100 and 50 respectively you know the answer is a little less than 5000.

 

[SunnyD0119]

is a 16 in math really that serious---i got a 16 in qr and called up UOP--they said that if the other scores are high they overlook math and look at the classes you have taken w/ math in them as a supplement---i called a few schools and they said ideally they would like a 17 in math but if the other scores are up there its ok.....wait a minute now from my signature you can see my scores--i ended up w/ a 16 in qr too--you think im straighT??

 

[adr12]

I would retake if you really want to get into UOP. I would personally rather have a 23 bio and 18 QR than 25 bio and 16 QR, but that's just me, and just because some schools have the cutoff that you're talking about. Seems like a bunch of other schools have their cutoff at 16 though and you would be o.k.