Should I reschedule my DAT?

[dentaldiva27]

Hi,

I currently am signed up to take the DAT on July 20th however this past weekend I broke my ankle and have to get surgery now. Prior to this, I had been working 40 hour weeks and shadowing for 6 hours a week and haven't truly gotten to study as effectively as I should have. I have most of my application complete and plan on submitting that next week. I know that the end of July is already pretty late for my application to be processed so I'm wondering if taking it in August would be even worse. Right now, I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed and am not sure if 30 days is enough for me to be prepared to take it, especially since I will be recovering from surgery.

Any thoughts or recommendations on what I should do would be greatly appreciated!

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[MickeyMug]

I'm sorry to hear that you broke your ankle! I'm almost in the same boat as you, I tore a joint in my right shoulder two weeks ago and had to rest it for a week and I ended up pushing my DAT back one week I was scheduled to take it on June 22nd but now it's on June 30th. I think that a month of studying should be enough, especially if you have a good science background, if you completely cut off work and shadowing and focus solely on studying for the DAT, if you think you can put in 8-12 hours a day for the next month I think you'll be fine.
Good luck on your surgery!

 

[spdental]

Do I think it's possible to be ready: Yes. People on here have done it before.

Do I think it's probable to be ready: No. From my personal experience, the average student would not be ready by the end of July working 40 hours a week, shadowing, and receiving surgery. Take me for example, I have been studying for 8-10 hours a day since May 14th and still don't nearly feel prepared. I take the DAT on July 25th.

It might be worth it to consider applying next cycle and holding off to take your DAT at the end of August, ensuring a good score and gaining more experience before you apply. OR only apply to a few schools this round to not waste the money, if you get in, great! If not, at least you didn't spend 1000+ on an application.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

[flying nimbus855]

assuming you will not be working and shadowing anymore and have the entire month off. yeah you totally have enough time. And what is the disadvantage to writing anyway? nothing really except the finances. The best person to answer this question is yourself because you know what you are capable of academically.

 

[Faefly]

No, honestly you should postpone. don't risk your health or your dat score for the sake of applying earlier.

 

[caffeine jitters]

assuming you will not be working and shadowing anymore and have the entire month off. yeah you totally have enough time. And what is the disadvantage to writing anyway? nothing really except the finances. The best person to answer this question is yourself because you know what you are capable of academically.

I was under the impression that schools will look at people who retake the DAT a little differently?

 

[dentaldiva27]

I was under the impression that schools will look at people who retake the DAT a little differently?

This will be my first time taking the DAT. I have a pretty strong science foundation from being a biology major at a competitive school but I am struggling a lot with the PAT and with timing

 

[caffeine jitters]

This will be my first time taking the DAT. I have a pretty strong science foundation from being a biology major at a competitive school but I am struggling a lot with the PAT and with timing

Oh no, believe me, I get it... I am not looking down on anyone who needs to retake, reschedule, etc... my exam is in 5 days and I am thinking about rescheduling... we'll see how I do on the 2009 DAT on Friday. This process just sucks I was more so referring to the idea that you could just go and take the DAT all willy nilly because there was no downside other than finances.

I hope whatever you decide to do works out for the best

 

[Faefly]

Oh no, believe me, I get it... I am not looking down on anyone who needs to retake, reschedule, etc... my exam is in 5 days and I am thinking about rescheduling... we'll see how I do on the 2009 DAT on Friday. This process just sucks I was more so referring to the idea that you could just go and take the DAT all willy nilly because there was no downside other than finances.

I hope whatever you decide to do works out for the best

if you feel you are not ready and the numbers confirm your feelings. Pay 100 dollar if you can afford it and resechule
better than paying 430 dollars for a retake and better than another 2000 dollar for applying again next year.

Try to do it right from the first time.

But if you get good numbers on the 2009 test and your bootcamp numbers are good. Then it's a just mental thing, no need to postpone unless you really feel you are not ready.


Best of luck!

 

[MickeyMug]

This will be my first time taking the DAT. I have a pretty strong science foundation from being a biology major at a competitive school but I am struggling a lot with the PAT and with timing

If you're only struggling with the PAT section then you can definitely improve in a month. I would suggest getting Bootcamp and practicing with the generators everyday. Which section of the PAT are you struggling with the most?

 

[caffeine jitters]

if you feel you are not ready and the numbers confirm your feelings. Pay 100 dollar if you can afford it and resechule
better than paying 430 dollars for a retake and better than another 2000 dollar for applying again next year.

Try to do it right from the first time.

But if you get good numbers on the 2009 test and your bootcamp numbers are good. Then it's a just mental thing, no need to postpone unless you really feel you are not ready.


Best of luck!

Thank you. I feel like I know the information... I just psych myself out, and the thought of not doing well gives me so much anxiety. I have been scoring in the 20s on Bootcamp for most things besides math. I keep making silly errors and get so flustered by such small things.

We'll all get through this one way or another though.

Best of luck to anyone reading. I truly mean it.

 

[deleted738762]

Pushing it back until August is risky since you're applying this cycle. Also, submitting the application before knowing your DAT scores is a bit of gamble ( I know some people say to do that, but it's still very risky). I don't have any advice to offer but you should be aware of this. Some people have studied for the DAT in 2-4 weeks, and you said you're strong in sciences, so I think you should just take it when you were going to. Just devote the next 30 days to the DAT and you should be fine. Assuming you quit your job right now. Good luck.