Should I retake? DAT 07-30

[CompS]

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Hey guys,

It's my first time posting here. And I will really appreciate serious opinions from all of you. Just got home from the testing center 1hr ago.

Below are my DAT score:

PAT - 19
QR - 17 😕 (I want to kill myself for this, graduated in Computer Science)
RC - 22
Bio -20
GC -24
OC -24
TS - 22
AA - 21

My GPA has not been verified by the AADSAS yet, but I estimate it's around 3.3- 3.4 only. Should I consider retaking it? Will it be too late if I retake DAT in October?

I ran out of time in QR section, clicking like crazy but 3 questions were still left unanswered 👎

I will give a breakdown of the test later tonight. I'm just darn tired now, didn't have a good sleep last night.

------------Updated with breakdown----------

PAT: I found the keyhole harder than CDP cause the object drawings seemed unclear and not as well presented as the ones on CDP; TFE similar to CDP, angle ranking was a bit easier, hole punching and cube counting were easier, pattern folding was not. I spent so much time on TFE that I rushed through the rest of PAT. I scored lower on real PAT than practice on CDP.

QR: I majored in Computer Science and was supposed to be good at math. Yet, I was so disappointed in myself during and after this section. I spent so much time on the problems that required more complex calculations that I lost track and ran out of time, I clicked anywhere but still had 3 questions unanswered. What got me so upset was that many questions at the end were simple algebra. So if I could do it again, I would just guessed and marked unsure answers, then moved on to the much simpler ones. I didn't practice much on this, skimmed thru Destroyer.

RC: I got lucky in this because English is my second language. I had 3 passages: herbal remedies, bone fracture, and bacteria. So I used Search and Destroy. They had several inferring questions but they weren't hard.

Bio: Like other DAT takers had mentioned, this section is extremely random. I got many questions about cell biology, a weird question about human fertilization, no plant, no ecology, couple genetic questions. My major was CS so I didn't have a deep background of biology. If you guys have some time, review some basic cell biology material just to be certain. Kaplan, Cliff's AP, Destroyer.

GC: Pretty straightforward and simple setups of calculation. They had several lab technique questions, pH and pKa, molality and some basic redox like what is oxidizing/reducing agent. Barron AP Chem, Kaplan, and Destroyer.

OC: Similar like GC, pretty basic. Definitely SN1,SN2, E1 and E2, valid resonance structure, stereoisomer, 1-H NMR and 1-C NMR, methods to separate substances, and some simple reduction reactions. Kaplan, Destroyer.

 

[jsun4]

dont worry about qr so much, it is the least important section on the DAT

 

[cookie13]

You should find the thread with the excel sheet of schools and how importantly they rank each section and if that isn't enough I recommend asking the schools themselves

 

[Seahawk]

Here you go.

I didn't make it, but I saved it on my computer so I wouldn't have to find the thread. Many props to the guy who made it.

 

[yrl]

i was just wondering where the guy who made this excel sheet got all the information? were they reliable sources?

 

[Seahawk]

The numbers make sense.

Also, I have the true information from one of the schools and it all matches up, so I would say it is pretty legit.

 

[CompS]

Thanks guys.

Seahawk, I looked at the spreadsheets similar to yours before choosing schools to apply. Yet, I'm still unsure if I can be considered competitive applicant due to my 3.4 GPA. Guess I'm gonna call schools and ask them on Monday.

 

[dwallin]

Those are great scores! Good job! How were you doing on your practice scores? Would you mind posting your kaplan/topscore scores on here? Thanks!

 

[jdmgsr]

Hey guys,

It's my first time posting here. And I will really appreciate serious opinions from all of you. Just got home from the testing center 1hr ago.

Below are my DAT score:

PAT - 19
QR - 17 😕 (I want to kill myself for this, graduated in Computer Science)
RC - 22
Bio -20
GC -24
OC -24
TS - 22
AA - 21

You pulled off some great scores, so don't kill yourself for the average QR. From what I've heard QR is of lesser importance. Plus you did really well in every other section.
I'm also a Computer Science major and the bio is killing me. How were your overall scores in Topscore / Achiever?
I got 16 on test 1 of achiever 🙁

Out of curiosity, what made you pursue dentistry after completing computer science anyway? It's really hard to stay motivated through challenges like the DAT, when you know that there are jobs out there for comp sci grads. I'd really like to know the reason why you're pursuing dent.

 

[CompS]

Those are great scores! Good job! How were you doing on your practice scores? Would you mind posting your kaplan/topscore scores on here? Thanks!

My practice scores were lower than real DAT, especially I didn't truly take them seriously, just wanted to have some practice and a general idea of how the test would be. So, my scores fluctuated a lot, depending on how focused I was at the moment. Personally, I liked Achiever better because it's a better developed app with the GUI most resembling the one of real DAT. I used both Topscore and Achiever, but didn't finish test #3 on Topscore ( was tired and didn't have time.) After taking those practice tests, I felt better about my Bio, but on real DAT, the questions they asked were very random and required broader knowledge, especially some from cell biology, like cell movement, experiments about cells, and etc. I still recall several questions from bio, but I guess I'm not supposed to reveal them on here,hehe...

Topscore
Bio / GC / OC / PAT / RC / QR / AA / TS
Test #1: 21 / 19 / 16 / 18 / 21 / 16 / 19 / 19
Test #2: 19 / 20 / 19 / 19 / 20 / 20 / 20/ 20

Achiever Bio / GC / OC / PAT / RC / QR / AA / TS
Test #1: 19 / 19 / 17 / 16 / 13 / 21 / 18 / 18
Test #2: 18 / 17 / 13 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 17 / 17
Test #3: 18 / 16 / 19 / 17 / 13 / 17 / 17 / 18

 

[CompS]

You pulled off some great scores, so don't kill yourself for the average QR. From what I've heard QR is of lesser importance. Plus you did really well in every other section.
I'm also a Computer Science major and the bio is killing me. How were your overall scores in Topscore / Achiever?
I got 16 on test 1 of achiever 🙁

Out of curiosity, what made you pursue dentistry after completing computer science anyway? It's really hard to stay motivated through challenges like the DAT, when you know that there are jobs out there for comp sci grads. I'd really like to know the reason why you're pursuing dent.

Thanks for your encouragement about QR. I was upset because I thought I was generally good at math. Oh well, I guess my thought was wrong then .
So, you're also a CS buddy? It's so good to know that I'm not the only one who's taking a scary turning point in my career path . You can see my bio scores on Topscore and Achiever in my reply above.

For bio, I read Cliff's AP inside out and supplemented it with some basic human anatomy sections in KBB. Then I moved on practicing questions in Destroyer (an old '08 version borrowed from my friend), then Achiever and Topscore. For me, with bio, understanding the concepts and explanation helped me memorize the material better. I felt okay about bio section after taking practice tests. But on the real test, I was so nervous when the questions they asked were quite broaden, covering several ones in cell biology and some molecular experiments. If you have time, skim thru intracellular movement and some more details about cell organization as well. They don't ask you straight questions on those, but required you to apply your knowledge and understanding to explain how or what will happen. Guess we have to study really hard for this bio section because we don't have as much advantage as other biology major students.

Yes, I know there are jobs out there for CS grad; and I will begin prepping my CS resume next week to look for jobs while waiting for this lengthy application process.
Yet, some experiences in my life made me re-evaluate my career path and decided to pursue dentistry. I want a career that won't make me feel frustrated at the end of the day or have to carry the "bugs" home, a career that may give me challenge/pressure, but a challenge/pressure that I can handle for a long term, a career that gives me the flexibility to take some time off and provide some volunteer dental care to people in need.
Many people may think that i'm a big dreamer, but it's truthfully why I want to pursue dentistry. Also, it's not good/healthy for a CS girl to carry the "bugs" and "codes" home or work late to meet project deadlines if she ever thinks about having her own family,hehe...j/k.

So, why do you want to do dentistry as well? When are you taking DAT? Just study real hard until the test, then you can relax/enjoy after that. The real test is doable; mark the hard question and move on to the next one, you can always come back. Don't make the mistakes like I did; I was stubborn solving complex math questions and lost track and ran out of time. Most questions at the end of QR were just simple algebra and you would solve them in 10-15sec.

 

[jdmgsr]

Thanks for the advice CompS. I've been doing exactly what you've mentioned for Bio, so I'm hoping that my score will be as good yours.
It's reassuring to see a CS grad having done well on the DAT. Thank you lol.

It's a scary switch in careers because the application process is a bit of a gamble. The reason why I left computer science was because I wanted to be in a profession where I use my hands, where I'm challenged to the limits of my cognitive abilities, build long lasting relationships in my community by helping the ones in need (as my dentist has done), heal people, be my own boss, the list goes on and on and on. For these reasons, I'm really hoping to get in, and also because if I've spent the past year (on top of my 4year comp sci degree) taking prerequisites, and will return in September for an extra term to take biochem, anatomy, human phys.

I actually did a 1 year internship at ibm as a software developer, and realized that that's not the life I want, and I should pursue a better fit for the person that I am, and the life that I want to have.

I wish you the best of luck with your applications!

 

[CompS]

Thanks for the advice CompS. I've been doing exactly what you've mentioned for Bio, so I'm hoping that my score will be as good yours.
It's reassuring to see a CS grad having done well on the DAT. Thank you lol.

It's a scary switch in careers because the application process is a bit of a gamble. The reason why I left computer science was because I wanted to be in a profession where I use my hands, where I'm challenged to the limits of my cognitive abilities, build long lasting relationships in my community by helping the ones in need (as my dentist has done), heal people, be my own boss, the list goes on and on and on. For these reasons, I'm really hoping to get in, and also because if I've spent the past year (on top of my 4year comp sci degree) taking prerequisites, and will return in September for an extra term to take biochem, anatomy, human phys.

I actually did a 1 year internship at ibm as a software developer, and realized that that's not the life I want, and I should pursue a better fit for the person that I am, and the life that I want to have.

I wish you the best of luck with your applications!

Anytime buddy 🙂.

About the career change, same here. I was working full time for a big corporate for 2 years while attending college. And what I saw in that working environment wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It's not about the difficulty level of job requirements, it's more about the politics in those work places. At the same time, the experiences I gained from volunteering for the E.R of local hospital and working for a medical office before that have made me realize that health care is what I really wanted to go into.

I'm sure that you'll do well on your DAT. Just try your best. And good luck to your applications as well