Taking DAT after sophomore year?

[Sweet_Tooth]

Hello guys,
I'm currently in my second semester of undergrad. I talked to current dental students and many of them recommended that I take the DAT the summer between my sophomore year and junior year (summer 2016). This way I would have a whole year to retake it if I am not pleased with my scores the first time and it would also save the time between junior and senior year to work on other aspects of my application.

However, I am concerned that I might not have covered enough science courses by summer 2016. By then, I will hopefully have completed the gen chem requirements (taking gen chem II right now), two basic intro level bio courses, and orgo I and orgo II. I was told that it is best to take the DAT when the organic chemistry material is fresh in your mind.

I am particularly concerned about being prepared for the biology section. Are there any particular bio classes that I should take before the DAT that would better prepare me for it? Since I'm getting a head start by taking my first intro bio class this summer, I'll have room in my Winter 2016 schedule for one more bio class. I was thinking of taking Genetics because from reading some of the threads regarding the DAT it appears that the bio section is heavily genetics based. Any advice? Thank you.

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[FeralisExtremum]

I'd say summer after sophomore year is an ideal time. It's true that you won't have as many upper level biology courses under your belt then - but organic chemistry will be immediately fresh in your head, general chemistry will probably still be strong, and you will remember at least some of the broad scope of an intro level bio course. The biology section of the DAT is not very deep in scope, and it rarely (if ever) requires upper level coursework to answer a question. There are a few specific questions that can pop up, but you are overall better off taking the hit on those few questions and doing extremely well in the chemistry sections, or preparing for them by using a very thorough resource like the DAT Destroyer, than you would be delaying the test for a year just to do some extra upper level bio courses whose material might not even end up coming in to play on your exam. Going in to the DAT with fresher fundamentals in the sciences overall is a better strategy than going into it with marginally better preparation for the biology section.

 

[Sweet_Tooth]

I'd say summer after sophomore year is an ideal time. It's true that you won't have as many upper level biology courses under your belt then - but organic chemistry will be immediately fresh in your head, general chemistry will probably still be strong, and you will remember at least some of the broad scope of an intro level bio course. The biology section of the DAT is not very deep in scope, and it rarely (if ever) requires upper level coursework to answer a question. There are a few specific questions that can pop up, but you are overall better off taking the hit on those few questions and doing extremely well in the chemistry sections, or preparing for them by using a very thorough resource like the DAT Destroyer, than you would be delaying the test for a year just to do some extra upper level bio courses whose material might not even end up coming in to play on your exam. Going in to the DAT with fresher fundamentals in the sciences overall is a better strategy than going into it with marginally better preparation for the biology section.

Thank you for the input! Other than gen bio classes are there any bio courses in particular you would recommend taking the semester before?

 

[virtualmaster999]

Thank you for the input! Other than gen bio classes are there any bio level courses in particular you would recommend taking the semester before?

Take Cell Bio and Genetics! Definitely covers a good portion of the bio; biochem is a bit more extensive but I think it's good to take if you're planning on it anyhow (helps with learning cellular processes like metabolism)

 

[matardug]

If you are ready, take the DAT after your sophomore year. I cannot stress enough NOT to take the DAT if you do not feel prepared. I did, and I failed to get a good enough score to get into dental school. The next time I took it I did really well because I prepared better and felt ready.

Good luck with your studying!

 

[Thanhn]

If your main concern is lack of upper div bio courses, don't let it stress you. I was in the same exact position as the only course I had taken were Gen Bio 1 & 2 and A&P. However, the A&P course at my school was a joke and I did not find any of it useful.

I used Cliff's and Barron's to review the material for the BIO portion and was able to get a pretty good score.

Take it after your sophomore year. While my friends are busy preparing for their DATs, I've been relaxing and just getting ready to apply without the added stress of studying.

 

[elhammy]

I took it right after my sophomore year, immediately after organic chemistry. That's truly the best time.
You can never get ENOUGH biology prep no matter what classes you've taken lol.

 

[Sweet_Tooth]

I took it right after my sophomore year, immediately after organic chemistry. That's truly the best time.
You can never get ENOUGH biology prep no matter what classes you've taken lol.

Well isn't that reassuring lol
Nice scores btw

 

[discensdentibus]

Same situation as the other post-sophomore year takers. I took mine last july after having been exposed to bio1/2, biochem, and evo bio. All my pre-dent/riends are worrying about their upper level bio classes, dat studying, application, and letters. If you have time and resources available, I highly recommend it. University courses have different course overviews. I would suggest looking at specific course outlines/syllabi for your university and comparing them against DAT overview of Bio content. By delaying a year, I could only see my bio score going up 1 or two points at the expense of other scores like gchem/ochem falling.