Taking the DAT without Orgo 2?

[FutureDDS_11]

So I am currently a sophomore and I am thinking of taking the DAT in the August of this upcoming summer in order to be able to apply June 2017. I have taken all the required courses except for Orgo II. I want to get your views on whether I should take the DAT before taking this class. The reason I wanna take the DAT this summer is because it will save me 1 year of gap year.
Also, I was thinking if I take it this summer while all other topics are still "fresh" in my head while waiting a year might lead to me forgetting many concepts

What do you guys think? Will taking the DAT without Orgo II negatively influence my score? Are Chad's videos efficient for teaching myself Orgo II concepts?

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[changtw]

I thought the majority of what was tested on the DAT came from concepts I learned in Ochem II.

Chad's videos were definitely sufficient. However, I went over Chad's videos after having taken Ochem II and think that is why the material felt like a breeze.

I think it would be a disadvantage to take the DAT without having taken the course, however if time is a factor, and you can commit enough time towards Chad's and Destroyer, you should be fine.

Assuming Ochem II is only offered during the spring semester, have you considered taking the course, taking the DAT around July, and applying in August of 2017? Wouldnt that also save you the gap year?

 

[JLT223]

I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[DATGod001]

Nope! If Organic Chemistry was easy it would be called Biology. With Biology all you do is memorize, but to get good at Orgo you have to practice it (homework and tests.) The Destroyer Orgo is too advanced.

 

[FutureDDS_11]

I thought the majority of what was tested on the DAT came from concepts I learned in Ochem II.

Chad's videos were definitely sufficient. However, I went over Chad's videos after having taken Ochem II and think that is why the material felt like a breeze.

I think it would be a disadvantage to take the DAT without having taken the course, however if time is a factor, and you can commit enough time towards Chad's and Destroyer, you should be fine.

Assuming Ochem II is only offered during the spring semester, have you considered taking the course, taking the DAT around July, and applying in August of 2017? Wouldnt that also save you the gap year?

I was told by many people that it is a major disadvantage to not apply right when the cycle opens June of that summer. And I wanted to take the DAT at the end of the summer just because I get to focus on it for ~3 months.

But if it is risky to take the DAT w/o Orgo, I'm okay with taking a gap year. I just didn't want to wait a year if it was do-able and can allow me to take it while everything else is fresh in my head.

 

[JLT223]

I was told by many people that it is a major disadvantage to not apply right when the cycle opens June of that summer. And I wanted to take the DAT at the end of the summer just because I get to focus on it for ~3 months.

But if it is risky to take the DAT w/o Orgo, I'm okay with taking a gap year. I just didn't want to wait a year if it was do-able and can allow me to take it while everything else is fresh in my head.

Complete the app in June and take the DAT before August preferably and you'll be fine. You can submit the application without DAT scores.

 

[FutureDDS_11]

Complete the app in June and take the DAT before August preferably and you'll be fine. You can submit the application without DAT scores.

I was told that they will not view my application until the school receives the DAT score. Is that true?
This worries me because my pre-professional advisor has put great emphasis on applying by June.

 

[JLT223]

I was told that they will not view my application until the school receives the DAT score. Is that true?
This worries me because my pre-professional advisor has put great emphasis on applying by June.

Mine said the same thing. However, "early" doesn't have to be June. Your file at schools will be on hold until they receive your test scores, but as long as everything is in by mid August you are good to go. I initially had to wait until around October for the bulk of my interviews and I got nervous thinking I was late, but the whole process takes time.

 

[DATGod001]

Mine said the same thing. However, "early" doesn't have to be June. Your file at schools will be on hold until they receive your test scores, but as long as everything is in by mid August you are good to go. I initially had to wait until around October for the bulk of my interviews and I got nervous thinking I was late, but the whole process takes time.

Good advice!

 

[tyjacobs]

So I am currently a sophomore and I am thinking of taking the DAT in the August of this upcoming summer in order to be able to apply June 2017. I have taken all the required courses except for Orgo II. I want to get your views on whether I should take the DAT before taking this class. The reason I wanna take the DAT this summer is because it will save me 1 year of gap year.
Also, I was thinking if I take it this summer while all other topics are still "fresh" in my head while waiting a year might lead to me forgetting many concepts

What do you guys think? Will taking the DAT without Orgo II negatively influence my score? Are Chad's videos efficient for teaching myself Orgo II concepts?

Take your DAT spring 2017 (may, june) and then apply right after you finish the DAT. This way you can take orgo 2 at your undergrad Note that AADSAS won't receive your DAT score until 2-3 weeks after the day you take it.

do you go to mich state by chance (looking at your profile pic)?

 

[FutureDDS_11]

Mine said the same thing. However, "early" doesn't have to be June. Your file at schools will be on hold until they receive your test scores, but as long as everything is in by mid August you are good to go. I initially had to wait until around October for the bulk of my interviews and I got nervous thinking I was late, but the whole process takes time.

That's a great idea, and worst case scenario I don't get an interview: I can still apply the year after which I was going to do anyways, so nothing to lose. Thank you!

Take your DAT spring 2017 (may, june) and then apply right after you finish the DAT. This way you can take orgo 2 at your undergrad Note that AADSAS won't receive your DAT score until 2-3 weeks after the day you take it.

do you go to mich state by chance (looking at your profile pic)?

Well I was thinking that I need at least 2 months to study for DAT and I don't want to study for it while taking classes, because I am in no hurry and would rather focus on getting a good GPA. Also, yes, I do go to Michigan State (Go Green ).

 

[stoopidmonkeycatdog]

I am actually in a pretty similar situation to you right now. I am a sophomore but i will graduate next fall, so instead of sitting around for a year and a half i am planning to take the DAT this semester/summer and apply this cycle. I believe that i have a strong Organic Chemistry 1 background, so learning concepts for that is simply review. I have used Organic Chemistry as a Second Language and Chad's Videos to learn the OChem 2 material and it has been going rather well so far. Mechanism usually follow the same basic rules, so other than learning exceptions and specific reactions it's pretty easy to learn. Spectroscopy isn't that complicated either.

If you have the time and the dedication to do it i would say it is definitely possible.

 

[tyjacobs]

If you want to learn the orgo 2 content from a college professor, i suggest watching the university of california irvine opencourseware orgo videos (link: http://ocw.uci.edu/courses/chem_51b_organic_chemistry.html). UCI does orgo in 3 terms because they are trimester based so topics in 51b may overlap with orgo 1. There is also a 51c course that covers the last parts of the organic chemistry series. Although it will take a good amount of time to watch them, you may find it helpful.

dissapointing to see that you go to mich st, go blue

 

[DAT Destroyer]

So I am currently a sophomore and I am thinking of taking the DAT in the August of this upcoming summer in order to be able to apply June 2017. I have taken all the required courses except for Orgo II. I want to get your views on whether I should take the DAT before taking this class. The reason I wanna take the DAT this summer is because it will save me 1 year of gap year.
Also, I was thinking if I take it this summer while all other topics are still "fresh" in my head while waiting a year might lead to me forgetting many concepts

What do you guys think? Will taking the DAT without Orgo II negatively influence my score? Are Chad's videos efficient for teaching myself Orgo II concepts?

Hello Ardwan,

You have been given a lot of great advice on this thread. I never recommend taking the DAT before finishing Orgo 2, but there are always exceptions. If you are a good student with a very strong foundation in Orgo 1 it is possible to self teach or get a tutor for Orgo 2. But I have found through the years that students who finish all the required course work typically score higher on the DAT! Your main focus should be scoring as high as possible on the DAT the first time, it is not a test you want to repeat if it can be avoided.

Just my 2 cents!

Wishing you the best!

Nancy

 

[FutureDDS_11]

If you want to learn the orgo 2 content from a college professor, i suggest watching the university of california irvine opencourseware orgo videos (link: http://ocw.uci.edu/courses/chem_51b_organic_chemistry.html). UCI does orgo in 3 terms because they are trimester based so topics in 51b may overlap with orgo 1. There is also a 51c course that covers the last parts of the organic chemistry series. Although it will take a good amount of time to watch them, you may find it helpful.

dissapointing to see that you go to mich st, go blue

Thank you for that resource! I will definitely be taking the time to watch some of those videos. On another note, I'm excited for our Basketball match this upcoming Saturday, it should be a good game .

 

[FutureDDS_11]

I am actually in a pretty similar situation to you right now. I am a sophomore but i will graduate next fall, so instead of sitting around for a year and a half i am planning to take the DAT this semester/summer and apply this cycle. I believe that i have a strong Organic Chemistry 1 background, so learning concepts for that is simply review. I have used Organic Chemistry as a Second Language and Chad's Videos to learn the OChem 2 material and it has been going rather well so far. Mechanism usually follow the same basic rules, so other than learning exceptions and specific reactions it's pretty easy to learn. Spectroscopy isn't that complicated either.

If you have the time and the dedication to do it i would say it is definitely possible.

I just took a look at Orgo chem as 2nd language and it definitely looks like a great book! I will add that to my resources. Thank you, it's comforting to know that Orgo II isn't as bad. How long do you think it would take you if you solely focused on teaching yourself Orgo II for the DAT?

 

[FutureDDS_11]

Hello Ardwan,

You have been given a lot of great advice on this thread. I never recommend taking the DAT before finishing Orgo 2, but there are always exceptions. If you are a good student with a very strong foundation in Orgo 1 it is possible to self teach or get a tutor for Orgo 2. But I have found through the years that students who finish all the required course work typically score higher on the DAT! Your main focus should be scoring as high as possible on the DAT the first time, it is not a test you want to repeat if it can be avoided.

Just my 2 cents!

Wishing you the best!

Nancy

Yes I have, that's why I love my SDN dental community! You guys are awesome!

I am leaning towards what JLT223 advised, which is to apply early June even before taking the DAT and then take the DAT late July.
What is your opinion on doing that? Is there a significant disadvantage to applying June before taking the DAT?

 

[JLT223]

Yes I have, that's why I love my SDN dental community! You guys are awesome!

I am leaning towards what JLT223 advised, which is to apply early June even before taking the DAT and then take the DAT late July.
What is your opinion on doing that? Is there a significant disadvantage to applying June before taking the DAT?

That is literally what I did! I took the DAT July 29th to be exact. You will not be at a significant disadvantage by doing this at all. Like I said, "early" is all relative. You run into trouble when you don't even submit the application until August, but taking the DAT then is 100% fine and nobody else should tell you otherwise.

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Yes I have, that's why I love my SDN dental community! You guys are awesome!

I am leaning towards what JLT223 advised, which is to apply early June even before taking the DAT and then take the DAT late July.
What is your opinion on doing that? Is there a significant disadvantage to applying June before taking the DAT?

Great advice, our summer course does not end til Mid August..I have students that apply at that time and get in the next cycle..of course with good DAT scores and GPA.

 

[stoopidmonkeycatdog]

I just took a look at Orgo chem as 2nd language and it definitely looks like a great book! I will add that to my resources. Thank you, it's comforting to know that Orgo II isn't as bad. How long do you think it would take you if you solely focused on teaching yourself Orgo II for the DAT?

Well I have taken some practice tests and I am scoring around a 19-21 on the OChem section. I started studying ochem a week before the school year so it's been about 3 weeks? I'm hoping to take the test around April, and I am very confident I will have everything accomplished by then.

That being said I scored a 96 in my rather difficult OChem 1 section and I believe we covered a few Ochem 2 topics, so my situation may not mirror yours, but it definitely isn't complicated!