Agreed completely with this. Some schools (e.g. UConn, if I'm not mistaken) only accept applicants on December 1st, and therefore your chances at those schools would be slim. But there are plenty of other schools that do not follow the same policy, and you would still have a chance at those! You just need to do some research into the schools you want to apply to, and then make a decision based on that.
Do keep in mind that it is later in the cycle, regardless of the fact that you could be accepted still. Some schools will be less likely to look at you now. but not all will. If you have any doubt that one of your dream schools will be less likely to view your application, then it may be worth applying next cycle if going there is important to you. If that's not the case, full speed ahead and take on the DAT!
Hopefully this helps a bit. Best of luck!