Took DAT 6/1 - I need to retake it :(

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NguyenDDS

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First, I want to thank those who PMed me and those who helped respond to my threads 🙂 For those who have been keeping up with me and my whole DAT journey, I took the DAT today and did poorly. But I'm happy for everyone who took the DAT today and did superbly. My scores look REALLY ugly, especially compared to the average SDNers. Here are my scores:

TS 19
AA 18 :lame:

GC 21
OC 20
BS 17 :lame:
PAT 18 🙁 disappointed
RC 18
QR 15 :scared:

Started studying around May 10-12th and had about a 2.5 weeks to study. I first studied GC, then OC. Didn't have time to study for math or biology (as you can see from my ugly scores in these sections). Many of you already know that I was supposed to take the DAT last week, but rescheduled it a week later because I didn't study Biology or Math yet. Well, nothing really got done in this past week... partially because I was burnt and mostly because I was so busy with family/relatives coming over for my grandma's memorial. Again, you can tell by my horrendous math and BS score that I didn't really study for those two sections. I did the best I can with the time I had.


Materials I had (didn't use them all): CDP, CDR, CDM, Kaplan BB, Destroyer, Destroyer Math, Cliff's AP Biology, Chad's videos, datqvault, TopScore


GC (21): Chad's videos/Destroyer/Topscore
This is all I used, and this is all you need. Period. I studied for this section the most (~6 days). I'm content with this score. Chad's videos are excellent for this section. It's true what they say.... Destroyer is overkill. Topscore was a lot easier.


OC (20): Chad's videos/Destroyer/a few outside references/Topscore
Chad's videos are good, but not excellent for this section. He doesn't cover a few topics... the topics that were apparently on my DAT :laugh: I had a lot of WTF questions... reagents and reaction names I never even saw or heard of before... had 1 question on NMR. I'm content with this score. Destroyer was THE ONE. I learned most of everything from there. I didn't take OC II yet. Topscore was A lot easier.


BS (17(: Cliff's AP/datqvault/ Topscore
I studied for this section for maybe a few hours total. Everything that I learned or memorized during those few hours were NOT on my DAT, haha. This section is super random... I don't know how you people can get a 20+ on this section?! :laugh: In terms of the studying material... I DON'T recommend datQvault. It has numerous errors that will confuse you to death and it's just a bunch of repeated questions. I skimmed through Cliff's and it seems decent for those who have at least a background in biology. The actual test had about 2 questions on the systems, a lot on basic taxonomy (questions I should have gotten correct if I studied for this... unfortunately I didn't know the answers to them), and a question on mesoderm layer. This is all I can remember. Topscore was a lot easier.


PAT (18): Crack Dat Pat/Topscore
I don't know what happened here. 😕 My range on CDP is 22-28. Got a 28 on the last CDP I took, which was yesterday. I always finished CDP with 15-20 minutes to go. On the real thing, I had about 8 minutes left over... which I always use to make sure I counted my cubes correctly. Honestly, all sections of the real PAT was a lot harder than CDP. One exception is angles and MAYBE cube counting. Pattern folding was the hardest... and nothing I've seen before compared to CDP. Topscore was easier also. BTW, I forgot to bring my glasses with me to the test. This section is half the reason why I am going to retake.


RC (18): Crack Dat Reading/Topscore
Topscore is WAY easier... to the point where you should just skip that part of Topscore... use that 60 minutes on being more productive. I was averaging 21 on CDR, so I'm not sure what happened on the real thing. I wasn't piano'd. Had 2 scientific passages, and the other one was on exercising. Several Tone/inferences question such as "What is the author's tone in this passage?" The answer options had adjectives I never seen before and didn't understand. Reading was always my lowest score on any type of standardized testing, so I am OK with this score. From day 1, I always worried about this section.


QR (15):
I just didn't have time to study. Funny how math is my strongest section ever since I was little... highest scores on standardized tests, courses... it was just natural... BUT NOT ON THE DAT! haha. I went over a few problems on Math Destroyer yesterday. This was all. I had the CDM program, but never had time to use it. I skipped all the word problems I didn't recognize how to do immediately, and never had time to back to them. I noticed that Math Destroyer is very similar to the real QR. Math destroyer is all you really need here. Study for this section, don't wing it. I remember I had a bunch of word problems and a question where you need to know the unit circle. This is the other half of the reason I am retaking.


I couldn't sleep last night. Fortunately, my test was at 4pm so I had 6 hours of sleep. I didn't eat anything before or during the test because I had butterflies in my tummy all day! I completely skipped the 15 minute break and went straight to RC, regardless of my plan. During the second half of my test, I started feeling really cold, had chills, and light headedness (maybe PMS? lol). I used the noise-cancelling headphones all through the test and I realized that it gives you a headache and neck pains from all that pressure it puts on your head. I had no problems with the markers or erasers. However, the screen likes to freeze often. I took my test on Harwin in Tx.

Before I went to the testing center, I ran some errands and studied and reviewed notes. While reviewing notes, I may have panicked. A lot of things I know I knew and that were basic... suddenly went blank. It was probably not a wise idea to study right before the test... You start forgetting things that are basic!


I plan to retake in 3 months, but apply with what I currently have anyway.
AADSAS cGPA 3.53/ sGPA 3.33... both higher with +/-
TMDSAS cGPA 3.50/ sGPA 3.29

What do you think?
 
I think those scores are pretty good for having only studied 2.5 weeks. Who knows what you can do in 3 months!

Good Luck!
 
First, I want to thank those who PMed me and those who helped respond to my threads 🙂 For those who have been keeping up with me and my whole DAT journey, I took the DAT today and did poorly. But I'm happy for everyone who took the DAT today and did superbly. My scores look REALLY ugly, especially compared to the average SDNers. Here are my scores:

TS 19
AA 18 :lame:

GC 21
OC 20
BS 17 :lame:
PAT 18 🙁 disappointed
RC 18
QR 15 :scared:

Started studying around May 10-12th and had about a 2.5 weeks to study. I first studied GC, then OC. Didn't have time to study for math or biology (as you can see from my ugly scores in these sections). Many of you already know that I was supposed to take the DAT last week, but rescheduled it a week later because I didn't study Biology or Math yet. Well, nothing really got done in this past week... partially because I was burnt and mostly because I was so busy with family/relatives coming over for my grandma's memorial. Again, you can tell by my horrendous math and BS score that I didn't really study for those two sections. I did the best I can with the time I had.


Materials I had (didn't use them all): CDP, CDR, CDM, Kaplan BB, Destroyer, Destroyer Math, Cliff's AP Biology, Chad's videos, datqvault, TopScore


GC (21): Chad's videos/Destroyer/Topscore
This is all I used, and this is all you need. Period. I studied for this section the most (~6 days). I'm content with this score. Chad's videos are excellent for this section. It's true what they say.... Destroyer is overkill. Topscore was a lot easier.


OC (20): Chad's videos/Destroyer/a few outside references/Topscore
Chad's videos are good, but not excellent for this section. He doesn't cover a few topics... the topics that were apparently on my DAT :laugh: I had a lot of WTF questions... reagents and reaction names I never even saw or heard of before... had 1 question on NMR. I'm content with this score. Destroyer was THE ONE. I learned most of everything from there. I didn't take OC II yet. Topscore was A lot easier.


BS (17(: Cliff's AP/datqvault/ Topscore
I studied for this section for maybe a few hours total. Everything that I learned or memorized during those few hours were NOT on my DAT, haha. This section is super random... I don't know how you people can get a 20+ on this section?! :laugh: In terms of the studying material... I DON'T recommend datQvault. It has numerous errors that will confuse you to death and it's just a bunch of repeated questions. I skimmed through Cliff's and it seems decent for those who have at least a background in biology. The actual test had about 2 questions on the systems, a lot on basic taxonomy (questions I should have gotten correct if I studied for this... unfortunately I didn't know the answers to them), and a question on mesoderm layer. This is all I can remember. Topscore was a lot easier.


PAT (18): Crack Dat Pat/Topscore
I don't know what happened here. 😕 My range on CDP is 22-28. Got a 28 on the last CDP I took, which was yesterday. I always finished CDP with 15-20 minutes to go. On the real thing, I had about 8 minutes left over... which I always use to make sure I counted my cubes correctly. Honestly, all sections of the real PAT was a lot harder than CDP. One exception is angles and MAYBE cube counting. Pattern folding was the hardest... and nothing I've seen before compared to CDP. Topscore was easier also. BTW, I forgot to bring my glasses with me to the test. This section is half the reason why I am going to retake.


RC (18): Crack Dat Reading/Topscore
Topscore is WAY easier... to the point where you should just skip that part of Topscore... use that 60 minutes on being more productive. I was averaging 21 on CDR, so I'm not sure what happened on the real thing. I wasn't piano'd. Had 2 scientific passages, and the other one was on exercising. Several Tone/inferences question such as "What is the author's tone in this passage?" The answer options had adjectives I never seen before and didn't understand. Reading was always my lowest score on any type of standardized testing, so I am OK with this score. From day 1, I always worried about this section.


QR (15):
I just didn't have time to study. Funny how math is my strongest section ever since I was little... highest scores on standardized tests, courses... it was just natural... BUT NOT ON THE DAT! haha. I went over a few problems on Math Destroyer yesterday. This was all. I had the CDM program, but never had time to use it. I skipped all the word problems I didn't recognize how to do immediately, and never had time to back to them. I noticed that Math Destroyer is very similar to the real QR. Math destroyer is all you really need here. Study for this section, don't wing it. I remember I had a bunch of word problems and a question where you need to know the unit circle. This is the other half of the reason I am retaking.


I couldn't sleep last night. Fortunately, my test was at 4pm so I had 6 hours of sleep. I didn't eat anything before or during the test because I had butterflies in my tummy all day! I completely skipped the 15 minute break and went straight to RC, regardless of my plan. During the second half of my test, I started feeling really cold, had chills, and light headedness (maybe PMS? lol). I used the noise-cancelling headphones all through the test and I realized that it gives you a headache and neck pains from all that pressure it puts on your head. I had no problems with the markers or erasers. However, the screen likes to freeze often. I took my test on Harwin in Tx.

Before I went to the testing center, I ran some errands and studied and reviewed notes. While reviewing notes, I may have panicked. A lot of things I know I knew and that were basic... suddenly went blank. It was probably not a wise idea to study right before the test... You start forgetting things that are basic!


I plan to retake in 3 months, but apply with what I currently have anyway.
AADSAS cGPA 3.53/ sGPA 3.33... both higher with +/-
TMDSAS cGPA 3.50/ sGPA 3.29

What do you think?


if you got a 17 in QR, your AA would have been a 19. not the greatest idea to not study for 2 sections adequately and set yourself up for failure. I am glad you are taking full responsibility.

A retake is a must.....but im not familiar with Texas so i am not sure about their DAT and gpa averages.
 
aww nguyen!! ahh
your scores are good, theyre not terrible. I mean, you should be pretty happy with them. the only thing that stands out to me is the 17 in bio. everything else looks alright.🙂
QR ehhhh well.......i dont know anything about this section and how schools look at it so i cant comment on thattt.
but ah yea, u only studied for like 2 weeks....its taking me 2 weeks just to do everything for gen chem! haha damn im slow. also, if it was too late to resched you could've just cancelled the whole thing and paid another 320....i feel like you may have rushed your test but oh well whats done is done u cant un-take ur test. so just retake it in a few months and study bio the whole time instead of a few hours!!! haha ;-)
 
I tried to reschedule it a second time.... but it was too late 🙁

ADA:

Prometric requires notification at least two business days (before noon Eastern Time) before the scheduled testing appointment to cancel or reschedule an appointment at a Prometric Test Center. You may cancel or reschedule your appointment by calling the Prometric Contact Center at 800.688.5804 or by visiting www.prometric.com. If you no-show or cancel less than two business days prior to the scheduled testing date, you will neither be rescheduled to another date nor will you receive a refund.

So you couldnt decide 2 days ago that this was prob a bad idea? Also, if you didnt show up, you would have forfeited320 dollars correct? But , correct me if I am wrong, it would have allowed you to take it...maybe 3-4 weeks from now by signing up for the exam and paying the 320 dollar fee again? So the penalty would have been 320 dollars for that. versus now waiting till September 1st to retake your DAT, which will make you relatively late in the app cycle (2-4 weeks to process, so your app might be finished until end of Sep/beg of October.) hurting you in your chances.
 
Why did you only decide to study 2.5 weeks for one of the most important tests in your life???

Some people don't have the luxury of having months of study time, haha.

And as someone said, your scores aren't terrible by any means. The QR stands out, mainly because it brought your academic average down. Honestly, if you had made an 18 or so on that, I wouldn't really think a retake was necessary. The main thing that stands out study-wise is the fact you neglected math and bio completely. I'd rather go in knowing that I could do a bit of everything than just focusing on a couple of sections.

Anyway, seems like a solid effort for limited study time, and don't get discouraged. Good luck to you!
 
Retake. seriously study more. 2.5 weeks wasn't gonna cut. I suggested pushing it to late june but you said you have some class.

you're next chance is in september. take a few days off then start studying. Plus use the stuff you bought. you're just throwing money away if you don't use the things you buy.

You gotta go redeem the Nguyen family name. I already shamed it a bit last year or crappy bio and math scores.

I get a chance to redeem it next week. :laugh:

(Its a joke,that all nguyens are related. Maybe you don't hear it that much in texas like california. Although I'm not surprised when I'm introduced to some distant random cousin given that my grandfather had 3 "wives")
 
ADA:

So you couldnt decide 2 days ago that this was prob a bad idea? Also, if you didnt show up, you would have forfeited320 dollars correct? But , correct me if I am wrong, it would have allowed you to take it...maybe 3-4 weeks from now by signing up for the exam and paying the 320 dollar fee again? So the penalty would have been 320 dollars for that. versus now waiting till September 1st to retake your DAT, which will make you relatively late in the app cycle (2-4 weeks to process, so your app might be finished until end of Sep/beg of October.) hurting you in your chances.


Wow, I didn't even think about that 😡 Haha. Oh well, the second time around will be easier. If not this year, next year for sure... plus the year wait will allow me to make my application even more competitive by raising GPA, etc...
 
Thanks everyone for your replies! 🙂 Some of you are hilarious. hehehe

How bad are my scores really??.... like to the point where no schools want to even consider me? Or to the point where they will be a little iffy iffy.
 
😕


It's okay NguyenDDS, you got some pretty good scores for such a small amount of studying...imagine what you'll be getting with 3 months of it under your belt.


But...why did you only study 6 hours of biology for what could be the most important test of your life?
(now that the NBDE is becoming P/F)
 
Those are some pretty solid scores with just 2.5 weeks of study time, hot damn, I remember my first Kaplan test was hella weaker than that and it was KAPLAN!
 
i have a friend with a about a 3.6 and an 18 AA who got into temple and UMDNJ this past cycle. she had a 20 PAT though.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies! 🙂 Some of you are hilarious. hehehe

How bad are my scores really??.... like to the point where no schools want to even consider me? Or to the point where they will be a little iffy iffy.



did u get any gen chem lab questions ?

and did u do search and destroy for RC ? i do that for topscore and get 20+
 
I tried to reschedule it a second time.... but it was too late 🙁

So you scheduled, started studying too late, and then rescheduled, and still only had 2.5 weeks? Why didn't you schedule it later? I know you said that you were burnt out, but that's after only studying for 2.5 weeks? Anyway, good luck. Just make sure to plan things better next time. You did well for the most part.
 
I think I might have had the same test as you, I remember the exercise passage on RC as well haha. Like everyone said, the chem and ochem scores are very good for the amount of time you had. And correct me if I'm wrong but last time I checked, average AA for people accepted to schools was 19, so your 18 isn't exactly far below the average. At least you're at a point where you know a solid 2 months of studying will raise all your scores for sure rather than be stuck in a position where you're not sure if retaking would result in possibly lower scores due to chance. Good luck on your retake.
 
i'm sure if you applied everywhere, at least one school's gotta accept you with those scores...you should try that

</d1ck>
 
did u get any gen chem lab questions ?

and did u do search and destroy for RC ? i do that for topscore and get 20+

On Topscore RC, search&destroy is all you really need to do.
On CDR, you must read.
On the real dat, you need to AT LEAST skim it... for the various tone/inference questions. For each passage, I read the first half normally and the second half I skimmed. I took each question one-by-one afterwards. I did search&destroy if I forgot something

As for chem, I did not get any chem lab technique questions 🙂
 
definitely sarcastic/dickish

whatever you do don't make any serious decisions tonight...you're too fried from the DAT for sure
 
One thing you can take from this is experience.
You still have the practice material, so go through them more carefully this time. Winging sections of the DAT is a recipe for disaster and many people who write this test prepare for it almost religiously!

It's a good score for winging certain sections, but you know you have it in you to do better =)
 
I am definitely fried. The good news is that I don't have to cram in hours of studying per day anymore! I can space it out over 3 months.... starting tomorrow 🙂 That feels really good.
 
Are you applying this cycle? I'm presuming you're applying at the 3 TX schools. Your GPA is well below the avg for those admitted at TX and your BIO and QR score are below 18.
 
Are you applying this cycle? I'm presuming you're applying at the 3 TX schools. Your GPA is well below the avg for those admitted at TX and your BIO and QR score are below 18.

Doesn't hurt to try 👍 And it's only $95 for all 3 schools 👍
What is the average for TX anyway?
 
For only 2.5 weeks those scores are very good. Keep your head up, make time for more study. Most of all, be happy and optimistic. 🙂
 
I think you had 19/19 on ur first take a year ago right?

Thats going to be ur reason for the retake. I think your old scores were fine, but you botched it up with the 2nd attempt. IMO, 3rd take is a must.

I do agree with some of the posters above, I did not know you only spend 3 weeks studying, I woulda been the first person to object to your posts from past few weeks.

I hope people understand that the DAT retakes are an OPPORTUNITY to do better. And NOT a lottery ticket for "maybe" a better score. I would have taken this 2nd attempt more seriously. Come on, I know people sometimes get lucky but no Bio nor QR preparation? thats a setup for a disaster.

Its okay, I know ur feeling down, take a week off from everything. Go enjoy life. Come back and put a legitimate 2-2.5 months into studying.

Its actually not bad, 2-3 weeks with 19 ts... imagine 2-2.5 months
 
I think you had 19/19 on ur first take a year ago right?

Thats going to be ur reason for the retake. I think your old scores were fine, but you botched it up with the 2nd attempt. IMO, 3rd take is a must.

I do agree with some of the posters above, I did not know you only spend 3 weeks studying, I woulda been the first person to object to your posts from past few weeks.

I hope people understand that the DAT retakes are an OPPORTUNITY to do better. And NOT a lottery ticket for "maybe" a better score. I would have taken this 2nd attempt more seriously. Come on, I know people sometimes get lucky but no Bio nor QR preparation? thats a setup for a disaster.

Its okay, I know ur feeling down, take a week off from everything. Go enjoy life. Come back and put a legitimate 2-2.5 months into studying.

Its actually not bad, 2-3 weeks with 19 ts... imagine 2-2.5 months


Thanks DentalWorks. But I never took the DAT before. This was my first time 🙂
 
For only studying that amount of time and never taking the DAT before... I have to say you did very good!!!... 2 1/2 weeks????... Come on people.. I say he/she did good on the DAT for the amount of time spent studying... With that said, you probably should have postponed it a little longer if you could have.. But you are right.. Now you can just really focus on studying and you won't be stressed so bad.... Good job on the attempt... Go ahead and apply if money isn't the issue.. You never know what will happen until you try!
 
I don't know why everyone is congratulating her on a job well done. I don't mean to be a dick but it's obvious the OP didn't take things seriously if she only studied 2.5 weeks. On top of that, she also posted a thread a week ago claiming she had lost motivation and was slacking.

Just really bad. 👎thumbdown👎
 
2.5 weeks?! Why 🙁
I must say I've been keeping up with your posts and I have faith in you!! Studying 3 months vs 2.5 weeks, I think will really help your score! Especially next time you take it you will be more familiar with the test etc. You can do it, just crack down these 3 months and study study!!!!! 👍
 
Taking it again in 3 months probably puts you out of applying this cycle. Not sure why you didn't just set it to study for 1.5 months and take in in a couple weeks. Oh well. Good luck.
 
Thanks everyone for your support and/or constructive criticism 🙂 I appreciate every bit of it!

I had time to ponder my scores today.... and I realize it's not SUPER bad. It's just eh... nothing special and nothing really attractive about it. I think if the QR score was a 17 instead of a 15, it would look like a reasonable score to apply. I don't regret taking it too early at all.. Taking it actually got rid of the fear I had of it. The experience is now there and now I KNOW what to expect.

Nonetheless, I am applying to TX schools and a few out-of state schools with lower averages. I submitted my applications to both TMDSAS and AADSAS today. Some of you may think it's a waste of money and I should just wait until next cycle... but I don't think it's a waste. By applying this cycle, it will let me learn a few things: (1) If I am offered an interview, it means means that I am good enough on paper, (2) If I'm not offered an interview, I know there's something bad on my application that I need to change, (3) If I get accepted, then whoo hoo! In the end, I will regret it if I don't at least try.

More importantly, last night I paid the $320 fee to retake the DAT in 90 days 👍 I am now aiming for a 26+AA DAT 😛
 
don't let this bum you out! it's not a terrible score, and not by any means considering you studied very little. With more study time, I'm scared to see your next break down 😀 Best of luck
 
Don't worry with little more time to study this time around you will just do fine. Good luck.
 
Thanks everyone for your support and/or constructive criticism 🙂 I appreciate every bit of it!

I had time to ponder my scores today.... and I realize it's not SUPER bad. It's just eh... nothing special and nothing really attractive about it. I think if the QR score was a 17 instead of a 15, it would look like a reasonable score to apply. I don't regret taking it too early at all.. Taking it actually got rid of the fear I had of it. The experience is now there and now I KNOW what to expect.

Nonetheless, I am applying to TX schools and a few out-of state schools with lower averages. I submitted my applications to both TMDSAS and AADSAS today. Some of you may think it's a waste of money and I should just wait until next cycle... but I don't think it's a waste. By applying this cycle, it will let me learn a few things: (1) If I am offered an interview, it means means that I am good enough on paper, (2) If I'm not offered an interview, I know there's something bad on my application that I need to change, (3) If I get accepted, then whoo hoo! In the end, I will regret it if I don't at least try.

More importantly, last night I paid the $320 fee to retake the DAT in 90 days 👍 I am now aiming for a 26+AA DAT 😛

And so it begins. This time spend less time making posts worrying about it, and spend that time studying. 3 months should be plenty of time to retake and get that score.
 
Relax babe. Take a deep breath and exhale. If you weren't so hyper about it in the beginning, I feel as though you could have done better. I saw that you registered back in November! What happened? I feel like you can get a 26, just take some time off the forums and study!
 
Bummer🙁 Do you think that you will be able to focus and not get burnt out for 3 months of studying if you got burnt out after a measily 2.5 weeks of studying? What about 4 years of studying in dental school? Is this something that you have considered?

I wish you all the best!! I hope you can gain an acceptance with your current scores😀
 
Bummer🙁 Do you think that you will be able to focus and not get burnt out for 3 months of studying if you got burnt out after a measily 2.5 weeks of studying? What about 4 years of studying in dental school? Is this something that you have considered?

I wish you all the best!! I hope you can gain an acceptance with your current scores😀

Well said.👍

You just need to relax and not let it get to you. It's really not a big deal. It's one test that you've essentially been preparing for via your college courses for 3/4 years.
 
NguyenDDS

Dont let this bring you down. Today is June 3rd, 2011. On June 25th, 2010 (almost one year ago), I took the DAT for the first time and got a 15 AA. Yep. 15! Imagine how that one felt. I decided that I would study for the rest of summer and take it three months later. Well, three months later came and I had not touched DAT in three weeks because my school semester started. Tried during christmas break, but I didnt feel prepared after the DAT Destroyer literally "destroyed" me. One year later, Im about to go take the exam for the second time. This gave me time to shadow more, take more classes to raise my GPA, volunteer more and build a network around the ASDA.

Moral of the story: Dont give up. Everything happens for a reason. Hard work and dedication will get you there!

Good Luck!
 
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