why hate the DAT..?

[DRCM]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Why do so many pre-pod students hate the DAT? i read so many posts saying that pod schools should only accept the MCAT. why hate it so much? the DAT goes over biology, chem, and reading comprehension, like the MCAT. wouldn't the bio and chem actually be harder on the DAT since there's no passages to help with the answers, like on the MCAT? i know the DAT doesn't have physics or the writing, but it has math and pod schools don't look at the writing on the MCAT anyway. I took a practice DAT and a practice MCAT today, and I found them both pretty dang hard, and did pretty bad on both of them too lol. a lot of people say that since pod school is a med school, admissions should use the MCAT just as med schools do. but in a way, dental schools are med schools, too.. just wondering what you all think, and posting since this forum has been pretty quiet lately ...

 

[PJAG]

Why do so many pre-pod students hate the DAT? i read so many posts saying that pod schools should only accept the MCAT. why hate it so much? the DAT goes over biology, chem, and reading comprehension, like the MCAT. wouldn't the bio and chem actually be harder on the DAT since there's no passages to help with the answers, like on the MCAT? i know the DAT doesn't have physics or the writing, but it has math and pod schools don't look at the writing on the MCAT anyway. I took a practice DAT and a practice MCAT today, and I found them both pretty dang hard, and did pretty bad on both of them too lol. a lot of people say that since pod school is a med school, admissions should use the MCAT just as med schools do. but in a way, dental schools are med schools, too.. just wondering what you all think, and posting since this forum has been pretty quiet lately ...

Due to my lack of knowledge of the DAT, I can’t say that I specifically hate the DAT. But I can reason why so many pre-pod students hate the DAT. The many students who apply to podiatry school using DAT scores generally carry the implication that they were pre-dental rejects. Therefore, by not being accepted to dental school, many pre-dental students fall to their back-up option of podiatry school. However, I can see a counter-argument in regards to med school rejects who have taken the MCAT and apply to podiatry school as a back-up option.

Obviously, the MCAT stands for Medical College Admission Test. My current knowledge indicates to me that podiatry’s curriculum is very similar to medical(allopathic) school’s curriculum (I have been ignorant of dental school’s curriculum). In addition, there has been a recent focus on having the MD initials added to our DPM degree. Podiatry’s recent attempt of decreasing the gap between DPM and MD provides evidence to me that we should take the more equivalent exam, the MCAT and not the DAT.

Since all of the schools accept the MCAT, shouldn’t that be the only test? Perhaps the DAT and GRE tests provide for a greater applicant pool for some schools. But it would be nice to have everyone take the same test(MCAT) so that a better comparison of applicants can be determined.

Let me remind you that I am not degrading the value of the DAT. Dental schools are definitely medical schools. But isn’t the DAT a specific test for pre-dentistry students? Since we don’t have a specific podiatric entrance exam we have to go to the next broader & more encompassing exam, the MCAT. Since the DAT is permitted, maybe we should allow for the PCAT(Pharmacy College Admission Test) as well? I really do believe that in time when the applicant pool will be greater we can eliminate the DAT & GRE. We can also eliminate the MCAT if we had a bit of testicular fortitude to create our own specific Podiatry Entrance Exam. At the moment, I feel that the MCAT serves a greater purpose for podiatry schools than the DAT. I hope I made sense, because it’s getting kinda late and I am tired.

 

[PJAG]

I forgot to add this link(it may be insightful to the topic):

http://more.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=434450

 

[DPMstudent]

The DAT is MUCH easier than the MCAT. To score well on the DAT all you have to do is memorize, memorize, memorize. The MCAT requires the test taker to actually think.

 

[DRCM]

Obviously, the MCAT stands for Medical College Admission Test. My current knowledge indicates to me that podiatry’s curriculum is very similar to medical(allopathic) school’s curriculum (I have been ignorant of dental school’s curriculum). In addition, there has been a recent focus on having the MD initials added to our DPM degree. Podiatry’s recent attempt of decreasing the gap between DPM and MD provides evidence to me that we should take the more equivalent exam, the MCAT and not the DAT.

This is true, but some dental students graduate with a DMD degree; therefore, they have the MD initials too.. And i do agree, there should be a Podiatry Entrance Exam. Every other school has its own test (allopathic, optometry, pharmacy, dental, veterinary, etc), so why shouldn't podiatry?

 

[j0ez0r]

there arent many programs that will just throw out options as to what admissions test you will need.

for instance, whens the last time you saw a law student not take the LSAT..or a medical student not take the MCAT...or a dental student not take the DAT...or an MBA student not take the GMAT...

lets pick one and go for it so all students are on the same page and have gone through the exact same process. doesnt seem all that fair to me to pick and choose one exam over the other...some people may do better on the DAT than they wouldve on MCAT but didnt know the chance existed. Just my $.02

 

[DPMstudent]

This is true, but some dental students graduate with a DMD degree; therefore, they have the MD initials too.. And i do agree, there should be a Podiatry Entrance Exam. Every other school has its own test (allopathic, optometry, pharmacy, dental, veterinary, etc), so why shouldn't podiatry?

L-O-L.. you don't buy the DMD thing do you? DMD is the exact same thing as DDS but some dentists felt inferior to MDs and wanted to sound the same. maybe we should become DPMDs

 

[JEWmongous]

This is true, but some dental students graduate with a DMD degree; therefore, they have the MD initials too.. And i do agree, there should be a Podiatry Entrance Exam. Every other school has its own test (allopathic, optometry, pharmacy, dental, veterinary, etc), so why shouldn't podiatry?

A Podiatry entrance exam is dumb. How much do we wanna separate ourselves from DO/MD counterparts? Should they ask us undergrads foot specific questions 😴 The MCAT is the only decent admissions test for podiatry. The good schools have already made it MCAT-only while the weaker pod program still allow the DAT (or worse the GRE).

And by the way, there is no longer a placement test for veterinary school. It used to be the VCAT but now students take the GRE.

 

[184013]

DPM student,
I have heard word (recent past) of DOs trying to change to Osteopathic Medical Doctor O-MD or some similar name change... in order to allow the public joe patient to understand he/she is seeing a physician.. Merely semantics.. but to me it makes sense~

but then again.. what do i know. Above my avatar I still have an "UNDECIDED" can anyone tell me what needs to be done to have that chagne to "MEMBER"
thanks~

 

[MaseratiGT]

DPM student,
I have heard word (recent past) of DOs trying to change to Osteopathic Medical Doctor O-MD or some similar name change... in order to allow the public joe patient to understand he/she is seeing a physician.. Merely semantics.. but to me it makes sense~

but then again.. what do i know. Above my avatar I still have an "UNDECIDED" can anyone tell me what needs to be done to have that chagne to "MEMBER"
thanks~

My Account
Edit Your Details
Custom User Title

 

[DRCM]

L-O-L.. you don't buy the DMD thing do you? DMD is the exact same thing as DDS but some dentists felt inferior to MDs and wanted to sound the same. maybe we should become DPMDs

well quite frankly, i couldn't care less if the initials MD are used or not. i was just making a reply to someone saying that podiatrists have the MD in their title. i was just saying yeah so what because dentists do too. i know that DMD and DDS are the same thing; different titles for dentists.. and if MD is so important, pods should just be PMDs not DPMDs as you suggested; there's no need to have doctor in a podiatrist's title twice. like, who really cares... i asked this question about the tests, not about titles and jobs

 

[aphistis]

L-O-L.. you don't buy the DMD thing do you? DMD is the exact same thing as DDS but some dentists felt inferior to MDs and wanted to sound the same. maybe we should become DPMDs

I'd be careful pointing fingers at other professions' supposed inferiority complexes, Mr. Future Medical Doctor of Medicinal Podiatric Medical Medicinery. Glass houses & stones, etc.

Back on topic, do many pod schools recognize the DAT as an entrance exam? I didn't realize any did.

 

[DPMstudent]

supposed?

 

[dpmPOD]

Mr. Future Medical Doctor of Medicinal Podiatric Medical Medicinery.

 

[HenryH]

I'd be careful pointing fingers at other professions' supposed inferiority complexes, Mr. Future Medical Doctor of Medicinal Podiatric Medical Medicinery. Glass houses & stones, etc.

Back on topic, do many pod schools recognize the DAT as an entrance exam? I didn't realize any did.

You forgot to mention "Surgery" somewhere in there! 😀

 

[Buspar]

but then again.. what do i know. Above my avatar I still have an "UNDECIDED"

 

[MaseratiGT]

DPM student,
I have heard word (recent past) of DOs trying to change to Osteopathic Medical Doctor O-MD or some similar name change... in order to allow the public joe patient to understand he/she is seeing a physician.. Merely semantics.. but to me it makes sense~

but then again.. what do i know. Above my avatar I still have an "UNDECIDED" can anyone tell me what needs to be done to have that chagne to "MEMBER"
thanks~

Was your question rhetorical?

 

[DPMstudent]

its just a big freaking forum of lulz




get your emoticons ready lolololololo!L!L!1o!1onoeneonelvelen!111 !!!!!!!!!!!1
(only allowed 10 ftw?!?!?!?)