why is it always me?

[shal3]

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Hi everyone,
I took the DAT today for the second time and now I'm crying my eyes out. I'll be totally be honest with you and give out all my score and would apperciate your opinions.
So I tok the DAT in 06 and I basically only had 3 weeks to study and I knew I wasn't going to de well. Anywas I aplied first, then took the DAT and didn't get ino any schools. My scores were:
AA 16
TS 16
PAT 17
QR 15
RC 16
BIO 15
GC 18
OC 16

Toady, I took the DAT for the second time after studying the whole summer and at least thought I was ready. I have applies already by the way. So these are my scores:
AA 17
TS 18
PAT 20
QR 16
RC 17
BIO 18
GC 19
OC 17

Amazing I know. GC was an ABSOLUTE shock. I thought it was going to be one of my highest scores and then RC. but I just CAN'T believe my OC and there was an increse of 1 point in my AA? just one?? GOOOOOD whyyyyy? I just want to die right now.
So after all of this do you guys think I could get into AT LEAST one place? This is seriously a matter of life and death. You guys have noooo idea how important this is to me. PPPPLLLZZ let me know what you think. Oh, and Just to make thinks better I have a wonderful GPA of a total 3.0, went to a comunity college firt and then transfered to one of the best public schools in the nation and graduated from there (what's the point?) And my Extracur. is OK , I think.

 

[shal3]

I forgot to ask my major question:
Should I consider another retake? But I don't know if that works cause I need to wait for three months and that's going to be the almost end of the appl. cycle?
plz let me know

 

[BodybldgDoc]

retake and worst case scenario if you dont get in this cycle apply next cycle with your new DAT scores for the third time. At least you kinda improved and didnt do worse. third times the charm my friend. Just make sure you rock it.

 

[dfdsf]

I would say apply to a few schools for this cycle, and prepare to retake the Dat in spring. Also improve ur app in every aspect possible until the next cycle (volunteer work, shadowing, etc.). If you can, apply for a master's program.

 

[shal3]

Is 17 for OChem TERRIBLE? I mean terrible in a way that might be the leading reason for not getting in? And for reading comp if English isn't your 1st lang., do they take that into account? It's just soooo unfair. My WHOLE test was sooo random. Barely anything came from the destroyer.

 

[glkdds]

Okay.... CALM DOWN! You have GOT to look at the positive side of this! And there is one... let's see....

You took a test last year that was tough. Didn't score as high as you wanted, so you busted your butt this summer to study again, and oh, by the way... have you been reading ANY of the other threads on this site from people saying how this years test bank is MUCH harder than last years test?!?!?! So, you retook a harder version of an already-hard-as-h*ll test... and EVERY SCORE WENT UP! Congrats to you!!!! 🙂

I understand you being upset... been there before. But again, the upside to this is you have another opportunity to take this test again... and knock it out of the park. Since you just took the test, you probably remember pieces of the q's that were tough for you. Go back and review more of those q's. Go through the rest of your study guides... Destroyer, Kaplan, Cliffs... what ever you used... again and again and again. You won't have the same test again, so perhaps more of the info that you review will be on the test next time.

BUT! I promise you... this is NOT a life or death situation.... nor will it ever be. Don't put that kind of energy out there!

Use this time to really boost the rest your application... volunteer... like crazy! Job shadow at several different dental offices (ortho, pedo, endo, perio, etc.). See if you can find a job working in a dental office as a sterilization tech or front desk person (if you are not already working at one!) I am sure there is a medicaid dental office where you live, and they are always looking for good employees! Get involved in your community... even if it is just volunteering at the local elementary school... you can make yourself into a really desirable canidate!

Good luck! 🙂

 

[Altimeter88]

As the others said you need to look at the positive. You went from a 16.0 to 17.4 which means you only needed 1 more point to be rounded up to an 18AA. You improved 7 points (not counting PAT) which I think is pretty dang good considering the test seems to be much harder this cycle!

My buddy who just finished his first year of dental school took the DAT 3 times and got an AA of 17 every time. He got in his second year of applying, just stick with it.

Also as the others have said, get as many things added to your dental resume as possible to show the dental schools that you really want this, they like to see this and they like seeing improvement.

I very well could be in the same boat as you in two weeks. I have put the DAT off for 2 years because I don't test well at all on timed tests, I freak out, I almost just gave up going to dental school because of it. Finally I came to my senses and have been putting in 12-16 solid hours/day for 4 weeks now. I am not working and have 0 distractions right now. My test date is Oct. 1 and I feel like I need another 2 months at this pace to get to where I am more confident but I can't push the test out anymore. When I review my practice tests I always miss 3-4 questions on each section that I totally 100% know, but I just am trying to move fast and make stupid mistakes or even fill in the wrong bubble.

Hang in there, I thought it was life and death too but I have come to realize that it is not. If I don't do well enough on Oct. 1 I am going to take a week off, then get back to work for 3 more months. I know I will likely miss this cycle but I have prepared for that mentally if that comes up.

Good Luck and hang in there, and good improvement on your test!

 

[shal3]

thanks for being so nice guys. I'll see what happens.

 

[poc91nc]

If you studied the whole summer...there has to be something wrong with your study methods. How well did you understand the guides you used? Did you know everything inside and out? If woken up in the middle of the night...were you able to do every practice problem and practically recite the solution without a second of hesitation? Were you ready for all possible variations of a given problem? For people average intelligence (like myself) it really takes that kind of effort...there is no room for gambling. It's all about meticulous planning and execution.

You didn't mention anything about practice tests. How did you do on those? For the sciences...the only way to really be sure you can get 20's is to duplicate that during your practice tests...I don't care if the practice tests are harder...you need that confidence. If you were getting below 18's on the sciences in achiever...you probably weren't ready. Yes, there are people who get lucky, but again...no need to take chances. I think it's so important to treat the practice exams (achiever) like the real deal and do your best to simulate the testing environment. Think about it, those practice tests are the only way to know if you're understanding what you've been studying. Essentially by taking a test constructed of random questions you have no knowledge about...kinda like on game day.

On a positive note, there is plenty of room for improvement in the sciences, and you just need to re-evaluate your methods. As long as you are able to maintain a "never say die" mentality, you'll make it. Good luck.

 

[Sillygirl]

I have to agree with Poc91nc. I'm not one of the smartest girls out there but i had to really evaluate my study habits and skills. Its easy to sit in front of a book and not really absorb the material all summer. I made it a point to be able to recite everything out of Schaums almost word for word. My friend could open a page and read a sentence and i could finish the sentence. (most of the time 😀)

Having said that, nothing is ever life or death. I believe you probably have to retake it again or work on your gpa but take everything one step at a time. The life or death mentality is probably adding too much pressure and making it impossible to really concentrate and study. Take a deep breath and take it slowly and never give up. You'll get there. 😛

 

[lollipop999]

first off, take a biochem/ A&P class/ maybe microbio and learn some good stuff. I knew the ochem and Gchem destroyer better than anything... I mean... go through the entire thing and not even flinch at a question. thats what i did ( 96th) percentile in science. And anyone can improve, i started out getting below a 10 in bio. I took some simple bio classes freshman year and forgot most of it and had to teach myself bio all summer. Get your GPA up because that is going to be harder to do than getting better DAT scores. Being a dentist means alot to many people on this site but never a matter of life and death. Family, friends, and hanging out is what should really make you happy. Everything else will fall into place

 

[lollipop999]

some stupid advice... Get a poster board.. put in the wall near your bed and write in big bold letters.... I OWN THE DAT.... thats what i woke up to for 2 months.. i guess it worked... being confident is the only way.