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February 2019 DAT Thoughts


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Couldn’t be happier, almost broke into tears when I saw my scores

RC: 22

Biol: 29

Chem: 25

PAT: 25

AA: 27

I was going through a lot before new years (depression and ptsd) and was at rock bottom with almost dropping out of school. Somehow found the motivation to keep going and I couldn’t be happier with how this turned out. If anyones in my position, get help and take care of yourself first. It’s amazing how much you can overcome if you put your mind to it.

12 hours ago, BlueFin said:

Congrats you guys! What did you all use to prepare? I'm taking my DAT in November so any help would be great

I used mainly DATCrusher, and a little bit of DATBootcamp and CracktheDAT for extra questions. Out of those three, the real DAT was closest to DATCrusher. Also don't waste your time and money taking the Kaplan course like I did, it was not that helpful. The most important thing for me was finding motivation and being consistent. If you can do that for 2-3 months you should be do well. :) 

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I'm pretty upset with how this turned out. I used only DATBootcamp which I would NOT recommend using if you're studying for the Canadian DAT. They falsely advertised saying there were no differences between the Canadian and American DAT and I trusted them. Long story short, I found out in the middle of the real DAT that we are only given 50 minutes instead of 60 minutes on the American DAT. They basically told me to *** off, tried cleaning up their mess by hiding everything that happened, and never apologized.  :( 

RC: 15 (Thanks to DATBootcamp)
Biol: 19
Chem: 20
PAT: 19
AA: 18

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1 hour ago, TrueChen said:

I'm pretty upset with how this turned out. I used only DATBootcamp which I would NOT recommend using if you're studying for the Canadian DAT. They falsely advertised saying there were no differences between the Canadian and American DAT and I trusted them. Long story short, I found out in the middle of the real DAT that we are only given 50 minutes instead of 60 minutes on the American DAT. They basically told me to *** off, tried cleaning up their mess by hiding everything that happened, and never apologized.  :( 

RC: 15 (Thanks to DATBootcamp)
Biol: 19
Chem: 20
PAT: 19
AA: 18

You should know the requirements of an exam you are taking, its not a 3rd parties responsibility to inform you on something you should inform yourself on. Are you going to go 100% by the dental supply reps word on instruments and efficacies in the future?  Take it as a learning moment and good luck with your repeat :) 

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12 hours ago, BlueFin said:

Wow congrats! How did you study in just 3 weeks?

The exam isn't really that bad if you're smart about it. I probably spent 2 weeks studying the DATcrusher notes, watching videos, and practicing the PAT on paper before taking all the practice tests on crusher. There's also a really good DAT Princeton review book I picked up from chapters which I used for anything I needed more information on Bio. And for reading, I also used IQ publications which was okay.

If I spent a little more time, I think I could have scored higher. Regardless I'm content with getting a 25AA. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

CDA has published all Feb 2019 scores already (pdf file). The  Feb DAT averages were very high so the competition for admission will be higher. Either those who wrote the Feb test were better prepared or the test was easier compared to November's one.

Also  ~~~ half as many students took Feb DAT compared to November. (699 vs 1134)

By the way, if you are bilingual you will score much higher if you take the french DAT.

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1 hour ago, ME-DENTIST said:

CDA has published all Feb 2019 scores already (pdf file). The  Feb DAT averages were very high so the competition for admission will be higher. Either those who wrote the Feb test were better prepared or the test was easier compared to November's one.

Also  ~~~ half as many students took Feb DAT compared to November. (699 vs 1134)

By the way, if you are bilingual you will score much higher if you take the french DAT.

Could you please post the pdf file on the forum 

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8 hours ago, Ms. Chip Skylark said:

In terms of percentile, yes, but not your score out of 30 which is what the schools use for admissions and what matters at the end of the day.

Aren't the scores out of 30 informed by the percentile? Or is that not the case for the DAT? Sorry if it's a really obvious answer!

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To comment on the above posts: If more applicants get higher scores then there is a larger pool of them to choose from.  If you are the only one with DAT=22 then you chances of being admitted are higher compared to a situation where  there is  100 applicants with DAT=22. Just saying.

Since I was asked to post the CDA DAT Feb 2019 and Nov 2018 data please see the attached files. You can get scores from previous years on the CDA website

If you are also applying to US with a Canadian DAT note that some US schools are no longer accepting Canadian DAT so you need to write US DAT which is somewhat harder.

Cheers!

 

DAT-Score-Scale Feb 2019.pdf

November 2018 Canadian DAT.pdf

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1 hour ago, ME-DENTIST said:

To comment on the above posts: If more applicants get higher scores then there is a larger pool of them to choose from.  If you are the only one with DAT=22 then you chances of being admitted are higher compared to a situation where  there is  100 applicants with DAT=22. Just saying.

Since I was asked to post the CDA DAT Feb 2019 and Nov 2018 data please see the attached files. You can get scores from previous years on the CDA website

If you are also applying to US with a Canadian DAT note that some US schools are no longer accepting Canadian DAT so you need to write US DAT which is somewhat harder.

Cheers!

 

DAT-Score-Scale Feb 2019.pdf

November 2018 Canadian DAT.pdf

Hmm that's not entirely true. Canadian DAT scores are accepted by almost every American Dental School except 1 or 2, and those ones rarely accept Canadians. 

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4 hours ago, TheGreatPiper said:

Hmm that's not entirely true. Canadian DAT scores are accepted by almost every American Dental School except 1 or 2, and those ones rarely accept Canadians. 

More than just 1 or 2, but you're right in that schools that do not accept the Canadian DAT are mostly state schools thus heavily favour against out of state applicants let alone Canadian applicants so they are not worth applying to. In my opinion, writing the American DAT doesn't give you a significant advantage in broadening your pool of schools you would be applying to. Again, in my opinion the only reason to write the American DAT is the advantages of the test itself or if the typical "Canadian Friendly" schools are not options for you (eg. NYU, Rutgers, BU, Tufts, etc.).

About the American DAT:
- It is offered all year round which is great for studying schedules
-There is 10 more minutes for RC still with 50 questions
-From anecdotal evidence it seems to have "easier" questions (but that is up for debate)
-The main caveat is there are two additional sections: Organic Chemistry and Quantitative Reasoning
-It is also administered by computer (with a whiteboard for rough work) rather than on paper which comes down to personal preference

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On 5/8/2019 at 4:13 PM, HopefulDDS said:

More than just 1 or 2, but you're right in that schools that do not accept the Canadian DAT are mostly state schools thus heavily favour against out of state applicants let alone Canadian applicants so they are not worth applying to. In my opinion, writing the American DAT doesn't give you a significant advantage in broadening your pool of schools you would be applying to. Again, in my opinion the only reason to write the American DAT is the advantages of the test itself or if the typical "Canadian Friendly" schools are not options for you (eg. NYU, Rutgers, BU, Tufts, etc.).

About the American DAT:
- It is offered all year round which is great for studying schedules
-There is 10 more minutes for RC still with 50 questions
-From anecdotal evidence it seems to have "easier" questions (but that is up for debate)
-The main caveat is there are two additional sections: Organic Chemistry and Quantitative Reasoning
-It is also administered by computer (with a whiteboard for rough work) rather than on paper which comes down to personal preference

There's more to it than what you listed. I've taken both the Canadian and American DAT,  the American DAT covers more topics within biology and asks slightly different types of questions. And the reading comprehension is also different, which is why you get less time on the Canadian one. 

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On 5/11/2019 at 10:22 PM, Starburst said:

There's more to it than what you listed. I've taken both the Canadian and American DAT,  the American DAT covers more topics within biology and asks slightly different types of questions. And the reading comprehension is also different, which is why you get less time on the Canadian one. 

I agree with you, U Michigan specifically requests US DAT only and there are a few Canadians at the U Mich dental college. Also most of California dental schools recognize only US DAT + few others throughout US. I believe there is an advantage to taking  the US DAT for students that apply to US dental schools, especially since there are additional organic chem and QR sections, so the US schools most likely look at a candidate that took US DAT more favorably.  Although QR might not be that important, the organic chemistry section on DAT is listed as "important" by almost all dental schools ( as posted on ADA stats).

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13 hours ago, ME-DENTIST said:

I agree with you, U Michigan specifically requests US DAT only and there are a few Canadians at the U Mich dental college. Also most of California dental schools recognize only US DAT + few others throughout US. I believe there is an advantage to taking  the US DAT for students that apply to US dental schools, especially since there are additional organic chem and QR sections, so the US schools most likely look at a candidate that took US DAT more favorably.  Although QR might not be that important, the organic chemistry section on DAT is listed as "important" by almost all dental schools ( as posted on ADA stats).

You're looking at it very superficially. The american schools that only accept US DAT scores RARELY accept Canadians. Here take a close look at this:

ST DENTAL SCHOOL UNITED STATES CANADA
AL UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA 62 0
AZ ARIZONA SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY & ORAL HEALTH 71 0
AZ MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY - AZ 136 3
CA UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC 114 1
CA UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO 81 0
CA UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 79 0
CA HERMAN OSTROW SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY OF USC 135 1
CA LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY 91 1
CA WESTERN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES 64 1
CO UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO 77 0
CT UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT 46 0
DC HOWARD UNIVERSITY 73 0
FL UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 89 0
FL NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY 121 4
FL LECOM SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE 105 0
GA AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY 96 0
IL SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY 49 0
IL UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, CHICAGO 63 0
IL MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY - IL 126 3
IN INDIANA UNIVERSITY 100 1
IA UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 79 1
KY UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY 64 0
KY UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE 118 1
LA LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER 65 0
ME UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND 62 2
MD UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND 128 0
MA HARVARD UNIVERSITY 31 1
MA BOSTON UNIVERSITY 99 7
MA TUFTS UNIVERSITY 193 4
MI UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT-MERCY 118 25
MI UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 100 3
MN UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA 104 3
MS UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI 40 0
MO UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, KANSAS CITY 106 0
MO MISSOURI SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY & ORAL HEALTH 42 0
NE CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY 83 0
NE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER 50 0
NV UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS 81 0
NJ RUTGERS SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE 74 0
NY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 77 0
NY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 286 32
NY STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY 44 0
NY TOURO COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE 100 0
NY UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO 82 2
NC UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 81 1
NC EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY 51 0
OH OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 106 0
OH CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY 63 3
OK UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 54 0
OR OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY 75 0
PA TEMPLE UNIVERSITY 124 2
PA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA 127 2
PA UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 74 2
SC MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA 75 0
TN MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE 60 0
TN UNIV. OF TENNESSEE HLTH SCI CENTER 97 0
TX TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY 106 0
TX UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON 96 0
TX UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT SAN ANTONIO 101 0
UT ROSEMAN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES 80 2
UT UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 50 0
VA VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY 77 1
WA UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON 56 0
WV WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY 48 0
WI MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY 103 0
PR UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO 43 0
  TOTAL FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS 5,751 109
  PERCENT OF TOTAL 93.0 1.8

 

Notice that there's really only about 5 schools that are truly "Canadian friendly" while there are tons of other schools that accept 1 or 2 Canadians every year? Fun fact, almost all of them accept the Canadian DAT accept 1 or 2 like University of Michigan (it doesn't because it's an in-state school). I've been through the application process and wasted a ridiculous amount of money applying to schools like Texas or Nebraska only to have wasted thousands of dollars so hopefully this will help some of you guys. :)

 
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