MCAT and DAT comparison

[igeorgex]

Hey all,

 

I just studied for the MCAT the past 3 months, wrote, and am now planning on studying for the DAT.

 

I've heard that the bio and general chem is the same between the two, so should I not focus as much on those two and instead concentrate on PAT/carving/reading comp.? is there anything else the MCAT books go over that is present on the DAT as well?

 

what books would you recommend also? I've got the CDA stuff, planning on buying the Kaplan book. would the DAT destroyer be worth it, since I've already covered bio/general chem in MCAT (and we don't have organic chem on canadian DAT), and which IQ publications books are helpful? has anyone gotten the crack the DAT PAT software and found it useful?

 

thanks!!

 

by the way, I only plan on applying to UWO and UofT.

[stresso]

 

I've heard that the bio and general chem is the same between the two, so should I not focus as much on those two and instead concentrate on PAT/carving/reading comp.? is there anything else the MCAT books go over that is present on the DAT as well?

 

 

The content is the same for the bio and gen chem sections, and since there are no passages to read in these sections, yes, I would concentrate more on PAT, carving, and reading comp. You will find that the RC is a lot easier compared to the MCAT. The passages are a lot easier to read and answers can be found directly in the passages.

 

The only overlap between MCAT books and the DAT is bio and gen chem.

[DJDakoo]

i have written both tests...mcat then dat

no passages, physics, orgo or verbal makes the dat VERY easy compared to the mcat

the reading comp is like grade school reading comp...read then answer qs...none of that 'what is the author's point of view on...' crap lol

 

since you have already studied for the mcat, grab the Kaplan book to review (also there is some stuff on the DAT not on the mcat..like phylogenies, etc)...

then do PAT with IQ

[ad19]

Well since UWO and UofT don't look at carving, don't spend much time or any at all preparing for it.

[Dr Pepper]

Hello,

 

For people who have written both DAT and MCAT, I was wondering if you have scored in similar percentiles in both tests i.e. 12 in PS/BS and 22 in AA.

I know the two tests are different, and some people will be better at one than the other, but was curious whether the quality of the test takers are about the same.

 

Thanks!

[stresso]

I did better on the DAT than MCAT. I think not having to read passages on the DAT played a huge role.

[stresso]

I also thought that the DAT had less questions that involved application

[Dr Pepper]

Thanks stresso. That sounds encouraging.

 

My main concern at the moment is with RC. VR was just a pain in the ass for me. I did try one RC test from Kaplan's DAT book, and thought it was much much easier than VR, as I'm not really into humanity/philosophy stuff. Don't even know why they test us on those topics. Anyways, so is RC always going to be based on 3 SCIENCE passages?

[stresso]

Thanks stresso. That sounds encouraging.

 

My main concern at the moment is with RC. VR was just a pain in the ass for me. I did try one RC test from Kaplan's DAT book, and thought it was much much easier than VR, as I'm not really into humanity/philosophy stuff. Don't even know why they test us on those topics. Anyways, so is RC always going to be based on 3 SCIENCE passages?

 

 

Yeah, after writing the MCAT, RC seemed like a joke. It's so much easier/interesting to read, and a lot of the time the answers to the questions can be found directly in the passage. They arent necessarily 3 science passages. I've gotten passages about the piano, ANS, deer, x-ray, etc.

[DJDakoo]

you dont even need to read the passage for RC...

RC is NOT like verbal on the mcat...it is like reading comprehension you do in grade 8, but just on more detailed topics

 

I killed the RC on my DAT...and continue to get killed in VR on the mcat lol

[DentGal]

The Canadian DAT is very different than the MCAT. Not only is it on paper, but there are Perceptual ability sections and a Manual Dexterity section (carving) which both require precision and spatial skills.

 

I'm in Dent at the U of A right now, and when I studied for the DAT a few years ago I took a course - Rock the DAT at the U of A. I think they have the course in a few places in Alberta, so check out their website:

 

http://www.rockthedat.com

 

It helped me a lot especially when preparing for the carving and PAT sections. The Canadian Dental Association provides an information package, but it did NOT give me the right idea about carving. So the Rock the DAT course really made my DAT worthwhile!