Randomized DAT Exams

[gator95]

So I have been hearing that there are several forms of the DAT. Some people say that you can get either very lucky or unlucky. I was just curious on how this works. Do certain test centers have easier exams than others? Does each test center have a specific exam? How is it fair that one student can get a difficult exam and another can get an easy one? Do certain questions and topics overlap?

Thank you, just curious to how this all works!

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[I-hate-alginate]

Luck. And remember a hard exam in my opinion, doesn't mean that it will be hard for you. Don't deceive yourself with the easy/hard version.

 

[Faefly]

yeah, I don't think that is fair either!

 

[Faefly]

Luck. And remember a hard exam in my opinion, doesn't mean that it will be hard for you. Don't deceive yourself with the easy/hard version.

Just compare 2009 and 2007, 2007 is easier than 2009.
So, this is not just luck. This is an injustice!

 

[I-hate-alginate]

Just compare 2009 and 2007, 2007 is easier than 2009.
So, this is not just luck. This is an injustice!

I scored higher in 2009 than 2007. But I was more prepared. If you prepare good, chances are, you'll make the exam easier... but if you dont.

 

[Faefly]

I scored higher in 2009 than 2007. But I was more prepared. If you prepare good, chances are, you'll make the exam easier... but if you dont.

I agree with you, we should not blame the exam
but at the same time
there are some RC passages questions that are in order and easy
and others are not in order and messy.
I mean yeah science and math-wise, it depends on how much you studied
Pat, I think it depend on much you practiced
but RC does not work like this, it depends on your method, and it is easier when the questions are in order.
So it is not fair when they put 3 passages in order for someone, while someone else gets 2 messy ones and one passage in order or sometimes all of them are not in order and mostly tone questions.

 

[I-hate-alginate]

I agree with you, we should not blame the exam
but at the same time
there are some RC passages questions that are in order and easy
and others are not in order and messy.
I mean yeah science and math-wise, it depends on how much you studied
Pat, I think it depend on much you practiced
but RC does not work like this, it depends on your method, and it is easier when the questions are in order.
So it is not fair when they put 3 passages in order for someone, while someone else gets 2 messy ones and one passage in order or sometimes all of them are not in order and mostly tone questions.

Questions in order on the RC?! Is that even possible lolol. What a bummer, I had a hard version then

 

[asdf99]

Well I'm pretty sure your score is based on how you compare to previous test takers on that SAME version.

So even if you do get a hard test, if other people also found it hard your score shouldn't be affected too much. Of course this doesn't always work, since some people find different things hard but yeah.

For instance, I found my QR version pretty damn hard, but I was able to get way more questions wrong than on bootcamp to get a 20. Probably because other people also got a lot wrong.

 

[Medin2017]

I'll say this- if you're aiming for a 21 or some average/decent score, then there's little luck involved. You'll probably miss things here and there on any version and be able to get the score you want. If you're aiming for something real nice (25+), then a version that for example is overall easier than bootcamp vs one that's harder will make a big difference. 1 or 2 questions missed can be the difference between a 24 and a 27 on a section- even if standardized, I would take the easy version any day. That's why you'll see some people averaging 24s across the board on bootcamp with some scoring 25+ on the real and some "only" scoring like 22-23. And yea practice scores don't mean everything, but I can guarantee a hard version on a few sections can dent your AA. Don't deceive yourselves- the DAT is nowhere near as standardized as the MCAT, where things are balanced among people who took it in the exact day you did.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Doesn't really matter, easier versions will have a less forgiving scoring scale and vice versa. It all balances out in the end. I've never once seen a person retake with a substantially different score and attribute it to the version of the test itself.