Alpha Epsilon Delta, The Health Pre-professional Honor Society, held a session Wednesday night on how to survive the MCAT/DAT and Medical/Dental school interviews.

It was held in room 131 of the Dedman Life Sciences Building and led by a panel of five SMU students who have already taken the Medical College Admission Test and Dental Admission Test.

During the first section of the presentation, the students shared their experiences preparing for the test and offered advice to those considering taking the MCAT.

According to the panel’s various experiences and techniques for preparing, the MCAT and DAT can be survived in a variety of ways. While one student found the books to be very helpful, others might benefit more from online courses.

For example, Alison Fields, a pre-dental biology major, used online Kaplan courses every day from May until June to prepare herself for the DAT. Another helpful way to prepare for the MCAT is to take as many practice tests as you can. Taking the practice tests several times builds confidence and allows you to enter the test without stress.

While some of the students on the panel admitted to some cramming before the test, the general advice they gave was to avoid cramming if possible. Overall, test takers should try their best to remain calm and not cancel their scores regardless of how badly they think they did.

Besides the MCAT/DAT, getting accepted into Medical/Dental School requires an interview with the school to which you are applying.

Alison Fields shared a nervous moment in an interview and advises students to “be prepared for anything and think through the answer.”

The panel believes that the interviewers are often looking to gauge your reaction to the questions they ask, and to judge your character or ethics.

Finally, the students encouraged the audience to be memorable at their interviews, because that will give you an advantage in the selection process.

Ryan Robertson, a first-year pre-med student, attended the session because he wants to be as informed as possible for his future. He said, “The panel was very informative and gave a very clear picture of what the interview process will be like.

After the presentation by the panel, a representative from Kaplan spoke about courses they offer. Next week in the same room during an MCAT/DAT prep course auction, a representative from Princeton Review will also speak.