hate to beat a dead horse but..

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hey guys,

so i planned to retake the DAT at the end of july, but i'm having doubts given my progress in my masters prog.

my stats are: 20/20/16 (AA/TS/PAT) and my undergrad stats are 3.2 (science/cumulative) and my masters prog stats are 3.75 (1st semester) 3.88 (2nd semester).

given this do you guys think i should retake? thanks.

Originally Posted by preDENT1210

hey guys,

so i planned to retake the DAT at the end of july, but i'm having doubts given my progress in my masters prog.

my stats are: 20/20/16 (AA/TS/PAT) and my undergrad stats are 3.2 (science/cumulative) and my masters prog stats are 3.75 (1st semester) 3.88 (2nd semester).

given this do you guys think i should retake? thanks.

Since schools only take your highest score, you might as well retake it.

That PAT score isn't competitive. You can definitely do better if you practice with CDP.

I thought most schools take your most current and only certain schools take the highest?

Originally Posted by little Buddy

I thought most schools take your most current and only certain schools take the highest?

I forgot where I heard this, so it could be completely wrong, but this is what I remember...

The schools report the class DAT average to the ADEA in the annual survey. They only report each student's highest DAT score, to make their class DAT average higher, making the school look better.

Because of this, schools only look at your highest DAT score when evaluating you.

Originally Posted by AlbinoPolarBear

I forgot where I heard this, so it could be completely wrong, but this is what I remember...

The schools report the class DAT average to the ADEA in the annual survey. They only report each student's highest DAT score, to make their class DAT average higher, making the school look better.

Because of this, schools only look at your highest DAT score when evaluating you.

This is not true. Doctootheache posted an excel file which showed that 50% schools take the highest and the other 50% take the most recent. Only two schools averaged the DAT scores and those were Alabama and NYU. I would retake the DAT simply because your PAT is a little low, and you will be barred from applying to certain schools. Your GPA shows a positive increase and your DAT is good so if you just bump up the PAT you should be fine. You could apply to schools that do not require a 17 PAT

Originally Posted by theleatherwalle

This is not true. Doctootheache posted an excel file which showed that 50% schools take the highest and the other 50% take the most recent. Only two schools averaged the DAT scores and those were Alabama and NYU. I would retake the DAT simply because your PAT is a little low, and you will be barred from applying to certain schools. Your GPA shows a positive increase and your DAT is good so if you just bump up the PAT you should be fine. You could apply to schools that do not require a 17 PAT

Yeah, that was what they did before the ADEA made the schools average out the scores. Well, I don't have any links to back it up, but that's what I remembered anyways.

my bad mayb it has changed. I remember freaking out about this as well. Honestly, your stats look good. Just apply I don't think the 16 PAT will kill you. It is very easy for us to say oh retake the DAT, but in reality it is a lot to go through.

so you guys are saying that they take the highest subsections from multiple sittings?

Hey

Honestly, I don't know. It likely varies from school to school. You can always call and ask. I guarantee you that they look at all your DAT scores though even if you've taken it 3 times!

Originally Posted by preDENT1210

so you guys are saying that they take the highest subsections from multiple sittings?

No, for the schools that say they will take the highest score, they will take your highest overall score, or most balanced score, whichever helps you out the most.

Originally Posted by preDENT1210

so you guys are saying that they take the highest subsections from multiple sittings?

Yea I wish they would do this, like the ACT superscore...it would make a retake decision a no brainer even if you had killer stats, but then again if this were the case the requirements to get in would most likely increase as well

believe it or not, UNLV actually takes your best subsections when reviewing your application.

unfortunately, i'm out of state for UNLV and after talking to an adcom member extensively, i found out that my chances are really really slim for that school.

i honestly am at a loss of what to do, as i'll only have a solid month to prepare for this beastly exam. i think i'm just going to apply to as many schools as i can with my current scores and retake if i don't get any interviews

thanks for the advice guys

Originally Posted by preDENT1210

so you guys are saying that they take the highest subsections from multiple sittings?

It depends on the school, & even further...who screens your application.

I can attest 4 UMDNJ. my interviewer pointed out an interesting trend in my 2dat scores & said how they were switched (old exam was higher in one section & lower in newer dat) but later exclaimed “but that's fine".

Again it depends on the rest of your application, your interviewer,& who sees your application at the admission committee.

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Originally Posted by preDENT1210

hey guys,

so i planned to retake the DAT at the end of july, but i'm having doubts given my progress in my masters prog.

my stats are: 20/20/16 (AA/TS/PAT) and my undergrad stats are 3.2 (science/cumulative) and my masters prog stats are 3.75 (1st semester) 3.88 (2nd semester).

given this do you guys think i should retake? thanks.

PAT score is very low. If you have the time and energy to retake the DAT it might be worth it. Then again you might get in somewhere with that score too but I wouldn't risk it.

Originally Posted by preDENT1210

believe it or not, UNLV actually takes your best subsections when reviewing your application.

unfortunately, i'm out of state for UNLV and after talking to an adcom member extensively, i found out that my chances are really really slim for that school.

i honestly am at a loss of what to do, as i'll only have a solid month to prepare for this beastly exam. i think i'm just going to apply to as many schools as i can with my current scores and retake if i don't get any interviews

thanks for the advice guys

What is UNLV looking for in OOS applicants? I was planning on applying there this cycle.

Originally Posted by AlbinoPolarBear

Yeah, that was what they did before the ADEA made the schools average out the scores. Well, I don't have any links to back it up, but that's what I remembered anyways.

It is hard to imagine the ADEA micromanaging ds. Until you provide some documentation we may have to file your claim(s) under questionable validity. In any case, are you suggesting that over half of the ds deans would intentionally beef up the DAT scores to make themselves look better?

Originally Posted by little Buddy

What is UNLV looking for in OOS applicants? I was planning on applying there this cycle.

High GPA and DAT scores.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=457276

Originally Posted by doc toothache

It is hard to imagine the ADEA micromanaging ds. Until you provide some documentation we may have to file your claim(s) under questionable validity. In any case, are you suggesting that over half of the ds deans would intentionally beef up the DAT scores to make themselves look better?

1) You're right. I don't have any proof. I thought I made that clear by saying "it might be completely wrong" in an earlier post. Thanks for stating what I already stated.

2) Yes, that's what I'm suggesting. The dean's job is to make their dental school desirable to attract top students, among other things.

Originally Posted by AlbinoPolarBear

Since schools only take your highest score, you might as well retake it.

Originally Posted by AlbinoPolarBear

1) You're right. I don't have any proof. I thought I made that clear by saying "it might be completely wrong" in an earlier post. Thanks for stating what I already stated.

2) Yes, that's what I'm suggesting. The dean's job is to make their dental school desirable to attract top students, among other things.

Had you used "is" instead of "might be" you would have had an accurate statement. Whether or not a ds is "desirable" is less a function of mean dat scores and more a function of the retention of students and more importantly, the success of their graduates in clinical settings, research or academia.

About the DAT, I received an email from an adcom saying that a competitive applicant would have an AA of 19 or above without a score of 17 or lower in any section on the test. This was during the 2011-2012 cycle. I would retake it if you're really worried, as it could be the deal breaker with the lower undergrad gpa. Also, I'm not sure whether schools look at you highest combined scores or your most recent, but I bet they have a list of the scores from each attempt. I know in my interviews, they had a pretty big book of my application (DAT breakdown, CV, personal statement, and both AADSAS and school transcripts). When I referenced specific things in my interview (my p. statement, DAT, a specific grade) they would flip through it to see what I was talking about. I don't see why they wouldn't have each DAT attempt mixed in there. Good Luck!

OP, if I may ask who did you talk with? PM me, I met with ADCOM and got totally different view.

so i spoke with admissions reps from nova, BU, and USC and they all said that my score is competitive. lol i'm lost at this point. i'd be more than willing to go to any one of these schools, but given that they receive so many applications (i think nova receives the highest number?)..i feel like i should be taking their advice with a grain of salt. what do you guys think?

edit: and to add, nova loves grad students apparently, so i figured that i'd pass that on

Originally Posted by preDENT1210

so i spoke with admissions reps from nova, BU, and USC and they all said that my score is competitive. lol i'm lost at this point. i'd be more than willing to go to any one of these schools, but given that they receive so many applications (i think nova receives the highest number?)..i feel like i should be taking their advice with a grain of salt. what do you guys think?

edit: and to add, nova loves grad students apparently, so i figured that i'd pass that on

Schools will gladly tell you anything to get your secondary fee. Use doc's file and see how competitive you really are.