Hi everyone! I took my DAT this morning and was unsure if I should retake. I have a 4.0 GPA as of now and was hoping to apply this cycle. I scored 22 AA/21 TS/20 BIO/21 OC/28 GC/20 PAT/22 QR/21 RC. I don’t really know much about what schools are looking for and am not sure if my 20 bio is too low. I was hoping for better RC and QR scores but lost stamina after the break. Some of the schools I was looking at have avg DAT scores of 23–24, so I feel like I should retake. If I retake in October would my chances for this cycle be too low? Thanks!
Should I retake?
- Thread starter mangoomg
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Ogchopsticks
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Personally, I do not think retaking the DAT is necessary for you. Your academic average is competitive, and the individual scores are balanced and above average. You would have to do significantly better on the next attempt; increasing your AA by a point or two is not a guaranteed entry into dental school. Dental schools are holistic, and the DAT score is only one piece of the puzzle. If you're applying this cycle, I would submit your application by the end of August. Generally, applying as soon as possible is ideal. With your scores, applying now would be completely acceptable.
PurpleSails
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No school has an average dat score of 24. Harvard, which has historically had the highest dat, has an average of 23.5. UCLA and Columbia have the next highest scores, and they're all around 22 I believe. I think you might be looking at some inflated statistics, I really recommend you get the dental school explorer, I found a really helpful! But to answer your question, your scores are good, I wouldn't retake it. The application process is said to be holistic, so you can work on some other aspects of your application to increase your chances!
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Congratulations, those are very nice scores and I understand with a 4.0gpa you are a hard working student. I do understand these scores are not what you expected or strived for. If you have a certain school in mind you might reach out to them with your stats. Your high GPA speaks volumes. I would not retake the DAT unless a dental school requires it.
Wishing you the best.
Nancy, co/owner, Destroyers
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I think your scores and GPA will make your application very competitive! IMO, I wouldn't retake. I dont know if you have this, but I highly recommend the ADEA Dental School Explorer to see which schools have average DAT scores in the range of your score. Very few have super high averages, and even then there are people with scores lower than the average so I would not take yourself out of the running
