Good GPA, bad DAT scores...

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dentalgrl

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Hey guys,

i wanted to ask you, what is the lowest DAT score that is accepted to get into dental school (even a state dental school)?

I have a really good undergrad GPA coming from an ivy (not that i'm saying that's better), but I got a low SAT score - around 1240 - so I'm predicting that I will do around the same for DAT. I still have hope and of course I'm going to try hard to do better, but in the real world, SAT scores generally have an indication of how you do on other standardized tests (DAT).

Also, what do you think a 1240 corelates to for a DAT score. (I know this is a really weird question so if you have no clue about that, what is the lowest DAT score you have heard of someone getting in - and i'm not talking about a minority.)

Thanks soo much everyone!!!

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a 1240 would put you in what, the 85th percentile back in the day? so that would correlate to a 19 or 20 on the DAT? Thoughts anyone... agree... disagree?
 
Hey guys,

i wanted to ask you, what is the lowest DAT score that is accepted to get into dental school (even a state dental school)?

I have a really good undergrad GPA coming from an ivy (not that i'm saying that's better), but I got a low SAT score - around 1240 - so I'm predicting that I will do around the same for DAT. I still have hope and of course I'm going to try hard to do better, but in the real world, SAT scores generally have an indication of how you do on other standardized tests (DAT).

Also, what do you think a 1240 corelates to for a DAT score. (I know this is a really weird question so if you have no clue about that, what is the lowest DAT score you have heard of someone getting in - and i'm not talking about a minority.)

Thanks soo much everyone!!!


First off, I do not think your SAT score (is that 1240 out of 1600?) is predictive of your DAT score. I would think you could get an initial idea of your DAT if you purchased at DAT practice exam and took it under real conditions. Then if you do not perform to your satisfaction, then take a preparatory course (e.g. Kaplan) or get one of those study aid books like the DAT Destroyer that has been advertised on several SDN threads. It seems like most applicants seem to have 18 as a cutoff, and > or equal to 20 as a preference on any section on a DAT.

Second, it is erroneous to think that a state school is going to be any easier to get into than a private, even an Ivy league school. In fact, it may be harder: consider California, Michigan, Washington, New York, to name just a few.
 
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Hey guys,

i wanted to ask you, what is the lowest DAT score that is accepted to get into dental school (even a state dental school)?

I have a really good undergrad GPA coming from an ivy (not that i'm saying that's better), but I got a low SAT score - around 1240 - so I'm predicting that I will do around the same for DAT. I still have hope and of course I'm going to try hard to do better, but in the real world, SAT scores generally have an indication of how you do on other standardized tests (DAT).

Also, what do you think a 1240 corelates to for a DAT score. (I know this is a really weird question so if you have no clue about that, what is the lowest DAT score you have heard of someone getting in - and i'm not talking about a minority.)

Thanks soo much everyone!!!

don't be mistaken...the SAT is in no way an indication of your performance on the DAT...in fact it isn't an indication of your performance in anything.

DAT is all about how much you know and how much info you can retain...considering your high GPA (assuming its in the sciences) you should be fine studying for the exam.


don't set yourself up for failure, and gluck :thumbup:
 
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Hey guys,

i wanted to ask you, what is the lowest DAT score that is accepted to get into dental school (even a state dental school)?

I have a really good undergrad GPA coming from an ivy (not that i'm saying that's better), but I got a low SAT score - around 1240 - so I'm predicting that I will do around the same for DAT. I still have hope and of course I'm going to try hard to do better, but in the real world, SAT scores generally have an indication of how you do on other standardized tests (DAT).

Also, what do you think a 1240 corelates to for a DAT score. (I know this is a really weird question so if you have no clue about that, what is the lowest DAT score you have heard of someone getting in - and i'm not talking about a minority.)

Thanks soo much everyone!!!



I am in the exact same boat as you. I would like to know ya'lls input...I graduated from LSU with a 3.68 overall in biological sciences with a 3.55 science. I have always had a problem with standardized tests (19 on the ACT ouch!) I took the classroom/online Kaplan course for the DAT and my most recent scores were:

AA: 18
Total Science: 19
Bio: 18 (highest gotten is 19)
G-Chem: 20
O-Chem: 18 (highest 19)
PA: 15 (highest 16)
RC: 16 (highest 19)
QR: 16 (highest 17)

I have taken the DAT 3 times, and this is my second time applying. I had an interview with LSU in February, and I have been placed on a "deffered list" (where they will continually look at my application until they know what they want to do with me). My parents are both LSU dental alums and I have worked with them and shadowed all the other specialists. What do ya'll think? Is it a 3rd time around for me or do I have a decent shot??? I can take criticism ;0) Sorry so long.
 
I got a 1250 on the SAT and I did pretty good on the DAT (21 AA/22 TS/ 18 PAT). The only sections I made below a 20 are the RC-17 and PAT-18. How did you do on the VERBAL? See I did bad on the verbal and bad on the RC too.. and GREAT on the math SAT and good enough on the Math DAT. so the SAT I guess could correlate to the Math/Reading section?? I think... I am not sure. But anyways you should be fine. Min DAT now a days is 19AA I believe...
OFF topice but You got into an IVY with a 1240?? how??



Hey guys,

i wanted to ask you, what is the lowest DAT score that is accepted to get into dental school (even a state dental school)?

I have a really good undergrad GPA coming from an ivy (not that i'm saying that's better), but I got a low SAT score - around 1240 - so I'm predicting that I will do around the same for DAT. I still have hope and of course I'm going to try hard to do better, but in the real world, SAT scores generally have an indication of how you do on other standardized tests (DAT).

Also, what do you think a 1240 corelates to for a DAT score. (I know this is a really weird question so if you have no clue about that, what is the lowest DAT score you have heard of someone getting in - and i'm not talking about a minority.)

Thanks soo much everyone!!!
 
I got a 1250 on the SAT and I did pretty good on the DAT (21 AA/22 TS/ 18 PAT). The only sections I made below a 20 are the RC-17 and PAT-18. How did you do on the VERBAL? See I did bad on the verbal and bad on the RC too.. and GREAT on the math SAT and good enough on the Math DAT. so the SAT I guess could correlate to the Math/Reading section?? I think... I am not sure. But anyways you should be fine. Min DAT now a days is 19AA I believe...
OFF topice but You got into an IVY with a 1240?? how??


min DAT is 19AA? where are you getting this information from?
 
In my personal opinion i think the SAT was a harder test. Dont ask my why but i do. Iv taken dats in the test books an the qeustions seem to click way better that those stupid SAT questions.
 
My state school is very competitive, so I mean that for my state school only. sorry for the confusion. Its properly 18 AA for most other schools.







min DAT is 19AA? where are you getting this information from?
 
agreed. SAT verbal is alot harder then the DAT RC.
But the Math sections are EASY on both exams.





In my personal opinion i think the SAT was a harder test. Dont ask my why but i do. Iv taken dats in the test books an the qeustions seem to click way better that those stupid SAT questions.
 
In my personal opinion i think the SAT was a harder test. Dont ask my why but i do. Iv taken dats in the test books an the qeustions seem to click way better that those stupid SAT questions.

it may have also been that you were more motivated and better prepared for the DATs than the SAT.
 
I made a 1080 on the SAT. I made 18AA/18TS/15PAT on the DAT. I think for me, the scores correlate somewhat... but that isn't necessarily the case for everyone. I wouldn't consider myself an amazing standardized test taker either, but keep your GPA up, study hard, and everything should work itself out.
 
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Personally, I wouldn't comment on the difficulty of both exams, because I think it varies between individuals. However, I tend to think that the DAT can be improved upon much more easily than the SAT. That part that correlates the most with the SAT for the DAT are the RC and the quantitative reasoning sections. Even that PAT score improves significantly with more practice.
 
First off...1240 is by no means bad, and the way you phrased it can be taken as an insult...I think the average for SAT sits just above a 900...Second, as for correlation, I don't think they have anything to do with one another...my cousin scored 1100 on her SAT, and ROCKED her DAT 23 across the board, she said the SAT is much more difficult to prepare for because there isn't any solid form of preparation, but the DAT you know what to expect...just my 2 cents
 
to the OP. there is more than just DATs to the whole dental school admissions game. dont forget to make the rest of your application solid too.
 
First off...1240 is by no means bad, and the way you phrased it can be taken as an insult...I think the average for SAT sits just above a 900...Second, as for correlation, I don't think they have anything to do with one another...my cousin scored 1100 on her SAT, and ROCKED her DAT 23 across the board, she said the SAT is much more difficult to prepare for because there isn't any solid form of preparation, but the DAT you know what to expect...just my 2 cents

i agree with this
 
To the OP: The DAT and SAT are totally different tests with totally different formats. If you have a good GPA then you know how to take tests well. I got a similar score on the SAT as you and pulled 24/24/24 on the DAT because it was was much more important to me, I liked the material and format better and I put in tons of time and effort. You can do the same. Also, I suck at verbal (got like 550 or something on SAT) but rocked RC because it is just that: reading. No vocab involved. YAY. Give yourself tons of time to prep in advance, make a study plan, learn everything about the test, and rock it. Good luck :luck:
 
Hey guys,

Thanks so much to everyone who responded, and for the great link! I'm really happy to see that there doesn't seem to be much of a correlation. Thanks for all the advice! :)

(For the question above, I got into an ivy bc I went to a competitive HS, got straight A's, second in my class, really good/unique Extracurriculars, and great recommendations, etc. Also, my interview went well)

Also, i didn't mean to be offensive...sorry if I offended anyone! It's just my opinion that a 1240 is not that great of a score (to me at least).
 
also i'm planning on studying for the DATs for two solid months without working. hopefully it will be enough time bc i'm planning to take it in august :)
 
Hey guys,

i wanted to ask you, what is the lowest DAT score that is accepted to get into dental school (even a state dental school)?


Already lots of good posts about the exam question, but I felt I needed to emphasize tooth decay's comment that all dental schools are equally competitive. This isn't undergrad anymore! There is no safety school.
 
It seems to me that dental school is on a serious uptrend in applicants with a fixed amount of seats. Yes, maybe plus or minus 100 seats over a five year period but no serious movement outside of the area of 4,000 accepted per year. As such, the average score means less and less as more and more people apply. With 12000 applicants, a competitive applicant may want to be in the top third of scores for all test takers.

True, nothing is a guarantee but schools also have average applicant scores and average accepted scores as well as similar categores for GPA. It seems that merely having the average DAT score for all test takers doesn't necessarily put you in a strong position. Having the average DAT score for all accepted applicants is the better score range to look at, in my opinion. I suspect that this is the >= 19 range in all categories. However, this is just my opinion. Most schools either put averages for DAT/GPA on their websites, or predents.com will give you an idea, or buy the ADEA guide.
 
First off...1240 is by no means bad, and the way you phrased it can be taken as an insult...I think the average for SAT sits just above a 900...Second, as for correlation, I don't think they have anything to do with one another...my cousin scored 1100 on her SAT, and ROCKED her DAT 23 across the board, she said the SAT is much more difficult to prepare for because there isn't any solid form of preparation, but the DAT you know what to expect...just my 2 cents

similar story here. 1180 SAT... 23/24 DAT. Didn't study at all for the SAT, didn't take a PSAT, and honestly could've cared less about the SAT at the time I took it. I guess I cared a little more about the DAT:) IMO, I don't think there is a direct correlation, although they are both standardized tests and if you are intelligent and study hard you will do well on both.
 
1240 in SAT is good but not great. If you were ranked 2nd in your class, that's pretty bad. I thought top 10 people usually get 1400 or better.
But DAT is so much easier than SAT, so you should not worry about DAT. You'll be fine.
 
I think they kind of do correlate. they are both standardized tests, it's not like does gpa correlate with SATs (I don't think so, at least not in my case). Anyway, my SATs were 1360, and my DATs were all at least 20 except my QR which was a 17 cause I didn't pace myself well at all.

Do you feel like you did your best on your SATs or like you could have done better? If it's your best then I'd say the percentiles will correlate.

Good luck.
 
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