DAT and percentiles

shizzleDDS · Nov 11, 2003

I've been hearing a lot about DAT scores and their corresponding percentiles. Obviously different tests will be harder/easier and should thus yield different percentiles, but my question is-- are these deviations significant enough so that admissions boards should also have the percentile rankings along with the scores? It just doesn't seem fair if on one test a 20 is in the 90th percentile while for another test a 20 is in the mid 80th percentile.
Can anyone give a possible explanation for this? Certainly the ADA wouldn't allow such variability in test score-percentile correlations. Right? My scores and percentiles are listed below. If anyone has any of the same scores, or similar ones, with different percentiles please list yours also. I think this would be interesting to find out.
AA: 22-98.7
PAT: 19-91.2
QR: 19-85.5
RC: 25-99.1
BIO: 23-99.4
GC: 21-92.4
OC: 21-93.9
TS: 22-98.2

Test date: July 29, 2003

Very small deviations can be neglected as they can be attributed to more people taking the test and affecting the percentiles slightly.

comatose · Nov 11, 2003

My TS score was also 22, but I was in the 96.6 percentile.

NewNameForGoogleBot · Nov 11, 2003

Those percentiles are basically rough guides. Very inaacuarate, schools care about your score, not your percentile.

ItsGavinC · Nov 11, 2003

The ADEA explained this to me prior to my taking my exam last year: they said there are a core group of questions that they use to standardize one exam to another. People who take the exam will have their percentiles correlate to those test-takers that also had those same group of core questions. They said that any given section would have 10-20 core questions, so if I took my DAT last year, and somebody took it this year, but we had the same group of core biology questions, then our percentiles would correlate.

Make sense, or are you more confused now?

shizzleDDS · Nov 11, 2003

Gavin,

That makes sense that they would do that, but I've heard of people getting the same scores and having their percentiles differ by around 5 points or so. I think that is kind of a lot, considering the importance of the test for admissions. As Jaap says, schools only care about scores. If there are large enough differences I just think that schools should also have percentiles. It wouldn't be a big deal to have them sent to schools along with the scores--so why aren't they? I guess thats what my question is. No big deal though, there are many other important factors for admission. I was just curious to why they aren't sent to schools.

If you want to post your scores and percentiles please give the date of the test also. Thanks.

Pablo · Nov 12, 2003

Man, I am confused................ I now have a sense that some people can get easier test and some people can get harder test. I got a 19 on PAT and it says 75% which is way off of what some people got. I don't know what's the deal....... maybe i just got lucky and had an easier test, but sad that i didn't do to well. it would be unfair if someone were to get 18 on a section and received a 90% when they should of received something in the 20's +pissed+

. how are the scores calculated representing an accurate standard score???The dat should be given only two times a year like the mcats, then we might get more of a accurate percentile....... it's all polictics, taking test on computer is a great idea you can take the dats 4 times almost any time in a year (i bet ada makes a lot more money) rather than having only two and definitely a plus for environmentalist........ :clap:

shizzleDDS · Nov 12, 2003

Originally posted by Pablo
it would be unfair if someone were to get 18 on a section and received a 90% when they should of received something in the 20's

Exactly my point man!!

speter33 · Nov 17, 2003

The percentages differ slighty because the percentage is for each section of the DAT. But the Academic average score is for everyone who received the same score as you did. For example is someone gets a 23 on the QR and you get an 18 but both have the same average score on the DAT, the guy with the 23 will have a lower percentage because it may be an easier section and more people did gret on it.

But don't listen to me I'm waisted

blankguy · Nov 17, 2003

Do schools look at percentages? I thought somebody said in another thread they didn't.

shizzleDDS · Nov 17, 2003

Schools don't look at percentiles, I don't know why--it couldn't hurt right?

blankguy · Nov 18, 2003

Originally posted by shizzleDDS
Schools don't look at percentiles, I don't know why--it couldn't hurt right?

Doesn't that destroy the purpose of the standardized test. If the DAT for one session was treated different than another that would not be a fair comparison between two people with similar qualifications from different schools.

toothache · Nov 19, 2003

dido........that's what I'm saying......... it's all politics...money... hahaha..... I don't think the dat is very standardized at all, think about it, it's computer generated, you can take the test any time of the year, 4 times a year if you want, i can have a friend to take the test who is not a dental student hahaha.... and the biggest problem those MCAT premed students who take the dats for backup or just change at the last minute (sorry no offense to those)........ that's what jacks up the percentiles.......

DAT and percentiles

shizzleDDS

Senior Member

comatose

Senior Member

NewNameForGoogleBot

Full Member

ItsGavinC

Full Member

shizzleDDS

Senior Member

Pablo

Junior Member

shizzleDDS

Senior Member

speter33

S.D.N.'s Captain

blankguy

Full Member

shizzleDDS

Senior Member

blankguy

Full Member

toothache

Senior Member

Similar threads