10/26/06 DAT done: finally~!

[Lily-VA]

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I am so~happy with my result today.

April/06 Oct/06

PAT 17 20
QR 17 21 😱
RC 16 13
Bio 14 22 😍
GChm 19 18 😴
OChm 13😀 20 👍 👍 Orgoman~

TS 15 20
AA 16 19

I can't appreciate enough...
Our ORGOMAN-Dr.Romano, Nancy, you two helped me make it possible to get this grade!
Destroyer! It worked!! Don't think I can sleep tonite, party~~~well, after I clean up my study mess.kehkeh

Tell me this is not a dream.
Hopefully I will get into instate school...(my first priority).
Yeah, I know many of you got over 20's. But think about it.
I only studied for less than 2 months only for DAT. Had to take more science classes during summer sessions to bring up my GPA to 3.7 and up! (As a result, I am leaving for CA now for fun~😛 )

For those of you who are still studying, GOOD LUCK! if I can do it, you can do better~!

PS: I never liked reading English for last 12 years in US, haha.

 

[dentstd]

sorry to say, but the 13 RC will cripple your chances of getting in. This is definately in the retake category. wish you the best of luck though!

 

[Red Falcon]

Yeah, regressing from a 15 to a 13 in RC means a definite retake. That is one of the most important sections on the DAT because it gives admission committees an idea of a student's ability to read through the dental textbooks. 15 is the minimum in reading comprehension for most of the dental schools in the US because the student average for that section is between 19-20, if not higher.

Usually, when the review committees look at each student's profile for the DAT, they look at the DAT subscores in this order of importance: AA > TS > RC > BIO > PAT> OCHEM > GCHEM > QR. Typically, an applicant can get away with a lower score in QR, O-CHEM, or G-CHEM, but scoring less than 15 in RC, BIO, and PAT can kill an applicant's chances. It doesn't mean you have to score high in those sections. It just means that you can't bomb them (<15).

Be sure to check with all your schools before you apply about that 13 in RC because it's pretty low. I wish you the best of luck in your dental future.

 

[teefie]

I only studied for less than 2 months only for DAT.

I only studied for two weeks.

 

[jackbauer!]

lilly you did awesome, except for the RC....and like others said, it is pretty important. i would strongly consider retaking and re-evaluating your strategy for doing RC. keep up the good work, you've come soo far!

jb!

 

[dj7DDS]

Good job!!! Wish u all the best!!

 

[ABERSSON]

way to go lily! goodluck with dental schools. asides for rc all your scores were great and your gpa is up there too. dont get to bummed out about rc. im sure everything will work out fine. i dont think the one grade will reflect to harshly on everything else. i have a friend that bombed one section but scored very well on everything else and he got into dental school so good luck!

 

[fatphish91]

Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Those scores are great you should be proud, I would be happy with those scores. Look your RC is not great but I mean come on any dental school will look at your grades and will say hey she scored so high on everything else that this is probably an aboration. And even still your scores prove you know how to read and understand questions especially those pertaining to the sciences. Good luck with the application process.

 

[Red Falcon]

Fatphish,

You don't seem to understand what many in this thread are trying to tell her. It's not just opinions. It's sage wisdom from those that have done this before. Just to put it into perspective, a 13 in reading comprehension is the lowest score I've seen in that section since I've been on these forums. That won't clear the minimum requirements at many schools in the U.S. VCU and her other colleges may be different in that regard, but minimum subscores have been put into place at many dental schools lately. That's why it's important for her to ask if that will prevent her from getting an interview at her top schools. Someone could have a 20 on the DAT, but admission committees can and will drop an applicant in a heartbeat if they see a problem with a section. It happens thousands of times every year with rejected applicants.

Your telling her to disregard what others have said in this thread is unsound advice. She scored a 15 and then a 13 on reading comprehension for a reason. Don't lose sight of the purpose of this test, and that's to test an individual's ability in various areas of academic rigor. What happens if she is accepted to dental school and finds herself falling behind quickly in her readings? English-dominant students already complain about the reading load in the first two years of dental school. It's an uphill battle for the reading fluent as it is. I couldn't imagine trying to cover all that material while I'm struggling to comprehend a single passage of text.

It would be equivalent to driving on the interstate with a busted tire and trying to finish your trip on it. Quickly, the frame bends under the weight of the crippled tire and becomes a danger to drive. But if you take a short while to get on the side of the road and fix the flat, then it's smooth sailing again. Many people have driven on flat tires and ruined the frame of their car because of blind ignorance. Would you want the same thing to happen to Lilly-VA because she was unaware of a snag in the process?

She came to this board asking for advice, and we're here to help. If she doesn't realize the situation with her RC score, then the frank adcom will put her on the spot for certain. It's a glaring issue that will make easy chum for any adcom reviewing her score reports. Why not tackle the situation here on this thread and get it over with? Now she knows and can make the necessary phone calls to find out if she's sitting pretty with that score or if she needs to correct the situation.

 

[fatphish91]

In regard to Red Falcon's sincere response to my post I have but one thing to say. The only word of true advice other than your ranting, venting and preaching was that yes she sould seek the advice of the admissions offices at her respective dental schools. Other than that the words of advice I was giving her were not necessarliy intended as actual advice as much as they were for bolstering her confidence. I once was again wish my best of luck to Lilly Va and hope that she can look past this blog of hersay and whispers of hope. P.S. Thank you for your wonderful analogy it is truely a shame that there is no creative writing section on the dat.

 

[Red Falcon]

Look, the girl laughed at her own 13 in RC and said she hated reading during the past dozen years here. I told her to call ahead to make sure it was okay because it was a deficient score and then wished her the best of luck. You proceeded to pat her on the back and tell her not to listen to anyone who told her otherwise. The toilet scrubber at your local Waffle House could've given her better advice.

P.S. Creative Writing is an art. Reading is a skill. Now you know.

 

[DrAverageJoe]

Congrats on the improvement. That RC is a pretty big red flag though (as everyone else has stated). Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[Envision]

Look, the girl laughed at her own 13 in RC and said she hated reading during the past dozen years here. I told her to call ahead to make sure it was okay because it was a deficient score and then wished her the best of luck. You proceeded to pat her on the back and tell her not to listen to anyone who told her otherwise. The toilet scrubber at your local Waffle House could've given her better advice.

P.S. Creative Writing is an art. Reading is a skill. Now you know.

Agreed. No need to sugar-coat the matter, a 13 in RC is like...20%? im unsure but its very low. From what i have inquired, most schools look very highly at the RC, since it is a fair accessment of how you'l perform in dental school. Fatpishe, your overly optimistic comment and opposing view on the rest of the posters on this thread merely provides a false sense of hope for the OP. I do suggest the OP call up the admissions, but also to be prepared to hear similar comments as the ones mentioned today on this thread.

 

[Red Falcon]

Thank you. You said it well.

 

[Envision]

Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Those scores are great you should be proud, I would be happy with those scores. Look your RC is not great but I mean come on any dental school will look at your grades and will say hey she scored so high on everything else that this is probably an aboration. And even still your scores prove you know how to read and understand questions especially those pertaining to the sciences. Good luck with the application process.

Likewise, do not listen to fatphish. Since she claim she'd be happy with your scores, i assume she hasn't taken the exam, or did not score well. she is not in a position to anticipate how the adcom will respond to your test scores. Again, call Adcom, but i truly believe with an RC score like that, a retake is neccessary. To the OP, I don't mean to knock on your performance, the rest of your scores are very good. unfortunately, a good AA does not compensate for any single section on the test, especially an important section like RC. gl to you.

 

[abzirian]

Likewise, do not listen to fatphish. Since she claim she'd be happy with your scores, i assume she hasn't taken the exam, or did not score well. she is not in a position to anticipate how the adcom will respond to your test scores. Again, call Adcom, but i truly believe with an RC score like that, a retake is neccessary. To the OP, I don't mean to knock on your performance, the rest of your scores are very good. unfortunately, a good AA does not compensate for any single section on the test, especially an important section like RC. gl to you.

Regardless, it would be difficult to retake an exam with otherwise solid scores. The OP should definitely contact all of the schools she applied to, and consider her application as a whole on whether or not its worth retaking - either way, its way too late to retake for this years cycle.

 

[RT0223]

I am so~happy with my result today.

April/06 Oct/06

PAT 17 20
QR 17 21 😱
RC 16 13
Bio 14 22 😍
GChm 19 18 😴
OChm 13😀 20 👍 👍 Orgoman~

TS 15 20
AA 16 19

I can't appreciate enough...
Our ORGOMAN-Dr.Romano, Nancy, you two helped me make it possible to get this grade!
Destroyer! It worked!! Don't think I can sleep tonite, party~~~well, after I clean up my study mess.kehkeh

Tell me this is not a dream.
Hopefully I will get into instate school...(my first priority).
Yeah, I know many of you got over 20's. But think about it.
I only studied for less than 2 months only for DAT. Had to take more science classes during summer sessions to bring up my GPA to 3.7 and up! (As a result, I am leaving for CA now for fun~😛 )

For those of you who are still studying, GOOD LUCK! if I can do it, you can do better~!

PS: I never liked reading English for last 12 years in US, haha.

I know it's gonna hurt but your 13 RC is like a 1.2th percentile. It's definitely a red flag. Retake is a must.

By the way, what passages did you have?

 

[fatphish91]

Wow you people in here are acting more like a bunch of pre-meds than dents. so irrate and intense. Anyway, I am sorry if I offened anyone in here and I will retract my previous comments about Lilly Va. And by the way I have not taken my Dats yet. I will be in about 6 weeks. Furthermore, I think that what most of us do in this web site is respond with hersay from tradtion and from friends. My comments to lilly were more intended as supportive then they were as academic. I felt bad for her and respected the fact that she was persistant in taking her dats again. In closing I wish to appologize once again to anyone I may have led astray or who I offended. We are all in here together for the reason that we want to better mankind and bring about advancements in the dental world. Once again good luck to all.

 

[Lily-VA]

I really thank everyone for your advices.
You don't have to fight, my purpose was to...get some info. That's all.
Nah I don't feel bad because all of you are trying to help me here.

Yes, I acknowledge that my RC is very low..someone said 1.2%-that is very correct! Whoever said it, I give you 100 points~!!
To tell you the truth, this DAT score is the best out of all of my practices and actual DAT scores.

And thanks to retaking adivce..but I am not sure if I am gonna get a better score in TS. A big drop in the grade is worse than a jump in the one RC section. I know because I felt shaky about GC for the second time. And January will be somewhat late test time for 2007 cycle, don't you think?

Plus reading is not something I can improve in 3 months. Yeah..blame it to myself not spending much time for the last 12 years to improve English. Was just here and there trying to earn money. 🙁
I can do well if enough time is allowed to read-such as studying text books.
No, no more excuses 🙂 😀

And I had 16 in RC (1st DAT) with the easiest passage, and that was the best grade I got in RC. My 2nd passage was about asteroids-I regret not reading asteroid book I borrowed one day before the 2nd DAT, though the information given was completely different..oh, well.

I will definitely call schools-they don't usually pick up the phone, hating me.

If other opinions, I welcome your advices. I wanted to see what other people think. Schools are waiting for my 2nd DAT scores. No intervies yet-applied early but taken DAT late 🙂 😎 .

Wish all of you good luck!

 

[EyeAmCommi]

Wow you people in here are acting more like a bunch of pre-meds than dents.

Is there really that much difference between premeds and predents? No? Didn't think so.

 

[Red Falcon]

I just glanced at VCU's website and I didn't see where they listed any subscore minimums, so no news is good news in this case. There's a standing chance that you could still get an interview. I think it all depends on how much the adcoms cringe when they see that RC score, you know? Your overall score is very good, though, and something I know you are proud of. The national average has been 17.4 to 17.7 the last few years.

 

[Lily-VA]

No..I am not proud of my score. I just think it is relevant to the average score..didn't expect to get it this time, but I did.

When I took Kaplan courses, the instructor told me that if one gets 17 he/she would be able to get in somewhere(meaning there are chances-maybe trying to lessen the anxiety).
But after reviewing this website...ha..no joke. People who got real good grades had posted their scores..and they took DAT so early as well. I looked for other people's grade in here. Not many had posted them except for those who went over 22. There must be many of us who didn't post their grades around 19-21 just because. There are many other who don't use this website, either.

For VCU, however, they..do want people to have average DAT score of 19. They wrote 18 is national average..
Am sure my crafts skills are very good. The competition here, though, is the brain. How sad..that's life.
Non science majors must have chances to get in, don't you think? (The stat shows dental schools welcome other majors as well as science majors).

I will be done with minimum requirements of classes soon..at the end of this semester.
Some schools don't even consider applicants unless they finish Organic chemistry 1 and 2-which can ruin their GPA-they know how hard classes are.

I just hope they count improvement. For being no one is perfect...😀
Also don't wanna lose any more hair...(was so stressed 🙂)
Have you seen ladies go bald? Don't wanna be the one...please save me! I am not joking~