Chances of getting into dental school with horrible DAT?

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plant95

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This is my first time posting so I'm sorry if I'm doing something wrong. I couldn't find anything that matched this exactly. I just took the DAT and did awful, here's the breakdown:
Bio: 17 GC: 18 OC: 17 PAT: 18 RC: 18 QR: 16 AA: 17 TS: 17. Just some extra info: I am a senior at UF cGPA: 3.86 sGPA: 3.82. I have been published a few times in the Journal of Dental Research and stay actively involved in research and community service. I have 200+ hours shadowing because I knew I wanted to be a dentist since high school. I can't really explain the bad DAT other than the fact that I just don't test well. Do you think there is a possibility of acceptance from other factors on my application or is a 17 just too bad to oversee? I don't want the other factors to seem like I was bragging I just wanted someone to give me an honest assessment.

Thanks :)

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I think it will be tough with none of the score being above a 20 and many of them being below the "average" of 18. That being said if you pick and choose the schools you apply to carefully it could happen. Your GPAs are good. With the DAT scores though it will definitely be a struggle to get interviews.

In the end I would recommend retaking, especially if you can identify your weaknesses and improve those beforehand.
 
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I think it will be tough with none of the score being above a 20 and many of them being below the "average" of 18. That being said if you pick and choose the schools you apply to carefully it could happen. Your GPAs are good. With the DAT scores though it will definitely be a struggle to get interviews.

In the end I would recommend retaking, especially if you can identify your weaknesses and improve those beforehand.
Thank you! No question I know it's low I just had to see what some other people thought :)
 
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There's really no such thing as "not testing well", just not preparing well. How did you prepare for the DAT the first time?

I would absolutely retake, keep in mind that the average score for accepted dental students is 20. The rest of your application sounds like it would be very strong, so you'd really be holding back your chances at many schools by applying with a weaker DAT score.
 
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Kinda sad to see an accomplished person such as you willing to apply with this score while you can easily retake and get into a top notch dental school or even get some kind of scholarship in your state school if you scored well next time.
Buckle up and study well, the test beat you once, could have been anxiety. It won't do the same again!
 
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