Competitive DAT

[TriangleZuikis]

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I took the DAT and here is what I got:

B 20
GC 18
OC 21

PAT 22
QR 18
RC 22

TS 20
AA 20

I barely studied for gen chem and it shows - ironically I thought it would be my strongest science and ended up being the weakest. I was scoring 14-15 on QR practice tests so I am surprised that I did as well as I did on that section. Also, my PAT scores were much higher on the Kaplan tests, but I was scoring about a 21 on the CDP.

 

[TriangleZuikis]

Oh also, how long did it take for your scores to show up on ADEA?

I faxed an unofficial to Indiana by request but was wondering if it would be worth it to do the same for other schools.

 

[rnbaxter]

Well if you notice that the average entrance is 17-18 on the DAT it is therefore competitive...

And the people on this forum represent probably 1-2% of the nation?

So I would abide by the famous quote, " Don't worry.. Be Happy"

 

[TXistheReason]

Yeah don't let all those high scores worry you. Only the people who get high scores actually post them. Obviously the people who don't do so well, which is a majority, aren't so excited to post all their scores and study breakdown for the world to see.

 

[sfoksn]

Don't go by the ADA data of 2008...

I am almost 100% sure that the average has shot up this year..

There were only 2 people scored 27AA in 2008, and I personally know 4 people who got 27AA and there are like 3-4 more on this website alone. There are like 20 people at 25 and 26AA among my friends...

Maybe they just lowered the difficulty of the test, I don't know.

 

[beatsdre]

I took the DAT and here is what I got:

B 20
GC 18
OC 21

PAT 22
QR 18
RC 22

TS 20
AA 20

I barely studied for gen chem and it shows - ironically I thought it would be my strongest science and ended up being the weakest. I was scoring 14-15 on QR practice tests so I am surprised that I did as well as I did on that section. Also, my PAT scores were much higher on the Kaplan tests, but I was scoring about a 21 on the CDP. The DAT PAT is very difficult!

I was pretty satisfied with my score until I read some posts on here about people scoring 23+ on all the sections. Is a 20 still competitive? Should I worry about that 18 in chem?

Any input would be appreciated.

It's fine as long as you have an appreciative GPA to back it up. I personally know many people 20+ that have gone to dental school with avg gpas/decent dats (20-22), and I know a few people 5 or so with amazing dats (25+) that end up in dental school also. I know one person with a 20AA that ended up in UCSF and one with a 25AA that got waitlisted at UCSF. Granted the 25 probably got more interviews/acceptances, in the long run, its the whole package that matters.

So don't worry.

 

[rippinitez]

I still think you're wrong. Regardless of how many people on these forums post breakdowns of with scores of 25+, I don't think the averages will change by much from the ADEA records for last year.

There are too many variables to take into account. There's no way I would base averages based on the scores in the forums or your 20 friends.

Don't go by the ADA data of 2008...

I am almost 100% sure that the average has shot up this year..

There were only 2 people scored 27AA in 2008, and I personally know 4 people who got 27AA and there are like 3-4 more on this website alone. There are like 20 people at 25 and 26AA among my friends...

Maybe they just lowered the difficulty of the test, I don't know.

 

[mx41]

I still think you're wrong. Regardless of how many people on these forums post breakdowns of with scores of 25+, I don't think the averages will change by much from the ADEA records for last year.

There are too many variables to take into account. There's no way I would base averages based on the scores in the forums.

Where do u get the last year ADEA score averages from?

 

[rippinitez]

My bad, I meant 2008.

 

[doc toothache]

Don't go by the ADA data of 2008...
I am almost 100% sure that the average has shot up this year..

There were only 2 people scored 27AA in 2008, and I personally know 4 people who got 27AA and there are like 3-4 more on this website alone. There are like 20 people at 25 and 26AA among my friends...
Maybe they just lowered the difficulty of the test, I don't know.

So much for the validity/reliability of standardized tests.

 

[MikeSavona]

Don't go by the ADA data of 2008...

I am almost 100% sure that the average has shot up this year..

There were only 2 people scored 27AA in 2008, and I personally know 4 people who got 27AA and there are like 3-4 more on this website alone. There are like 20 people at 25 and 26AA among my friends...

Maybe they just lowered the difficulty of the test, I don't know.

Wait, you personally know 20 people outside this forum with 25 and 26 AA's? The laws of probability, considering those scores are 99.9th percentile, suggest that you may be employing a certain amount of hyperbole.

 

[alanan84]

So much for the validity/reliability of standardized tests.

lol, no kidding

 

[beatsdre]

I guess to put it into perspectives:

Medical school avg matriculation is ~30 MCAT. Amazing scores are 40+.

Dental school avg matriculation is ~18-19. Amazing scores are 25+.

I think we can all reason what is a "competitive" score.
👍

 

[TriangleZuikis]

I think that the quality of applicants (in terms of scores) continues to increase so maybe there are more high scores out there.

 

[sfoksn]

Wait, you personally know 20 people outside this forum with 25 and 26 AA's? The laws of probability, considering those scores are 99.9th percentile, suggest that you may be employing a certain amount of hyperbole.

Yep, at least 20 people. They are from Stanford, Berkeley, Irvine, and UCLA. Most of them are my high school friends, or people I met through my friends.

I don't know how reliable their statements are, but I trust that they are telling the truth.

 

[DrTank]

Yep, at least 20 people. They are from Stanford, Berkeley, Irvine, and UCLA. Most of them are my high school friends, or people I met through my friends.

Dude you dont have 20 friends with scores 25+. Your so called friends are probably all SDNers that you made web friends with. The stats from last year may go up slightly but not drastically. Like rnbaxter stated, SDNers compromise a very small percentage of pre dental students.

To Triangle, your fine. Go to predents.com and check out the stats. The site should give you an idea of where you should apply. The average for many D schools is 19-20AA.

 

[sfoksn]

Yep, at least 20 people. They are from Stanford, Berkeley, Irvine, and UCLA. Most of them are my high school friends, or people I met through my friends.

Dude you dont have 20 friends with scores 25+. Your so called friends are probably all SDNers that you made web friends with. The stats from last year may go up slightly but not drastically. Like rnbaxter stated, SDNers compromise a very small percentage of pre dental students.

To Triangle, your fine. Go to predents.com and check out the stats. The site should give you an idea of where you should apply. The average for many D schools is 19-20AA.

I did say that they are my high school friends and friends through my friends.. Outside of SDN. There are so many on SDN already.

Anyways, I hope it will be okay this year, too.

 

[alanan84]

I did say that they are my high school friends and friends through my friends.. Outside of SDN. There are so many on SDN already.

Anyways, I hope it will be okay this year, too.

So you're not sure how reliable the information is and you're trusting accounts from friends of friends. Translation: Totally unreliable.