DAT break down... need advice

[JluckDDS]

I took DAT today, and honestly I was devastated with the result.

I took my first DAT in 2008 and was nothing to show for.
and I worked full time for while and decide its time to go back to school.

My second DAT was in 2012. Here is the breakdown:
Bio 21
Chem 20
Orgo 19
PAT 21
QR 19
RC 17
AA19

Here is today's
Bio 17 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Chem 19
Orgo 21
PAT 25
QR 24
RC 20
AA20

I wanted to improve on RC this time which did but, my bio and gen chem score dropped.
so technically this would've been third time taking it.


I need advice!!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ari Rezaei]

Those are good scores! You're really being too hard on yourself. 19 is the average for acceptance, 17 or so is the average overall, and now you have a 20! Both of these scores will be reported to the dental schools. If anything I'd see if you could raise your GPA, but your DAT-taking days are over my friend!

 

[JluckDDS]

Thank you for reply and encouraging words. But i am worried about my bio score. And compared to my gpa, i should probably need higher score right?

My 2008 score expired so if i wanted to take it one more time, do i need permission? Anyone know??

 

[free99]

Good improvement elsewhere! How'd you prepare for RC differently this time?

 

[DentalCool]

To take it more than three times you need permisssion.

 

[Ari Rezaei]

I'm not an adcom, so you should talk to your pre-health advisor. But to me, you already once scored a 21 in bio, and I guess you retook it for the QR and RC sections, which you concentrated on and did much better the second time. I'd advise bringing up your GPA or doing something with extracirrculars rather than take the DAT again.

 

[bluesprite13]

Great scores! You don't need to retake it again! Some schools will take the average of both scores or take the most recent one. It's specifically listed in the ADA Official Guide!

 

[JluckDDS]

I still havent decide whether i wanna take it ONE more time for 20+ scores. I kno its alot of work but I am not fully satisfied.

So I used datqvault, chad's, and 2007 and 2009 DAT exams.

I've struggled with RC because English isn't my first language. So I tried the search and destroy mainly in the past and wasn't very successful at it. I always ran out of time. So after practice, i began to use sort of hybrid method. I would READ like thoroughly enough that I would remember few things without looking back, but i would also take important words. This helped me alot, saved time and got more questions right.

Also I think its important to make habit of taking the exam. I planned my exam at 3:30 so i would do my practice at 3:30 so I would kno on the exam day my brain is trained to maximize its ability at the same time frame.