DAT Percentages- If DS don't get them what do they mean?

[isittoolate]

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I have heard that dental schools will not receive your percentages for your scores on the DAT- is this true?

Also, are the percentages calculated against people who took the exact same version of your test? Or are they calculated against everyone who takes the DAT within a particular time frame?

Does anyone know how they decide the scoring for sections? For instance, I got a 29 on my ochem, but according to every raw score conversion I've seen, one missed question can yield a 27-29...how did they decide on 29?

 

[Glimmer1991]

I can answer your first question for sure--schools don't get your percentiles.
For the second question, I am less sure--I think you are compared against people who took your version of the test.
For the final question--it would be pretty lame if missing one question yielded a 27. I bet you only missed one, but I think that the way in which this is converted is sort of a mystery. I also bet that it differs between tests.

 

[Dr.9999]

Hi
I called ADA 2 weeks ago and asked the same questions and this is what they told me:
1) DS do not get your percentage and
2) The percentage is the calculation against people who took the exact same version of your test.
hope this helps 🙂

 

[hpark10]

I have heard that dental schools will not receive your percentages for your scores on the DAT- is this true?

Also, are the percentages calculated against people who took the exact same version of your test? Or are they calculated against everyone who takes the DAT within a particular time frame?

Does anyone know how they decide the scoring for sections? For instance, I got a 29 on my ochem, but according to every raw score conversion I've seen, one missed question can yield a 27-29...how did they decide on 29?

+1

exactly what i've been wondering !!

 

[shiftparadigm]

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think part of it depends on how many other people get that same question wrong. For example, if you only miss one question but it's a difficult one that almost everyone else misses too, then you might end up with a 29. But if you miss an easy question that almost everyone else gets right, then you might end up with a 27. It's not a linear scoring system where getting 1 question wrong = 29, 2 questions wrong = 28, etc. I could be totally wrong though... 😛

 

[Msmouth]

I think the percentage is a strange system because I'm thinking of the first group of test-takers of the year taking the exam.....they get a percentile based on what? There is nothing to compare them to except maybe all of the others that same day/week????

I just don't get it!

 

[Glimmer1991]

I think the percentage is a strange system because I'm thinking of the first group of test-takers of the year taking the exam.....they get a percentile based on what? There is nothing to compare them to except maybe all of the others that same day/week????

I just don't get it!

I keep wondering the same thing!!

 

[shiftparadigm]

Maybe that's what the experimental questions are for! Haha I should stop wildly speculating...

 

[Papasmurf1234]

Maybe that's what the experimental questions are for! Haha I should stop wildly speculating...

it's probably true....they do that for a lot of tests.
Remember the SAT? I think they had 2 experimental sections that didn't count for your score but you weren't told which ones.

 

[isittoolate]

So if it is just against the people who took your version of the test, how do they correct for "harder" versions of the test? It just seems like a weird measurement; if an 22 AA for one test is a 96% and then a 22 AA for another test if 89% then that would suggest that the first test was harder.

Regardless, do you think dental schools themselves calculate AA's? Just wondering as I was wishing my scores didn't average out to a 22.4 :/

 

[Papasmurf1234]

I think this discussion came up on another topic. The percentage difference is probably +/- 5%. I doubt someone can get a 60% and get a 20.