DAT retake???

[choiboi53]

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03/21/11 DAT results:

PAT: 18
QR: 18
RC: 15 =(
Biology: 21
Gen chem: 23
Organic chem: 23
TS: 22
AA: 20


I just finished the real DAT for the first time and I'm pretty satisfied with most of my scores EXCEPT RC!! 😡
So, I was wondering if I should retake the test or not? And also, do some dental schools take the highest scores of each section?

 

[wizi]

03/21/11 DAT results:

PAT: 18
QR: 18
RC: 15 =(
Biology: 21
Gen chem: 23
Organic chem: 23
TS: 22
AA: 20


I just finished the real DAT for the first time and I'm pretty satisfied with most of my scores EXCEPT RC!! 😡
So, I was wondering if I should retake the test or not? And also, do some dental schools take the highest scores of each section?

Today is 19, how come your DAT is 21st?
20, 22 seems fine to me. I think your best option is to call your schools and ask them. I don't think anyone can answer that question simply they are not adcoms. My friend got in with 16 RC.

Are you an ESL? Immigrant?

 

[dentalWorks]

03/21/11 DAT results:

PAT: 18
QR: 18
RC: 15 =(
Biology: 21
Gen chem: 23
Organic chem: 23
TS: 22
AA: 20


I just finished the real DAT for the first time and I'm pretty satisfied with most of my scores EXCEPT RC!! 😡
So, I was wondering if I should retake the test or not? And also, do some dental schools take the highest scores of each section?

some schools will do that... some will only consider the latest retake, and some will actually try to average the retakes out

as far as you needing to retake or not....I dunno, very borderline, you have great DAT score, whats your GPA like?

I would call the schools you are interested in and see what they recommend.

 

[mightyrat]

03/21/11 DAT results:

PAT: 18
QR: 18
RC: 15 =(
Biology: 21
Gen chem: 23
Organic chem: 23
TS: 22
AA: 20


I just finished the real DAT for the first time and I'm pretty satisfied with most of my scores EXCEPT RC!! 😡
So, I was wondering if I should retake the test or not? And also, do some dental schools take the highest scores of each section?

I feel your pain man!! I too got a 15 in reading and yea it sucks 😕

I got similar scores to you except i got a 21 TS, and im honestly not retaking the exam just for this ******ed section lol can you say that english isnt your first language? thats my trump card and me being a philosophy major

your average overall is great, just apply wisely and avoid the schools that have cutoffs!

Best of luck to both of us

 

[choiboi53]

Oh oops. messed up the date haha Yea it's 3/19/11 lol I guess I'm just exhausted from taking that 5 hr exam...

I actually am not an international student... I'm a indiana resident... but i heard IU dental school has a 17 cutoff for RC so i guess I will be retaking the test... -.-

and I have a 3.61 gpa as of right now... which isn't too high or low i guess...
but thanks for the suggestions! I will try to call different schools just in case before registering for DAT again!

 

[AmpedUp]

Sorry to say this but...a vast majority of dental schools consider RC the MOST important section of the test. I would retake with a lower score than 17. Did you get piano'd?


But hey, you did AWESOME on the rest of the test! Just put all of your energy into RC. There's still time left!! In the meantime, take a 1-month break from studying and read a bunch...

 

[freckles91932]

Like the above, check with schools. I know a FEW schools are more lax on the RC grade, especially if your TS score is up, which it is. This is because they understand that many students have a first language other than English. If you look in the ADEA guide book some schools tell the range of dat scores accepted. Although reading is not particularly listed, the AA scores ranges are as low as 14-16ish on a few schools. I forgot which ones, but there are a few. Good luck!

 

[mightyrat]

like the above, check with schools. I know a few schools are more lax on the rc grade, especially if your ts score is up, which it is. This is because they understand that many students have a first language other than english. If you look in the adea guide book some schools tell the range of dat scores accepted. Although reading is not particularly listed, the aa scores ranges are as low as 14-16ish on a few schools. I forgot which ones, but there are a few. Good luck!

+1

 

[dentalWorks]

Oh oops. messed up the date haha Yea it's 3/19/11 lol I guess I'm just exhausted from taking that 5 hr exam...

I actually am not an international student... I'm a indiana resident... but i heard IU dental school has a 17 cutoff for RC so i guess I will be retaking the test... -.-

and I have a 3.61 gpa as of right now... which isn't too high or low i guess...
but thanks for the suggestions! I will try to call different schools just in case before registering for DAT again!

ur DAT + 3.6 are very good numbers (even with that 15RC)... there are approx 25-30 out-of-state friendly schools, I am sure some of them will find an applicant such as ur self competitive... You just gottan seek them out (hence calling schools and finding out)

Good luck to ya

 

[lightingbug]

IMO I would retake. A 15 in RC is way too low. I have a 16 rc with a 3.9 sci and 3.7 gpa and only received two invites to schools, but no acceptances. I contacted the schools and they said my rc was hindering me.

You still have time to retake and still be early in the application cycle. I thought a 16 would be okay. If I had a 17 in rc I would consider not retaking but anything less is taking a chance.

I also don't understand peoples rationalization that b/c some of you all are ESL they will let this slide. A low rc score is not justified because you are ESL in my opinion.

 

[AmpedUp]

IMO I would retake. A 15 in RC is way too low. I have a 16 rc with a 3.9 sci and 3.7 gpa and only received two invites to schools, but no acceptances. I contacted the schools and they said my rc was hindering me.

You still have time to retake and still be early in the application cycle. I thought a 16 would be okay. If I had a 17 in rc I would consider not retaking but anything less is taking a chance.

I also don't understand peoples rationalization that b/c some of you all are ESL they will let this slide. A low rc score is not justified because you are ESL in my opinion.

Same thing happened to me (with a 16 rc), but I have a 3.8 gpa and 3.7 sci...I got 3 interviews and no acceptances.

 

[invictusx]

IMO I would retake. A 15 in RC is way too low. I have a 16 rc with a 3.9 sci and 3.7 gpa and only received two invites to schools, but no acceptances. I contacted the schools and they said my rc was hindering me.

You still have time to retake and still be early in the application cycle. I thought a 16 would be okay. If I had a 17 in rc I would consider not retaking but anything less is taking a chance.

I also don't understand peoples rationalization that b/c some of you all are ESL they will let this slide. A low rc score is not justified because you are ESL in my opinion.

Same thing happened to me (with a 16 rc), but I have a 3.8 gpa and 3.7 sci...I got 3 interviews and no acceptances.

What were your AA, TS, and PAT like??? And how many schools did you apply to???

I have a 17 in RC but I have 23 AA, 25 TS, and 22 PAT with 3.6 oGPA and 3.4ish sGPA.

Kinda wanna see where I'm standing...

 

[dental13]

yeah, give your whole stats so we can figure out what's going on.
Thanks

 

[dental13]

Same thing happened to me (with a 16 rc), but I have a 3.8 gpa and 3.7 sci...I got 3 interviews and no acceptances.

IMO I would retake. A 15 in RC is way too low. I have a 16 rc with a 3.9 sci and 3.7 gpa and only received two invites to schools, but no acceptances. I contacted the schools and they said my rc was hindering me.

You still have time to retake and still be early in the application cycle. I thought a 16 would be okay. If I had a 17 in rc I would consider not retaking but anything less is taking a chance.

I also don't understand peoples rationalization that b/c some of you all are ESL they will let this slide. A low rc score is not justified because you are ESL in my opinion.

Please give your whole stats, so we can figure out what's going on here🙄🙄🙄

 

[choiboi53]

Yep. I've officially decided to schedule another testing date and retake my DAT. lol I feel like i can definitely do better than a 15 for sure...
I studied with kaplan and their RC is a bit different from the real one, such as more tone questions, so it kind of threw me off i guess...
Now what I'm scared of is if I can repeat my TS 22.. lol

Do you guys think taking the DAT around end of June is too late for the application process?

 

[AmpedUp]

What were your AA, TS, and PAT like??? And how many schools did you apply to???

I have a 17 in RC but I have 23 AA, 25 TS, and 22 PAT with 3.6 oGPA and 3.4ish sGPA.

Kinda wanna see where I'm standing...

You're in great shape IMO.

My PAT was also shockingly low - and that might have made me a less competitive applicant.

Specifically, my DAT scores were:

19 Bio
21 GC
18 OC
16 PAT
16 RC
16 QR
18 AA
19 TS

Hoping for 20's this time!!

Just to throw this out there...I've held many leadership positions and have done lots of community service & shadowing (generalists and specialists). sooooo my EC's were definitely not a problem. i also felt that i wrote a VERY strong personal statement - it took me a month to write it. i applied early (in June) as well...

 

[yankeefan86]

Yep. I've officially decided to schedule another testing date and retake my DAT. lol I feel like i can definitely do better than a 15 for sure...
I studied with kaplan and their RC is a bit different from the real one, such as more tone questions, so it kind of threw me off i guess...
Now what I'm scared of is if I can repeat my TS 22.. lol

Do you guys think taking the DAT around end of June is too late for the application process?

Nah dude, taking the DAT then is perfectly fine. I know people who have taken it at the end of August/beginning of September and got in. But I would just apply when the cycle opens up, which is on June 1st and have the scores sent to schools you applied to

 

[yankeefan86]

03/21/11 DAT results:

PAT: 18
QR: 18
RC: 15 =(
Biology: 21
Gen chem: 23
Organic chem: 23
TS: 22
AA: 20


I just finished the real DAT for the first time and I'm pretty satisfied with most of my scores EXCEPT RC!! 😡
So, I was wondering if I should retake the test or not? And also, do some dental schools take the highest scores of each section?

can u give a breakdown? and what materials did you use to study with?

 

[wantVCUdental]

IMO I would retake. A 15 in RC is way too low. I have a 16 rc with a 3.9 sci and 3.7 gpa and only received two invites to schools, but no acceptances. I contacted the schools and they said my rc was hindering me.

You still have time to retake and still be early in the application cycle. I thought a 16 would be okay. If I had a 17 in rc I would consider not retaking but anything less is taking a chance.

I also don't understand peoples rationalization that b/c some of you all are ESL they will let this slide. A low rc score is not justified because you are ESL in my opinion.

Sounds like you are not applying to the right schools. I have 16RC, 3.2gpa downward trend, international student status, no URM status. I had 5 interviews and 3 acceptances.

You are right, ESL doesn't justify for low RC scores. BUT a low RC score doesn't mean you will make a bad dentist.

 

[dentalWorks]

Sounds like you are not applying to the right schools. I have 16RC, 3.2gpa downward trend, international student status, no URM status. I had 5 interviews and 3 acceptances.

You are right, ESL doesn't justify for low RC scores. BUT a low RC score doesn't mean you will make a bad dentist.

whats your secret? Is your dad a big mafia figure?

 

[mightyrat]

Sounds like you are not applying to the right schools. I have 16RC, 3.2gpa downward trend, international student status, no URM status. I had 5 interviews and 3 acceptances.

You are right, ESL doesn't justify for low RC scores. BUT a low RC score doesn't mean you will make a bad dentist.

do you mind sharing what schools you applied to, and which ones your accepted to?

 

[choiboi53]

Sounds like you are not applying to the right schools. I have 16RC, 3.2gpa downward trend, international student status, no URM status. I had 5 interviews and 3 acceptances.

You are right, ESL doesn't justify for low RC scores. BUT a low RC score doesn't mean you will make a bad dentist.

Can you tell me by any chance which schools you applied to? lol

 

[choiboi53]

can u give a breakdown? and what materials did you use to study with?

I just used the Kaplan blue book and the DAT destroyer i think.. 2009 version...

really didn't use too many sources but I guess it was enough for me to get a 22 for sciences lol

 

[mightyrat]

Can you tell me by any chance which schools you applied to? lol

hey choiboi53, wait your turn man!!

LOL

 

[invictusx]

Whoa!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jkb53433]

take it from someone who had the rc score of 16...retake! i called so many schools and all of them said its too low to be accepted to our school..

 

[wantVCUdental]

take it from someone who had the rc score of 16...retake! i called so many schools and all of them said its too low to be accepted to our school..

How many is SO many? I called more than 30 schools, how many did you call? Off the top of my head that i remember, BU, Tufts, NYU, Iowa, MWU-AZ, MWU-IL, Columbia, Maryland and Indiana have strict RC requirements, the rest were fine.

 

[invictusx]

How many is SO many? I called more than 30 schools, how many did you call? Off the top of my head that i remember, BU, Tufts, NYU, Iowa, MWU-AZ, MWU-IL, Columbia, Maryland and Indiana have strict RC requirements, the rest were fine.

Do you know what the requirements are when you called?

 

[jkb53433]

How many is SO many? I called more than 30 schools, how many did you call? Off the top of my head that i remember, BU, Tufts, NYU, Iowa, MWU-AZ, MWU-IL, Columbia, Maryland and Indiana have strict RC requirements, the rest were fine.

im sorry i have no number for u exactly but it was more than 10. my case was different...there is also a link on the pre dental section of this forum that tells u how many schools consider rc to be important or not important n i believe (dont quote me) that atleast 30 schools said it was important ...i dont have the link for u...im sure u can find it on there if u search for it... schools look at rc to see how well u can retain info and use it in a short amount of time when u are put in a learning environment such as dental school - i was told this recently by an admissions committee personal from UOP and Western...

 

[jkb53433]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=657139

here is the thread..open the excel document and see for urself. says about 38 rank rc as very important. 14 as somewhat important and so on..

 

[jkb53433]

Sounds like you are not applying to the right schools. I have 16RC, 3.2gpa downward trend, international student status, no URM status. I had 5 interviews and 3 acceptances.

You are right, ESL doesn't justify for low RC scores. BUT a low RC score doesn't mean you will make a bad dentist.

if you dont mind sharing..where did u get the interviews and acceptances from

 

[321931]

Great AA and TS; however, unfortunate RC. Take it from this post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=807559

IMO, retake is necessary especially with a 15.

Yes, there are some people like VCU that did get interviews/acceptances with low RC/GPA, but WHY risk an ENTIRE cycle/year KNOWING that you are applying with a BAD application when you CAN still retake BEFORE the cycle and get your COMPETITIVE/GOOD app in early in for aadsas 2011.

You are taking a HUGE risk by not retaking. Imagine applying for aadsas 2011, and you don't get in like the link I referred to. Guess what? You're going to have to retake AND apply for aadsas 2012.

Just get it over with and retake. You'll be so much better off. Seriously why risk it? I'm not being a hater/elitist, but just a realist.

 

[peanutb123]

Sounds like you are not applying to the right schools. I have 16RC, 3.2gpa downward trend, international student status, no URM status. I had 5 interviews and 3 acceptances.

You are right, ESL doesn't justify for low RC scores. BUT a low RC score doesn't mean you will make a bad dentist.

if you go by this guy here are his stats:

His scores include TS: 24
AA:22
Pat 21
EVERY SINGLE SECTION 21=+

this guy has close to perfect scores only he messed up a little in RC.

So op the decision is Yours only you can decide on that.

 

[jkb53433]

if you go by this guy here are his stats:

His scores include TS: 24
AA:22
Pat 21
EVERY SINGLE SECTION 21=+

this guy has close to perfect scores only he messed up a little in RC.

So op the decision is Yours only you can decide on that.

so basically he decided to give false hope to others...not cool! 👎

 

[321931]

if you go by this guy here are his stats:

His scores include TS: 24
AA:22
Pat 21
EVERY SINGLE SECTION 21=+

this guy has close to perfect scores only he messed up a little in RC.

So op the decision is Yours only you can decide on that.

Well considering he destroyed the sciences section and every other section...I would say that his experience cannot be extended to the OP's situation.

Therefore, I wouldn't take this advice, and seriously consider a retake.

 

[peanutb123]

so basically he decided to give false hope to others...not cool! 👎

I never seen wantVCUdental give bad advice to anyone. Nor he never gives false hopes. I listened to his advice and got into numerous schools. What he said for op is true. If i were in op situation i would be very or extremely hesitant to retake b/c ops scores + dat combo is very good. But some school that i applied to rejected couple of my friends whose dat scores were way higher than mine but RC was lower than mine. and i got accepted into those schools. So its up to op.

In my own opinion, unless if you are at his level or a little higher or a little below then i would def. apply. Otherwise if you have like <19 aa or 20 aa and get like 15 rc. It def. calls for a retake.

 

[kkim85]

your RC score is way too low..

I would retake for sure...

 

[qweqwe123]

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