DAT Score

[PJDoe]

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Hey folks. I just wanted to get some quick feedback regarding my score.
I recently took the DAT, and my score breakdown is as follows:

AA: 21
PAT: 20

Would these scores/GPA suffice for dental school?
Or should I consider retaking the DAT?

Your thoughts would be much appreciated, and I thank you in advance.

For those of you who may be wondering, these are the resources that I found useful in preparing for the DAT.
DAT Destroyer: definitely exposes you to a wide variety of problems. Primarily used this for GC and OC.
DATBootCamp: GREAT resource. In my opinion, it closely resembled the real deal.
Kaplan: It's great for a general overview, however, I would recommend Chad's Video in lieu of this.
AP Cliffs: Awesome biology resource. Unfortunately, there are a few topics that the book did not explicitly cover.

 

[hAAAnh]

Hey folks. I just wanted to get some quick feedback regarding my score.
I recently took the DAT, and my score breakdown is as follows:

AA: 21
TS: 20
OC: 26
RC: 20
PAT: 20
GC: 21
GB: 19
QR: 18

Additional Info:
cGPA: 3.31
sGPA: 3.18

Would these scores/GPA suffice for dental school?
Or should I consider retaking the DAT?

Your thoughts would be much appreciated, and I thank you in advance.

For those of you who may be wondering, these are the resources that I found useful in preparing for the DAT.
DAT Destroyer: definitely exposes you to a wide variety of problems. Primarily used this for GC and OC.
DATBootCamp: GREAT resource. In my opinion, it closely resembled the real deal.
Kaplan: It's great for a general overview, however, I would recommend Chad's Video in lieu of this.
AP Cliffs: Awesome biology resource. Unfortunately, there are a few topics that the book did not explicitly cover.

Congrats on those scores! I'm in the same boat as you, similar DAT scores and similar GPA so I'm waiting on someone to answer this as well

 

[biomolecmed]

Solid scores. Good job.

 

[predent31414]

Nice scores. I would apply early and apply broadly and I think you have a great shot of getting interviews! Good luck!!

 

[hope786]

Can you please summarize thoroughly what did you exactly use to study? I have exam in 3 weeks. I finished cliff and destroyer for Bio twice. What more do you suggest for bio?

Also I found Ochem in destroyer really hard, some topics did not cover by Chad. Do I need to focus on those? Same with Gchem.

I am using Math destroyer, but I get around 10-12 ques wrong and I never finish on time.

Any tips on RC. How close are the questions to Crack DAT or Bootcamp (If you used those).

Same thing for PAT.

Sorry to overwhelm you with thousands of questions, but I am freaking out.

Thanks in advance

 

[hope786]

And congrats Great score, thumps up.

 

[PJDoe]

Can you please summarize thoroughly what did you exactly use to study? I have exam in 3 weeks. I finished cliff and destroyer for Bio twice. What more do you suggest for bio?

Also I found Ochem in destroyer really hard, some topics did not cover by Chad. Do I need to focus on those? Same with Gchem.

I am using Math destroyer, but I get around 10-12 ques wrong and I never finish on time.

Any tips on RC. How close are the questions to Crack DAT or Bootcamp (If you used those).

Same thing for PAT.

Sorry to overwhelm you with thousands of questions, but I am freaking out.

Thanks in advance

Hey, first off best of luck!

GB: I knew cliff's inside and out; unfortunately there were a few topics that were not explicitly covered. My biggest regret was not going through the DAT destroyer bio thoroughly. Most of my friends said that reading through the answer key explanations helped tremendously. I personally found the bootcamp bio easier.

GC: Destroyer and bootcamp were both great. Note that destroyer has problems that are much harder. I personally went through BootC and destroyer GC and made sure I knew how to solve every single problem. Overall, BootC. was very representative of what I saw in terms of the types of questions and the wording. Chad definitely covered most of what you would be expected to know.

The PAT questions on Bootcamp were very similar to the ones I saw on the DAT. I might even say that BC was a little harder. If you can get through the BC and consistently score above 20s, I think it's safe to say you'll get 20+.

As for the reading comp., bootcamp was definitely harder. Surprisingly, the passages I received were very interesting reads which helped tremendously. I would just suggest working on time management as that was my main problem. Strategies for this section differs for everyone. My method was writing down key words as I went through each paragraph. For example, let's say paragraph 1 talked about when the DAT was created etc. I would write: 1) Creation. If paragraph two mentioned a specific individual/year I would write: 2) Year/(Name). Definitely recommend writing brief key words so that you can reference back to your list.

Math destroyer is AMAZING. I just regret leaving this section for the last minute. The type of questions from destroyer definitely closely reflect what you would expect on the real thing. Just go through each problem and work on time management. I wish I had spent more time going through those problems.

As for OChem, definitely know all your basic mechanisms (SN1/2, E1/2, and the others Chad mentioned). Personally, I thought Chad's videos were sufficient. Destroyer problems are indeed overwhelming, but as with GC I made sure i knew how to solve each question. But in hindsight, Chad's videos definitely sufficed. Definitely have a look at the mechanism pathways provided in the answer key section of the destroyer book.

Here's pretty much how I went about studying. I first reviewed Chad's videos and took notes. I reviewed those notes and then went on to do Destroyer problems. As you noted, there were a handful of problems on topics that were not covered. however, I would definitely recommend glancing over these and getting a general idea of the concepts (it's better safe than sorry). Then I went on to do the DAT bootcamp exams.

 

[syeh3]

If you need help on certain topics let me know!

 

[predentalgirl]

Hey folks. I just wanted to get some quick feedback regarding my score.
I recently took the DAT, and my score breakdown is as follows:

AA: 21
TS: 20
OC: 26
RC: 20
PAT: 20
GC: 21
GB: 19
QR: 18

Additional Info:
cGPA: 3.31
sGPA: 3.18

Would these scores/GPA suffice for dental school?
Or should I consider retaking the DAT?

Your thoughts would be much appreciated, and I thank you in advance.

For those of you who may be wondering, these are the resources that I found useful in preparing for the DAT.
DAT Destroyer: definitely exposes you to a wide variety of problems. Primarily used this for GC and OC.
DATBootCamp: GREAT resource. In my opinion, it closely resembled the real deal.
Kaplan: It's great for a general overview, however, I would recommend Chad's Video in lieu of this.
AP Cliffs: Awesome biology resource. Unfortunately, there are a few topics that the book did not explicitly cover.

Amazing scores!

I had around the same GPA, got one interview from my state school, only though. It worked out, so I am not complaining haha.

Try to apply to a bunch of schools and hope for the best!

 

[PJDoe]

Amazing scores!

I had around the same GPA, got one interview from my state school, only though. It worked out, so I am not complaining haha.

Try to apply to a bunch of schools and hope for the best!

Thanks for the reply! I will most definitely be applying to a wide range of schools.

However, I'm still contemplating whether or not to retake the exam. I have been getting mixed responses from advisors/friends to whom I have talked to. Most suggest against retaking. But I am keep thinking that with my low GPA I would need compensate for that with a higher DAT score.
If you don't mind me asking, how were your scores? Also what types of extracurricular did you have? Your response would be much appreciated, and I thank you in advance.

 

[biomolecmed]

Can you please summarize thoroughly what did you exactly use to study? I have exam in 3 weeks. I finished cliff and destroyer for Bio twice. What more do you suggest for bio?

Also I found Ochem in destroyer really hard, some topics did not cover by Chad. Do I need to focus on those? Same with Gchem.

I am using Math destroyer, but I get around 10-12 ques wrong and I never finish on time.

Any tips on RC. How close are the questions to Crack DAT or Bootcamp (If you used those).

Same thing for PAT.

Sorry to overwhelm you with thousands of questions, but I am freaking out.

Thanks in advance

Don't get frustrated using Destroyer. This book will make you suffer, lol. People on this forum are saying that it is tough. It will prepare you well though. If you are looking for scores 22 and up, it will guide you through tough problems.

 

[Del0]

Hey folks. I just wanted to get some quick feedback regarding my score.
I recently took the DAT, and my score breakdown is as follows:

AA: 21
TS: 20
OC: 26
RC: 20
PAT: 20
GC: 21
GB: 19
QR: 18

Additional Info:
cGPA: 3.31
sGPA: 3.18

Would these scores/GPA suffice for dental school?
Or should I consider retaking the DAT?

Your thoughts would be much appreciated, and I thank you in advance.

For those of you who may be wondering, these are the resources that I found useful in preparing for the DAT.
DAT Destroyer: definitely exposes you to a wide variety of problems. Primarily used this for GC and OC.
DATBootCamp: GREAT resource. In my opinion, it closely resembled the real deal.
Kaplan: It's great for a general overview, however, I would recommend Chad's Video in lieu of this.
AP Cliffs: Awesome biology resource. Unfortunately, there are a few topics that the book did not explicitly cover.

I have very similar scores:
GPAo 3.52
GPAs 3.44

DAT (PAT/TS/AA): 19/20/21

And I have three interviews so far at Temple, Tennessee, and UAB. I applied in early July so depending on when you sent out the application the interviews should start rolling in soon.

 

[Dotoday]

Solid scores. You should be ok.

 

[customx]

I would actually recommend a retake. Your GPA is below average and your DAT is about average or slightly below for most public schools. It seems like this cycle had been extremely tough on a lot of people with solid stats not getting invites. A 23+ would make you a much more competitive applicant in my opinion. Don't be surprised if you only get invites at private schools which will run $400k

 

[Del0]

I would actually recommend a retake. Your GPA is below average and your DAT is about average or slightly below for most public schools. It seems like this cycle had been extremely tough on a lot of people with solid stats not getting invites. A 23+ would make you a much more competitive applicant in my opinion. Don't be surprised if you only get invites at private schools which will run $400k

Don't know what stats you're looking at, 21 AA is among the top 10%. You don't necessarily need a 23 unless you're applying to Harvard

 

[customx]

But look at all the people on here with great stats without interviews, or just a couple. It would be advantageous to retake with that GPA

 

[PJDoe]

You both have valid points, and I really appreciate the responses. Honestly, I think I'll spend a good month contemplating all this. For now, it seems as though I should work on improving my GPA, extracurriculars, and obtaining my recommendation letters. Hopefully I will be applying by the start of the next cycle.

On a side note, I am also considering pursuing a 1 year masters.. which seemed to have worked out favorably for a good amount of people. I guess only time will tell.

Anyways, further input would be much appreciated, and I thank you all in advance.

 

[Sharon914]

Congrats! Your scores are great!!

 

[biomolecmed]

What school(s) are you applying to that you are so worried about your scores? They are not so bad.