DAT SCORES AA 19

[dentalobsession01]

Hello All,

I just took my DAT today and I am really upset with my Bio and GC score. Please advise... Is it safe to apply this cycle or should I wait till next cycle? OR Should I apply now with this score and indicate on my app im retaking my DAT and send in a new score once retrieved? Please advise. I appreciate all honest feedback!

Thank you!!

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[dentalobsession01]

Some schools actually have a policy where they will not put your application to the side just because you indicate you are planning to retake the DAT. Instead they may just go off of the scores they have on hand and decide if they want to take the next steps with your application from there. This information is on the school’s website so make sure that’s not the policy for the schools you’re thinking about applying to.

Also, I did some heavy research on ~15 dental schools and for those programs a 17-18 total science score was about the 5th percentile for admitted students. If that’s the case for most schools I’d imagine it would be really difficult to get in with a 17 TS.

How exactly did you study for biology and gen chem?

For bio, I used Dr. Romano's Dynamite Bio Review. I went through it twice and used DAT bootcamp as practice. I was scoring 19s-21s on DAT bootcamp bio section. I was VERY shocked to see a 15. I was expecting a much higher score in bio. As for gen chem, I first used mike's videos. I then used Chad's videos and took GC practice tests on DAT bootcamp. I was scoring roughly 17-19 on GC practice tests.

 

[doctor-strange]

If you're confident about your GPA and ECs, then you could consider submitting with your current scores and scheduling to retake your DAT. Just know that late November is really late in the cycle so you will be competing for the post-December spots. Honestly, I would probably just wait until the next cycle to apply. If the 15 were in QR instead of Bio, it may be a different story, but Bio is just too important of a section.

 

[ChemistryDentist]

Overall I don't think your scores are "bad," but that 15 in Biology will definitely be a problem for a lot of schools. Many don't have cutoffs, but a 15 may, unfortunately, be too low. Another problem I see is that your scores are decently inconsistent. Although I don't think you would be flat out rejected for having scores that fluctuate, it would certainly help your application if your scores were more consistent.

If I was in your shoes, I would definitely retake. I don't know how your financial situation is or if you have already applied to schools. I do not think it's too late in the cycle to apply yet, even if you retake your DAT. Plenty of people get post-December interviews and acceptances. That does make me think though, you have to be honest with yourself--does your GPA match your DAT score? If you have ~3.0 GPA, you should definitely be scoring 19's and 20's all around to get a shot (preferably higher). If you have a 3.7+, you should be in the 22+ range for most of the scores. That's something to consider because the DAT is meant to be the constant between all applicants while GPA is not--think of it this way, a 3.5 GPA at Harvard means more than a 3.5 GPA at a small-town school with a not as renowned reputation.

Regardless of where you decide to apply, I personally believe you should change your study technique. Studying from the Dynamite Bio Notes is an awesome start, but without doing the Destroyer in conjunction you cripple yourself. They are great resources standalone, but they punch much harder when used together. Did you only use BC for all of the sciences? The Destroyers provide absolutely amazing science preparation. I'm proof of concept. I definitely recommend using them this time through.

Also, because you have those Dynamite Bio Notes, you're definitely a part of the Destroyer Facebook group. Start participating in those daily questions! You may get roasted a few times, but it will definitely help you in the long term.

Sorry for the long response, but hopefully this information helps a bit. Let me know if I can help you in any other way. Best of luck.