I took the DAT at the end of June and did not do nearly as well as I'd hoped. 17 AA, 16 Total Science, 19 Biology, 15 Gen Chem, 13 Orgo, 15 PAT, 17 QRT, and 23 RCT. I'm worried because I already have emails from schools telling me they highly recommend retaking it (which I obviously decided to do right after seeing this score). I cannot take it again until the end of September, which will likely take away my chance at an early interview. Will I be able to get an interview if I improve my score even though schools won't see that score til like mid-October? Can I even get an interview before then with just this score? My overall GPA is about a 3.62, and I have a good personal statement and a variety of extracurriculars that I think help. But, I'm still worried I may just have to give up.
DAT Trouble
- Thread starter outback95
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Yes, you could absolutely still get interviews, they will just be later than you're hoping for (likely post-December).
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They do, but like you mentioned, your new score won't be in until the end of September, which means by the time your application is re-evaluated and an interview is scheduled, October and November interview slots will have long been filled.
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Do not give up. You just need a better plan. Your scores in the sciences are very low, why? What is your science GPA? What school? How did you prepare for the DAT? If you want to be a dentist that should be the main focus, don't worry about when about about getting an early interview. Even if you miss a cycle but get in, does it really matter? I tell students if they miss a cycle use that year to work and save some money, there will not be much free time when you get into dental school.
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Don't give up. It'll be tough to get a pre-December interview, but totally doable post-December as long as your retake goes well. You just need to strategize well from this point on. How did you study the first time around? If you need some ideas on how to structure your study schedule, feel free to PM me. I'd be happy to share the schedule I used while taking grad school classes.
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It depends on the school, as each school has a slightly different cycle, and some schools even have minimum DAT scores. If schools are emailing you and telling you to retake, see if you can speak to them individually about chances of getting an interview.
Sounds like the rest of your application is strong, so definitely don't give up! If anything, apply in a later cycle and study hard to get that score up. RCT is looking good, you just really need to focus on Natural Sciences and PAT. Get on Crack DAT PAT, or if you're on a budget like me, even the Youtube videos out there help a lot. For sciences, ASDA's app has helped me (I use the web version): ⚡ DAT Flashcards
Sounds like the rest of your application is strong, so definitely don't give up! If anything, apply in a later cycle and study hard to get that score up. RCT is looking good, you just really need to focus on Natural Sciences and PAT. Get on Crack DAT PAT, or if you're on a budget like me, even the Youtube videos out there help a lot. For sciences, ASDA's app has helped me (I use the web version): ⚡ DAT Flashcards
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september is still fine...you got this!
is end of october retake too late though?
is end of october retake too late though?
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Bruh for gen chem and ochem use destroyer. Destroyer shot my o chem practice test scores up by 4 points after just going through it once. (16 to 20)
