DAT...whats the deal with the score???

[DATslim]

inorder to get accepted to dental school you must have a decent GPA on your transcripts, various activities, solid LORs, and a good DAT score...the proposed question is;
do you have to get at least a 15 in each section to even be considered for acceptance or an interview? i understand that the higher the score in each section the better your chances. or is it up to the individual school to choose?

EXAMPLE - BIO 25--CHEM 16--O. CHEM 18--RC 17--QR 12--PAT 19
roughly an average of 18 (lets say u have been using kaplan as your study buddy)....your thoughts

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[Biogirl361]

depends on the school, some of them have a minimum of 14 or so where they won't even consider you with lower than that in any section. other schools might be willing to overlook it if you are above average in other areas. go on school's websites or call the ones you're interested in to see if they have a minimum score policy.
of course the best thing to do is just not get below a 14 in the first place... it is definitly achievable for everyone if you practice enough.

 

[dWiz]

wow, QR of 12. Isn't math really easy on DAT. Only a matter of timing from what i've heard from most dat-takers. so practice! But 12?

 

[JakeMUSC]

wow, QR of 12. Isn't math really easy on DAT. Only a matter of timing from what i've heard from most dat-takers. so practice! But 12?

I wouldnt say easy...but a ton of practice and practice tests can sky rocket your scores! good luck!

I would also say that anything below 15 would be hard to convince adcoms.

 

[ItsGavinC]

To the OP: they're going to look at your average score first and foremost (at least to clear whatever minimum score benchmarks they have in place).

Applicant scores from subject to subject don't vary *that* much very often. Often they will vary largely, but the scores will all still be excellent. For example, it's fairly common to see somebody get a 19 or 20 across the board and then get a 28 or 29 in another section.

It's fairly *uncommon* for somebody to get all 19s or 20s and then get a 12 in a section.