Does anyone do not do well in Reading still get in?

[grettlin2]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am going to take DAT this August. I think the preparation is just fine for me except "Reading". I just could not do well in the compressed timing. I just get average 15 in Kaplan's diagnostic and midterm. Please Please Please any successful applicant who did not do well in Reading could share your experience!!!
I heard some schools would not accept the score of any section below 16. Is it a straight "cut off"? I need the help!

 

[marshall]

sorta unrelated but i know a guy who got a 14 on PAT and goes to Pitt (grad'd this year actually)

 

[critterbug]

Is the PAT REALLY all that important? I'm sure the Academic portion is weighted more heavily. Here is an exerpt from UT San Antonio Dental School website:



Applicants are ranked using the following formula:
Management Model Score: (total points possible = 1500)

Objective Component:
[science GPA x DAT-A Score/30 x 4 + Overall GPA] x 50 = Overall Score

Subjective Component:
Maximum of 500 points awarded by Admissions Review Panel, and includes an assessment of the applicants evaluation by pre-professional advisors or professors as well as the applicants non-academic achievements that may include the following examples:
- personal interview
- positions of leadership
- awards and honors for academic achievement
- interpersonal communication skills
- awards and honors for humanitarian service
- success in overcoming ?adverse? personal experiences




I am assuming that DAT-A stands for DAT-Academic Avg. Nowhere do I see a PAT score used to objectively rank an applicant

 

[tinker bell]

I was told by many admissions commitee members that they use the RC to measure/predict your success in dschool? And it's quite important. I'm very serious.

If you just think logically, common sense here, you will see why:

1. You will have to read at least 100pages in dental school. If you are reading with a snail speed, you will be so behind.

2. There are lots and lots of reading, colloquial skill needed in school, and then work later on. If you do not excel reading at least above the normal average, they might say that you will not be competitive enough.

3. You will have to see how they hestitate to take students with one off scale score in. As everyone using the board scores to measure the school success in teaching/training. Why should they want to take a risk with you? And risk their school ranking?
If you put yourself in their position, you will see. To take in one person with a score way below average is not an easy job. Actually the adcom who wants to take you have to like you enough to defense for you real hard in the committee meeting. And I was told that they would never want to do such (unless it's their own child). Why make your life difficult and oppose your colleagues?

Over the years, I have seen many of my friends have a 16 in RC and PAT got rejected at not very competitive schools. So, I am not trying to scare you, but just want to let you know, there are many bad things can happen with having a 16 in your score report. And if you don't have a stellar GPA, I can guarantee you to get a few rejection letters.

 

[emporio]

grettlin,
practice, practice, and practice. the reading section of the dat is NOT hard. you just need to manage your time. all the answers are in the passages as you probably know already. find a strategy that works FOR you. while you're practicing, you will find your own strategy. good luck.

(i thought the real dat reading comp. was alot easier than practice ones... )

 

[sammas]

At tinkey bell's dental school, students do a great deal of reading and expect to have a 100 page assignment each night. In contrast, students at my dental school rarely open a book.

The majority of teachers provide lecture notes in outline or powerpoint form. This material is fairly condensed - not at all like reading a book or the passages on the RC. We only reference our texts for additional clarification.

Not that you're interested, but writing isn't emphasised much either. Students routinely misspell words and substitute it's when they want to use its, etc. Reading and writing go hand in hand, and I believe neither one will do much to get you good grades in dental school. It's all about memorizing lecture material.

Before you lose any sleep, do the only prudent thing: email admissions and ask them very directly if your specific score is a problem. Theirs is the only opinion that counts.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Tink is correct, however. Adcoms at the majority of schools view the reading section of the DAT as a great indicator of not just your reading skills, but your overall comprehension skills.

I completely disagree with Sammas. Reading and writing may not be heavily emphasized in dental school, but they DO assist people in getting good grades. I can testify to this. Having said that, getting good grades and being a good reader do not go hand in hand, but students who read well will achieve better marks than students who struggle to read.

I am constantly amazed by my colleague students who struggle to read, or who truly struggle to formulate a decent paragraph. Just because students misspell words doesn't make it right. It also doesn't mean that mastering such a character trait wouldn't be extremely beneficial in the professional setting.

 

[grettlin2]

Hi all, thanks for your reply. I really need your opinions. 🙂
I guess I have to practice again and again. I don't want this section to block me into dental schools......
My overall gpa is 3.61 with two A in English classes (college writing & Advanced college writing). I guess I should be no problem to read, but just do not find the right strategy to deal with this part. All your replies are important to me. Thanks.

 

[ItsGavinC]

But to answer the original question: Yes, people do poorly on the reading and still get in.

People do poorly on various sections of the DAT and still get in.

It sure helps your odds if you do well, though.

 

[mcataz]

I have heard the reading section can really make a candidate stand out if he or she does well on it.

In regards to the PAT, it depends on the school from what I heard. Some schools like UOP weigh it heavily while others don't. It all depends. I think it's a little silly to be honest with you. You don't see that sort of test with the MCAT and many doctors go on to surgery and other delicate hand related fields. But oh well, I can't complain too much. At least the DAT asks questions in a straightfoward manner. There are no long and tedious passages per science question.

In regards to reading, I think it's a skill that can be developed. You have to get used to reading. I managed to do that last year. i was a huge television watcher. And in my post-bac program, you couldn't afford to waste time because of the reading load. Granted we still had condensed notes and were not required to read 100 pages a night but we were required to read about 50 pages per night to be safe. You have to practice. Learn to enjoy reading. I was told to read anything I could get my hands on prior to D school so that my mind would be adjusted to reading a vouminous amount.

BTW: try posting this stuff in the DAT forum. Let's get that forum rolling.

 

[robliski]

I was reading a preparation book and it had ranked DAT section grades in order of importance from 1-10. English in most schools was 4 with some exceptions. But Bio, O-Chem, and PAT were in 6-8. I didn't do well in English but I did very good in my sciences. So I will keep my fingers crossed for both of us.🙄

 

[shootin4par]

Rob--

I think I know what book you're referring to, and I must say I used it to see which schools to apply to. Honestly though, I don't think there is really much to that ranking. I know a lot of people who only did average on the Reading Sect. and are doing fine. And likewise, people who did ok on the sciences too.

The DAT is only a test and a lot of schools will look at the applicant in a greater perspective, not just as numbers but for all their qualities. Keep in mind there are a lot of great schools out there which arent as competitive as UConn, Penn and Harvard, and still offer a great education..........

 

[Doggie]

I have yet to read a novel (200-500+ pages) or any book for that matter in its entirety......(cliff's notes all the way.....hehe 😀) Anyways....I did quite well in the reading comprehension section of the DAT.....so I dont think it's a test of how well you comprehend the readings. From what I've experienced in the past, most of the answers to the questions could be answered without reading the passages........I took it almost 4 years ago, so they might have changed the format....so take my advice with a grain of salt. Arent the passages about basic sciences anyways?

 

[PERFECT3434]

MY STATS ARE POSTED IN THE STATS FORUM BUT HERE THEY ARE AGAIN.

AA 19 PAT 18 QR 17 BIO 21 GCH 19 OCH 25 SCI 21

OOOOOOH NOOOO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. RC 15. YEP 15.

ITS SO FUNNY. I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT STRUGGLED IN READING COMP. THE THING IS THAT I WAS BEING GREEDY AND READ REALLY FAST AND WANTED TO GET A 21 OR 22. IN ALL REALLITY, I COMPLETELT PANICED AND LOST MYSELF AND RAN OUT OF TIME.

ANYWAYS, ITS DONE NOW. CAN YOU GUYS PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINION ABOUT WETHER I SHOULD TAKE IT OVER AGAIN?

I GOT AN INTERVIEW THE DAY AFTER INDIANA GOT MY DAT SCORES? I DON'T KNOW IF I WILL GET ANY OTHERS.

 

[blankguy]

Interesting thread.
I am capable of reading 100+ pages in a day(my eyes will be aching though) however I have not done well on standardized reading comprehension tests historically.😡
I guess I'm one of those cases where the test may not be accurate. 😕

 

[hockeydentist]

I took my DAT a month a go a did really bad on it, but on one good note my reading was pretty good.

I got a 20 on it. But what I don't understand is that somepeople on here have really high science scores but a really low reading score.


I want to know what you guys did to study for the bio section and chem section??? I am going to retake it in OCTOber. I had a really hard reading section as well its 19-20 paragraphs per section. I did my usual technique of looking at the question and then finding the answer. you can pretty much find the answer from the first sentence of each paragraph. If it takes more than 30 seconds to find the answer, mark any answer and come back to it. Usually you'll find the answer when you are doing more questions down the line. I finished with 8 minutes on that section. Where as bio, chem and orgo I ran out of time. Orgo was lot harder than i thought. and pat was as well.

 

[PERFECT3434]

i think that the bio section should be a section where you gain time. this should be a section in which you should answer the question withing 15-20 sec (except onlt some that require simple calculations). the thing about the bio section is that you either know it or you don't.
you should answer the bio quickly so that you can use the time for your ochec and gchem. the g-chem is the only time consuming part of the natural sci section. i think that after proper studying for ochem, most people should score in the top 90%. i am totally serious. most of my kaplan class mate found the ochem to be the easiest of all. you just need to study better.

 

[ecdoesit]

Question:
is percentile more important than overall score in RC?
i got a 19, but the percentile is like high 60's.
Does it make any sense? while a 21 in bio is 90's percentile?!

 

[dentist2008]

I really don't think that RC is a great indication of your success in dental school. I have problems with RC section too because I run out of time on the last passage. I can usually read the last passage but won't have enough time to go over the questions [which really sucks]. Anyway, my native language is not English. I came to US about 3 years ago, I got into College and I have done very good so far. My GPA is 3.85. So I really don't think that I have a problem with reading in particular.
I am pretty worried about RC section of the DAT.But I am sure that even if I get a 15 on that part, I can certainly explain my situation for the interviewers as long as I can get an interview.
I think if all the other DAT sections are consistently highter than 18-19, having a 15 in RC doesn't really matter and admission committee should understand if they are fair in their judgement.