Feedback on my DAT scores

[schen140]

hey guys, first post here for me, my name's steven and im a 4th year student from california. ive scanned the faq's and there wasnt any rule about asking about dat scores, so i wanted to get your guys' feedback on the scores i just got today...

18 qr
18 rc
20 gchem
20 bio
21 ochem
19 pat

19 aa
19 pat
20 ts

i definitely made a mistake in taking the test at night...by the time i got to reading comprehension i was so tired and just totally didnt perform up to par in that section as well as math. in reading i was actually in the 38th percentile, which surprised me since i thought 17 was average and thus 18 placed me above average

anyways, do you guys think my scores are good enough, or is the reading comprehension a serious red flag?

thanks...appreciate all input

best,
steven

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[adizzle87]

Your scores are not bad at all, right around the average for people who get accepted. I wouldn't really worry about the RC. What it boils down to is your GPA because your DAT isn't the problem.

 

[schen140]

thats reassuring...appreciate ur input

for the record my overall gpa is currently 3.49, bcp gpa is 3.35.

has anyone heard anything about gpa's from different schools being weighted differently? if i remember correctly, a dental school advisor once said that since uc berkeley is considered a level 7 college (out of 7 levels) in terms of academic competitiveness, the gpa's would be viewed a bit differently than equivalent gpa's from other schools

 

[doc toothache]

.

 

[doc toothache]

for the record my overall gpa is currently 3.49, bcp gpa is 3.35.
has anyone heard anything about gpa's from different schools being weighted differently? if i remember correctly, a dental school advisor once said that since uc berkeley is considered a level 7 college (out of 7 levels) in terms of academic competitiveness, the gpa's would be viewed a bit differently than equivalent gpa's from other schools

The scores might be weighed differently provided no one from UC Berkeley applying is/was ever able to receive anything above say 3.49 overall, bcp 3.35.

 

[jjw822]

hey guys, first post here for me, my name's steven and im a 4th year student from california. ive scanned the faq's and there wasnt any rule about asking about dat scores, so i wanted to get your guys' feedback on the scores i just got today...

18 qr
18 rc
20 gchem
20 bio
21 ochem
19 pat

19 aa
19 pat
20 ts

i definitely made a mistake in taking the test at night...by the time i got to reading comprehension i was so tired and just totally didnt perform up to par in that section as well as math. in reading i was actually in the 38th percentile, which surprised me since i thought 17 was average and thus 18 placed me above average

anyways, do you guys think my scores are good enough, or is the reading comprehension a serious red flag?

thanks...appreciate all input

best,
steven

i have very similar stat as you. aa 19 ts 20 pat 21 and 3.49 overall gpa and 3.3 sci gpa.

i applied early and so far only got two interviews and no acceptance yet. waitlisted on one of them.
both interviews were post dec.

i am not trying to discourage or anything but i am actually start study DAT again in few weeks and retake it before june.

its getting very competitive right now..

 

[Badgerfaithful]

Your DAT scores are not bad, your GPA is not too bad. At this point you don't have much setting you apart from the hundreds, or thousands, of other applicants that will be applying along with you.. but we don't know anything about the other parts of your application, which can be very important. Unfortunately schools don't really weigh your GPA based on the school you went to. So a 3.49 is a 3.49. My opinion is you have a pretty good chance to get into dental school, but you will have to apply to a wide range of schools. Retaking the DAT is not a bad idea, although your scores are already above average.

 

[The Anhedonia]

hey steven, check out predents.com. it's useful in figuring where your scores could possibly take you.

 

[adizzle87]

Your DAT scores are not bad, your GPA is not too bad. At this point you don't have much setting you apart from the hundreds, or thousands, of other applicants that will be applying along with you.. but we don't know anything about the other parts of your application, which can be very important. Unfortunately schools don't really weigh your GPA based on the school you went to. So a 3.49 is a 3.49. My opinion is you have a pretty good chance to get into dental school, but you will have to apply to a wide range of schools. Retaking the DAT is not a bad idea, although your scores are already above average.

I would have to strongly disagree with that. A 3.4 from CalState Chico is totally different from a 3.4 from Cal. The UCSF admissions director even said if they were to consider anyone with below a 3.0 it would be a student from Cal. Admissions officers from other schools have also said they take into consideration the competitiveness of an applicant's undergrad, the question is to what extent.

This doesn't apply to OP but the name of a competitive school won't benefit you if your GPA is too low. I would apply broadly anyways, thats something all applicants should do since admissions in getting pretty competitive.

 

[never giveup]

My scores and my GPA are very close to yours. If you look at my predents link you can see my scores. If you apply to the schools that you are most competitive for than I would say you have a very good shot at getting accepted. But remember, your personal statement and service hours and all of your ec's are very important. Good Luck!!

 

[schen140]

thanks for everyone's advise

so it seems your responses pretty much agree with where i thought i stood...solid but nothing spectacular, and competitive but not enough to be guaranteed anything

thanks to those of you who got into dental school already and posted your similar scores to me...thats definitely encouraging