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GPA and DAT score- How competitive are you?
A frequently asked question by SDNers is: my DAT scores are x, y and z, and my GPA is s and ns. What are my chances for admission? While other relevant criteria will have a definite influence on adcoms in determining admission or rejection, the DAT and GPA scores are the most readily available for consideration. The following information may be of interest to those awaiting a response and for the under 3.0 club. Let us examine this question and hopefully dispel some myths and misinterpretations.
DAT Scores
Some academic institutions place greater importance on the DAT scores than on the GPA scores. There is evidence (www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/dat_estimate_score.pdf) to support the fact that DAT (AA and TS) scores are a better predictor of first year performance than the predental GPA.The DAT scores also correlate well with the NBDE scores, while PA scores appear to correlate well with technique performance during dental school.
Relevance of review courses: Students who take review courses between their 1st and 2nd attempts have significantly average increase in their scores for all tests, except RC. Those who repeat the test without a course showed an improvement of 0.70 while those who took a course showed an increase of 1.11 standard score points. While the increase may not be statistically significant, there is, however, a practical significance (higher scores).
Distribution of DAT scores:
For simplicity only AA and PA scores will be considered. (DAT Testing Program User's Manual 2005)
......................AA....... Std. Dev.........PA.......Std. Dev....Count
1988............15.53..........2.24..........16.21........2.58........2,631
1994............16.61..........2.45..........15.96........2.79........9,323
1999............17.63..........2.52..........16.88........2.85........6,645
2004............17.31..........2.54..........16.35........2.44.......11,363
The Gender and Ethnicity statistics for 2004 were as follows:
.........................AA............Std. Dev......PA.........Std.Dev....Count.
Females.............16.92............2.51.........15.67.......2.34........4,610
Males................17.74............2.51.........17.04.......2.33........5,168
Am. Indian.........15.90............2.35.........15.27........2.22............59
Asian................18.04............2.62.........16.67........2.36........2,234
Black................14.99............2.30.........13.94........2.40...........622
Hispanic............16.04............2.38.........15.49........2.46...........613
White...............17.47............2.35.........16.62........2.30.........6,147
What DAT scores are competitive?
The table of distribution of scores for 2004 shows that only 2.7% of the candidates who took the DAT (AA) scored above 22 (23 -1.6%; 24-0.7%; 25-0.3%; and 26-0.1%. An additional 2.8% scored a 22. No one scored a 27, 28, 29 or 30. For 2005, there were 4,558 slots for the 10,731 candidates. The enrollees represent the top 43% of the applicant pool. Looking at the distribution scale, that would be roughly equivalent to an AA score of 17. As the DAT scores decrease, the ratio of applicants (originally at 2.35:1) to matriculants increases dramatically. With an AA score of 14 the ratio now becomes 5.6:1. The PA scores generally run lower. For 2004, 2% scored a 21, 0.9%a 22, 0.2% a 23, 0.1% a 24, and 0.1% a 25.There were no sores at 26 and above.
The national average should not be confused with the values for a specific school. Dental applicants typically apply to 7 school. (For medical applicants the number is 12 -www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/admissions/statistics.aspx). Boston U with the highest number of applicants had the following statistics (Official Guide to Dental Schools 2006-07):
.................Total......Male...female....Afr Am..Hisp..Nat Am...Asian...White
Applied........3,070....1,682.....1,384.....75......171......13.....1,184...1,627
Enrolled........115........60..........55.......4........7.........0........37......67
Ratio..........27:1......28:1.......25:1......19:1...24:1.....N/A....32:1....24:1
For Boston the DAT scores AA 19.12, PA 18; GPA 3.25 (s)-3.55 (o). These statistics may vary considerably from school to school. The institutions with the highest number of African Americans are Howard and Meharry; Hispanics: UTHSCSA, NOVA, Florida, UCSF, UOP; Asian: NYU, Columbia, Tufts, UCSF, USC, Temple, UCLA, UOP, Boston; Nat Americans: Oklahoma, AZ, ALA, USC, Howard, Michigan, Marquette.
DAT Specific Schools
For further refinement of the competitiveness of the DAT score it is important to review the statistics for a specific dental school. For matriculants the AA numbers clustered around 19 with 29 schools. There were 10 school with AA of 18 and 7 with 20. The PA results were clustered around 18 (29) and 17 (20). (For grouping purpose the numbers were rounded off to whole numbers).
GPA National/Specific
For 2005, the GPA scores were 3.41 (science) and 3.49 (overall). For 2005, GPA showed a narrow cluster for total GPA. There were 7 schools with a GPA of 3.6; 22 at 3.5; 11 at 3.4; and 6 at 3.3. The GPA for science showed a slightly broader cluster with values between 3.2 and 3.6. There were 6 schools at 3.6; 13 at 3.5; 12 at 3.4; and 6 at 3.2. )
Trends
...................................Applicants
........................GPA..............................DAT
.............. Sci.......... Total..........AA..........PA...........TS............Count
2000........3.08..........3.20..........17.8........17.1........17.5...........7,770
2001........3.07..........3.18..........18.0........17.6........17.8...........7,412
2002........3.07..........3.19..........18.0........17.7........17.8...........7,537
2003........3.07..........3.20..........17.8........17.3........17.6...........8,176
2004........3.13..........3.23..........17.8........16.7........17.4...........9,433
2005........3.12..........3.24..........17.7........16.7........17.4..........10,731
..................................Enrollees
2000.......3.25...........3.35..........18.5........17.7........18.3...........4,327
2001.......3.32...........3.41..........18.8........18.1........18.5...........4,407
2002.......3.32...........3.42..........18.8........18.1........18.5...........4,448
2003.......3.32...........3.42..........18.5........17.5........18.3...........4,528
2004.......3.35...........3.44..........18.7........17.3........18.5...........4,457
2005.......3.41...........3.49..........18.9........17.4........18.4...........4,558
The above data (R.G. Weaver, et.al, J Dent Ed 69-9, 1064. For additional links: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd+Retrieve&db...; shows a slight increase in the GPA scores and relatively unchanged DAT scores. As the number of applicants increases there will be increase in the "competitiveness". As mentioned earlier a 10-15 % is anticipated for the 2006 applicants. It should be noted that in order to have the national mean DAT (AA) of 20, the number of dental school applicants would have to increase to ~25K (2.5 times the current number).
The Under 3.0 Club
In general, school with high mean DAT scores also have high mean GPA scores. Some institutions are more concerned with the DAT scores than with GPA's. For example: UOP has a mean DAT (AA) of 20.8 with a mean GPA (total) of 3.32, Columbia 21.8-3.5; Temple 19.1-3.32; NY 19-3.14. Others, are less concerned with high DAT scores but command a high GPA. Nebraska 18.7-3.8; Miss. 17.4-3.58; W. Va 17-3.52.
For 2005, the calculated statistics were as follows: Mean AA 19.05 (s.d. 1.16); PA 17.3 (0.77), Sci GPA 3.42 (0.17), Total GPA 3.5 (0.14).
For total GPA- a 3.08 GPA is at -3 standard deviations from the mean and thus represents the bottom 0.27% of enrollees. For science GPA a 3.08 GPA is -2 sd from the mean and represents the bottom 4.55% of the enrollees. We should recognize that there are 9 school with a mean GPA (total) at 3.4 and below; and 25 with mean GPA(sci) of 3.4 and below. Statistically, at -1sd from the mean, the subgroup will be at the bottom 15.8 % of the population.
Assuming statistics for individual school will follow the national pattern, to be competitive, the DAT scores should be no lower than 1 point below the mean while the GPA scores should be no lower than 0.1. The best chance for admission is probably at a State Institution where the candidate is a resident.
A frequently asked question by SDNers is: my DAT scores are x, y and z, and my GPA is s and ns. What are my chances for admission? While other relevant criteria will have a definite influence on adcoms in determining admission or rejection, the DAT and GPA scores are the most readily available for consideration. The following information may be of interest to those awaiting a response and for the under 3.0 club. Let us examine this question and hopefully dispel some myths and misinterpretations.
DAT Scores
Some academic institutions place greater importance on the DAT scores than on the GPA scores. There is evidence (www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/dat_estimate_score.pdf) to support the fact that DAT (AA and TS) scores are a better predictor of first year performance than the predental GPA.The DAT scores also correlate well with the NBDE scores, while PA scores appear to correlate well with technique performance during dental school.
Relevance of review courses: Students who take review courses between their 1st and 2nd attempts have significantly average increase in their scores for all tests, except RC. Those who repeat the test without a course showed an improvement of 0.70 while those who took a course showed an increase of 1.11 standard score points. While the increase may not be statistically significant, there is, however, a practical significance (higher scores).
Distribution of DAT scores:
For simplicity only AA and PA scores will be considered. (DAT Testing Program User's Manual 2005)
......................AA....... Std. Dev.........PA.......Std. Dev....Count
1988............15.53..........2.24..........16.21........2.58........2,631
1994............16.61..........2.45..........15.96........2.79........9,323
1999............17.63..........2.52..........16.88........2.85........6,645
2004............17.31..........2.54..........16.35........2.44.......11,363
The Gender and Ethnicity statistics for 2004 were as follows:
.........................AA............Std. Dev......PA.........Std.Dev....Count.
Females.............16.92............2.51.........15.67.......2.34........4,610
Males................17.74............2.51.........17.04.......2.33........5,168
Am. Indian.........15.90............2.35.........15.27........2.22............59
Asian................18.04............2.62.........16.67........2.36........2,234
Black................14.99............2.30.........13.94........2.40...........622
Hispanic............16.04............2.38.........15.49........2.46...........613
White...............17.47............2.35.........16.62........2.30.........6,147
What DAT scores are competitive?
The table of distribution of scores for 2004 shows that only 2.7% of the candidates who took the DAT (AA) scored above 22 (23 -1.6%; 24-0.7%; 25-0.3%; and 26-0.1%. An additional 2.8% scored a 22. No one scored a 27, 28, 29 or 30. For 2005, there were 4,558 slots for the 10,731 candidates. The enrollees represent the top 43% of the applicant pool. Looking at the distribution scale, that would be roughly equivalent to an AA score of 17. As the DAT scores decrease, the ratio of applicants (originally at 2.35:1) to matriculants increases dramatically. With an AA score of 14 the ratio now becomes 5.6:1. The PA scores generally run lower. For 2004, 2% scored a 21, 0.9%a 22, 0.2% a 23, 0.1% a 24, and 0.1% a 25.There were no sores at 26 and above.
The national average should not be confused with the values for a specific school. Dental applicants typically apply to 7 school. (For medical applicants the number is 12 -www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/admissions/statistics.aspx). Boston U with the highest number of applicants had the following statistics (Official Guide to Dental Schools 2006-07):
.................Total......Male...female....Afr Am..Hisp..Nat Am...Asian...White
Applied........3,070....1,682.....1,384.....75......171......13.....1,184...1,627
Enrolled........115........60..........55.......4........7.........0........37......67
Ratio..........27:1......28:1.......25:1......19:1...24:1.....N/A....32:1....24:1
For Boston the DAT scores AA 19.12, PA 18; GPA 3.25 (s)-3.55 (o). These statistics may vary considerably from school to school. The institutions with the highest number of African Americans are Howard and Meharry; Hispanics: UTHSCSA, NOVA, Florida, UCSF, UOP; Asian: NYU, Columbia, Tufts, UCSF, USC, Temple, UCLA, UOP, Boston; Nat Americans: Oklahoma, AZ, ALA, USC, Howard, Michigan, Marquette.
DAT Specific Schools
For further refinement of the competitiveness of the DAT score it is important to review the statistics for a specific dental school. For matriculants the AA numbers clustered around 19 with 29 schools. There were 10 school with AA of 18 and 7 with 20. The PA results were clustered around 18 (29) and 17 (20). (For grouping purpose the numbers were rounded off to whole numbers).
GPA National/Specific
For 2005, the GPA scores were 3.41 (science) and 3.49 (overall). For 2005, GPA showed a narrow cluster for total GPA. There were 7 schools with a GPA of 3.6; 22 at 3.5; 11 at 3.4; and 6 at 3.3. The GPA for science showed a slightly broader cluster with values between 3.2 and 3.6. There were 6 schools at 3.6; 13 at 3.5; 12 at 3.4; and 6 at 3.2. )
Trends
...................................Applicants
........................GPA..............................DAT
.............. Sci.......... Total..........AA..........PA...........TS............Count
2000........3.08..........3.20..........17.8........17.1........17.5...........7,770
2001........3.07..........3.18..........18.0........17.6........17.8...........7,412
2002........3.07..........3.19..........18.0........17.7........17.8...........7,537
2003........3.07..........3.20..........17.8........17.3........17.6...........8,176
2004........3.13..........3.23..........17.8........16.7........17.4...........9,433
2005........3.12..........3.24..........17.7........16.7........17.4..........10,731
..................................Enrollees
2000.......3.25...........3.35..........18.5........17.7........18.3...........4,327
2001.......3.32...........3.41..........18.8........18.1........18.5...........4,407
2002.......3.32...........3.42..........18.8........18.1........18.5...........4,448
2003.......3.32...........3.42..........18.5........17.5........18.3...........4,528
2004.......3.35...........3.44..........18.7........17.3........18.5...........4,457
2005.......3.41...........3.49..........18.9........17.4........18.4...........4,558
The above data (R.G. Weaver, et.al, J Dent Ed 69-9, 1064. For additional links: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd+Retrieve&db...; shows a slight increase in the GPA scores and relatively unchanged DAT scores. As the number of applicants increases there will be increase in the "competitiveness". As mentioned earlier a 10-15 % is anticipated for the 2006 applicants. It should be noted that in order to have the national mean DAT (AA) of 20, the number of dental school applicants would have to increase to ~25K (2.5 times the current number).
The Under 3.0 Club
In general, school with high mean DAT scores also have high mean GPA scores. Some institutions are more concerned with the DAT scores than with GPA's. For example: UOP has a mean DAT (AA) of 20.8 with a mean GPA (total) of 3.32, Columbia 21.8-3.5; Temple 19.1-3.32; NY 19-3.14. Others, are less concerned with high DAT scores but command a high GPA. Nebraska 18.7-3.8; Miss. 17.4-3.58; W. Va 17-3.52.
For 2005, the calculated statistics were as follows: Mean AA 19.05 (s.d. 1.16); PA 17.3 (0.77), Sci GPA 3.42 (0.17), Total GPA 3.5 (0.14).
For total GPA- a 3.08 GPA is at -3 standard deviations from the mean and thus represents the bottom 0.27% of enrollees. For science GPA a 3.08 GPA is -2 sd from the mean and represents the bottom 4.55% of the enrollees. We should recognize that there are 9 school with a mean GPA (total) at 3.4 and below; and 25 with mean GPA(sci) of 3.4 and below. Statistically, at -1sd from the mean, the subgroup will be at the bottom 15.8 % of the population.
Assuming statistics for individual school will follow the national pattern, to be competitive, the DAT scores should be no lower than 1 point below the mean while the GPA scores should be no lower than 0.1. The best chance for admission is probably at a State Institution where the candidate is a resident.
