Honest opinion about DAT

[JRooney]

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Hello SDNers,

I recently took the DAT and here are my scores:

PAT = 16
QR = 15
RC = 21
Bio = 16
GC = 18
OC = 24

TS = 19 AA = 19

I have been debating as to whether I should retake the test because of my PAT and Bio scores. I have just started my spring semester and have an 18 credit load. If possible I would like to avoid having to pay for the DAT again and cutting my class study time.

I am a hispanic Arizona resident with research internship, 140 dental shadowing hours, 500 volunteer hours, 2 years of student government. Do you guys believe that I have a decent shot of getting into most WICHE schools? Is a retake crucial?

Thank you so much!

 

[TOMS90]

Hello SDNers,

I recently took the DAT and here are my scores:

PAT = 16
QR = 15
RC = 21
Bio = 16
GC = 18
OC = 24

TS = 19 AA = 19

I have been debating as to whether I should retake the test because of my PAT and Bio scores. I have just started my spring semester and have an 18 credit load. If possible I would like to avoid having to pay for the DAT again and cutting my class study time.

I am a hispanic Arizona resident with research internship, 140 dental shadowing hours, 500 volunteer hours, 2 years of student government. Do you guys believe that I have a decent shot of getting into most WICHE schools? Is a retake crucial?

Thank you so much!

If your GPA is 3.3 or better then you have a good chance. Being a URM will help. Just don't apply to schools that have cutoffs.

 

[nondescriptive]

Hello SDNers,

I recently took the DAT and here are my scores:

PAT = 16
QR = 15
RC = 21
Bio = 16
GC = 18
OC = 24

TS = 19 AA = 19

I have been debating as to whether I should retake the test because of my PAT and Bio scores. I have just started my spring semester and have an 18 credit load. If possible I would like to avoid having to pay for the DAT again and cutting my class study time.

I am a hispanic Arizona resident with research internship, 140 dental shadowing hours, 500 volunteer hours, 2 years of student government. Do you guys believe that I have a decent shot of getting into most WICHE schools? Is a retake crucial?

Thank you so much!

I would retake the DAT. You have too many sections under 17. Although you did good in OC, dental schools believe this is the least important section of the Natural Sciences. I think if you raised all your sections up that are under average, you could get a 21+, which would help you get into a cheaper dental school.

If I were you I would see this as a very optimistic chance of doing really well on a retake. Read other people's breakdown to see how you can improve your score.

 

[JRooney]

I have a 3.76 overall, 3.6 science. Thank you for the heads up!

 

[noj mov]

I would recommend retaking the DAT. Your scores are kind of all over the place and schools would rather someone who is more well rounded. Plus your BIO and PAT scores, which are the more important scores, are among your lowest. You GPA shows that you are a strong student so you can most definitely score better than that if you retake it. Just gotta put in the effort and get the right studying aids. Awesome OC score btw!

 

[Bobby Fischer]

My recommendation is you ought to figure out a way to block out 2-3 months to hunker down and immerse yourself in only DAT materials. You'll likely get 20+ in every section. I feel comfortable predicting this because of your 24 in OC and 21 in RC (RC is actually one of the more important sections). With a couple of scores like these its obvious you have the potential to be a good test taker. Most who get sub par scores across the board just aren't good at test taking and never will be. It sounds like in your case you need to hammer out several weeks, hunker down, and then go in and get 'er done good and proper.

Hispanic will also help out immensely. Wish I were a black female myself. Go to Harvard for free😛

 

[NhuPT]

Definitely retake, you have 3 low numbers, especially bio

 

[flatcamelbak]

I would do the retake as well...you are obviously a bright person to have RC and OC scores like that....just bump the other sections up a little bit and watch the doors open!

 

[JRooney]

Thank you for the advice everyone. I was leaning toward a retake but wanted to see if I could get away without it 😛

I took my last DAT in december with 18 credits. A lot of the information is still fresh in my mind and I'll be studying hard for my retake!

 

[dentalWorks]

Hello SDNers,

I recently took the DAT and here are my scores:

PAT = 16
QR = 15
RC = 21
Bio = 16
GC = 18
OC = 24

TS = 19 AA = 19

I have been debating as to whether I should retake the test because of my PAT and Bio scores. I have just started my spring semester and have an 18 credit load. If possible I would like to avoid having to pay for the DAT again and cutting my class study time.

I am a hispanic Arizona resident with research internship, 140 dental shadowing hours, 500 volunteer hours, 2 years of student government. Do you guys believe that I have a decent shot of getting into most WICHE schools? Is a retake crucial?

Thank you so much!

I would retake... hispanic / white / black / URM / etc etc doesn't matter. You have too many numbers below 17

 

[asdfray]

I would definitely suggest a retake. Too many scores close to or below cutoff. You can take it again in three months and still be considered early for the next cycle and trust me, you'll thank yourself for retaking before going into the cycle which will cost a hell of a lot more money.

Hello SDNers,

I recently took the DAT and here are my scores:

PAT = 16
QR = 15
RC = 21
Bio = 16
GC = 18
OC = 24

TS = 19 AA = 19

I have been debating as to whether I should retake the test because of my PAT and Bio scores. I have just started my spring semester and have an 18 credit load. If possible I would like to avoid having to pay for the DAT again and cutting my class study time.

I am a hispanic Arizona resident with research internship, 140 dental shadowing hours, 500 volunteer hours, 2 years of student government. Do you guys believe that I have a decent shot of getting into most WICHE schools? Is a retake crucial?

Thank you so much!

 

[user101]

Definitely need to try again..and raise that bio score. I believe bio and RC are the most important scores

I dont mean to say the PAT isn't important but a bad score will not make you ineligible for acceptance, so with your busy 18 cred load, maybe focus on the other sections and 'ignore' that one?

for example, i had a 3.73 gpa.. pat 15, bio 22, RC 20..i tried to prepare myself for PAT but I just couldnt get it 🙁

i applied to 6, got 5 interviews (only attended 4 and accepted at 3 schools)

good luck!