im a noob to admission tests

[mathcod]

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Hi, I'm a pre-optometry student (hoping to hear back from UC Berkeley sometime soon!!!!). Anyways, I was wondering if someone could inform me what scores are considered good or bad for the various admission tests, just because I want to be able to communicate with my pre-health friends and understand what they're talking about. Yes, I could ask them, but this discussion forum seems appropriate as well?

What is the range of scores for the MCAT, DAT, OAT, and PCAT?
What is considered average (50th percentile) for each test?
What is considered competitive for most schools?
What is considered bad?

I know I could try looking these questions up but just incase others want to know, I'd thought i'd ask.

For the OAT, the scores range from 200 to 400, and 300 is the 50th percentile. 330+ is considered competitive. If you have a B-/B GPA, you would want to shoot for 350+. I'm not quite sure what is considered bad, but I'd guess 310-. If you get less than a 300 in any section, it becomes a huge red flag in your application.


So what's it like for the DATS? and if anybody knows about the other tests, tha information is welcomed.

 

[iwannabadentist]

DAT scores range from 1-30. 17 is the national average. Three scores are usually given: AA (academic average) TS (total science) and PAT (perceptual ability test). 20+ across the board is considered pretty good. Every school has its own minimum on each section, usually its 15 or 16. With a GPA of about 3.5, a score of 20 on AA TS and PAT will pretty much guarantee interviews. If you want to be really competitive, for examples some state schools (for residents of that state usually) that only have a small number of seats, usually a higher GPA (~3.7) or DAT scores of 21-22 across the board will be considered competitive.

 

[mathcod]

Now that you mention it, is there any reason why state schools are usually more competitive than private schools? Is it because of the limited seats or reduced tuition, or are they more prestigious or offer a better education?

I think the same is true for optometry schools, and probably pharm schools too. However, I should note that there are only 17 optometry schools currently (soon to be 20) as opposed to the many dental and pharm schools. /shrug

 

[khakwanit1]

I think it is mainly the cost.