importance of the PAT section

[r0entgen]

Hey guys,

I wanted to get everyone's opinion on how important the PAT section is for the admissions committee. I just took my DAT today, and got an academic average of a 22. But my PAT really blew....i only got a 15 on that...

Is it important enough to retake it?

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[briansle]

Wow good job on your AA. But I would retake it. Let the adcoms know that you're going to retake too. As competitive as this cycle is, no reason to be lazy and take chances. I'm sure the second time around your AA will stay high and your PAT should improve greatly.

I got a 19 on the PAT and was advised to retake to make sure its over 20.

 

[Mustt Mustt]

Wow good job on your AA. But I would retake it. Let the adcoms know that you're going to retake too. As competitive as this cycle is, no reason to be lazy and take chances. I'm sure the second time around your AA will stay high and your PAT should improve greatly.

I got a 19 on the PAT and was advised to retake to make sure its over 20.

I think you over done it because 19PAT is an exceptional score. Most people have their PAt lower than the AA and TS.
To the OP, I think that's the judgement you have to make. people have gotten in with 15PAT but this year could be different. I am in the same situation and I will most likely take it gain because I would hate to wait another year if I don't get in. I hate to risk my 25 GC and 23 OC but I think I have to get atlest 18 in PAT because of my GPA.

 

[crazy_sherm]

Hey guys,

I wanted to get everyone's opinion on how important the PAT section is for the admissions committee. I just took my DAT today, and got an academic average of a 22. But my PAT really blew....i only got a 15 on that...

Is it important enough to retake it?

I would call the schools you're applying to and see what they think. Some schools could care less about the PAT while others weigh it heavily. The 22 AA is a very solid score, good job!

 

[r0entgen]

hate to risk my 25 GC and 23 OC but I think I have to get atlest 18 in PAT because of my GPA.

My gpa is a 3.9. Does that make a difference with whether or not you feel I should retake it?

I would call the schools you're applying to and see what they think. Some schools could care less about the PAT while others weigh it heavily. The 22 AA is a very solid score, good job!

Thanks! Who should I ask to speak to when I call? If I call admissions, would they be willing to even release that kind of information as to whether or not they think I should retake it?

 

[ianwright]

My gpa is a 3.9. Does that make a difference with whether or not you feel I should retake it?



Thanks! Who should I ask to speak to when I call? If I call admissions, would they be willing to even release that kind of information as to whether or not they think I should retake it?

Your GPA is 3.9 - what did you major in?

 

[docshep]

My gpa is a 3.9. Does that make a difference with whether or not you feel I should retake it?


where do you want to go? if the average AA at the schools you want to go to is 20 or higher, i'd think about retaking it. depends on the rest of your application package, though. do you have leadership, extracurricular activities, service, research, etc to make up for the low PAT? are you in any way involved in the arts or have a hobby that requires manual dexterity? if you have those things to offer, then you're probably fine with the 15 - especially if the AA average is below a 20 at your school of choice.

the 22 and 3.9 would get you into some good schools (or get you interviews at least) - but a lot of schools have cutoffs - if you're below a certain score, they don't even look at your app. i don't know how many have specific PAT cutoffs, but i'd check it out if you're considering some of the more competitive schools.

 

[crazy_sherm]

Thanks! Who should I ask to speak to when I call? If I call admissions, would they be willing to even release that kind of information as to whether or not they think I should retake it?

Your best bet would be someone along the lines of a admissions advisor. It'll depend on the school how receptive they are to questions. The more helpful schools will tell you pretty honestly if you are a competitive applicant. Some, however, might just refer you to their average scores. So if their average is like around a 17 or 18, you might squeek by. But if it's a 21, then you'll have trouble. You can also check on the school's website if they have a minimum score cutoff. UOP for example won't consider anything less than 16.

Your GPA is high and so is your AA, so it would not be a question of whether academics is a problem. 15 on PAT is not a horrible score, but it is below average. If you can somehow show the dental school that 15 is not truly reflective of your visual perception and hand skills, then it might not be so bad. How are your extracurriculars? what sort of stuff do you do with your hands? have you studied areas like design or architecture? There are a lot of people on this forum that got in with not so high PAT scores. They were able to make it up in other areas.

 

[JavadiCavity]

I'd take Sherm's advice and call the schools. If it were me, I'd retake the friggin test, because I wouldn't have been able to get into the schools that I was most interested in.

 

[r0entgen]

thanks to everyone's replies.

basically, i feel that my application is pretty well-rounded....i have leadership roles, research experience, shadowing experience, etc.

as for the manual dexterity, what activities constitutes these? i'm planning to learn guitar this summer...i don't know if that is considered a manual dexterous activity though...

it almost seems like it's not really worth it to retake the dat just for the pat section, since the rest of my application is somewhat decent. if i could engage in activities that could make up for the poor PAT score, this seems to be the more reasonable route, right?

i will be applying to baylor, ut san antonio (i am a texan resident), columbia, upenn, univ of maryland, and nyu.

does anyone know if any of these particular schools emphasize high scores on the PAT section? how about any of these schools that don't care about the PAT section?

i talked to a student who attends at baylor, and he said that he talked to the dean of admissions there, and he claims that baylor doesn't care much about the PAT section...has anyone else heard anything like this?

 

[Irene010]

I also agree that you might as well retake since, considering your AA and gpa, I doubt your overall score will suffer the second time around.

But just from a different perspective, I had a 3.7 gpa, 18 AA, 19 TS, and 16 PAT, and I got into 5 schools. Of course, I didn't apply to any Ivy League or California schools that really weigh admissions heavily on DAT scores. Also, I didn't have as many extracurriculars, etc, as you, so you have tons going for you, I'm sure. Honestly, I'd be willing to bet that you'd get in somewhere, but why chance it....bump that PAT score a few points and you'd likely get into your top choice.

Oh, and also, I called several schools to ask for opionons after I took my DAT...I usually spoke to the Admissions Coordinators or Dean of Admissons, and they were more than happy to give me their honest advice.

 

[r0entgen]

I also agree that you might as well retake since, considering your AA and gpa, I doubt your overall score will suffer the second time around.

But just from a different perspective, I had a 3.7 gpa, 18 AA, 19 TS, and 16 PAT, and I got into 5 schools. Of course, I didn't apply to any Ivy League or California schools that really weigh admissions heavily on DAT scores. Also, I didn't have as many extracurriculars, etc, as you, so you have tons going for you, I'm sure. Honestly, I'd be willing to bet that you'd get in somewhere, but why chance it....bump that PAT score a few points and you'd likely get into your top choice.

thanks for your reply irene. just curious, which schools offered you acceptance? and what year did you apply?

 

[Spelmangyrl]

I am in the same situation as you. My AA was a 20 and all of the rest of my scores were well above 20 but my PAT was 14. Several schools I have talked to (UT Memphis, Temple, UMDNJ, and SIU) have said that score doesn't really matter to them. Also, like you, the rest of my application is really good (3.8 GPA extracurricular activities, etc.) Ceramics is one of my hobbies which demonstrates my manual dexterity. I was also stressing over taking it again, but the lady at Temple told me if a school wanted me to retake it I should consider whether I really wanted to go there or not since the rest of my scores were well above avg. I have decided not to take it over. If you want to talk to me further email me at [email protected] b/c i do not check SDN very often. Hope this helps.

 

[Dr.Bear]

It really depends on the school.. my PAT was much lower than I wanted but I still got in.. some schools place a big emphasis on it, while others don't.. so I would call the schools and find out...

 

[r0entgen]

It really depends on the school.. my PAT was much lower than I wanted but I still got in.. some schools place a big emphasis on it, while others don't.. so I would call the schools and find out...

dr. bear, from your experience, which schools don't place a big emphasis on the pat?