In need of unbiased advice and wisdom

[scottkam104]

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After studying intensely (50 hour weeks) for the last two months using kaplan, I scored
AA 19
TS 19
PA 18
Bio 19
Gchem 21
Ochem 17
QR 21
RC 18

With a 3.5 GPA is it necessary for me to retake the exam in order to interview at your average dental school?

Also, it may be worth noting that i scored around 18 on gc, qr, and rc. 19 on bio. 20-21 on pat and ohem using Kaplan practice tests. So on the actual exam, I scored well on my weaker practice sections and bad on my great practice sections

Thanks in advance.

 

[aqz]

Depending on when you're applying, yes and no.

If you're applying this cycle, no. Better to try to showcase your PS or something else and just call up the schools you're applying to see if they have any cutoffs (specifically for your OC score).

If you're not applying this cycle, I'd recommend a retake, perhaps this winter break if you have a long one? But this time around, do not rely on Kaplan. Assuming you only used Kaplan, I'm fully convinced after reading your breakdown and many other breakdowns that only used Kaplan, especially for PAT, that Kaplan is not good enough and does not yield 20+ scores.

Good luck to whichever path you decide to pursue.

 

[Toofly01]

Unless you feel you can score better in most/all subjects, I wouldn't retake. Your scores meet the cutoff for most schools and your 3.5 is pretty good. Assuming you have decent LORs, ECs and PS, I would just leave the DAT score as it is. You can also call individuals schools and give them a quick rundown of your stats to see what they think. Good luck 🙂

 

[scottkam104]

In response to aqz, I will be graduating in a year- year and a half so I am not in a rush to apply and think that if I were to retake the exam that winter break would be the perfect time. Thank you and I will definitely be using another method to study for the PAT and possibly ochem and bio since I knew every concept in the kaplan book and was still lost.

And to Toofly01, if i were to be realistic about retaking the exam, I am confident that I will do better on ochem and PAT, worse on gen chem (93%) and QR (98%), and probably around the same on Bio and RC.
I have plenty of ECs (jobs, leadership positions in my fraternity, shadowing), am working on getting great LORs (from teachers, bosses, and dentists), and have plenty of time to create the perfect PS.

After seeing the randomness of the bio section and receiving fairly easy qr and gchem questions, I'm still unsure if retaking the exam to raise my PAT and get rid of the pesky 17 in ochem is worth risking a lower score in TS and AA.

 

[aqz]

I wasn't sure if all you used was Kaplan to study for this test, but if you say all you used was kaplan...I can guarantee you that you will score higher the 2nd time on everything if you buy more study materials. I mean kaplan is one company...you can't rely on one company to be the best study material maker for all 6 sections right? (I sure wish that was the case, but it's too good to be true).

Your ECs sound great, and your GPA is right on average. But you don't want to just have "a shot" at your average dental school right? You want to be confident that you can get into them. You want to go to your interview thinking "this is just a formality, I know I'm already in."

Therefore, if you do take your DAT again and score well, you would have something that stands out in comparison to other applicants and boost your chances that much more. So why not?

 

[Toofly01]

Okay, sounds like you are gearing for a re-take. Like aqz said, don't just rely on Kaplan; a quick search on SDN will lead you to the most referenced sources for success on the DAT. Best of luck. 🙂