Just curious, it seems that on Predents a lot of the schools' average DAT scores are 19 or 20. I've been told though that 18 or even possibly 17 is competative. If a person has a 18 AA and 18 TS, is this still competative?
I've been told though that 18 or even possibly 17 is competative.
with an AVERAGE matriculate sitting aroung 17-19....yea, i would say 18 isnt too bad. although i would hope you would have other things going for you other than your DAT score
not sure where that number came from...(not that i really care)...but besides that, the OP still has a fighting chance.average matriculant is 19, not 17-19... 19 is the average for people that get in. the average applicant is 17, which is the people that don't get in...
That said, it's rather "hit or miss" whether or not someone with at 18 will have enough accompanying ECs and a high enough GPA to offset that score. The vast majority of people who score and 18 don't have these... so it's almost like getting cut twice.I think some people who are replying are confusing between competitive and possible in terms of dental school acceptance.
18 can definitely get you into dental school as long as you are a solid applicant but the score itself is subpar from average accepted and is not considered competitive
I don't think 18 is a competitive DAT score. According to wikipedia, the average AA score of applicants is (or used to be) 18. But that information is probably somewhat old, since the standards seem to be climbing higher every year. I remember going to an interview at Buffalo earlier this year, and a faculty member mentioned during our lunch that average AA this year went up to 21.
NOTE: I am not entirely sure if he meant that 21 (AA of 21 this year puts you on the 91th percentile, at least during my exam cycle) is the average for. He could have meant that 21 is the average for either all applicants, all test takers, or all accepted applicants.
But, if you just look at predent.com, you'll see that there are lots of people when get into dental schools with 18 AA; which goes to show that DAT isn't everything. If you end up getting an 18 AA on your DAT and feel worried, I'd recommend looking at the extra curriculars that the accepted 18ers have on their predent profile
Hope this helps!
I'm a 1st year. I had 18AA/19TS and a 3.72gpa when i applied and I went to a well known state school for undergrad. I applied in August and the application was sent to schools about sept. 10th, but I still got 6 interviews..only went to 3 and got 2 acceptances. The school interview where I didn't get accepted was Stony Brook, which has like a 21 DAT so that figures, and the interviewer basically told me I wasn't getting in with that score. At one of the other schools where I was accepted, they pointed out that with a good gpa at the school I went to they would expect to see a higher DAT score. I said I thought it was good at frist but then when a lot of people said it wasn't too high I had already scheduled interviews so I figured not to retake. The other school didn't even mention it. My classes average DAT is about 19.5 and I've heard of people with 17's and I think even a 16, so whatever that tells you.
Of course a higher score is only better, but If you dont retake, just try to get some good ECs and dental experience, that probably helped me. Also, you probably know yourself better than anyone else does, so at any interviews, just make sure you know why you want to be in dental school and be able to sell yourself on your strong points.
Just editing to add something. Some people on here will tell you you can't get in with at DAT below 20. Thats definitely not true, but consider how much time you studied for the test and how much time you have to retake it and if you think you can do better I would try. That extra time and effort during this application process would be a lot better than worrying and retaking during a second cycle.
(I am a Canadian)
Overall GPA = 3.1
Canadian DAT
Carving: 27
Pat: 21
AA: 18
Bio: 18
Chem: 17
Reading Comp: 20
And I got accepted to UBC dentistry.
But my lor and personal essay kicked ass.
Dogg, really? Competative?? Jesus. Wow. 😱Just curious, it seems that on Predents a lot of the schools' average DAT scores are 19 or 20. I've been told though that 18 or even possibly 17 is competative. If a person has a 18 AA and 18 TS, is this still competative?
Just wanted to shout out that it took 3 posts to get the spelling of competitive right 🙂
Just curious, it seems that on Predents a lot of the schools' average DAT scores are 19 or 20. I've been told though that 18 or even possibly 17 is competative. If a person has a 18 AA and 18 TS, is this still competative?
With your GPA, I think you've got a very solid shot at a lot of schools if you get 18s across the board on the DAT and have a strong set of ECs and some dental experience.
Finally, someone who is honest and upfront about their stats!In my opinion, an 18AA is barely squeaking by (again depending on the rest of your app). I am VERY thankful and fortunate to have a single acceptance with my stats:
18AA
18TS
19 PAT
3.19 Cumulative GPA
3.01 sGPA
However this doesn't include my upward GPA trend, my LORs, essay, extracurricular activities and experiences (which were good from what I was told).
Take this for what it's worth but DO NOT settle for an 18 and think it's safe 😀
Finally, someone who is honest and upfront about their stats!