Is it too late to take a DAT?

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grldent

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I am planning to take DAT end of July, would it be too late?

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I am planning to take DAT end of July, would it be too late?

You probably know this already, the earlier the better, as schools won't consider your application until the DAT scores are in.

Still, it is very important to feel ready to take DAT than rush it. For most ppl, 3 months of continuous study (devote good amount of time throughout) will nail DAT.
 
I do think it's too late to retake the DAT if you have not been interviewed by a school. By that I mean, in my case, I was given the opportunity to retake my exam by the school that interviewed me and they stated that my scores had to be submitted by April 1st. so with that said, you'll have better luck taking your time and studying properly / adequately and applying next cycle. Good luck
 
July isn't too late at all, you're still on the early side - Just remember to get your App done and sent out before you take the test in that case. And don't do what I did and take the DAT's for the first time in the middle of November the year I applied, that's a tad on the late side.
 
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From what I have seen around this forum.... The people who apply and get everything lined up by June have the strongest chance for interviews. Late July in my opinion is a bit late.

This is a bit offtopic, can someone tell me how many students appied to Dental schools for 2010 cycle?
 
From what I have seen around this forum.... The people who apply and get everything lined up by June have the strongest chance for interviews. Late July in my opinion is a bit late.

This is a bit offtopic, can someone tell me how many students appied to Dental schools for 2010 cycle?

As long as you've already got your application in as early as possible, most dental schools don't even start looking at applications until August, so it wouldn't really matter much if you took the DAT in July, since you'd save your place in line with your application being in. The end of July is usually thought of as the end of the period considered "early" for submitting the application.

Anyways, for your other point, in 2008, 12,000 people applied for 4,600 seats, and I believe that number has gone up about 10-15% since then. So, we're talking maybe 1/3-1/4 of people get in. And, there's a few hundred more seats than there were that year, so that will likely keep the stats about the same.
 
I would say go ahead and apply and start studying again for the DAT. Several people I know had interviews scheduled before they even took the DAT. As long as you don't have a low GPA or poor recommendations, you should get an interview(for your state school, at least). Then you can explain in your interview(if you have not already done your re-take) that you were not happy with your scores and felt that they did not reflect your knowledge of the material and that you plan to retake it on____. By the way, my friends that applied before they took the DAT are all in dental school now. So it's possible! Good luck!
 
Anyways, for your other point, in 2008, 12,000 people applied for 4,600 seats, and I believe that number has gone up about 10-15% since then. So, we're talking maybe 1/3-1/4 of people get in. And, there's a few hundred more seats than there were that year, so that will likely keep the stats about the same.

12,000 people 2008.... This year maybe around 14,000. I imagine every school opens up new seats each year. I mean based on projected data, there should be some huge decline in dentists within the next 3-5 years (old dentists retiring and such)
 
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