Looks like a retake is in my future, crap!

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chill45

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Well I took my DAT today and looks like I might have to retake. Scores are as follows:

PAT - 20
Quantitative Reasoning - 21
Reading Comprehension - 23
Biology - 16
General Chemistry - 21
Organic Chemistry - 19
Total Science - 19
Academic Average - 20

Obviously my Biology score is a huge disappointment as I did fairly well on the rest of the test. My science GPA is 3.42 and overall is 3.47. I only plan on applying to schools within my GPA range (according to the newest ADEA book just released). I also have 200+ shadowing hours and plenty of community volunteering.

Some of the schools I intend to apply to are:
Tennessee
Louisville
Midwest
Mercy
Michigan
Loma L
Maryland
Kentucky
Tufts
USC
NYU
Arizona

Given that I did fairly well on the DAT minus one section, and that my GPA and AA/TS are all equal to or above the listed schools, will that 16 in Bio still hurt me THAT bad??

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Hmmmm. You might get mixed reviews on this one. 16 is definitely tough. Still apply obviously. A 20 AA is great. I'd probably retake, but retaking this year won't happen until August, and the score audit won't be released until sometime in September. I suppose in theory that could still be okay, and that the schools would look at the better scores. I've heard of people applying in November and getting interviews.
 
Yea this was one of my worst nightmares, that I'd do good on everything except one section. I guess I am going to email the schools and am interested in and see what their advice is.
 
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Well I took my DAT today and looks like I might have to retake. Scores are as follows:

PAT - 20
Quantitative Reasoning - 21
Reading Comprehension - 23
Biology - 16
General Chemistry - 21
Organic Chemistry - 19
Total Science - 19
Academic Average - 20

I would still apply with those scores. You only have 1 section below average and your AA is good. Definitely apply!
Obviously my Biology score is a huge disappointment as I did fairly well on the rest of the test. My science GPA is 3.42 and overall is 3.47. I only plan on applying to schools within my GPA range (according to the newest ADEA book just released). I also have 200+ shadowing hours and plenty of community volunteering.

Some of the schools I intend to apply to are:
Tennessee
Louisville
Midwest
Mercy
Michigan
Loma L
Maryland
Kentucky
Tufts
USC
NYU
Arizona

Given that I did fairly well on the DAT minus one section, and that my GPA and AA/TS are all equal to or above the listed schools, will that 16 in Bio still hurt me THAT bad??

I would still apply with those scores. You only have 1 section below average and your GPA is decent.
 
Thanks for all the support, y'all have given me a little bit of hope lol
 
I would definitely apply...I had a 16 in bio also and only a 19aa and received many interview offers...my GPA was higher but I still think you will be ok!
 
My stats are VERY similar to yours. I made a 16 on the Qr and I am freaking out a bit. They do take the best score if you have to take more than one.

Does making a 16 in qr differ than bio? That is a question I have always had.
 
My stats are VERY similar to yours. I made a 16 on the Qr and I am freaking out a bit. They do take the best score if you have to take more than one.

Does making a 16 in qr differ than bio? That is a question I have always had.

Yea I'd say a 16 in qr isn't as bad as bio, this was the first time I've taken it and I really don't wanna spend my whole summer studying for it again (though I will if need be)...like I said I'm gonna email some of the schools admission's office and see what they say
 
you dont need to retake your exam... I was a 19AA and 19 TS with a 15 in gen chem and I got 7 interviews and 4 acceptances..your PAT and RC are both higher than mine were too.. dont let people on this forum scare you.. your completely fine
 
Biology is most relevant to adcom.

Depending on how well you did in your bio classes along with your sci GPA and BCP gpa this may be overlooked.

Apply and see what happens. Get strong LoRs and work on your PS for a while.

Mind the OOS rate for some of these schools.

If you do not get accepted, try to take more classes to boost your GPA a little bit. This will further increases your chances the second time around. Make sure you don't take the DAT again and do poorly!
 
well.. depends...
some schools have cut-off score for each sections and some schools don't.
So basically you have to research about those schools and see if they have cut-off line.
 
well.. depends...
some schools have cut-off score for each sections and some schools don't.
So basically you have to research about those schools and see if they have cut-off line.

anytime you have less than 17 in an "important" section (i.e reading or any of the sciences) ... it almost always warrants a retake
 
If I were you, I would apply early (i.e. as soon as the application opens) and retake the DAT as soon as you can. I'm pretty sure you'll get some interviews with your first DAT. Although, even if you don't, I don't think most schools will reject you that early in the cycle. The key is apply early! Typically, the biggest hang up is transcript verification (this can take up to 6+ weeks) and I would bet that even if they don't like your initial scores, if you retake in August you'll still have a shot at some pre-December interviews. What's your bcpGPA? Are you a junior?

Might I also suggest you add Western to your list? I'm sure glad I did! ;)

P.S. Word to the wise: If you decide to retake you need to do better.
 
Yea I'll be applying to many schools. I didn't want to put up a huge list and get this thread highjacked onto that topic. The dean of admissions from my number one school emailed me back this morning and recommended that I didn't retake it, so I guess I can only go with that for now lol.
 
Well I took my DAT today and looks like I might have to retake. (not might but definitely) Scores are as follows:

PAT - 20
Quantitative Reasoning - 21
Reading Comprehension - 23
Biology - 16 (this is way too low)
General Chemistry - 21
Organic Chemistry - 19
Total Science - 19
Academic Average - 20

Obviously my Biology score is a huge disappointment as I did fairly well on the rest of the test. My science GPA is 3.42 and overall is 3.47. I only plan on applying to schools within my GPA range (according to the newest ADEA book just released). I also have 200+ shadowing hours and plenty of community volunteering.

Some of the schools I intend to apply to are:
Tennessee
Louisville
Midwest
Mercy
Michigan
Loma L
Maryland
Kentucky
Tufts
USC
NYU
Arizona

Given that I did fairly well on the DAT minus one section, and that my GPA and AA/TS are all equal to or above the listed schools, will that 16 in Bio still hurt me THAT bad?? (Yes, it's that bad)
See texts in red. Also, what is your residency?
 
I know that everyone here is saying retake. Check out my predents. I had a 16 in my biology section. Each school is a little different. Some only count your latest score but keep in mind that you took the DAT more than once. I did have a good GPA though. My scores, with one test, was good enough to get me in. One school even said something like, -if you take it again you better do a lot better-. HOWEVER, Loma Linda did say my scores were too low . It really depends on which school you want to go to. LECOM, ATSU-MISSOURI, UNE are new schools so if you are worried you could add those too. I am not saying they are easier to get into, just that they have not yet set a precedent on what type of student they are admitting.

Cheers!
 
Yea I emailed some schools last night. The only one that said it might be a big problem was NYU. About five other schools said it could hurt slightly but that my GPA and other DAT scores were still all competitive enough. My residency is Tennessee btw. I think my plan of action is to go ahead and apply the first on June and see what happens. Hopefully I'll see some action soon but if not then I'll plan on a retake.
 
Yea I emailed some schools last night. The only one that said it might be a big problem was NYU. About five other schools said it could hurt slightly but that my GPA and other DAT scores were still all competitive enough. My residency is Tennessee btw. I think my plan of action is to go ahead and apply the first on June and see what happens. Hopefully I'll see some action soon but if not then I'll plan on a retake.
Forget Kentucky and Maryland then.
 
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