Low RC. Need your opinions

[theconfused1]

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Hey guys,

I recently took the DATs and I received a 17 (25.7%) in my RC. My other sections are fine and my GPA is ok. My question is, will that low RC score hinder my chance of getting in most schools? Would schools ask me to retake at the interviews to just raise my RC score? Or not giving me an interview at all because of a cuttoff?

Thanks in advance!

 

[grounddevil]

Theres no for sure way to know but 17 is below average since most people score really well on RC. If you academic average is high (say a 20) and if you have one or two exceptional scores (22 or 23) then I wouldn't worry about it. If not then I would take it again.

 

[theconfused1]

Ok sorry maybe I was not specific with my situation. I might as well give a breakdown to help others (if I can) if I want any help from you guys.

I took the test last week and here are my results:

Bio: 20
GC: 22
OC:23
RC:17
QR:21
PAT:24
TS:21
AA:21

Bio: Overall I thought it was really straight forward. It was not as random as people say. Maybe people thinks it is random because of the different types of questions ADA uses (few application problems... graphs... pictures). I used Kaplan online and AP Bio and DESTROYER for this one.

GC: I didn't think I missed anything from this section. I probably made some stupid mistakes as what I have been making on my practice tests. This section I found to be REALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD. I recommend reading through Kaplan book and get the conceptuals and do the problems online for Kaplan to make sure you have everything down. Then Destroyer to brush it up.

OC: I got 5 Spec. problems on this section. Some of the IRs were actually REALLY hard. So don't underestimate IR problems. I guess I got the score I deserved. I worked through Destroyer 5 times for this section and had everything down. But IRs destroyed me.

RC: Piano was my first passage. I have been reading on this site for quite awhile now as I prepared for the DAT. I definately freaked out a bit so I skipped the first passage and did the last 2 first. I'm not good with RC but piano was as bad as people say. I didn't really practice for this section.

QR: I have always been good at math. I didn't practice for this section. I just memorized some trig functions the day before the test. I thought I did much better in this section but o well. I did not touch QR in DESTROYER so I can't really recommend anyone for using.

PAT: I have been scoring around 24 on Kaplan, 23 on Topscore. I thought the version I got was really easy. The only hard ones were a couple of angles that I had to really guess on. I just practiced these on Kaplan and Topscore.

I averaged AA 19 for kaplan and AA 20 for Topscore (I did take Topscore tests later on... like a week leading up to my exam).

My overall GPA is 3.65 with Sci GPA 3.68.

So here it is. What really bothers me is my RC. I heard alot of schools out there have a cutoff at 18.

Any thoughts??

 

[grounddevil]

You are definitely fine my friend. You can probably have you pick outside of private colleges.

 

[dentalmon]

I'm kinda on the same boat... every section i had was over 20 except one....it was my QR that had a 17... but i think we should be iight if our AA and TS and PAT are okay overall.. But i have also heard that a lot of schools have a min of 17 on each section.. so just be glad you did make any 16s or lower on any section.

 

[nze82]

Hey guys,

I recently took the DATs and I received a 17 (25.7%) in my RC. My other sections are fine and my GPA is ok. My question is, will that low RC score hinder my chance of getting in most schools? Would schools ask me to retake at the interviews to just raise my RC score? Or not giving me an interview at all because of a cuttoff?

Thanks in advance!

You'll probably get interviews, but many schools may not consider you for that low RC. Some schools have a cutoff score of 18 for this section. So, you might wanna call the schools you're interested in and ask them what's their cutoff point for RC, before applying.

 

[wendo]

I think I got the exact same exam as you. I also had a lot of IR and NMR questions and I didn't really study that part of OC so my score dropped to a 20. I think your scores are fine but I would call the schools that you really want to get into to see if a 17 in RC is ok. I know some scores want high RCs because that section is an indicator of how well you'll do on your boards. (at least that's what UNLV said) If you decide to retake don't let the opinions of others scare you! I was afraid for the piano passage too but then one of my friends said it was the easier passage for her. I went in with the mindset that the piano passage is not hard and when I got that passage it didn't feel hard to me at all! So whatever you decide to do, good luck!

 

[theconfused1]

I just want to thank everyone's input and honesty. I really wished my RC and QR could be reversed I would be in a much better shape. I don't think I am going to retake because it is definately too late (unless schools ask me to). Anyways it just sucks that one section holds me back so much.

Thanks again!

 

[brightsmiles9]

SOLID SCORES!! CONGRATS!! where do you plan on applying?

 

[theconfused1]

SOLID SCORES!! CONGRATS!! where do you plan on applying?

I applied to every school except the west coast. Oh and except the schools that has the 18 cutoff lol.

 

[Nasem]

Hi,

I am just curious about this, when you say you got 25.7%, is that out of the possible 50 questions? so basically you got about 13 questions right.... correct?

 

[sweeteepy]

I am in the opposite situation. I got a 17 on QR and a 23 on RC. Am I interpreting this correctly-->Do they weigh RC greater than QR, so the 17 in QR does not matter as much? =P

 

[UCB05]

Hi,

I am just curious about this, when you say you got 25.7%, is that out of the possible 50 questions? so basically you got about 13 questions right.... correct?

Cumulative percentile

 

[Nasem]

Cumulative percentile

oh ... is thats like where the person stands vs the others who have taken it?

so for this instance, he/she was better than 25.7% of people who took the DAT, right?

Alright so my other question is, if someone was aiming at a .... 17 or 18 on the RC, approximatetly, how many questions they should get right out of the 50?

 

[wendo]

I am in the opposite situation. I got a 17 on QR and a 23 on RC. Am I interpreting this correctly-->Do they weigh RC greater than QR, so the 17 in QR does not matter as much? =P

I got the same exact RC and QR scores as you and every dental student I talked to said it was fine. My pre health advisor even said I had good scores with that 17 and he knows what he's talking about so I wouldn't be worried.