Most important part of DAT?

[bgoldst1]

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Anyone know what the most important sections of the DAT are in terms of dental school? Which sections do these schools care most about?

What is the weighting of this test, what sections matter most?

I heard the PAT is 50% of the test is that true?

Information from a knowledgeable source strongly appreciated. Thanks

 

[ucla2134]

anyone know what the most important sections of the dat are in terms of dental school? Which sections do these schools care most about?

What is the weighting of this test, what sections matter most?

I heard the pat is 50% of the test is that true?

Information from a knowledgeable source strongly appreciated. Thanks

RC

This section can make or break you

 

[bgoldst1]

really? im shocked i had heard that the PAT was more important

 

[Nat426]

From the admissions counselors i have talked to it's different with every school. Each has their own little area of favorites they are going to look at so you should plan on doing good across the board.

 

[bgoldst1]

can you give examples of what the admissions counselors said? can someone who really knows their **** please post an informational reply? I admit I am not knowledgeable and would appreciate any help

 

[longhornpride]

QR and RC. They are the most important.


In all seriousness, the sciences will be more important than any other section. This doesn't mean you should make 15s on everything else. It just means that usually a

Bio: 20
GC: 20
OC: 20
RC: 18
QR: 18

will look better than

Bio: 18
GC: 18
OC: 18
RC: 20
QR: 20

 

[bgoldst1]

Thanks longhorn, also how does PAT play into all this? BTW I appreciate your replied to all of my posts, they are great help.

 

[longhornpride]

For the PAT, I think it's more of a gray area than just black or white.

If you score very high ( 22 and above), it's only going to help you. If you score around the school averages (19-21), it shouldn't impact you negatively.

If you get a low score (below 18), it could hurt you unless you have a very high AA.


Also, these are just my opinions.

 

[4thMolar]

I found http://forums.studentdoctor.net/sho...which+sections+on+the+DAT+are+more+important? to be a helpful thread, in which one post had the following website: http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/content/full/69/10/1095

Although this paper is 4 years old, it may still be useful.

 

[Shinpe]

Nova's dean of admissions told me that he cares a lot about QR, which really surprised me.

Although there can be a logic behind that. Most applicants are bio-related majors and perhaps because of that no so good at math. So it's easier for most people to improve their grades in the sciences than in math. How well you do in math may show how motivated you are to learn something you have trouble with or haven't done much before, which can be an important attribute when you're faced with all the lab work in dental school, something you haven't done before and will probably have problems with.

A lot of people here think QR is not important. I'm not saying it's the most important subject at all, but it's definitely something you can't just disregard as non-important. As mentioned above, it definitely does differ from school to school I think.

Don't bash me on this either, just passing on what he said.

 

[Blarelli]

I don't see how you can identify one section as THE MOST important section of the test. I feel comfortable saying that QR is the least important (not saying it is a non-factor, just that some schools seem like they couldn't care less about it), but landing a 22 in Bio while getting a 15 in GC or vice-versa isn't going to wow anybody.

 

[cavalier]

Each section of the DAT is important in its own right. The Natural Sciences and PAT are typically revered, possibly, because they are observed to be most applicable to dentistry and many top students excel in both sections. However, the RC and QR are not merely traditional reading and arithmetic sections--they serve as measures of one's ability of eliciting pertinent information and problem-solving, respectively. Moreover, each section serves a distinct purpose for admission committee decisions.

As a note, preferring to score 20's (instead of average, approximately 18) for the Natural Sciences over RC and QR, i.e.:

TS - 20
RC - 18
QR - 18

Rather than,

TS - 18
RC - 20
QR - 20

Is not so clearly preferential because the national average for RC scores are typically higher than the other section averages. Regardless, any sort of information this discussion warrants you should never change your ultimate goal: to score as high as you can on each and every section.

 

[tumbleweed]

I have a couple of bad scores on the DAT, but the rest is pretty solid. Should I even bother applying? I know some schools have a minimum requirement of 16 or so on all sections....

Here are my scores:

PAT - 25
QR - 23
RC - 21
BIO - 15
GC - 16
OC - 20
TS - 17
AA - 19

The scores are kinda all over the place. I'm really worried about the bio; it actually dropped one point since the last time I took the test and my GC dropped 4. Everything else improved. (I took the dat just 1 other time 2 years ago). Overall GPA is 3.4 and Science is 3.5.

I only had one interview last time, and obviously didn't get in. Should I reapply with these scores or give up? I'm just worried that the adm. comm. will see the 15 on bio and throw my file in the trash....

 

[lobstermobster]

At Midwestern's simulation course this summer, the dean of admissions says he pays special attention to the RC portion.

 

[PrivateJoker]

PAT and RC. They can teach you the sciences but they cannot teach you how to read or visualize how objects move/fit in space. That being said you still need a good TC.

 

[sixkiller]

PAT and RC. They can teach you the sciences but they cannot teach you how to read or visualize how objects move/fit in space. That being said you still need a good TC.

You should check out the ADA correlation study.

There is another study done by a dental education journal.

RC importance is not substantiated by any of the available studies.

So, learning science does not involve reading? I don't know....Voet biochemistry looks like pretty dense reading material to me.

The RC section does not test the ability to understand and absorb scientific information.

How can you say that when search and destroy can get just about anyone at least a 20 (provided that they don't freak out)? The DAT RC is like some sort of pointless game.

Now, if you were talking about the MCAT verbal...you might be onto something.

 

[crew09]

Most schools I've talked to say they gravitate towards the sciences, although like most people have pointed out solid scores across the board is most desirable

 

[nze82]

Anyone know what the most important sections of the DAT are in terms of dental school? Which sections do these schools care most about?

What is the weighting of this test, what sections matter most?

I heard the PAT is 50% of the test is that true?

Information from a knowledgeable source strongly appreciated. Thanks

All sections of the test are important, which is why the go through the trouble of testing you in all different sections. Messing up any one section completely WILL have a negative impact on you chances. Most dental schools like to see a high AA, PAT, and RC. Why?
AA-->Represents your overall performance on the exam.
PAT-->You will be working with X-rays in dental schools so you need to have a decent perceptual ability.
RC-->Well, you need to be an efficient reader in order to survive dental school.