my dat scores help!

[xkurkox]

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Took my dat today got 18 academic 19 science and 17 pat. First thing id like to say is that who ever put the pat part together deserves to be shot. The pat was always my best section, I never got lower then a 23 on the 3 topscore test or the 4 kaplan tests I took. There is no way in hell got 35 problems wrong. Does anyone know if I can contest the answers or get them to recheck the damn thing? I am almost positive there are errors in the proportions of some problems and in the correct answers.
Anyway I have a 3.4 undergrad and 3.5 science gpa. and im planning get my application out by the end of September. Which northeast school should I apply to? I know my scores aren?t great but if I have any chance where would it be. I would appreciate your responses.

p.s. i took the dat last summer and also scored 17 on pat (before studying) and it was in the 50.7 precentile as apposed to 72nd precentile now. can this mean people are doing worse this time around?😕

 

[mathnerd]

The competition is getting better.

 

[Omahahahaha]

mathnerd,

You may have misunderstood xkurkox. I also agree that the competition is getting better since more people are applying to dental school. That being said...... xkurkox stated he/she got a 17 on the PAT last summer and it was at the 50th pecentile compared to a PAT of 17 in the 72nd percentile this year. This would indicate that people did much, much, better LAST year on the PAT.

Does anybody else have an opinion on this?

 

[critterbug]

.....or, the PAT section is harder this time around.

 

[UBTom]

to xkurkox:

Definitely try to do better on your next DAT attempt. Your PAT score won't hurt you as much if you can rock the Academic (get it above a 20 if you can).

With your GPA and current DAT, you definitely have a shot at NYU and Buffalo (I assume you are an NYS resident). I'd say you are marginal for Stony even if you are an NYS resident, and Columbia too (they can afford to be choosy and they know it).

HTH!

 

[Balki]

UBTom, since we are talking about schools in NY, what are the averages (to your knowledge) for the two schools you mentioned StonyBrook and Columbia?

THanks UBTom

xkurkox, You still have time to retake DAT, send in your application and mention there that you are retaking it. I didn't do that good on PAT either, but perceptual ability can improve over time, especially when you use it, and you shall in Dental school.
Good luck , on your next DAT

 

[dds4]

The Topscore PAT is super-easy. I averaged a 25 on the 3 samples and only got a 20 on the real thing. It was still 96th percentile so I'm not sweating it.

 

[Bickle]

I used the Kaplan book in my dat prep. I noticed that the practice exams for bio, chem, and reading were a lot harder than the actual exam, however the pat was super-easy compared to the real thing. Why they would overprepare you for everything except the pat is beyond my understanding. However, I still mangaged a 20 on the pat as well.

 

[xkurkox]

Thanks for your input everybody. I wish i had known about this site earlier. Like i said i dont believe i scored a 17 on that pat. I was expecting it to be lower then my practice avg of 23 but this is ridiculous. For the money they charge to take that thing they should measure everything with a ruler to make sure things are in proportion and make sure the answers are 100% doable. I may be ranting for no reason, maybe I just passed out right at the end and someone ran in and changed my RIGHT answers. Ill pay a lot of money to see what I got wrong. I don?t mean to sound so obnoxious, it just cause im so mad. 😡

 

[UBTom]

to Balki:

Well, this is directly from Columbia's website on their 2001 stats:

What is the average DAT score of an incoming student at SDOS?

All applicants must take the Dental Admission Test (DAT). No applications will be reviewed without official DAT results, and scores must be no more than two years old. SDOS does accept the Canadian DAT to fulfill this requirement, however, applicants should make every attempt to take the U.S. version. The mean academic average DAT score of the Class of 2005 is 21. (The national average is roughly 16.)

What undergraduate GPA do you require for admission?

There is no minimum GPA requirement, however 3.0 and above is desirable. The average GPA of the 2000-2001 entering class was 3.4 (out of a possible 4.0).

And here's Stony's:

10/9/01 General Body Meeting, 7:15 p.m. SAC 311

The chief speakers at this meeting were Dr. Erin Riley, the Dean of Admissions at SUNYSB School of Dental Medicine and Ken Phifer, a representative of Kaplan. Dr. Riley spoke about SUNYSB's Dental School and also offered general information and insights for pre-dental students. Ken Phifer spoke about the Free Practice DAT that Kaplan is offering our club.

Major Points made by Dr.Riley:



As in the case of Dr.Riley who is a Pediatric Dentist and a faculty member at the Dental School, if an academic profession is chosen, a D.D.M or D.D.S does not have to completely give up practicing dentistry. Although not full time, there are opportunities to practice.
Facts about Stony Brook Dental School:
-Average GPA of applicants - 3.58
-Average DAT score - 20


While xkurkox's GPAs do look competitive, his DAT is definitely below par for those schools. That's why I think as of now he is marginal for those two schools.

Notice Stony's crazy GPA average. The fact that they only take 35-40 students a year doesn't help things either. That school is difficult to get into even if you ARE a NYS resident, and doubly hard if you are an out-of-stater.

HTH!

 

[larryt]

You my have a shot at NYU with that gpa and DAT.

 

[PERFECT3434]

xkurkox,

i don't think that your scores are bad at all considering your gpa.

don't let the sdn scare you man. you should a good shot at least at private schools.

 

[Balki]

Thank you UBTom,

I think the Stony GPA and average DAT are bother rather high. And it's very difficult for out of state students. In fact if I am not mistaken Sonybrook admitted zero out of state for the past few years.


xkurkox,
There are some really smart people on this forum who probably have the highest DAT scores from the overall cycle so don't get descouraged. (SND can do this to people) It did it to me when I saw some of the scores on this board. So don't stop and work towards your dream.

Good luck😎

 

[DDSdude]

It sounds like the percentiles are changing from week to week. I got a 21 the other day on the PAT and it said it was in the 93.1 percentile. I wish I would have taken it when the percentile for a 20 was 96. It would have looked better for me.

 

[Comet208]

It seems as if percetiles do change:

Test date: 8-10-02
PAT Score: 18
percentile: 66.8

Test date: 8-16-03
PAT Score: 18
percentile: 82.7

Test date: 8-10-02
QR Score: 16
percentile: 50.5

Test date: 8-16-03
PAT Score: 16
percentile: 61.7

These are MY actual scores... it seems as if people are not doing as well as they did last year. We all have heard that many people who are interested in the healthcare field, are now applying to dental school. Maybe, MAYBE, it is their scores that are changeing the percentiles. If that is not the case, dental applicants as a whole are scoring a bit less. Any other thougts on this??

 

[arns51]

Im assuming that the percentiles changing from week to week also has to do with what version of the DAT you get.

 

[DDSdude]

I don't think the version or types of questions you get on the DAT make any difference on the percentile or scores. I think a question is a question is a question. If that were the case it would not be a fair or unbiased testing medium.

 

[croco]

I personally feel that the pat section of the DAT is more difficult this year, than in years past. I say this because my friend took the DAT in mid-2002 and he scored a 19 on the PAT portion. After attempting to master this section myself, I asked him for some tips and hints on each section, and it seemed as if i knew more than he did. However, I still cannot understand how one can get 1 17 before studying and recieve the exact same score after studying extensively. 😕

 

[DDSdude]

I think the two sections that threw people off were the angle ranking. The difference in those angles was probably about 2-4 degrees. The other were the funky folds on the hold punching section. The other sections didn't seem too bad. I was planning on getting in the mid 20's but did not unfortunately.

The cube counting on the actual DAT for me had many more cubes with off the wall stacking patterns than any of the practice questions. Did anyone else find this to be true?

The pattern forlding seemed to be the about the same if not easier than the practice tests, the keyhold had some odd shapes but nothing impossible, and the top, front, end were not too bad. There were a few that I had never seen before and it took some focusing to see the lines.

 

[arns51]

There has got to be some difference in the percentiles between different versions of the test. Otherwise, why would they even have the percentiles, if there was no difference then a 20 would be a 20 no matter what. Around the same time I took my DAT everybody was talking about a bio question that asked about a bone in the forearm, and nobody had a clue to the answer. I had no such question on my DAT. There may not be a big difference but there has got to be some percentile difference between the tests. And maybe by including the percentiles the schools can judge if somebody who got an 18, but was in the 80th percentile maybe got a somewhat harder verison of the DAT.

 

[hql2c]

correct me if i'm wrong, but if with the same score, the percentiles go up the following year -- doesn't that mean that people in general are doing worse than previous years?

subjectively speaking, 61 percentile means that you're "better" and 61 percent of other applications, whereas the year before you were only "better" than 50 percent. both years correlate to the same raw score of 17.

so, essentially, scores of 17/18 this year are "higher" than scores of 17/18 last year.

if admissions offices said that 21 is the average last year, it could be do to last years scores. this year, the same group of accepted applicants might have a lower average.

meaning that a 19 this year could be equivalent to a 20 last year.

i think you'll have an outside shot at getting in.

 

[xkurkox]

Thanks so much for your insights and support. I have a few questions about the application. How many letters or recommendation should I send in? I have 5 so far, 1 is form a premed committee, 1 from a dentist, and 3 from various professors. And also how long should I make the essay? The application gives one page but I can put 200-1000 words on that page depending on the lettering. How important are extra activities? I have a year bio research, 3 years chem. research, I worked as a lab tech, led a peer group, and 6 month in a dental office doing general stuff like sterilizing eq. and basically watching. Hopefully I can stand out in someway? I know I will make a great dentist! 😀

 

[ecdoesit]

xkurkox


it also depends on ur gpa, and dat and of cos ur interview performance.

 

[le fort guy]

xkurkox

Take what alot of these guys say with a grain of salt. You have a solid gpa. Your DAT could be better but I know alot of people who have got in with similar scores. And not just to NYU! One perticular guy comes to mind who got an 18 aa and 17 pat who just got into Tufts. Just relax and focus on your interviews.