Need some advice...

[sweetpea2]

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Ok, im not gonna post all my stats but here my dilemma:::

Just took dat few days ago and i got.........

19AA 21TS 19 PA , Looks alright but....I got a 15 RC. I dont know what to do cause overall i did pretty well, and sciences went well, but wow, ethics was 22 paragraphs and was tough. I dont want to retake but i will if i need to. I have pretty good EC's,shadowing and research, etc. but my gpa is 3.1 overall 3.3 science w/ upward trend and i go to a tough school. What do you guys think, is it worth it to retake cause of one single section, i did get B's in my undegrad english classes. I dont want to take a year off and would retake if i need to, but id rather not. Any advice...and how can one improve RC cause practice tests were easier than the real thing, thanks

 

[ldm0208]

looks like you had the FRAP and Ethics test, which is the same set that I had in May. And your outcome is similar to mine except I got 21 on pat and higher gpas. Man...the RC...I don't know what to do with this formidable foe.😡

Anyways I am retaking it in Aug. I've already submitted my AADSAS app with my first DAT score and got verified the gpas. My biggest concern is getting rejected by the automatic cut-off due to the RC score. I marked that I will be retaking the DAT, so I hope they hold my app until then.

I recommend that you retake the DAT as well because your GPA is slightly lower than the national avg. Good luck!

 

[sajjy]

GEEZ that FRAP and Ethics version....what in the world we made any mistake that we got that version...

 

[sweetpea2]

Yea i might retake. But..is it normal to call schools (especially my top picks) and explain the situation and actually ask the adcoms if they think i should retake. Earliest i can retake is late september, by then, hopefully ill get interviews. I never did THAT bad on RC, i thought i was doing alright but idk. So is it alright to actually call school?? Thanks for the input guys,

 

[paul510psu]

It is almost never a problem to call schools with specific questions. In my experience, the schools are always extremely helpful because they want students to want to attend their school.

Give them a call to see if your RC score is too low and if they recommend a re-take.

Damn I feel bad for those people with the ethics passage. My passages were difficult but they weren't 25 paragraphs long.

Hope everything works out well for you.

 

[ldm0208]

GEEZ that FRAP and Ethics version....what in the world we made any mistake that we got that version...

hope I get a different version in Aug. RC is easier in other versions? I know it's a stupid question...

 

[Brownstain]

Nobody cares about reading, its mainly where most people INCREASE their score. At one interview there were three things written across my file folder that my interviewer had.

4.0, 23, 25. Which would be my adjusted gpa, aa, and science score. Nobody ever asked about my 14 on the QR except for a student interviewer at Louisville who joked about how he got a 15 on the same section. So yeah, quit worrying and have fun over your summer.

 

[ttom]

Nobody cares about reading, its mainly where most people INCREASE their score. At one interview there were three things written across my file folder that my interviewer had.

4.0, 23, 25. Which would be my adjusted gpa, aa, and science score. Nobody ever asked about my 14 on the QR except for a student interviewer at Louisville who joke about how he got a 15 on the same section. So yeah, quit worrying and have fun over your summer.

LOL. 4.0, 23, 25. Hell yeah I'll quit worrying and have fun! If I have a choice, I would rather have 14 on QR than 15 on RC.

 

[Brownstain]

Now that I'm thinking about this another interviewer commented on my Ochem score and nothing else. Another place asked about my AA and PAT. There is a reason people stress AA, SCI, and PAT...probably because that's all schools seem to care about. That was an Assumption, don't quote me on that internet dental school cyber catty gossipers.

 

[sweetpea2]

Brownstain. Im assuming you got into dental school with the 14 qr. Where did you get in?? But your gpa was great though. Let me know, thanks

 

[SugarNaCl]

ethics was 22 paragraphs and was tough.

Ethics? On the DAT? Come again?

 

[Brownstain]

I think I just got called out

 

[sweetpea2]

yes ethics, morals, dilemma, vivariance, it was seriously crazy. I felt like every answer was the same thing, and questions were just...i dont know how to explain. It took me like 2 mins to scroll through the passage let alone read it haha. I just wanna know, is it possible to get into dental school with good DAT 19AA 19PA (i consider that pretty good) but a 15 RC. Thanks

 

[PDizzle]

yes ethics, morals, dilemma, vivariance, it was seriously crazy. I felt like every answer was the same thing, and questions were just...i dont know how to explain. It took me like 2 mins to scroll through the passage let alone read it haha. I just wanna know, is it possible to get into dental school with good DAT 19AA 19PA (i consider that pretty good) but a 15 RC. Thanks

Every school is different, we all know that. the thing is, that dental school is the "new thing" nowadays, with number of apps going up 30-50% every year...every year!! So, to deal with >1k apps, they have to narrow it down. Some schools do this by having cutoffs on the "numbers". Numbers being AADSAS GPA's and DAT scores. So, for some schools, your RC score may land your app in the faculty bathroom stall without a blink of an eye. Other schools might only use AA, TS and PAT.

So, if you KNOW you can improve both your RC and your other scores, go ahead and retake it. I know there are a lot of "tricks" to get a good RC. I believe i got a 22 on it because of some of those methods. (I.E. fish'n out answers and at the end, having no idea what it was about!! hehe)

Good luck

 

[SugarNaCl]

yes ethics, morals, dilemma, vivariance, it was seriously crazy. I felt like every answer was the same thing, and questions were just...i dont know how to explain. It took me like 2 mins to scroll through the passage let alone read it haha. I just wanna know, is it possible to get into dental school with good DAT 19AA 19PA (i consider that pretty good) but a 15 RC. Thanks

Anything is POSSIBLE. I don't know your GPA. That will make the difference. 19s aren't bad on the DAT. The RC is VERY important for some schools but for a few schools, it doesnt appear to be. If you have a good GPA = >3.45, I personally wouldn't bother retaking the DAT... or do what I did. Retake the DAT but don't have your scores sent to any schools. If you are satisfied with your later scores, pay the extra $$ to have them sent. I didn't end up taking the 2nd DAT because I was accepted to my #1 before I was scheduled to retake. I lost about $170 on that, but my acceptance was worth it 🙂 It was also worth not having to take that God forsaken exam again.

 

[mantraman1010]

pull the trigger.

 

[sweetpea2]

thanks sugarNaCl...good advice. I didnt even know that you can take the DAT and not send it to schools. Ill def schedule a retake in sept. i just dont wanna sacrifice my 19 bio which i studied hardcore for..but i suppose i can keep the material fresh over the summer. Chem im fine..might not be able to get 22 23 again, but i can def get over 20, math ill prob go up, PA stay the same, and RC can only go up haha. Thanks, gotta get on the phone with some schools beforehand b/c if they only look at AA TS and PAT i might be alright.... gpa is at 3.3 science 3.2 overall. Low side, but my fresh year @ 2.7 long story, soph jr year are at 3.4-3.6 each semester. Do you think i got a shot w.o retaking..if so what schools (ie ones that care less about RC and more about Science and AA) thanks

 

[SugarNaCl]

thanks sugarNaCl...good advice. I didnt even know that you can take the DAT and not send it to schools. Ill def schedule a retake in sept. i just dont wanna sacrifice my 19 bio which i studied hardcore for..but i suppose i can keep the material fresh over the summer. Chem im fine..might not be able to get 22 23 again, but i can def get over 20, math ill prob go up, PA stay the same, and RC can only go up haha. Thanks, gotta get on the phone with some schools beforehand b/c if they only look at AA TS and PAT i might be alright.... gpa is at 3.3 science 3.2 overall. Low side, but my fresh year @ 2.7 long story, soph jr year are at 3.4-3.6 each semester. Do you think i got a shot w.o retaking..if so what schools (ie ones that care less about RC and more about Science and AA) thanks

I'll be honest with you. I think that you do have a decent shot at getting a few interviews if you apply at enough schools. What state are you a resident of?

 

[sweetpea2]

NY...nyu = top choice! I wrote a pretty good PS (i think its good), i have research for a semester and also will be doing it senior year. Honestly, im a chem major at a hard school where gpa's dont come easy and absolutely no grade inflation. Im really hoping to get interviews bc i think i can do well at them. And Im applying to 11 schools as of now. And my pre health advisor basically said that if you do bad on one single section they sometimes overlook it. I did get B's in my 2 english classes which is alright..im a good writer but 25 paragraphs of ethics got the best of me on test day.

 

[Predentknight]

Hey sweatpea, I am in such a similar situation its freaky. I recently took the DAT and scored AA: 18 , TS: 20,and then I scored a dreadful RC:16!!. I also have two B's in my English composition courses. I also just spoke to someone with admissions at NYU the other day. She told me they do not have cutoffs and would like to see high scores in all sections but if there happens to be a low section on your DAT,then that should be compensated somewhere else in your app. i.e. your research that you are doing. Just thought I would share that with you before you decide to re-take.

 

[sweetpea2]

Predentknight. Are you retaking?? Did you have ethics/FRAP too? Cause im trying to enjoy my summer but i just cant seem to get over my RC. I certainly dont want to take a year off and i know dentistry is my top career choice, and if i have to retake then i will..its a tough decision. Let me know what happens, i really hope everything works out for all of us!

 

[sajjy]

I wish that the guy who wrote that Ethics passage be my patient one day.....😡😡😡

 

[jrf271psu]

oops.

 

[sweetpea2]

I just wanna go to dental school. Too bad i had to get Frapped! Im so upset and i really cant enjoy my summer knowing that in september i gotta retake and imporve my 15 RC while Still Maintaining my 19+ across the board. Unless of course i get interviews by then....

 

[jrf271psu]

I just wanna go to dental school. Too bad i had to get Frapped! Im so upset and i really cant enjoy my summer knowing that in september i gotta retake and imporve my 15 RC while Still Maintaining my 19+ across the board. Unless of course i get interviews by then....

when i originally read your post i thought you said your QR was 15... not your RC.

from what i have read, schools look at TS and RC most closely. they want to know that you can 1) understand biological principles and concepts; and 2) digest/scan through a lot of material quickly. you will be fine in dschool if you can do these

as far as retaking the DAT - I would to raise the RC, especially if you do not have to report previous scores. if you feel like you can raise other sections, study your butt off to do so

 

[sweetpea2]

I can definitely raise RC to a 16-18. But then look at my dilemma..i got a 19 bio 22 23 on gchem orgo. Thats pretty good and i dont want to put those scores at risk by retaking.

And yes, i agree reading comprehension/reading material and digesting it quickly is a great skill for dental school but......will i ever be in a situation where i need to read long articles and understand them in an hour? Doubt it. Usually, ill have ample time to read through the material in and thats what i will devote myself to during those 4 years. And clearly i know my sciences which is the focal point of dental school. So i might not retake, try to get interviews...then if they tell me to i would retake.

 

[Chesnok]

to Brownstain: Yup, I think u're rught since we don't go to math or reading-called school😉

 

[Chesnok]

yes ethics, morals, dilemma, vivariance, it was seriously crazy. I felt like every answer was the same thing, and questions were just...i dont know how to explain. It took me like 2 mins to scroll through the passage let alone read it haha. I just wanna know, is it possible to get into dental school with good DAT 19AA 19PA (i consider that pretty good) but a 15 RC. Thanks

I've got ethics and morals too, it's like philosophy-there's no wrong answer if u can explain it 😉

 

[Livineasi]

Hey sweetpea -- retaking is a tough choice. I'm kind of in the same boat. Although - my RC passages were no more than 15 paragraphs. Thank god, cause ya'all had me freakin out about the Ethics monster. I took the DAT on monday and my TS is 17 - got Bio:16 Gchem:17 Ochem:18....I studied bio so much and not one thing I'd studied was on that damn test! I got a 19-PAT, 17:QR, and 22:RC. But, I'm really scared that my low TS/Bio score is going to significantly lower my chances.

I liked SugarNaCl's idea of send out my scores and my apps to all the 27 schools I'm applying to and then taking the test again in Sept. without sending out scores unless I rock the test. But, I was really hoping to stop thinking over the summer 😉
If you get a rejection from the school and then get a better DAT, would they possibly reconsidered you?

 

[sweetpea2]

Livineasi..your scores arent great...but there not bad. What im starting to realize is that not everyone is perfect..everyone has strenghts and weaknesses..just explain them at interviews. I think well be alright..im probably gonna relax the rest of my summer for now..

Anyway, this isnt a joke, do you think it would be wise to mention that i got Frapped at an interview. I firmly believe that the Frap version IS in fact harder than others (standardized tests are far from perfect unless only 1 version). And i say that bc just look how many threads there are on FRAP and the insane ethics passage. Should i mention that i spoke with other pre dents and that the general consensus was that my test was slightly harder and im better at RC than my score. Thanks

 

[sajjy]

I wish that the guy who wrote that Ethics passage be my patient one day.....😡😡😡

I stand by my words!!!

 

[Livineasi]

thanks sweetpea...I guess we should be cutting ourselves a bit of slack...not everyone can get 25s. Plus if the average DAT score of must of the universities is around 19 and 20 then some people must be getting accepted with scores lower than that.

As far as gettin Frapped...I'm not sure I would bring it up directly. And I definitely wouldn't tell them your test was harder than others cause I think it might come off sounding a bit whiny. If they ask about your score I'd simply just say you had a 22 paragraph passage on philosophy and unfortunately, answering multiple choice philosophical questions in under 10 minutes didn't prove a very easy task. LOL - or tell them an eyelash fell in your eye and by the time you got it out your time ran out 😉

 

[xiphoidprocess]

How closely do you think dental schools look at QR?

I didn't do so great on that section and I'm hoping I dont have to re-take my DATs again because of it..

 

[doc toothache]

Every school is different, we all know that. the thing is, that dental school is the "new thing" nowadays, with number of apps going up 30-50% every year...every year!! So, to deal with >1k apps, they have to narrow it down. Some schools do this by having cutoffs on the "numbers".
Good luck

Where did those numbers come from?