OAT Percentile Scores?

[Blondiechick919]

Okay, guys, who likes facts? I sure do!

So first off, let me say, by all stats I've been able to find, application requirements for OD school ARE LESS STRINGENT than application requirements for dental or medical school. However, the differences are not that extreme.

The average GPA of students accepted to optometry school seems to be around 3.4, and the average OAT score around 320, or ~70th percentile.

The average GPA of students accepted to dental school is ~3.5, and the average DAT score ~19.4 (which is around 80th percentile).

The average GPA of students accepted to med school is ~3.7, and the average MCAT score ~31 (or about the 80th percentile).

With all this being said, are we REALLY going to judge one another on the numbers we received in undergrad? Is your statistical dental average of a 3.5 GPA all it takes to make you feel superior to others? If so, that is really, really sad. And the average percentile scores of accepted students to these schools is so variable, to use these numbers to compare our e-penises is just laughable, really. For example, the average DAT score of accepted dental students in 2009 was 17.9, or roughly 65TH PERCENTILE! Does that mean dental school applicants in 2009 were ~soooo much stupider~ than 2011's applicants? No. No, it doesn't.

In summary, WHO THE **** CARES ABOUT THE NUMBERS? Do what you love and be happy with it. The end.

SOURCES

https://www.ada.org/oat/oat_user_guide.pdf

http://science.psu.edu/premed/docs/Optometry 083110.pdf

https://www.aamc.org/download/161690/data/table17.pdf

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/264234/data/combined11.pdf

http://www.adea.org/publications/tde/Documents/Grade Point Averages of Dental School Enrollees.pdf

http://www.adea.org/publications/tde/Documents/DAT Score for Dental School Enrollees.pdf

http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/dat_estimate_score.pdf

+1 for citations. Can we close this thread now? Where are mods when you need them?

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[layogurt]

Okay, guys, who likes facts? I sure do!

So first off, let me say, by all stats I've been able to find, application requirements for OD school ARE LESS STRINGENT than application requirements for dental or medical school. However, the differences are not that extreme.

The average GPA of students accepted to optometry school seems to be around 3.4, and the average OAT score around 320, or ~70th percentile.

The average GPA of students accepted to dental school is ~3.5, and the average DAT score ~19.4 (which is around 80th percentile).

The average GPA of students accepted to med school is ~3.7, and the average MCAT score ~31 (or about the 80th percentile).

With all this being said, are we REALLY going to judge one another on the numbers we received in undergrad? Is your statistical dental average of a 3.5 GPA all it takes to make you feel superior to others? If so, that is really, really sad. And the average percentile scores of accepted students to these schools is so variable, to use these numbers to compare our e-penises is just laughable, really. For example, the average DAT score of accepted dental students in 2009 was 17.9, or roughly 65TH PERCENTILE! Does that mean dental school applicants in 2009 were ~soooo much stupider~ than 2011's applicants? No. No, it doesn't.

In summary, WHO THE **** CARES ABOUT THE NUMBERS? Do what you love and be happy with it. The end.

SOURCES

https://www.ada.org/oat/oat_user_guide.pdf

http://science.psu.edu/premed/docs/Optometry 083110.pdf

https://www.aamc.org/download/161690/data/table17.pdf

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/264234/data/combined11.pdf

http://www.adea.org/publications/tde/Documents/Grade Point Averages of Dental School Enrollees.pdf

http://www.adea.org/publications/tde/Documents/DAT Score for Dental School Enrollees.pdf

http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/dat_estimate_score.pdf

These differences are HUGE! First of all, a lot more students apply to Dental and Medical programs thus it is significantly harder to get into those programs AND higher stats are required. Second of all, averages are used to look at the whole picture; however individual students dont apply to every OD/DDS/MD program out there, they tend to apply to the cheaper or easier to get into programs. Therefore, an applicant with a 300 OAT score won't apply to SUNY NYC because they have an average of 339 and that student won't get in. Therefore most OD students probably apply to easier schools and increase their chances of admission with extremely low aka average OAT scores. The OAT guide lists an average applicant as one that applies to about 5 schools. Third of all, It's A LOTTTTTTTT harder to score in the 80th to 85th percentile on a standardized exam. So yes I do believe that individuals who score higher on these types of exams are smarter.

 

[Superblyme]

Second of all, averages are used to look at the whole picture; however individual students dont apply to every OD/DDS/MD program out there, they tend to apply to the cheaper or easier to get into programs. Therefore, an applicant with a 300 OAT score won't apply to SUNY NYC because they have an average of 339 and that student won't get in. Therefore most OD students probably apply to easier schools and increase their chances of admission with extremely low aka average OAT scores. The OAT guide lists an average applicant as one that applies to about 5 schools. Third of all, It's A LOTTTTTTTT harder to score in the 80th to 85th percentile on a standardized exam. So yes I do believe that individuals who score higher on these types of exams are smarter.

Did you miss the part where the averages are listed for all matriculants of all OD schools? Or that the average DAT percentile score of all dental school matriculants was in the 65th percentile a few years ago? Sure, someone with a 280 OAT isn't going to apply to SUNY, just like someone with a 25 MCAT isn't going to apply to Johns Hopkins. Not sure what that has to do with anything, though.

 

[layogurt]

Did you miss the part where the averages are listed for all matriculants of all OD schools? Or that the average DAT percentile score of all dental school matriculants was in the 65th percentile a few years ago? Sure, someone with a 280 OAT isn't going to apply to SUNY, just like someone with a 25 MCAT isn't going to apply to Johns Hopkins. Not sure what that has to do with anything, though.

Has to do with the point that an average OD student applies to 5 schools and they will tend to apply to schools that will match their stats, which can be as low as the average OAT scores, therefore most OD students are applying with subpar stats to subpar schools and getting these subpar acceptances. 🙂

 

[dinkus]

You're not even making a point. You're just saying that an average student has average stats, which somehow transforms into "subpar" (which means below average) stats because he or she applies to X number of schools. It's a non sequitur and you're clearly too dumb to notice. Let me guess, you're on the bottom of the totem pole in dental school so you came here to make a fool of yourself?

 

[layogurt]

You're not even making a point. You're just saying that an average student has average stats, which somehow transforms into "subpar" (which means below average) stats because he or she applies to X number of schools. It's a non sequitur and you're clearly too dumb to notice. Let me guess, you're on the bottom of the totem pole in dental school so you came here to make a fool of yourself?

The bottom of any dental class is way higher than any OD student will ever achieve 😉 Yup a 310 on OAT and admission to a school is pretty average and yes its subpar when compared to other medical professions. Don't be a hater that your field blows.

 

[Superblyme]

You're either too dense to understand averages, or you're too committed to trolling this thread to allow yourself to quit. In any case, I know when to stop arguing with idiots... before they drag me to their level and beat me with experience. 🙂

 

[Shnurek]

1) Click on layogurt
2) Click on Add layogurt to Your Ignore List

 

[layogurt]

You're either too dense to understand averages, or you're too committed to trolling this thread to allow yourself to quit. In any case, I know when to stop arguing with idiots... before they drag me to their level and beat me with experience. 🙂

so says the OD student