Percentile Breakdown

[sesposi]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi

I was just wondering how these DAT score break down in terms of their percentiles. It's interesting to note the distributions, since scores, especially on the upper and lower ends, generally differ by only a question or 2.

These are the percentile breakdowns i'm aware of. If anyone knows the number of questions difference the scores translate to, that would be an interesting number to determine.

Bio - 19 ------>77% percentile
Bio - 22 ------>95% percentile

Gen Chem - 20 ----> 80% percentile
Organic Chem - 19 ----> 77% percentile

RC 19 -----> 50% percentile
RC 20 -----> 66% percentile

QR 21 ------> 92% percentile

PAT 19 ----->72% percentile

Granted, some of these are from memory from other threads i've read, so they might not be right on. It's just crazy to think that one who gets a 26 versus someone who gets a 22 could just be 1 question different. Maybe a mathematician in the forum could determine just how round this bell curve is.

Thanks!
Sesposi 🙂

 

[Lemming]

I think you hit the nail on the head. The DAT is a crapshoot. I scored an 18 in GC and that was in the 77th percentile. Whereas the standard score you list is a 20 and it is 80th percentile. That is crazy, and doesn't seem very "standardized" to me. Oh well, I guess its the hoop we all have to jump through🙂

 

[BirkChick]

I got a 19 in Bio, and it was listed as the 91st percentile...

 

[in her drawer]

I got a 19 in Bio, and it was listed as the 91st percentile...

I got a lower percentile than you with a higher bio score. I love these percentiles; they're so random. It's a good thing they mean nothing, since the schools don't get them.

 

[dontbam]

i took the DAT TWICE and for QR i got 19 on both tests but the funny thing is the first time I got 19 it was 82% and then the 2nd time it was 92%...hmmmmmmmmmmm

whether you do better than other people on the same test date doesn't matter because there's a certain amount of correct answers you need to get to get that higher score, this is what i'm lead to believe.

 

[sesposi]

I know that not everyone gets the same test. I think that the test percentages may depend on which version you get, as normalized against all the rest who have taken that particular version. In which case, these percentiles could make sense. Nevertheless, I think it's good to get an idea of how people measure up on an overall basis. After all, all of our scores fall in the same ranking system (1-30), in spite of how we sized up on a particular exam compared to others. Theoretically, the percentile rankings should match up between tests.

 

[H2OPOLODENT]

Check out this document, posted several times on this website. It gives percentile breakdowns for each section. The ADA probably updates the percentiles monthly or annually. The latest stats here are from 2004, but they probably stay within a close range year to year. It also gives data on performance by race and gender and statistical correlations between DAT scores and dental school performance.

http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/dat_usermanual.pdf

 

[sesposi]

Check out this document, posted several times on this website. It gives percentile breakdowns for each section. The ADA probably updates the percentiles monthly or annually. The latest stats here are from 2004, but they probably stay within a close range year to year. It also gives data on performance by race and gender and statistical correlations between DAT scores and dental school performance.

http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/dat_usermanual.pdf

Thanks for the sheet. Clearly a trend toward better scores, especially in the last 10 years. A 20 these days was probably like getting a 23-24 back in 1988.

 

[QuackDentist]

I got a
21 ts 94.9%
20 ts 90%
22 in Bio and was in the 97.2%.
21 in genchem and 91%.
21 in rc and 85%.
19 in ochem and 80%.
19 in qr and 88%.

don't bother with the pat... i sucked like no other in that.

 

[pine88]

nice link 👍

God, people actually got 1 and 2s! I wonder if their parents made them take it, or if they really just did that poorly. That would be horrible.

 

[in her drawer]

nice link 👍

God, people actually got 1 and 2s! I wonder if their parents made them take it, or if they really just did that poorly. That would be horrible.

I did not notice that. It seemed like it was 0 percent for all of the low scores. But then again, I didn't look very carefully.

 

[prez_al]

Thanks for the sheet. Clearly a trend toward better scores, especially in the last 10 years. A 20 these days was probably like getting a 23-24 back in 1988.

Keep in mind... with all the emphasis on the use of prep courses and books, not surprising the scores are even higher esp in the academic average and science areas.

 

[MoobDDS]

got a 21 in gchem and was around 75%. That's weird

 

[Dsmack]

I got a 24 in ochem and it was 99%ile
20 in RC was only 70%ile

It is different for every version of the test. Every test scores somewhat similarly.
For example I only missed two questions in Ochem and it was 24. I am sure that is going to be very close across the board.

 

[Mackchops]

That link shows there is a greater correlation between first year gpas and high DAT scores than with undergrad gpas. I may have to print that out and take it with me to interviews as tactical backup 🙂

 

[sesposi]

That link shows there is a greater correlation between first year gpas and high DAT scores than with undergrad gpas. I may have to print that out and take it with me to interviews as tactical backup 🙂

hear hear!

Sesposi