From what i gather PAT is the one section that alone can wreck your chances for admission.
😱
Because scores are reported as Acad. Avg/PAT
As far as PAT use when your in practice, yes i do think it is pretty vital. I shadowed a dentist who uses the Cerec system which is a 3D CAD/CAM system that mills restorations on site and you have to design your own restoration. This involved spatial manipulation and alteration of an image of the tooth. Also pat is very important for matching tooth surface anatomy, anyone can just drop some restorative in a drilled out hole, the art comes in with your PAT skills. 🙂