Realistic DAT Goal?

[molecules05]

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I'll keep this concise: I have a 3.6 GPA and a 3.3 sGPA. I've accumulated quite a load of volunteer hours (~700 hours) and this includes working in 3 different research labs. I am the President of a competitive team on campus and have done very well at both State and Nationals. I'm also part of the Honors program on campus and I've shadowed 40 hours at a clinic where I've observed 3 dentists. I plan to do more shadowing as this year progresses.

I am taking my DAT at the end of this month. What's a score I should shoot for in order to remain competitive? I was thinking 23 or perhaps 24 since my GPA is not the greatest.

I think my application is pretty competitive, excluding the below average GPA. Thoughts?

I appreciate all input! Thanks, everyone.

 

[bing12]

I'll keep this concise: I have a 3.6 GPA and a 3.3 sGPA. I've accumulated quite a load of volunteer hours (~700 hours) and this includes working in 3 different research labs. I am the President of a competitive team on campus and have done very well at both State and Nationals. I'm also part of the Honors program on campus and I've shadowed 40 hours at a clinic where I've observed 3 dentists. I plan to do more shadowing as this year progresses.

I am taking my DAT at the end of this month. What's a score I should shoot for in order to remain competitive? I was thinking 23 or perhaps 24 since my GPA is not the greatest.

I think my application is pretty competitive, excluding the below average GPA. Thoughts?

I appreciate all input! Thanks, everyone.

you aim for a 30, but hope you dont fall short of a 19.

 

[molecules05]

you aim for a 30, but hope you dont fall short of a 19.

Word. 🙂

 

[terry gordy]

Yes, 99 percentile is a realistic goal.

 

[104]

you aim for a 30, but hope you dont fall short of a 19.

Haha, yeah aim high! with your stats so far if you do get a 23 or 24 that's like 98-99 percentile range you will be more than just competitive lol

good luck buddy let us know how you do

 

[sacapuntas]

Haha this post kind of made me laugh...Does shooting for a 23 or 24 help you be in the 99+ percentile? If so I will shoot for a 27!

Seriously though, you should probably realize you have next to no chance of getting a 23 or 24.

If you get a 19 or 20 with no sections below 17 you should have a chance. That is quite a bit above average, but should be a good score for you. Obviously set your goal higher, but don't feel bad when you don't get the 24.

 

[104]

Haha this post kind of made me laugh...Does shooting for a 23 or 24 help you be in the 99+ percentile? If so I will shoot for a 27!

Seriously though, you should probably realize you have next to no chance of getting a 23 or 24.

If you get a 19 or 20 with no sections below 17 you should have a chance. That is quite a bit above average, but should be a good score for you. Obviously set your goal higher, but don't feel bad when you don't get the 24.

Love the encouragement....

 

[bing12]

Love the encouragement....

you must be realistic sometimes, if you are expecting a 23/24, you are MOST likely to end up disappointed. Like I tell me gf : " have low expectations, because you will be far happier in life". if ur thinking why is she with me?...the answer is...ur guess is as good as mine 🙂

 

[Sunspear]

My goal going in was to get no score lower than a 20. Luckily I met my goal! I just committed myself to a month's worth of intense studying and **lots** of practice tests.

 

[sacapuntas]

Love the encouragement....

OK let me try again,


Go get'm sport! I know you have it in you to get a 24. Why not shoot higher? 26 will really help your app...go get'm tiger!

 

[molecules05]

I didn't mean to sound pretentious with my 23-24 goals! I apologize.

I have been lurking around this forum for about a month now and have noticed a TON of people with scores in the 22-23 range. I didn't realize that was the 99th percentile range.

But I do appreciate the input! Thanks, guys.

 

[sacapuntas]

I didn't mean to sound pretentious with my 23-24 goals! I apologize.

I have been lurking around this forum for about a month now and have noticed a TON of people with scores in the 22-23 range. I didn't realize that was the 99th percentile range.

But I do appreciate the input! Thanks, guys.

My apologies to you as well. You did nothing wrong.

SDN is not a good representation of people taking the test. Also, the ones who post their results usually did well, and some people flat out make #'s up and probably aren't even going to dental school.

19's and 20's are very good scores. Hopefully you get a 23 or 24, but if you get a 19 or 20 you will be in good shape.

 

[104]

OK let me try again,


Go get'm sport! I know you have it in you to get a 24. Why not shoot higher? 26 will really help your app...go get'm tiger!

haha there you

 

[104]

My apologies to you as well. You did nothing wrong.

SDN is not a good representation of people taking the test. Also, the ones who post their results usually did well, and some people flat out make #'s up and probably aren't even going to dental school.

19's and 20's are very good scores. Hopefully you get a 23 or 24, but if you get a 19 or 20 you will be in good shape.

Agreed! isnt the national average for taking the exam 17-18 and applying/getting in 18-19?

 

[molecules05]

My apologies to you as well. You did nothing wrong.

SDN is not a good representation of people taking the test. Also, the ones who post their results usually did well, and some people flat out make #'s up and probably aren't even going to dental school.

19's and 20's are very good scores. Hopefully you get a 23 or 24, but if you get a 19 or 20 you will be in good shape.

No worries.
I just didn't want to offend someone before I even reach my tenth post on this forum, so I was quick to apologize!

It takes a weight load off of me to know that the apocalypse doesn't knock at my door if I don't get a 23. Thanks again. 🙂

 

[Sunspear]

Yeah, especially because your GPA is pretty decent. The pressure was *on* for me to knock the DAT out of the park, because my GPA was a bit lower than yours. No matter what, though, study hard and do the best you can!

 

[molecules05]

Yeah, especially because your GPA is pretty decent. The pressure was *on* for me to knock the DAT out of the park, because my GPA was a bit lower than yours. No matter what, though, study hard and do the best you can!

Will do. 🙂

You definitely don't have to answer - but do you mind me asking what your DAT score was? Since SDN scores are often exaggerated/misrepresented, it would be nice to hear about legit scores.

 

[NTATD]

Will do. 🙂

You definitely don't have to answer - but do you mind me asking what your DAT score was? Since SDN scores are often exaggerated/misrepresented, it would be nice to hear about legit scores.

Look at class statistics on each school's webpage. Find schools where you are right around their numbers or over. It is a much better gauge than this place (I don't think I've seen normal scores since I've been here all 14's or 24's)

 

[Lane138]

Work hard and keep your hopes up!!!! It's entirely possible to raise your scores by a lot in a short amount of time (check out my dat breakdown)!

But I wouldn't put working in labs as volunteering though. Unpaid work is not the same as volunteering.

 

[glo1984]

With about 12k-14.5k taking the DAT, it's pretty daunting to bank on getting a 23/24 as that is ~99.7 percentile. While it's a lofty goal, just be ready to score 20 or better. When I took my test, I was shooting for 21/22+ and I was pleasantly surprised with my scores.

The problem with achieving really high scores is the way it's scaled. Some sections don't even score out at 30, miss one question and it's suddenly 24. You get the picture... The test can throw plenty of curve balls come day of so just try to be as prepared as possible. Good luck!

 

[Sunspear]

With about 12k-14.5k taking the DAT, it's pretty daunting to bank on getting a 23/24 as that is ~99.7 percentile. While it's a lofty goal, just be ready to score 20 or better. When I took my test, I was shooting for 21/22+ and I was pleasantly surprised with my scores.

The problem with achieving really high scores is the way it's scaled. Some sections don't even score out at 30, miss one question and it's suddenly 24. You get the picture... The test can throw plenty of curve balls come day of so just try to be as prepared as possible. Good luck!

Exactly. The nature of the scoring system is pretty ridiculous. I mean, one question wrong and you go from a 29 to a 24. How the heck they decide is beyond me.

 

[molecules05]

Work hard and keep your hopes up!!!! It's entirely possible to raise your scores by a lot in a short amount of time (check out my dat breakdown)!

But I wouldn't put working in labs as volunteering though. Unpaid work is not the same as volunteering.

Oh, I didn't realize there would be a major distinction between the two.

What does count as volunteering then? Should I list my work in labs as simply research experience? I figured unpaid work in a lab would count as volunteering...

 

[Lane138]

Oh, I didn't realize there would be a major distinction between the two.

What does count as volunteering then? Should I list my work in labs as simply research experience? I figured unpaid work in a lab would count as volunteering...

Yes. Volunteering is like activities such as tutoring, helping people or some sort, or helping run events/programs for free. But the AADSAS has a special section just for research, so that's where your lab time would go. (there's even a box to check "unpaid research."

 

[slm266]

Oh, I didn't realize there would be a major distinction between the two.

What does count as volunteering then? Should I list my work in labs as simply research experience? I figured unpaid work in a lab would count as volunteering...

Community service needs to serve the community, not a private dentist, a lab, a church congregation, etc...

Volunteering at a nonprofit clinic is community service (+ shadowing). Volunteering at a private practice is just shadowing/dental experience. Volunteering in a research lab is....research (generally).

 

[molecules05]

Yes. Volunteering is like activities such as tutoring, helping people or some sort, or helping run events/programs for free. But the AADSAS has a special section just for research, so that's where your lab time would go. (there's even a box to check "unpaid research."

Ah, gotcha.

What are your thoughts on applying to ASDOH? I figured the unpaid research hours would count as community service - but I understand your point on how it doesn't exactly count as that.

 

[molecules05]

I'm looking at the online app now and under the Research Experience section, the box you can check is quoted as "Volunteer - received no pay for participation" ...so, I guess it's considered as volunteer work by the ADA.

I do see the distinction between community service volunteering and research-based volunteering.

 

[dentalWorks]

I'll keep this concise: I have a 3.6 GPA and a 3.3 sGPA. I've accumulated quite a load of volunteer hours (~700 hours) and this includes working in 3 different research labs. I am the President of a competitive team on campus and have done very well at both State and Nationals. I'm also part of the Honors program on campus and I've shadowed 40 hours at a clinic where I've observed 3 dentists. I plan to do more shadowing as this year progresses.

I am taking my DAT at the end of this month. What's a score I should shoot for in order to remain competitive? I was thinking 23 or perhaps 24 since my GPA is not the greatest.

I think my application is pretty competitive, excluding the below average GPA. Thoughts?

I appreciate all input! Thanks, everyone.

I don't think people understand this basic concept: You CAN'T AIM FOR A SCORE, you can only study your ass off. You don't walk into Prometric and demand a 24, you study hard (very hard), and hope for the best.

So if you think you MUST have a 23 or 24, you just gotta buck up, prepare hard for a good 8-10 weeks and take the test.

 

[dentalWorks]

I'm looking at the online app now and under the Research Experience section, the box you can check is quoted as "Volunteer - received no pay for participation" ...so, I guess it's considered as volunteer work by the ADA.

I do see the distinction between community service volunteering and research-based volunteering.

IMO, volunteering is an activity where (yes you don't get paid for) your doing something to help out your community. I personally wouldn't put research volunteering in volunteering section, thats an EC/research activity.

 

[molecules05]

IMO, volunteering is an activity where (yes you don't get paid for) your doing something to help out your community. I personally wouldn't put research volunteering in volunteering section, thats an EC/research activity.

I agree - I put it in the Research Experience section and marked the Volunteer box.

I was just wondering if dental schools that value volunteer experience (like ASDOH) would consider both the traditional volunteer experience, i.e. the general consensus on what counts as community service, in addition to research-based volunteer experience.

Perhaps I should just call and ask. 🙂

 

[dentalWorks]

I agree - I put it in the Research Experience section and marked the Volunteer box.

I was just wondering if dental schools that value volunteer experience (like ASDOH) would consider both the traditional volunteer experience, i.e. the general consensus on what counts as community service, in addition to research-based volunteer experience.

Perhaps I should just call and ask. 🙂

👍

 

[wizi]

I didn't mean to sound pretentious with my 23-24 goals! I apologize.

I have been lurking around this forum for about a month now and have noticed a TON of people with scores in the 22-23 range. I didn't realize that was the 99th percentile range.

But I do appreciate the input! Thanks, guys.

If you have been here long enough, there are NOT a ton of people who get those scores. There are only A FEW that score 23, 24 (hopefully, you know what 99% percentile mean )

Within those people: some may be lying, some may be from the "investors..." etc...

My point is that: if you want to aim high, please do. Aiming for 30 or something but don't be disappointed when you don't score high.

 

[dentalWorks]

If you have been here long enough, there are NOT a ton of people who get those scores. There are only A FEW that score 23, 24 (hopefully, you know what 99% percentile mean )

Within those people: some might be lying, some might be from the "investors..." etc...

My point is that: if you want to aim high, please do. Aiming for 30 or something but don't be disappointed when you don't score high.

LOL, the funny thing about SDN is, the people who score well-to-very-well post their scores. Those who do average, don't.

For every 99th percentile score reported on SDN, there are other 99 individuals with average scores whom don't report