Retake advice for Canadian applicant

[Roc Marciano]

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Hello,

I scored 21AA/21PAT on my first DAT attempt and 21AA/22PAT on the second. My province's school (UBC) looks at the overall grade so I went from 21 to 21.5. Since I have a below average GPA (84.6%), I'm slightly below average for both DAT and GPA. The most recent entrance statistics for interviewed applicants is 22.1 DAT and 85.65% (http://www.dentistry.ubc.ca/files/2017/09/EntranceStatistics-DMD-2017.pdf)

DAT+GPA+CASPer is all that they look at so references and ECs can't make up the gap. What should my next steps be? I've already taken 24 extra credits of classes to boost my GPA so anymore won't make much of a difference. Should I take the DAT a third time? If I do I'll take the American DAT because the cDAT is only available two times a year and has a long waiting period for the results... I'll take two extra sections over that. Is the American DAT more difficult or any easier? The Canadian scale seems pretty harsh, idk if the American is the same way.. For example we get a scale and last time I took it 10 people got 26-27AA but 0 got 28-30. And 0 people got >24 on PAT. Haven't got the scale for the most recent test yet but it seems like cap they scores off lower than they should.

And lastly, am I any better off applying internationally? I wouldn't be opposed to Australia because their program is equivalent to the Canadian one, but I have no idea about the competitiveness

 

[tpmoc]

I wrote the exam this February as well and got 21AA and 24PAT but I am planning to retake it in US. I've heard that American DAT is a bit easier. Bc the American DAT is computerized, all my friends who wrote both exams said they found themselves quicker on RC and PAT, and test writers get 60 minutes on the RC section. Most of them also said that Bio section was more straightforward. Anyways, the best thing would be improving your DAT score as much as you can to cushion your possible poor performance on CASPER. So yeah, I recommend retaking it in US and you can write the exam basically whenever you want unlike in Canada where it's held only in February and November. Also, I personally think getting the results right after is the best thing about the American DAT...

 

[tiper15]

I heard the Feb DAT wasn't as bad as the Nov one at least.
I would say the American DAT is definitely easier, at least for PAT and RC (though I heard RC for Feb was a lot less challenging than the Nov one, so idk if it still is like that).
Theres more calculations in the chem part (barely, if anything its only slightly harder) and bio tbh is around the same as the canadian one. You have to remember there are two added sections (OC and QR). Now, this could actually help you if you do well in one of them and it can boost your AA (I got a 29 in OC and it defs helped my AA to 22 because I also got a 20 in BIO). In my opinion, they arent actually that bad. the only kinda black box i found was OC since everyone teachese OC differently in each university, and I only used my own study notes and practice tests to study for it. QR is just practice; youll see the same questions pop up over and over and you just need to learn how to do them really + basic function knowledge.
Imo, the computerized version of the DAT was easier to do simply because all my practice tests were also on a computer, so you are more used to it. Also, again this is personal preference, when you write the american one in canada, mine was done in isolated-ish cubicles and you were given noise cancelling headphoens and earplugs to use if you wanted to. The people areound you arent necessarily writing the DAT with you; a girl I talked to before was doing her OAT. So its a lot less stressful imo since i remember when i did the canadian one i got super stressed from hearing people flip pages faster than I was :')
If you want to apply internationally, US, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand all have pacts w/ Canada that graduating dentists only need to get licensed in Canada to practice and don't have to do the 2 year foreign trained dentist program.

 

[Roc Marciano]

I wrote the exam this February as well and got 21AA and 24PAT but I am planning to retake it in US. I've heard that American DAT is a bit easier. Bc the American DAT is computerized, all my friends who wrote both exams said they found themselves quicker on RC and PAT, and test writers get 60 minutes on the RC section. Most of them also said that Bio section was more straightforward. Anyways, the best thing would be improving your DAT score as much as you can to cushion your possible poor performance on CASPER. So yeah, I recommend retaking it in US and you can write the exam basically whenever you want unlike in Canada where it's held only in February and November. Also, I personally think getting the results right after is the best thing about the American DAT...

I heard the Feb DAT wasn't as bad as the Nov one at least.
I would say the American DAT is definitely easier, at least for PAT and RC (though I heard RC for Feb was a lot less challenging than the Nov one, so idk if it still is like that).
Theres more calculations in the chem part (barely, if anything its only slightly harder) and bio tbh is around the same as the canadian one. You have to remember there are two added sections (OC and QR). Now, this could actually help you if you do well in one of them and it can boost your AA (I got a 29 in OC and it defs helped my AA to 22 because I also got a 20 in BIO). In my opinion, they arent actually that bad. the only kinda black box i found was OC since everyone teachese OC differently in each university, and I only used my own study notes and practice tests to study for it. QR is just practice; youll see the same questions pop up over and over and you just need to learn how to do them really + basic function knowledge.
Imo, the computerized version of the DAT was easier to do simply because all my practice tests were also on a computer, so you are more used to it. Also, again this is personal preference, when you write the american one in canada, mine was done in isolated-ish cubicles and you were given noise cancelling headphoens and earplugs to use if you wanted to. The people areound you arent necessarily writing the DAT with you; a girl I talked to before was doing her OAT. So its a lot less stressful imo since i remember when i did the canadian one i got super stressed from hearing people flip pages faster than I was :')
If you want to apply internationally, US, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand all have pacts w/ Canada that graduating dentists only need to get licensed in Canada to practice and don't have to do the 2 year foreign trained dentist program.

Thanks guys that was very thorough. Wanted to avoid writing a 3rd time but I'll give it a shot and go for the American before I consider international schools. It seems like the American plays to my strengths and preferences based on what you guys have said and what I've heard. I just don't know if UBC considers OC and QR or ignores them because they won't disclose that. I'll just play it safe and study hard for those sections.

btw Nov RC was very difficult imo and Feb RC was one of the easiest I've came across. But I still went from 20 in Nov to 18 in Feb lol. Never really know with the scaling.