retake DAT? (another one, sorry)

[disdandoon]

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Please help!

I'm really at a loss of what to do and need to make a decision soon. I applied last year in November (late I KNOW) so got rejected everywhere and no real feedback on how competitive I am.

I have been out of school for a year and started studying for the DAT again about 2 months ago so far I'm getting like 18's AA/TS and 22's PAT on the kaplan practice tests.

I have over 1200 hours working/volunteering/shadowing at a dental office.
Minimal community service work and I had a baby the summer before my last year of school (that kept me really busy).

I was thinking about taking the DAT august 6th. So about 3 more weeks of intense study.

So any suggestions of IF I should retake the DAT would be greatly appreciated.

Also, If indeed I should retake it, how is the timing of my proposed date for taking the test?

My stats:

DAT 7/08 Scores:
TS:20 AA:20 PAT:18
BIO:19
GEN CHEM:20
ORG CHEM:25
PAT:18
QR:17
RC:17

AADSAS GPA's:
Junior college 1: 30 hours. 3.42 GPA
Junior college 2: 70 hours. 2.13 GPA
CA State Uni: 64 hours 3.77

Inc +- w/o +-
BCP: 2.89 2.93
Science 2.83 2.86
Non-Science 3.53 3.53
Total 2.99 3.01

Graduated first in my class because CSU only count residential units toward GPA which was 3.9 (discrepancy w/ AADSAS b/c of an incomplete grade that was retaken).

 

[sfrice80]

Everything looks good except for reading comp, which Im hearing people are getting rejected from indiana right off the bat for a 17 RC. Your pat is a little low too. Im seeing your scores and wondering how you got a 20 AA? You had 3 sections below a 20, one at a 20 and a 25, which is only like 4 more correct from a 20, weird!

The problem is your low sections and your gpa. Low sections are usually more forgivable if you have a single one and if your gpa can compensate. Its a tough call but an August 6th DAT isnt that bad. I would say re-take but thats just my opinion.

 

[Kneecoal]

just something to note quickly - everyone says kaplan's pat is much easier than the real thing - maybe invest in some cdp?

 

[flampard]

sorry, but i think U should retake the DATs, Ur Gpa is pretty low for those DAt scores. study hard and take it in august or anytime that u r really ready. if ur application is not fully complete by the end of the august, chance of acceptance is really low. Good luck

 

[nze82]

Please help!

I'm really at a loss of what to do and need to make a decision soon. I applied last year in November (late I KNOW) so got rejected everywhere and no real feedback on how competitive I am.

I have been out of school for a year and started studying for the DAT again about 2 months ago so far I'm getting like 18's AA/TS and 22's PAT on the kaplan practice tests.
Like the other poster mentioned, KAPLAN's PAT scores will not be representative of your performance on the real exam. I suggest you take advantage of other resources such as CDP, in order to make sure that 22 is a realistic representation of your perceptual abilities.
I have over 1200 hours working/volunteering/shadowing at a dental office.
Minimal community service work and I had a baby the summer before my last year of school (that kept me really busy).
1200 hours of experience is great! But it won't help you unless you demonstrate a decent academic performance.
I was thinking about taking the DAT august 6th. So about 3 more weeks of intense study.

So any suggestions of IF I should retake the DAT would be greatly appreciated.

Also, If indeed I should retake it, how is the timing of my proposed date for taking the test?

My stats:

DAT 7/08 Scores:
TS:20 AA:20 PAT:18
BIO:19
GEN CHEM:20
ORG CHEM:25
PAT:18
QR:17
RC:17
These scores aren't bad at all. What will get you in trouble though is your RC score (This is specially true, if English is not your primary language, because they will scrutinize your RC score as a representation of how well you can read and comprehend a text that's written in English). Should you decide to take the DAT you must be 100% confident that you won't jeopardize your science scores. At the same time you MUST improve that RC, and perhaps work on your PAT score as well.
AADSAS GPA's:
Junior college 1: 30 hours. 3.42 GPA
Junior college 2: 70 hours. 2.13 GPA
CA State Uni: 64 hours 3.77

Inc +- w/o +-
BCP: 2.89 2.93
Science 2.83 2.86
Non-Science 3.53 3.53
Total 2.99 3.01

Graduated first in my class because CSU only count residential units toward GPA which was 3.9 (discrepancy w/ AADSAS b/c of an incomplete grade that was retaken).

You must face the fact that you have a low GPA. Therefore, in order to redeem yourself you must do very well on your DAT. You mentioned that you're planing on 3 weeks of intense studying. However, here's what you need to keep in mind: Planing isn't always equal to doing! Considering your busy lifestyle with the baby and everything, are you confident that 3 weeks of "intense" studying will allow you to improve those scores?
Judging by your current KAPLAN scores, you have some more studying to do. Personally, if in the future weeks, your KAPLAN scores don't go up to 20+ I don't think it would be a good idea to retake, because you'll risk your science scores, which are already quite decent.

Good Luck

 

[dentalmon]

y everyone saying you should retake DAT.. i thought 20 AA is very good ..rite?.. i thought the problem is that your gpa is low and you applied late... you should do pos bac or master

 

[nze82]

y everyone saying you should retake DAT.. i thought 20 AA is very good ..rite?.. i thought the problem is that your gpa is low and you applied late... you should do pos bac or master

AA:20 is a competitive score, provided that none of your individual scores are too low. The OP, on the other hand, has two scores of 17, one of which is RC that turns out to be an important score. Also, his PAT score is about average. He could have gotten away with this if he had a higher GPA, which unfortunately he doesn't!

 

[disdandoon]

Thanks for all your help.
I think I'm getting much closer to a definite decision.


btw nze82 I'm a she