Retake DAT?

[Videl.Megami]

---

Members do not see this ad.

My DAT Scores:

Bio: 20
G. Chem: 20
O. Chem 23
PAT: 19
RC: 19
QR: 26
TS: 21
AA: 22 (inflated by QR...which is sadly the least important section T.T)

I'm not too particularly worried about my RC score, but I'm sort of scared about my PAT since many school's averages for PAT is 20.

By the time I send in my app, my GPA should probably be around:
Overall: 3.70
BCP GPA should be about 3.5
Science GPA: 3.55

I have 70 hours of shadowing already and aim to get around 150. My extracurriculars are average.

Should I retake if I want to have a bigger chance getting into UCSF or UCLA?

 

[customx]

If you apply broadly, early, and get some good LOR then I don't see any reason why you should take it again. I got a 19 on my PAT as well, which was my lowest score, but on all my practice tests PAT was my best section. I was averaging about 22-23 on Crack DAT PAT. It was disappointing to get a 19, but I'm not about to take the test again and my AA and TS are very similar to yours. Any time you retake the exam, it's expected that you will improve across the board in all sections, which is something else you may want to consider, but IMO you are totally fine. Great scores!

 

[Minion]

My scores are similar to yours except my QR is lower and pat is a 17. If one score is bad, then it's not too bad.

 

[Member 6236]

Your scores are great! My friend just got into UCLA this cycle with a 19 in RC! That and PAT is no big deal. Your AA is too high to risk a retake imo.

 

[emitpeels]

Could you give some advice on the QR section?

 

[customx]

Could you give some advice on the QR section?

Memorize the equations at the beginning of Math Destroyer. Memorize the unit circle. Watch this to help with trig identities:
I know on my QR section I needed to use the unit circle and trig, so learning both of those proved invaluable. After you memorize the equations, practice the Math Destroyer tests 1-8. Time yourself and make sure you finish within the time limit. I would do 1-2 tests per day starting about 2 weeks before my DAT. The tests would take me 2 hours initially, but with practice I had time to spare and was getting 30-32/40 correct, which led me to scoring a 22 on the QR. I haven't taken a math class in 13 years, so getting a good QR score can be done with enough practice. Good luck

 

[Videl.Megami]

Could you give some advice on the QR section?

Hahaha, yeah sure. Although I'm not too sure how much I can help. For me, QR section was naturally the easiest because math has always been my best subject. But as far as getting your skills and timing down pat, I would suggest going through all of Math Destroyer (probably here, don't worry so much about getting all the questions done in time a getting all the questions correctly since they are much harder - and thus require much longer time - than the real questions on DAT). And then to practice your timing, I would recommend using the math tests on Crack the DAT and DAT Bootcamp. Maybe QVault too but I think QVault is probably a tad bit easier than the real one...not too sure on that. But I mean Crack the DAT Math itself should be more than enough since it provides 25 tests already. Good luck!

 

[paymaant]

Your scores look solid. Don't feel discouraged over your PAT!

 

[kingenamel]

Scores look great, good luck!

 

[Glimmer1991]

NO! Don't retake! You know that if their average PAT score is 20, then people are getting above and BELOW that, right? Congrats on being done. 🙂

 

[Dotoday]

Custumx, thanks for the tip. However, is memorizing enough? I mean do you need to understand more of it to watch out for any tricks?

 

[Videl.Megami]

Custumx, thanks for the tip. However, is memorizing enough? I mean do you need to understand more of it to watch out for any tricks?

Hope you don't mind me answering this one Custumx...

Anyways, in my opinion no, you don't really need to understand it. Memorizing is more than enough. Personally, I think the best way for you to gauge how much you need to still memorize or understand is to do the Math tests on Datbootcamp, QVault, or in my opinion, the best one: Crack the DAT Math.