Retake DAT?

[futuredds3]

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My GPA is a 3.97 and I scored a 19AA, 19 PAT, 21TS with nothing below a 17. Should I retake the DAT? If I retake I will only study for two months when the winter semester finishes and retake early July. Does my GPA outweigh it or should I be on the safe side and try to aim for 20+?

 

[artist2022]

With a high GPA and an about average DAT score, it will seem like grade inflation to adcoms (it was easier to get an A in your courses than compared to other schools). With enough ECs, a great PS, and excellent LORs, I think your best course of action would be to apply right when the cycle opens and simultaneously plan for a retake mid- to late-summer ish. Aim for 21/22+ (~20 is the average for accepted applicants).

 

[futuredds3]

With a high GPA and an about average DAT score, it will seem like grade inflation to adcoms (it was easier to get an A in your courses than compared to other schools). With enough ECs, a great PS, and excellent LORs, I think your best course of action would be to apply right when the cycle opens and simultaneously plan for a retake mid- to late-summer ish. Aim for 21/22+ (~20 is the average for accepted applicants).

Thank you for the reply! I appreciate your time and advice. I do anticipate on retaking. However, I’m not worried about grade inflation because I want to stay in state and my university has a good reputation and the dental schools in state know that it is far from easy to just obtain As at the university I currently attend. Also my sciences are high so it’s not really grade inflation when the main reason I averaged 19 was because math and reading were a 17. For example, 4.0 in orgo and 24 on the orgo section make sense there is not really grade inflation. I study hard to maintain a high GPA and believe it is a strong indicator of my potential in dental school, and strongly disagree that a standardized test contradicts that.