Retake the DAT?? :(

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"everyone" has not been doing great on the DAT, just the people on SDN, and they're a bunch of nerds 😛 Your DAT is great - average accepted is 19 so you've got a very got shot at some interviews. If I were you, I would apply (assuming your GPA and ECs are good, you'll def. get interviews).
 
Hi everyone,

I'm new to SDN, but have been looking at the forums for DAT advice throughout the period I was studying. I must say, everyone has been doing great on the DAT this year 🙂

I myself, however, recently look the DAT and found myself a little disappointed.

Here is what I got:

20 AA
20 TS
20 Bio
19 OC
19 GC
23 RC
20 QR (knew I could've done better with a little more time. couldn't go back and review things I marked)
18 PAT

I have a 3.7 GPA and good ECs.

I know that if I had the time to study more thoroughly, I would have done better. It was hard, though, because I juggle a lot of other things, including summer school, applying, and responsibilities at home. I don't know if I'll be competitive enough with this score 🙁 My dilemma lies in the fact that I don't want to spend another $430 when apps have been so expensive. And spend more money on prep materials (they're not cheap at all). I also wouldn't be able to retest again until the end of October anyway and I think that would be too late for a lot of schools... 🙁 Not for all though. But, honestly, if I were to retake, I don't know what I'd do differently. I was honestly very surprised with my GC and OC scores. I found the official a little easier than my practice tests and answered everything pretty confidently. I was only unsure on ~3-4 questions per section. Another thing is that I barely passed the PAT and I don't want to do worse on it the next time...I feel like sometimes I just get lucky with it, no matter how much I prepare. And some schools only count your latest exam. I don't know how lucky I would be on a retest. Of course if I were to retake, I would study more. But angle ranking is the absolute worst. 🙁

Any advice??
You scores and GPA are great and you should be ok with a lot of dental schools. How did you prepare and any words of wisdom.

Nancy
 
You can go read my breakdown if you want. I made a 20 AA and 20 TS. I don't think you should worry about retaking at all! Remember, your DAT score, while it is important, does NOT define you as a person or how well you will do as a dentist! You should be proud of yourself!
 
As someone who got a 20 before, trust me when I say it's not bad. 🙂. (I know I sound like a hypocrite but I don't have the stellar GPA a lot of you guys have so to me it was a way to compensate)
 
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