Retake the DAT?? :(

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futuretoothdoctor

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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 :p 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).
 
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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
 
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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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