Retake?

[jmhassen]

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Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting on here, so bear with me! I took the DAT yesterday and received decent scores.

PAT: 18
QR: 16 (YIKES!)
RC: 25
BIO: 15 ;(
GC: 19
OC: 19
TS: 18
AA: 19

My bio was fairly low and am not sure if I should retake the test because of it? I didn't have much time to study the bio, but I have gotten A's or high B's in all of my bio courses in college. Not sure if that would balance out? The QR was shockingly hard. I am really good at math and practiced for this section so it should have been higher. During practice exams for PAT i would come close to 22/23 every time, but during the actual test, I ran out of time ;( not sure how that happened.

My GPA is 3.5 and Science GPA is around 3.1-3.0 , should I retake the DAT to get into schools such as Midwestern (IL), IU, SIU, Creighton, Marquette, and Ohio?

Thanks in advacne

 

[super frank]

15 in Bio will probably force you to retake.

 

[OnlyIfICouldTurnBackTime]

your AA is quite good, indeed, especially with that 25 RC (gj!). But i think the bio score can bite back.

Your sGPA isn't competitively high (mine either), so you may as well wanna aim for higher TS scores on dat.

Are you applying this cycle? I would call each school to ask about the bio section; they apparently won't reply back if you 'email' such inquiries.

Do retake if you wish to devote more time into it.

Sent from my SM-N910V using SDN mobile

 

[Mrhyde]

What did you use to study Biology ? and what did you see on the test that threw you off on biology ? Where you just seeing things that you never thought of studying?

 

[jmhassen]

What did you use to study Biology ? and what did you see on the test that threw you off on biology ? Where you just seeing things that you never thought of studying?

I used the notes from DAT bootcamp that was an amazing overview. There were some things I have just never heard of ( can't think of any off the top of my head). The DAT bootcamp notes were phenomenal, I just was crammed for time and didn't review bio as much as I should have. I was more worried about my chem scores since those are classes I tend to struggle in. I have a strong application besides my DAT score and my science gpa could be slightly higher, but will be better after my summer classes are submitted.

I just don't know where exactly I would stand in comparison to other applicants since everyone who posts on here has super high scores and rarely post lower scores. My #1 school i want to get into is Midwestern (IL).

 

[WheatLom]

I would say retake. That bio score is not going to look well especially with all the biology Dental school will entail. Also, with a QR of 16 while it is not as important, 2 scores below an 18 isn't ideal. Plus, a retake could improve all your scores.

Amazing reading score though, I don't know if that can help overshadow things. As reading is crucial for biology in my opinion.

 

[Mrhyde]

I used the notes from DAT bootcamp that was an amazing overview. There were some things I have just never heard of ( can't think of any off the top of my head). The DAT bootcamp notes were phenomenal, I just was crammed for time and didn't review bio as much as I should have. I was more worried about my chem scores since those are classes I tend to struggle in. I have a strong application besides my DAT score and my science gpa could be slightly higher, but will be better after my summer classes are submitted.

I just don't know where exactly I would stand in comparison to other applicants since everyone who posts on here has super high scores and rarely post lower scores. My #1 school i want to get into is Midwestern (IL).

- How long did you study?

- And from my understanding of what you just wrote are you saying that you only used DAT Bootcamp to study biology by reading there explanations? like you did not use Destroyer or any other books like cliffs or Ty Jacobs etc. to study biology?

- The biology section is a really important section that is important to score high in. The sections that someone could afford to score low in are only QR and perhaps PAT . In my opinion, the scores on SDN are super high, like you said but that does not take away from the fact that a 15 bio is irregular and not average. I would call schools and ask about the 15 bio. You told me the school you want to get into but you do realize you need to apply to at least 7 schools, especially if you have an unusual DAT in order to avoid a gap year which would happen if you only apply to 1 or 2 schools and by some bad luck the 1 or 2 you applied to dont accept you. On the bright side though, you need to research a lot and make some phone calls to schools because I remember reading some where that some schools completely dropped there minimum DAT requirements. Which I assume would mean you have a shot if you are well balanced in other areas. But if anything I would think ( I could be wrong ) with an unusual Bio score like yours, you would be better off applying the 1st batch in June vs now which is more competitive in order to have the best shot at getting in without having to retake the exam. I am not sure, this is just my opinion. I obviously wish you the best of luck.

 

[Charles_Darwin]

Regardless of what notes you used that is too low of a bio score 🙁 I suggest retaking. Look through everyone's breakdowns and see what worked for them and apply that to your dat next time around

 

[WheatLom]

I could add this is how I studied for bio. I got a 22 on it, so id say it worked out for me. Example type schedule.

Day 0 - No studying here (only on day 0) , Watch bozeman science videos on topic you wish to study the next day. Maybe add a second source. goal here is to get a general idea and light overview.
Day 1- Study in depth the topic you watched videos on the day before. At night watch videos on what you want to cover the next day.
Day 2- Study in depth what you looked at the night before, and light overview of day before. At night watch videos again.

Repeat day 1 and 2 schedule. This will give repetition over time, and you can do maybe 2 subjects at a time, maybe 1 if it is very detailed.

 

[LuckBloodandSweat]

That 15 in bio hurts 🙁. Awesome RC though! I recommend a retake; it will be painful but you'll be ready to dominate after having gone through this once already!

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Regardless of what notes you used that is too low of a bio score 🙁 I suggest retaking. Look through everyone's breakdowns and see what worked for them and apply that to your dat next time around

Agreed! I have never personally been involved with a student who got in with a 15 in Bio in recent years. I like to see at least an 18 in the science sections.

Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting on here, so bear with me! I took the DAT yesterday and received decent scores.

PAT: 18
QR: 16 (YIKES!)
RC: 25
BIO: 15 ;(
GC: 19
OC: 19
TS: 18
AA: 19

My bio was fairly low and am not sure if I should retake the test because of it? I didn't have much time to study the bio, but I have gotten A's or high B's in all of my bio courses in college. Not sure if that would balance out? The QR was shockingly hard. I am really good at math and practiced for this section so it should have been higher. During practice exams for PAT i would come close to 22/23 every time, but during the actual test, I ran out of time ;( not sure how that happened.

My GPA is 3.5 and Science GPA is around 3.1-3.0 , should I retake the DAT to get into schools such as Midwestern (IL), IU, SIU, Creighton, Marquette, and Ohio?

Thanks in advacne

I would definitely contact the dental schools you mentioned above but IMO you are going to have to retake the DAT. That 15 is very damaging. 16 in QR is not a big deal, and your other scores are great,especially that 25 in reading.

If you decide to retake and want some advice feel free to pm me.

Take care..Nancy

 

[jmhassen]

Thank you everyone for your advice! I was on a time crunch for the DAT since I was taking a full semester of science classes this summer. I only had 3 weeks to prepare, so I did the best I could. I am applying to 15 dental schools of wide variety. That has always been my plan, my favorite is Midwestern though! I know if I spend more time on Bio, I would be able to get above a 20. I just didn't have the time this time. I was looking at the Feralis notes and when it came time for the actual DAT, there were questions that I saw that were IDENTICAL to the feralis notes, I just couldn't remember the exact answer which was upsetting. I am going to apply with these scores now and see what happens. I have to wait 3 months anyway before being able to take the test again anyway. Im hoping my bio grades (since i have a ton) can possibly make up for the 15 for this application round. I am always willing to take a gap year in order to better prepare myself for dental school as well. Thanks for all the advice