Scoring the DAT

[dentalguy]

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Couple of questions,

1. How do they score the DAT, I know its out of 30 but for example in the chem section, there are 30 questions.....does 17 out of 30 mean 17 in chem.....

2. Also I took a practice exam today through Kaplan.....

AA15
Bio 16
Chem 15
o Chem 15
PAT 19
RC 17
QR 13 (ugh)

Ok so in a week im taking the *##^* DAT again and to be honest I was pretty bummed .....does anyone on here see this as a bad sign or am i ok?

 

[dexadental]

Can I ask, why are you taking the DAT so soon? If you truly don't feel like you are satisfied with yourself going into the test, just wait!!! I'm taking it this May and have been practicing out the arse with Kaplan (I'm a firm believer in practice makes perfect). Just continue to plow through practice tests, watch tutorials, and do the Kaplan flashcards, they are so great! My advice, take the test when you feel fully confident and prepared. I would have taken it sooner but these classes this semester are hard and May just seems right to me...

As for the test, I know the test is easier and harder during different times it is administered, for example one week it could have easy questions in some sections, and hard on the other...but it is all weighted and curved accordingly, atleast to my information. To be honest, I'm not at all so sure about this, just stuff my teach told me...good luck, and just wait until you're fully prepared!

 

[Sprgrover]

First off, don't be bummed - as cheeky as this may sound it is very important to maintain a positive attitude and furthermore, take the exam when you are ready. Overall those scores are a bit low, but they are just practice scores and generally people tend to do better on the real deal than on a practice exam. In regards to your practice PAT score, expect it to decrease by 3 points on the real thing - it's one of those crazy rules that seems to hold true to almost everyone, including myself.

As far as scoring is concerned, the DAT's scores are not a direct correllation to the number of questions you missed. For example, you could miss ten questions and end up with a 15 or miss one and get a 27. I found the score conversion chart in Kaplan's blue book to be particularly helpful and believe it to be the best representation of the DAT's scoring system. Best of luck! 👍

 

[DB#1]

Couple of questions,

1. How do they score the DAT, I know its out of 30 but for example in the chem section, there are 30 questions.....does 17 out of 30 mean 17 in chem.....

Scoring the DAT is just like any other standarized test, they do it by percetile rank. The computer can tell from the difficulty or level of the questions and the test you have. With this difficulty level consideration in mind you will be compared as if 100 other people took the same test (for simplicity I use a 100) If you score better than 73 people say on Biology, then you are in the 73rd percentile and you deserve a 17, for example. But the 73rd in Reading Comp. might give you a DAT score of 20!
Every section has its own difficulty and calculations, so for example, even if you get the same number of questions right on O.Chem and G.Chem, it doesn't mean that you will have the same score, it all depends on how many other people your score beat if they were to take the same test...

Hope that helps 🙁 probably confused you, let me know if you need anymore explanations.

 

[dentalguy]

no it didn't confuse me at all.......im in kind of a bind.....some of the dental schools want me to take this again on the 18th.....ive interviewed at one place and they want me to take it again to try and get accepted during this cycle....i feel like i know more than the test says i know.....i know its an important admissions tool but it just sucks 🙁



However i will stay positive as i go into this 🙂

 

[miko22]

I was just wondering what you made on the DAT the first time? So you are taking the test Jan 18th? Good luck.