Should I retake my DAT? Seeking advice

[msdental95]

I took my DAT a week ago.
My GPA is 3.5. (I had a rough start, but I've been maintaining very good grades the last couple of quarters and hoping my GPA will be higher by the time I graduate).
PA: 20, QR: 21, RC: 19, Bio: 17, GC: 18, OC: 19
TS: 18 AA: 19

I was scoring similarly on my Bootcamp practice tests, and I thought I would score a bit higher on the real thing. That was not the case for me! I was wondering if I should retake? I invested my whole summer studying for the DAT.

Also, if I should retake it, should I study over my three-week winter break and retake it during January? (Need to wait 90 days to retake)
I'm applying next cycle in 2022. I'm wondering if I should wait until the summer of next year, but I wanted to submit my application early (June 1st). I'm not sure how that works.

Also, for those of you who did retake it, did you pay for BootCamp again? Should I try booster next?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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[Cookie_nibbler]

I think your scores will be fine. Dont beat yourself up about those scores, their actually really good!!!! I would apply especially that your gpa is high. I received an interview this cycle and my DAT scores were as followed:
Gen chem: 20
Orgo:21
Bio:15 (yeah I know I panicked during the exam ahahahahaha)
PAT: 19
Reading: 18
Math:18
AA:18
TS:18

Numbers aren't everything and I know that. Make sure you have a ton of experiences and make sure you make your app as perfect as possible! Message me for any help you might need!

 

[artist2022]

I took my DAT a week ago.
My GPA is 3.5. (I had a rough start, but I've been maintaining very good grades the last couple of quarters and hoping my GPA will be higher by the time I graduate).
PA: 20, QR: 21, RC: 19, Bio: 17, GC: 18, OC: 19
TS: 18 AA: 19

I was scoring similarly on my Bootcamp practice tests, and I thought I would score a bit higher on the real thing. That was not the case for me! I was wondering if I should retake? I invested my whole summer studying for the DAT.

Also, if I should retake it, should I study over my three-week winter break and retake it during January? (Need to wait 90 days to retake)
I'm applying next cycle in 2022. I'm wondering if I should wait until the summer of next year, but I wanted to submit my application early (June 1st). I'm not sure how that works.

Also, for those of you who did retake it, did you pay for BootCamp again? Should I try booster next?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I moved your thread to the DAT forum.
Short answer: I would retake. A higher score would give you a better shot and make you a competitive applicant.

As for when to study, that depends on you. I think you should maybe analyze what happened, what your weaknesses were, etc. With this attempt already on your "record", you really want to improve. Submitting early is definitely a positive if you can do it, so I would not try to wait until summer to take it.

In terms of what to use, I would read through the "retake success stories" section I made at the end of this post: Compilation - DAT Breakdown Collection! 2018-Present

These are just my 2 cents. Some people might suggest applying and seeing how the cycle goes, and others might have had success with similar stats, but every applicant is different with different things on their apps, and a better score will only help you. Ultimately it's your choice and only you know yourself and your application the best!

 

[msdental95]

I think your scores will be fine. Dont beat yourself up about those scores, their actually really good!!!! I would apply especially that your gpa is high. I received an interview this cycle and my DAT scores were as followed:
Gen chem: 20
Orgo:21
Bio:15 (yeah I know I panicked during the exam ahahahahaha)
PAT: 19
Reading: 18
Math:18
AA:18
TS:18

Numbers aren't everything and I know that. Make sure you have a ton of experiences and make sure you make your app as perfect as possible! Message me for any help you might need!

Congratulations on your interview! I hope your interview(s) go well.

Thanks for the input!

 

[msdental95]

I moved your thread to the DAT forum.
Short answer: I would retake. A higher score would give you a better shot and make you a competitive applicant.

As for when to study, that depends on you. I think you should maybe analyze what happened, what your weaknesses were, etc. With this attempt already on your "record", you really want to improve. Submitting early is definitely a positive if you can do it, so I would not try to wait until summer to take it.

In terms of what to use, I would read through the "retake success stories" section I made at the end of this post: Compilation - DAT Breakdown Collection! 2018-Present

These are just my 2 cents. Some people might suggest applying and seeing how the cycle goes, and others might have had success with similar stats, but every applicant is different with different things on their apps, and a better score will only help you. Ultimately it's your choice and only you know yourself and your application the best!

Hello fellow Bruin!
Wow, thank you for the link and information. I'm looking into it as we speak. I think I will really consider retaking it. Thank you so much!

 

[Rambunctious]

I took my DAT a week ago.
My GPA is 3.5. (I had a rough start, but I've been maintaining very good grades the last couple of quarters and hoping my GPA will be higher by the time I graduate).
PA: 20, QR: 21, RC: 19, Bio: 17, GC: 18, OC: 19
TS: 18 AA: 19

I was scoring similarly on my Bootcamp practice tests, and I thought I would score a bit higher on the real thing. That was not the case for me! I was wondering if I should retake? I invested my whole summer studying for the DAT.

Also, if I should retake it, should I study over my three-week winter break and retake it during January? (Need to wait 90 days to retake)
I'm applying next cycle in 2022. I'm wondering if I should wait until the summer of next year, but I wanted to submit my application early (June 1st). I'm not sure how that works.

Also, for those of you who did retake it, did you pay for BootCamp again? Should I try booster next?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Your scores are at the low end of average, a retake is needed. Try to get higher scores in Bio and chemistry as those are heavily focused on courses in dental school. I still have no idea why QR is on the DAT, but good job on that score.

 

[ChemistryDentist]

I took my DAT a week ago.
My GPA is 3.5. (I had a rough start, but I've been maintaining very good grades the last couple of quarters and hoping my GPA will be higher by the time I graduate).
PA: 20, QR: 21, RC: 19, Bio: 17, GC: 18, OC: 19
TS: 18 AA: 19

I was scoring similarly on my Bootcamp practice tests, and I thought I would score a bit higher on the real thing. That was not the case for me! I was wondering if I should retake? I invested my whole summer studying for the DAT.

Also, if I should retake it, should I study over my three-week winter break and retake it during January? (Need to wait 90 days to retake)
I'm applying next cycle in 2022. I'm wondering if I should wait until the summer of next year, but I wanted to submit my application early (June 1st). I'm not sure how that works.

Also, for those of you who did retake it, did you pay for BootCamp again? Should I try booster next?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I think it really depends on what schools you would like to apply to! Your scores are borderline average to low (at least as far as I can tell), but if you have good extracurriculars then it may end up working out for some schools.

Given that you aren't applying until 2022, I don't think it would hurt to retake the exam, though. A higher DAT score will definitely boost your application, help offset your GPA further (which isn't bad!), and improve your chances at schools that typically accept applicants with higher average scores. If you choose to retake, when you take it should depend upon how prepared you feel for the exam. You really need to improve on the second go so that schools can tell you're serious about your academics and always striving to do the best you can. If you can cram and get it done during winter, great! If you don't think that's feasible, study for a bit longer with a less intense schedule, and then take it before or just as the next cycle is opening.

It may be worth using other resources to prepare as well. If BC worked only moderately for you this time around, something else to help form a better base of knowledge would probably benefit you. I'm a strong Destroyer+Math Destroyer+Dynamite Bio Review advocate, but find what works best for you!

Best of luck!