Should I retake the DAT?

[jyang81]

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Hi,
My undergrad sci gpa was 2.9, overall gpa was 3.0. My post baccalaureate sci gpa is 3.49, overall gpa is 3.51. The 1st time I took the DAT I got an academic avg of 20 with the breakdown of 19,23,16,20,20,20 (Quantiative, Reading, PAT, Bio, Inorganic Chem, Organic Chem). Should I consider taking the DAT again to increase my chances of being accepted to schools? Any advice will be appreciated. 😕

 

[DrSmiles12]

Hi,
My undergrad sci gpa was 2.9, overall gpa was 3.0. My post baccalaureate sci gpa is 3.49, overall gpa is 3.51. The 1st time I took the DAT I got an academic avg of 20 with the breakdown of 19,23,16,20,20,20 (Quantiative, Reading, PAT, Bio, Inorganic Chem, Organic Chem). Should I consider taking the DAT again to increase my chances of being accepted to schools? Any advice will be appreciated. 😕

Thats really hard to say. The worst score looks like that PAT, with the rest of your scores being fairly competative.

The hardest thing about it is your undergrad GPA, but your Post Bacc looks a lot better. I would say that I would go with it and see if you get some interviews. I would also call some of the schools and ask them what they think.

Wish you the best!

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Thats really hard to say. The worst score looks like that PAT, with the rest of your scores being fairly competative.

The hardest thing about it is your undergrad GPA, but your Post Bacc looks a lot better. I would say that I would go with it and see if you get some interviews. I would also call some of the schools and ask them what they think.

Wish you the best!

Your DAT scores are pretty good with the exception of the PAT. Does the PAT of 16 mean you cannot get in. NO! People do get in with lower scores than that. Some schools you might not qualify for if they have higher standards, but there are plenty of schools that you would still qualify for. That said, with your DAT, you do have a low GPA. You have done better in your post-bac classes, but even your GPA there is below the average for many schools. When you combine the GPAs in the application, it is still going ot be really low compared to the average. Does this mean you cannot get in, NO! You just need something that separated you from the crowd.

With a low GPA and having the DAT with a low PAT, I would probably retake the DAT if I felt I could score as well if not better in the other areas as well. Don't compromise your DAT scores to increase one score if you don't feel you can maintain or increase the others. PAT is important, but not important enough to jeapordize the other scores!

 

[jyang81]

Hey,
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to call a couple of admissions offices to find out what I should do. I really am grateful for your suggestions and comments.

 

[jyang81]

Should I take more classes to increase my GPA with more upper level biology courses instead of retaking the DAT??? With the courseload that I plan to take, I don't think it's possible for me to do both...

 

[RockSteady]

Hi jyang81,

I am in a VERY similar position as you and I am going to try to do both... retake the DAT and continue with my post-bac. It won't be easy, I know, but I'm willing to try anything and everything possible to make myself a more competitive applicant. You know yourself best so if you need to retake the DAT first and then take some more courses after or vice versa, then do it that way - the way that you know will guarantee high results!

And I think calling some schools is an excellent idea too! Good luck!👍

Again, freakishly same stats and position as you so PM me if you want to tackle this together!

 

[SugarNaCl]

I have an alternative idea. Submit your application as early as possible along with your current DAT scores. Set to take the exam after your DAT scores have been submitted to schools. This way, you retake when the cycle is still young and if you receive better scores the 2nd time around, you can submit them to the schools then. The con to this is that you have to pay extra $$ because you can't put down the 5 free schools on your application if you don't know how well you will do. You will have to pay $15 for each of those 5 plus any additional schools.