The importance of PAT Portion of DAT?

[Yalc1]

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I underestimated the portion of the PAT part, after taking a practice test and doing good on it I did not look at it again. My DAT score is AA:20, TS:20 PA: 15 (25%). I have a good gpa (3.90) in Biomedical Science (Biology) so I am wondering how much does that score weigh in getting accepted?

Thanks

Clay

 

[Dukie]

I underestimated the portion of the PAT part, after taking a practice test and doing good on it I did not look at it again. My DAT score is AA:20, TS:20 PA: 15 (25%). I have a good gpa (3.90) in Biomedical Science (Biology) so I am wondering how much does that score weigh in getting accepted?

Thanks

Clay

Depends on the school, but it is always going to be important. Even with your excellent GPA (remember school does matter), you should still aim for a PAT score of 18 or better to be competitive. Much of it is natural ability, but I would suggest taking it again after a little more practice.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

yeah the pat on the actual dat is a bitch compared to the practice ones..but i'd have to say your AA and gpa more than make up for it..so i really wouldn't retake it if i was you, most schools place more emphasis on the AA anyway so don't sweat it!

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Depends on the school, but it is always going to be important. Even with your excellent GPA (remember school does matter), you should still aim for a PAT score of 18 or better to be competitive. Much of it is natural ability, but I would suggest taking it again after a little more practice.

you really think so? i don't know if i were him i wouldn't retake it unless i was certain i could do at least 2 or 3 points better..i don't know but the thought of retaking the DAT just sends shivers down my spine! 😱

 

[Dukie]

you really think so? i don't know if i were him i wouldn't retake it unless i was certain i could do at least 2 or 3 points better..i don't know but the thought of retaking the DAT just sends shivers down my spine! 😱

Yeah, it is a tough call. His AA score is good. I just worry that the PAT is so low, it could hurt. Do you have a lot of dental experience which might help counter that? Good luck whatever you decide to do!

 

[Yalc1]

Well, I applied to UF (Florida Resident) and my interview is coming up soon and I'm sure they are going to ask me about it. My pre-health advisor also told me that I probably shouldn't retake it. I had poor time management and lack of practice that caused the bad score. I do have some shadowing experience but not a lot.

 

[zidanereal2003]

Well, I applied to UF (Florida Resident) and my interview is coming up soon and I'm sure they are going to ask me about it. My pre-health advisor also told me that I probably shouldn't retake it. I had poor time management and lack of practice that caused the bad score. I do have some shadowing experience but not a lot.

okay to answer his question you could get in with your stats.. if you don't have time don't take it again.. you won't get into Harvard for sure but I am sure you will get into other schools like UPenn they put more emphasis on your GPA than anything else ?

I hope this helps if you have more questions let me know

 

[wimmcs]

I underestimated the portion of the PAT part, after taking a practice test and doing good on it I did not look at it again. My DAT score is AA:20, TS:20 PA: 15 (25%). I have a good gpa (3.90) in Biomedical Science (Biology) so I am wondering how much does that score weigh in getting accepted?

Thanks

Clay

Your GPA, AA and TS scores are higher than mine and I also received a PAT score of 15. I interviewed at 5 places and got into 4, so I wouldn't sweat it. However, the school of your choice may be different, so I would call them and check it out with them. If I was you... I would definitely NOT retake it; your scores OVERALL are excellent and I seriously think schools consider the whole picture, not a segment. I also worried about my PAT score at first, fortunately not anymore.....

 

[IWuvTeef]

like others have said, don't take it again. your stats are awesome.

for your interview, just be honest. i too was misled with the PAT on practice tests. when i got to the real DAT it was a lot harder. just tell them that the practice tests were misleading and that you thought you had prepared enough for the PAT section.

good luck 🙂

 

[TravisP]

what kind of questions are on the pat?

 

[Yalc1]

Keyholes - which 3d object fits through the 2d hole

Top-Front-End - You see two sides of a 3d object, what does the 3rd side look like?

Angle Ranking -

Hole Punching - Fold a piece of paper a few times, punch a few holes, unfold in your minds eye and identify where the holes should be.

Cube Counting - counting the cubes that are in a 3d stack, some are not visible so you must visualize them.

Pattern Folding - fold a 2d pattern into a 3d object in your minds eye.

It is difficult in that you only have 60 minutes to answer 90 questions and that it is on the computer.

 

[NickoT]

It is definitely important to consider the school you want to attend. I was in a similiar situation, 3.8 GPA, 20 TS, 19 AA, and 14 PAT.

I have been accepted to all four schools I have interviewed at (UCONN, Columbia, Colorado, and Washington), but I have not been invited to interview at UCLA. I called the school and asked if my low PAT score was holding me back and all I was told was that it wasn't disqualifying, but that it was much lower than average. I am still waiting, and I really think that I haven't been asked to interview due to this rather than the fact that I am not a Cali resident.

I underestimated the portion of the PAT part, after taking a practice test and doing good on it I did not look at it again. My DAT score is AA:20, TS:20 PA: 15 (25%). I have a good gpa (3.90) in Biomedical Science (Biology) so I am wondering how much does that score weigh in getting accepted?

Thanks

Clay

 

[OpenWide]

I underestimated the portion of the PAT part, after taking a practice test and doing good on it I did not look at it again. My DAT score is AA:20, TS:20 PA: 15 (25%). I have a good gpa (3.90) in Biomedical Science (Biology) so I am wondering how much does that score weigh in getting accepted?

Thanks

Clay

My DAT scores are identical to yours, so I know what you're feeling. I wanted to stay close to home and I'm lucky enough to be in a state with two good schools (UKY and U of L). Neither one seemed to place a lot of emphasis on the PAT, so I was accepted to both. Babbling aside, if your goal is an in-state school, don't worry.

 

[tam0026]

it does depend on the school; i scored badly on the PAT but got accepted to NSU. THey even mentioned in the interview taht they don't put as much emphasis on taht part of the DAT where as other state schools do.