Unusual high number of high DAT scores

[LetsGo2DSchool]

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone and their mother on SDN are scoring 21s and 22s and higher on the DAT?

I mean a 21 is around 90 percentile and 22 is around 96 percentile. There can't be that many people scoring that high.

Are people full of s#*t fabricating their scores or are a lot of the high scorers just happen to be SDN members?

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[justdandi]

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone and their mother on SDN are scoring 21s and 22s and higher on the DAT?

I mean a 21 is around 90 percentile and 22 is around 96 percentile. There can't be that many people scoring that high.

Are people full of s#*t fabricating their scores or are a lot of the high scorers just happen to be SDN members?

I'm taking the DAT this Sunday and the huge number of high scores posted on SDN has been fueling my nightmare.

However, I'm assuming -- perhaps incorrectly? -- that most SDN-ers use the same good sources when studying (Cliff's Bio, Destroyer, Chad's videos, etc.) that many of them end up with very high scores.

Hopefully, this isn't true of the general pre-dent population.

(Or else I'm really screwed. 😉)

 

[toothhornet88]

I'm pretty sure that only a tIny % of people post their scores and majority of them are the proud high achievers. I mean think about it if every detail school hopeful posted their DAT score then the DAT discussion forum would have dozens of daily "DAT DONE!!" posts.

-also just wanted to let u guys know that a friend of mine just got accepted into a dental school with a 3.6 gpa and an average DAT score of 17. Yes it's rare but I guess even low scorer get accepted. However she was waitlisted for the longest time.

 

[wired202808]

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone and their mother on SDN are scoring 21s and 22s and higher on the DAT?

I mean a 21 is around 90 percentile and 22 is around 96 percentile. There can't be that many people scoring that high.

Are people full of s#*t fabricating their scores or are a lot of the high scorers just happen to be SDN members?

There are thousands of applicants, yet you've read less than 100 breakdowns with scores at 21 and 22. So do the math and dont worry.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Around 14000 people write the Dat (from dat user manual).

So a 22 is around 96 percentile. So around 280 people get 22+ every year.

Guess what happens when someone gets 22+? Post their breakdowns to 1. Brag. 2. Help other people by giving detailed instructions on how to score well.

Also, there are people who just flat out make up numbers and no one calls then out for it.

Look at it this way, there are 8000 applicants to dental school every year, 5000 gets in. Your chances of getting in somewhere is over 60%. This means you only need an above average DAt score (19+) to be competitive.

 

[herkulease]

Around 14000 people write the Dat (from dat user manual).

So a 22 is around 96 percentile. So around 280 people get 22+ every year.

Guess what happens when someone gets 22+? Post their breakdowns to 1. Brag. 2. Help other people by giving detailed instructions on how to score well.

Also, there are people who just flat out make up numbers and no one calls then out for it.

Look at it this way, there are 8000 applicants to dental school every year, 5000 gets in. Your chances of getting in somewhere is over 60%. This means you only need an above average DAt score (19+) to be competitive.

Actually the number has ballooned up to 12000+ applicants. It actually dipped during the dotcom boom but then when the bubbled burst the numbers jumped again.

the late 80s were probably the "easiest" time, where the ratio of applicants to enrolled students was nearly 1:1.

in 2007 its was 3:1, but last few years its its been about 2.5ish to 1.

there's lots more fun data here.
http://www.adea.org/publications/tde/Pages/Students.aspx

Oh and for OP

its not that many. If you want exact, back in 2009, out of 13691 test takers only 1764 scored 21 or higher for TS. 15 scored 28 or better. So when someone here threw down 28 I'm gonna remember that much more than the 3000 or so people who scored 19/20.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Actually the number has ballooned up to 12000+ applicants. It actually dipped during the dotcom boom but then when the bubbled burst the numbers jumped again.

the late 80s were probably the "easiest" time, where the ratio of applicants to enrolled students was nearly 1:1.

in 2007 its was 3:1, but last few years its its been about 2.5ish to 1.

there's lots more fun data here.
http://www.adea.org/publications/tde/Pages/Students.aspx

Oh and for OP

its not that many. If you want exact, back in 2009, out of 13691 test takers only 1764 scored 21 or higher for TS. 15 scored 28 or better. So when someone here threw down 28 I'm gonna remember that much more than the 3000 or so people who scored 19/20.

You've been doing your research hahah.

40% acceptance rate is still pretty good.

I'm from Canada so the acceptance rate here is a lot crappier.

 

[dentalWorks]

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone and their mother on SDN are scoring 21s and 22s and higher on the DAT?

I mean a 21 is around 90 percentile and 22 is around 96 percentile. There can't be that many people scoring that high.

Are people full of s#*t fabricating their scores or are a lot of the high scorers just happen to be SDN members?

approx 12,000-13,000 people take the DAT yearly. How many 21+ break down do you see per day on SDN? 1? 2? 3? 4 (okay thats pushing it).

Lets for sake of argument, say 2-3, thats 750- 1000+ individuals yearly. Compared to your 12k, thats only 10% scoring AND reporting. How many people score and don't report anything?