What are "her" chances

[Nasem]

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Hello folks,

A friend of mine just took the DAT this past week, she is a little scared about her scores.... she isn't sure if she should retake the DAT or not...

here is the breakdown

biology - 21
chemistry - 20
orgo - 20
QR - 22
RC - 15 (yeh I know)
PAT - 18

AA - 20

Overall GPA - 3.3ish
BCP gpa - 3.8ish

I don't think she applied yet, but she is plannin on it when she gets back from russia, I wanted to show her this thread by time she gets back.

As you can see, her RC is pretty low but everything else is pretty solid, does she stand any chance with her current numbers as is?

Any comment / advice would be highly appreciated, thanks

 

[lemoncurry]

chances: yes, but low RC definitely hurts. better to have low QR than RC.

 

[Moo beaR]

she has pretty decent scores for nearly everything but the two lowest scores are something you can't really study for (RC & PAT) but just takes practice. i think the question is does she think she can do better if she took it again?

 

[GiTsticker]

I'll agree that you can't study for the PAT, but it seems to be, at least for me, the most easily improved score on the whole test mainly due to the fact that there is no studying! RC scores on the other hand, are a little harder to improve imo.

Some schools, I've heard have minimum cut-offs for RC (and others of course) at around 16-17. If she is confident she could do better at RC, I'd recommend a re-take. Less craters in an application is always good. 15 RC sorry to say is a crater.

 

[Doctor Pretty]

This may seem like a dumb question but does RC stand for Reading Comprehension?

 

[Moo beaR]

This may seem like a dumb question but does RC stand for Reading Comprehension?

yup

 

[UCfan]

Hello folks,

A friend of mine just took the DAT this past week, she is a little scared about her scores.... she isn't sure if she should retake the DAT or not...

here is the breakdown

biology - 21
chemistry - 20
orgo - 20
QR - 22
RC - 15 (yeh I know)
PAT - 18

AA - 20

Overall GPA - 3.3ish
BCP gpa - 3.8ish

I don't think she applied yet, but she is plannin on it when she gets back from russia, I wanted to show her this thread by time she gets back.

As you can see, her RC is pretty low but everything else is pretty solid, does she stand any chance with her current numbers as is?

Any comment / advice would be highly appreciated, thanks

Was she born in United States? (or Is English her native language?).I am asking that, because ESL situation is much more different than her case (if she is American). If she is a foreigner (like me), she needs to retake it (because 15 is huge red flag for ESL applicants). I think a score of 17 can save her, if she can repeat the scores she got. Where will she apply (some schools have strict cutoffs)? They may not consider her, because of her relatively low RC section. The best thing is directly to contact with schools she will apply. If they say OK, her scores are very competitive.

 

[tinman831]

If she intends on applying this year, she should get that application together ASAP and try to beat the rush.

 

[NyCzPeter]

what is the point of the quotations around "her"? I understand if you're trying to ask a question about yourself under the guise a friend, but if thats the case, the quotations kind of gives it away. Unless you're using the quotations to hide the identity of this friend, but then the quotations wouldn't even be necessary.

Anyway, "she" should apply early and hope for the best since "her" RC score is probably below or right at the cut off for some schools.

 

[jay47]

If she intends on applying this year, she should get that application together ASAP and try to beat the rush.

Sounds like the best strategy at this point. Don't wait too late and just see how things pan out.

 

[jay47]

what is the point of the quotations around "her"? I understand if you're trying to ask a question about yourself under the guise a friend, but if thats the case, the quotations kind of gives it away. Unless you're using the quotations to hide the identity of this friend, but then the quotations wouldn't even be necessary.

Anyway, "she" should apply early and hope for the best since "her" RC score is probably below or right at the cut off for some schools.

I've got a friend, not a "friend", who does that all the time on SDN.

 

[bennijai]

Get back from Russia ASAP and apply early. The RC score will hurt her but hopefully they can overlook it from the rest of grades. However, RC cutoffs at most schools are at 16-17.

 

[NyCzPeter]

I've got a friend, not a "friend", who does that all the time on SDN.

lol thats pretty annoying. I think ambiguous quotations just became my biggest petpeeve

 

[supraman]

YOU should retake the DAT- anyone with a 15 RC shouldn't become a dentist

 

[karrotcake]

lol

 

[karrotcake]

I think you need a higher PAT score.

 

[Munchy]

lol i am surprised at how 4 so small dots can cause such an 'uproar'

 

[NyCzPeter]

lol i am surprised at how 4 so small dots can cause such an 'uproar'

lol another one.

Its not an uproar, nor is it an 'uproar,' whatever you meant by the quotations.

With all due respect, I think a discussion about use of quotations is alot more interesting and thought provoking than our Russian friend's situation. Besides, what other advice can one give other than "get your arse back from russia asap," or "tell them about how your immigration from Russia affected your reading skills."

 

[nze82]

Why doesn't "she" submit "his" 🙂laugh:Now you're really confused) ASAP and then call the schools and let them know that she's planing on retaking the DAT in order to improve that RC score.
Personally, I think she'll have a slim chance of getting accepted if she applies with that RC. I think scores below 17, in any section, will severely hinder one's chance of admission.

 

[Nasem]

lol.... I didn't mean anything with the "quotes"

its just, everyone writes "what are MY chances" type threads, so I switched the MY <--> "her"

Anyways, the thread is really not about me, I know a little bit about the whole pre-dental process becuase I used to be pre-dent about 2 years ago.

I guess the main reason I posted this thread was to show my friend that the same advice I gave her last week is the same advice most of you pre-dents are giving her today.

In opinion, I think she can bring that 15 to a 17 easily, but she'll have a tougher time bringing that 17 to ... say a 20. A 15 in RC is what, like 35-40% correct and a 17 isn't that much higher, its like 53% correct.

 

[iBeast]

What's "her" name? I mean, your "friend".