what are my chances/ retake??

[ksmith816]

hey so i just recently took my DAT and im actually freaking out. i know i haven't as good of score as so many people i se on sdn and i feel so insecure. i have major test anxiety and nearly broke down crying when my test began even after taking a ton of practice test etc. i was hoping people could give me some insight on how terrible i did/ tips for retaking.
GPA:3.6
SGPA: 3.5-3.6
DAT:
AA:18
AS: 18
QR: 16
RC:21
Bio:18
chem: 17
pat: 19
Org: 18
i have over 100 hours shadowing and im involved in multiple clubs holding various positions i also have worked 1-3 jobs each semester. i totally freaked out during my exam and i have no idea what happened especially because i was doing really well on all of my practice tests. does anyone have any advice for me for retaking/ any confidence boosting advice because i really am so upset over this.

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[ksmith816]

Congrats on finishing your DAT! Before everyone here tells you to retake the test, but I'll give you some personal insight.

Here are my scores: AA: 19; TS: 19; Bio: 20; GC: 19; OC: 19; PAT: 21; RC: 21; QR: 16

I suppose my scores are considered "average," and they're certainly not consistent with the majority of SDN posters' high scores. Hopefully you're not comparing yours to theirs. It looks like you did fairly well, and depending on your life/work history, personal statement, and extra-curriculars, I think it's possible for you to get some interviews.

As an older applicant with a military background and quite a lot of extra-curriculars, I received 5/6 interviews, attended 3/6, and received 3/3 offers. Unless you too have military experience, that's probably where we differ most. If you're concerned about your QR score, don't be. That section tends to be overlooked by most admissions committees.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to retake your DAT with the goal of improving your score, but ultimately the admissions committees are going to consider your entire application. If you feel you're a competitive applicant outside of your DAT score, apply smartly and see how it goes. If you do elect to retake your DAT, study hard. Perhaps the test-induced anxiety you experienced the first time (we all get it) won't affect you on the second go.


Best of luck!

Thank you! that was probably the best thing ive heard all week. that really took some pressure off me. if you don't mind me asking, how did you prepare for you dat and how many times did you take it?

 

[Carbohydrates]

Congrats on finishing your DAT! Before everyone here tells you to retake the test, but I'll give you some personal insight.

Here are my scores: AA: 19; TS: 19; Bio: 20; GC: 19; OC: 19; PAT: 21; RC: 21; QR: 16

I suppose my scores are considered "average," and they're certainly not consistent with the majority of SDN posters' high scores. Hopefully you're not comparing yours to theirs. It looks like you did fairly well, and depending on your life/work history, personal statement, and extra-curriculars, I think it's possible for you to get some interviews.

As an older applicant with a military background and quite a lot of extra-curriculars, I received 5/6 interviews, attended 3/6, and received 3/3 offers. Unless you too have military experience, that's probably where we differ most. If you're concerned about your QR score, don't be. That section tends to be overlooked by most admissions committees.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to retake your DAT with the goal of improving your score, but ultimately the admissions committees are going to consider your entire application. If you feel you're a competitive applicant outside of your DAT score, apply smartly and see how it goes. If you do elect to retake your DAT, study hard. Perhaps the test-induced anxiety you experienced the first time (we all get it) won't affect you on the second go.

Best of luck!

Funny story, just this morning out of the blue, I thought "Hmmm, I don't know @karanja DAT score"
And I was about to go full FBI mode to find it, and here you are, posted your score.
Creepy.

 

[Advance]

hey so i just recently took my DAT and im actually freaking out. i know i haven't as good of score as so many people i se on sdn and i feel so insecure. i have major test anxiety and nearly broke down crying when my test began even after taking a ton of practice test etc. i was hoping people could give me some insight on how terrible i did/ tips for retaking.
GPA:3.6
SGPA: 3.5-3.6
DAT:
AA:18
AS: 18
QR: 16
RC:21
Bio:18
chem: 17
pat: 19
Org: 18
i have over 100 hours shadowing and im involved in multiple clubs holding various positions i also have worked 1-3 jobs each semester. i totally freaked out during my exam and i have no idea what happened especially because i was doing really well on all of my practice tests. does anyone have any advice for me for retaking/ any confidence boosting advice because i really am so upset over this.

Your stats are very similar to mine actually.
GPA: 3.72Overall 3.69sci
AA:18
TS:19
BIO:22
CH:15
OC:19
PAT:19
RC:21
QR:12

 

[ksmith816]

Your stats are very similar to mine actually.
GPA: 3.72Overall 3.69sci
AA:18
TS:19
BIO:22
CH:15
OC:19
PAT:19
RC:21
QR:12

Saw that have 6 acceptances! Congrats! What are your ECs like? (If you don't mind)

 

[Carbohydrates]

What were you doing when this thought came up? I need to know all the details.

I was watching lecture video about Myocardial infarction

 

[Advance]

Saw that have 6 acceptances! Congrats! What are your ECs like? (If you don't mind)

450~ Hours of ECs (consists of club leadership positions and community service mostly.)
170~ Hours of shadowing ( 2 general dentists)

 

[Rambunctious]

hey so i just recently took my DAT and im actually freaking out. i know i haven't as good of score as so many people i se on sdn and i feel so insecure. i have major test anxiety and nearly broke down crying when my test began even after taking a ton of practice test etc. i was hoping people could give me some insight on how terrible i did/ tips for retaking.
GPA:3.6
SGPA: 3.5-3.6
DAT:
AA:18
AS: 18
QR: 16
RC:21
Bio:18
chem: 17
pat: 19
Org: 18
i have over 100 hours shadowing and im involved in multiple clubs holding various positions i also have worked 1-3 jobs each semester. i totally freaked out during my exam and i have no idea what happened especially because i was doing really well on all of my practice tests. does anyone have any advice for me for retaking/ any confidence boosting advice because i really am so upset over this.

Your GPA is fairly well and you have some great ECs. Your DAT scores are ok, but you will most likely have to retake in order to be competitive. It's hard not to freak out during exams, especially the DAT. What did you use to study?

 

[ksmith816]

Your GPA is fairly well and you have some great ECs. Your DAT scores are ok, but you will most likely have to retake in order to be competitive. It's hard not to freak out during exams, especially the DAT. What did you use to study?

I used bootcamp, Chad's videos, destroyer, and Crack for pat. I just think that I was so focused on trying to cram everything into my head rather than taking the time to learn and understand the problems. Any other studying tips?

 

[Rambunctious]

I used bootcamp, Chad's videos, destroyer, and Crack for pat. I just think that I was so focused on trying to cram everything into my head rather than taking the time to learn and understand the problems. Any other studying tips?

I used the same material that you did. You are probably right in that it's not a test a lot of people can cram for. I had a gap year, so I used it to study and I remember going through destroyer at least 5 times. The best advice I can give you is start off focusing on individual sections and progressively start to study/test yourself on all sections daily. Also, don't freak out too much, you'll be taking millions of exams throughout dental school, the DAT is no big deal

 

[ksmith816]

I used the same material that you did. You are probably right in that it's not a test a lot of people can cram for. I had a gap year, so I used it to study and I remember going through destroyer at least 5 times. The best advice I can give you is start off focusing on individual sections and progressively start to study/test yourself on all sections daily. Also, don't freak out too much, you'll be taking millions of exams throughout dental school, the DAT is no big deal

Thanks!

 

[SXCoronado]

.

 

[doktorinprogres]

You have a fairly nice gpa and it'd be a shame to have something like the DAT bring your app in question. If you can carve out some time and rewatch chads as well as work through destroyer I think your score will rise. If you do decide to retake, my advice for QR would be to move through it as quick as you can and circle back around for questions you weren't able to answer reasonably quickly on the first pass.

Whether or not you decide to retake keep your head up, it's a long process.