To those who are taking dental medicine in the U.S., you’re probably aware of the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), right? If so, then this test is one of the many requirements to be taken to get admission in the United States. That’s why DAT takers should prepare themselves for their upcoming entrance test. One of the ways to do so is by analyzing DAT scores and knowing how to utilize a DAT score calculator.
What we will cover?
What’s Considered a Good DAT Score?
When taking the test, you should aim for 19 to 20 points to be in the competitive range. 20 or any score above 20 is generally considered as good DAT score. However, if you want to be safe, aim for 22 and above. 20 AA should be a good score to aim for.
| ACADEMIC AVERAGE | 21+ |
|---|---|
| SURVEY OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES | 21+ |
| BIOLOGY | 21+ |
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY | 22+ |
| ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 22+ |
| QUANTITATIVE REASONING | 19+ |
| READING COMPREHENSION | 23+ |
| PERCEPTUAL ABILITY | 22+ |
Top 25% Score (75 Percentile Score)
| ACADEMIC AVERAGE | 19-20 |
|---|---|
| SURVEY OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES | 19-20 |
| BIOLOGY | 19-20 |
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY | 19-21 |
| ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 19-21 |
| QUANTITATIVE REASONING | 17-18 |
| READING COMPREHENSION | 21-22 |
| PERCEPTUAL ABILITY | 20-21 |
50 Percentile Score
| ACADEMIC AVERAGE | 18 |
|---|---|
| SURVEY OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES | 17-18 |
| BIOLOGY | 17-18 |
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY | 17-18 |
| ORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 17-18 |
| QUANTITATIVE REASONING | 15-16 |
| READING COMPREHENSION | 19-20 |
| PERCEPTUAL ABILITY | 18-19 |
Why Use a DAT Score Calculator ?
It’s common for test takers to review for the Dental Admissions Test. However, DAT scoring is complex and would most likely be hard or impossible for a test taker to calculate. That’s why using a DAT score calculator is convenient.
If you’re a test taker, all you have to do is find a DAT score calculator online and run it. There are multiple DAT score calculators online, so make sure you find one that suits you. There are free options and paid ones. Just pick what’s most recommended and what you feel like using.
One option is from TPal, a platform that offers a free DAT score calculator. Here, they created a spreadsheet that calculates your scores for you automatically. They got their data from a report in 2021 by the American Dental Association wherein they based their DAT score calculator from.
How much I need to score to pass DAT?
Note that DAT is not a pass or fail exam. Your score indicates your relative performance compared to others in the same day. Your objective is to score enough to get admitted to your target dental school.
What is an average DAT score?
It varies from 17 to 19 depending on the year. Average DAT score of students admitted in dental school is generally around 20. Note that dental schools consider CGPA apart from your DAT score to decide admissions.
How many questions do I need to answer correctly to get a 20?
It varies from section to section. You can miss around 5 questions each in Biology, Organic chemistry, General Chemistry and QA section to get 20 in each section. In reading comprehension section you can afford to miss around 10 to get 20. But, in DAT section you miss around 20 questions to get a 20 score.
Is 23 good for DAT?
Yes, it is a very high score and is competitive for most dental schools in USA. It is around 92-94 percentile score.
Is 19 a good DAT score?
19 is considered as an average DAT score. Though, it can be competitive in some dental schools, you can consider retake depending on your CGPA and other factors.
What is the average DAT score for Harvard?
It varies from 23.5 to 24 depending on the year. Columbia University’s average DAT score has been around 24 in last few years.
Is DAT more important than GPA? Does DAT or GPA matter more?
Both GPA and DAT are equally important. Ideally, you should try to score above average of your target dental schools in both. GPA above 3.5 and DAT score above 20 is considered competitive for most dental schools. Generally speaking, you can not compensate very low GPA with high DAT score or vice versa. So, you should target to balance both to maximize your chance at your target dental school.
How is DAT Scored?
Your DAT score is the result that you get after taking up the Dental Admissions Test. Here, your score could range from 1 to 30. DAT scoring works by analyzing the test takers’ scores and categorizing them in 8 ranges between 1 to 30. The first 6 ranges of scores are taken from the test taker’s test results in the subjects:
- Biology
- General Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Perceptual Ability
- Reading Comprehension
- Quantitative Reasoning
The next two scores are the combination of your test results from the six subjects you’ve taken:
- Academic Average: This is your average score from the six subjects taken.
- Total Science Score: This is your average score taken from just 3 out of the 6 categories above, which includes biology, organic chemistry, and chemical chemistry.
Every answer you provide is equivalent to 1 raw score, then they’re converted into your scaled scores, which will fall from 1 to 30.
You can check our best DAT prep course guide here.
Conclusion
Entering the U.S. and working in the dental field industry is not impossible, but certain requirements and admission processes should be done to make this happen, one of which is DAT. Luckily, it’s easier for test takers to review in advance because they have better guides and sources online to make everything smoother. Hopefully, the DAT score calculator is one of them, so make the most out of it. Good luck!
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