DAT and how it can impact your application

As you may know already, the dental aptitude test is one of the pivotal moments in your career as a dentist, but is it a make it or break it point in your application?

In this blog post we will be talking about how your DAT score will impact the likelihood of you getting an acceptance from either an American or Canadian dental school.

To start off, I want to welcome anyone who is new to our blog posts and invite them to check out other available resources on our blog post section or reach out to us for guidance.

Now, your DAT score can be a very valuable asset to you if you have done well, it is one of the key points that schools look at, after your cumulative grade point average. So, if you have score above 20 you should be in good shape for getting interviews this cycle. However, getting interview invitation is not the same as an acceptance. So, if you have done well, you can use this to your advantage and make yourself even more competitive than other applicants. Each university is different in terms of accounting for the DAT score in their total evaluation of you as a potential dental student at their school. Overall, it can range from 10% to over 30 % consideration of your DAT score in the overall decision in inviting you to interview at their school.

So now you ask, if I have a good DAT score and my GPA is above average, will I for sure get in? The answer is NO. Given that you have a good GPA and DAT, that just means you have made it half way, meaning you will be granted the opportunity to interview, which itself is HUGE! ( and congrats btw). In order for you to guarantee a spot at your dream dental school you need to work on your interview skills. Many schools at this point weigh almost all their consideration at extending an offer to you based on your interview at their school. No matter how high your GPA is or how competitive your application is, you will not get passed this point if you don't shine in your interview. So, the lesson is to prepare for your interview when you have done well on your DAT.

Now for those who have not done well on their DAT. The best course of action at this point would be take it again if you can. If you cant then start making up for it in your GPA, if you're GPA cant be boosted, then start looking for extracurricular activities to enhance your application. You need to make up for the lack of competitiveness in your scores by your interpersonal skills, aka community work/service to showcase your commitment to dentistry. If you can do this then you may now have a shot in applying to dental schools.

Overall I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in Canada, mostly applicants with good statistics will be able to get in. The schools are more traditional and have not adopted the outlook of doing well in traditional schooling is not the only indicator of you being able to do well in your career. I know that sucks, but it is what it is, at this point in time we can't do anything about it. We have to work with the system, and for you to make your way into the system you must start looking at the stats, be realistic and assess your chances objectively when applying to dental schools. This process is cruel, cold and isolating. You become hopeless and may even question why you are following dentistry, but remember the reason you are here, and how hard you have worked to get here, and that no one can tell you what you can and cant do in your life. So don't give up, you will get there. For now focus on getting a high score on your DAT, so you will have one less thing to worry about.

Reach out if you have questions!