How to Calculate Your AADSAS BCP GPA for Dental School

The Dental School Filter

Pre-Dental students face one of the most brutal application systems in the medical field.

When you apply to dental school through the AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service) portal, the system calculates several different GPAs.

The most terrifying of these is the BCP GPA.

What is the BCP GPA?

BCP stands for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

Unlike medical schools (which use a BCPM GPA that includes Math), dental schools isolate your raw performance in the three core hard sciences.

Why is this so terrifying? Because you cannot use "easy" math classes (like Introductory Statistics) to inflate your science average. The BCP GPA is a pure, unadulterated measure of how well you handle the exact subjects you will be forced to memorize in your first two years of dental school.

What Counts Towards the BCP?

When categorizing your classes in the AADSAS portal, you must be extremely precise.

Included in the BCP:

Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Zoology, Genetics.

Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Inorganic Chemistry.

Physics I and II.

NOT Included in the BCP (These go to the 'Other Science' category):

Math (Calculus, Geometry, Statistics).

Computer Science.

Kinesiology.

Geology / Earth Science.

Psychology.

The Double-Edged Sword of Biochemistry

Biochemistry is the ultimate kingmaker for the AADSAS BCP GPA.

Almost every dental school requires Biochemistry. It is an incredibly difficult, 4-credit course. If you get an 'A' in Biochemistry, your BCP GPA rockets upward, and admissions committees will flag you as highly competent. If you get a 'C' in Biochemistry, your BCP GPA tanks, and admissions committees will doubt your ability to pass the first-year dental curriculum.

If you are struggling in Biochemistry, it is often better to take a 'W' (Withdrawal) and retake the class later than to let a 'C' permanently anchor your dental BCP GPA.