Dental Admission Test (DAT®)

All dental schools require applicants to take the DAT as a component of their admission process. Learn about practice tests, how to submit an application to take the test and more.

The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is accepted by all U.S. dental schools and select dental schools in Canada. It is designed to provide dental education programs with a means to assess applicants’ potential for success. The total administration time is five hours and 15 minutes. The DAT is offered year round by Prometric test centers in the U.S., its territories (including Guam, Puerto Rice and the Virgin Islands) and select locations in Canada. Learn more in the DAT Candidate Guide.

Take the DAT during the spring of your junior year or the summer immediately after. Submit your application six to eight weeks before your desired test date. Practice tests are available.

See your DAT score report, learn how to interpret the results, or request an audit.

Recent and Forthcoming Updates

Please download and check Recent and Forthcoming Updates to Examinations and Tests (PDF) often as you prepare for your examination.

FAQ-Dental Admission Test (DAT)

All U.S. and Canadian dental schools require their applicants to take the DAT as a component of their admission process. Each school uses its own criteria to determine how to weigh DAT results as part of admission decisions.

Prospective dental students should take the DAT after they have taken the subjects covered by the test, especially organic chemistry.

The DAT consists of multiple-choice questions presented in English, and includes a battery of four tests:

• Survey of the Natural Sciences (100 items)
• Perceptual Ability (90 items)
• Reading Comprehension (50 items)
• Quantitative Reasoning (40 items)

The total administration time is five hours and 15 minutes, including the optional tutorial, scheduled break, and survey.

Please review the current DAT Candidate Guide (PDF) for the test fee.

The DAT retest policy is not subject to appeal and states that:

• Candidates must wait 60 days between testing attempts on the DAT, with a maximum of four (4) such administrations permitted during any 12-month period of time.
• Candidates with three (3) or more attempts on the DAT must apply for permission to test again, providing proof of recent application to dental school with each subsequent application to test.
• Subsequent to the candidate’s fifth DAT attempt, the candidate may retest only once per 12-month period.

No. This test is no longer offered in the providence of Quebec Canada. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The DAT is offered year-round at Prometric Test Centers throughout the U.S. and select locations in Canada (no longer offered in the providence of Quebec). Once you have received your eligibility letter confirming that your test application has been accepted, you must contact Prometric to secure an appointment. We recommend doing this at least 60 to 90 days before your desired test date, since schedules fill up. Visit the Prometric website to find a testing center near you and schedule your test.

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment due to an emergency please contact the Department of Testing Services by emailing testingproblems@ada.org or calling 800.232.1694.

To reschedule or cancel a testing appointment, candidates must contact the Administration Vendor in advance of the testing appointment. The local test center cannot schedule, reschedule, or cancel your appointment. Additional fees apply, and must be paid directly to the Administration Vendor. Appointments must be canceled or rescheduled by the business day prior to the test (at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled appointment). Candidates will receive a confirmation notification when rescheduling their testing appointment; please retain a copy of this confirmation.

All fee waivers available in 2024 have been granted. Additional fee waivers will become available on January 1, 2025.

When partial fee waivers are available, they are granted on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible examinees who have submitted the required documents. The partial fee waiver covers 50% of the DAT fee. It cannot be applied to any charges associated with rescheduling/canceling a test date or score reporting after the time of initial application.

An examinee is eligible to request a partial fee waiver if each of the following criteria are met:

• First-time examinee
• Has not previously received a partial fee waiver
• U.S. citizen or resident alien
• Has demonstrated financial hardship
• Received financial aid from their school

Visit here again on January 1, 2025 for more information on applying for a partial fee waiver.

• The ADA Privacy Policy
• The Biometric Data Privacy Policy
• Personal information used and disclosed in connection with the DAT
• Your rights

You can also contact the ADA Department of Testing Services at dat@ada.org for more information.

Yes. Fairness in testing is of vital importance, and is fundamental to a test's validity. Fairness considerations are embedded throughout the DAT program, affecting every aspect of how this examination is constructed, administered, scored, and reported. The Fairness document provided below shares additional details of interest: Policies and Procedures Supporting Fairness (PDF)

You can reach the Department of Testing Services at:

American Dental Association
Department of Testing Services
1.800.232.1694
Email: datexam@ada.org

Review additional DAT background

Read the DAT Validity Study (PDF) to learn more about why the DAT is used for dental admissions and who takes the test. This report presents the relationship among pre-dental science and pre-dental total GPAs, DAT scores, and academic and preclinical achievements for a sample of students during their first and second years in U.S. dental schools.

The DAT User's Manual (PDF) takes a deep dive into the history of the Dental Admission Test Program, from its beginnings in 1945 to the present day DAT. Learn about the content of the DAT as well as the development of the scoring.

Examinee Information Report (PDF)
This report provides demographics for DAT test takers, including gender, ethnicity, occupational and educational attainment of examinees’ parents, high school rank, college GPA, college science GPA, college major, extracurricular activities, parents’ income, source and percentage of loans obtained during the years of dental education, and GPA and income by ethnicity.

Organic Chemistry Readiness Surveys (PDF)
The ADA conducted a series of Organic Chemistry Readiness Surveys to inform potential updates to the content domain and test specifications for the organic chemistry section of the Dental Admission Test (DAT). This report documents the findings from these surveys. The survey findings were reviewed and interpreted by organic chemistry subject matter experts, who subsequently recommended updates to the test specifications. Updates to the organic chemistry test specifications will be shared with communities of interest prior to their implementation, which is expected to occur in 2026.

Vital Information and Tips for Taking the DAT

Watch the ASDA webinar to see general information, tips for studying, common problems encountered by test takers, and the most frequently asked questions about the DAT.

Lend your talents to future applicants. The Department of Testing Services needs volunteer subject matter experts to assist with test construction. Volunteers may also earn CE credit.