Dental Admission Test (DAT) is a standardized test conducted by American Dental Association (ADA) for admissions into dental courses. ADA is the oldest national level dental association in the world. DAT results have been found to be predictor of performance of candidates in dental courses. The test results are utilized by several institutions and considered one of the criteria in their admission process.
Eligibility-
The test is taken by candidates seeking admission into dental courses. The applicant must have completed at least one year of collegiate education including courses in biology, chemistry and organic chemistry.
Test Overview-
There are four tests in DAT- survey of natural sciences, perceptual ability, reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning. The content of “survey of natural sciences” test is derived from subjects – biology, chemistry and organic chemistry. The perceptual ability test consists of six test sections- aperture, 3D form development, angle discrimination, paper folding, view recognition and cube counting. The reading comprehension test examines reading skills of the examinee. It contains questions based on given passages which are taken from dental courses. The examinee does not require any prior subject knowledge for this section. The last test is of quantitative reasoning. The content for this test is taken from algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability, statistics and applied mathematics.
Test Format-
There are a total of 280 multiple choice questions in this test. The total time allotted for entire test administration is 5 hours. The number of questions in survey of natural sciences, perceptual ability, reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning subtests are 100, 90, 50 and 40 respectively. The test begins with an optional tutorial of 15 minutes. This is followed by survey of natural sciences and perceptual ability test sections, which are allotted time period of 90 minutes and 60 minutes respectively. The reading comprehension test is given time of 60 minutes and quantitative reasoning test 45 minutes. There is an optional break of 15 minutes after perceptual ability test. A test survey is conducted in the last 15 minutes which is also optional.
Marking Scheme-
The result contains eight standard scores and percentile rank. The scores of perceptual ability, reading comprehension, quantitative reasoning tests are reported per test basis. The scores of biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry sections of natural sciences test are reported additionally. The total score of survey of natural sciences is also reported as well. Finally, the result contains averaged score of all tests. There is no negative marking. The test result can not be discarded once the test has been taken. A retest can be attempted after 90 days of previous testing.
Schedule-
The applicants can register for this test through internet by filling an electronic form or sending a paper application through mail. The applicant receives a DENTPIN, which serves as identification of test taker, after confirmation. This test is conducted on Prometric centers. The official scores are released in 3 to 4 weeks and sent directly to the institutions mentioned during the test.
Exam fees-
The exam fee is $320. This fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. There are additional charges of $25 for sending score report to self or more institutions.