DAT Natural Sciences study guide
DAT Natural Sciences · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is the standardized exam that dental schools use as one component of their admissions process. According to the American Dental Association, the DAT is accepted by all U.S. dental schools and select dental schools in Canada, and it is designed to give dental education programs a means to assess an applicant's potential for success. All dental schools require applicants to take the DAT as part of admission, though each school applies its own criteria when weighing results. The DAT Natural Sciences study guide has 4 sections and about 1,740 words.
01Survey of the Natural Sciences: Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry
The Survey of the Natural Sciences (SNS) is 100 multiple-choice items in 90 minutes: roughly 40 biology, 30 general chemistry, and 30 organic chemistry, pitched at one semester of college-level work in each. Biology spans cell and molecular biology, genetics, evolution, developmental biology, anatomy and physiology, and ecology.
437 words, about 2 min02Perceptual Ability: Six Spatial Subtests Under the Clock
Perceptual Ability (PAT) is 90 items in 60 minutes - about 40 seconds each - split into six 15-question subtests: apertures, view recognition, angle discrimination, paper folding, cube counting, and 3D form development. It tests spatial visualization rather than science content, and most candidates lose points to the clock rather than to difficulty.
481 words, about 2 min03Reading Comprehension: Structure, Support, and Stems
Reading Comprehension is 50 items in 60 minutes across three passages, typically one natural science, one social science, and one humanities text of roughly 1,200–1,500 words each. Questions test main idea, explicitly stated detail, inference, tone and attitude, vocabulary in context, the author's logic, and application of the passage's argument to a new case.
433 words, about 2 min04Quantitative Reasoning: Multiplicative Percentages, Rates, and Estimation
Quantitative Reasoning is 40 items in 45 minutes with no calculator, roughly 65–70 seconds each. Content runs from arithmetic and percentages through algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability and statistics, rates and ratios, and data interpretation from tables and graphs.
389 words, about 2 min