DAT study guide
DAT · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice admissions examination accepted by all U.S. dental schools and by select dental schools in Canada. It is designed to give dental education programs a standardized means of assessing an applicant's potential for success in dental school, and each school decides for itself how much weight to give DAT results alongside grades and the rest of the application. The test is delivered in English at Prometric test centers year round, including in U.S. The DAT study guide has 4 sections and about 1,242 words.
01Survey of the Natural Sciences: Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry
The Natural Sciences survey pools first-year biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry, with biology carrying the most questions. Biology leans on cell structure and organelles, cellular respiration and photosynthesis, DNA replication and gene expression, Mendelian and molecular genetics, and human systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, endocrine, nervous, digestive).
294 words, about 1 min02Perceptual Ability: Six Timed Subtests
Perceptual Ability is split into apertures (a 2D keyhole shape that must pass through a 3D block), view recognition (top/front/end projections of an object), angle ranking, hole punching (folded paper is punched, then unfolded), cube counting, and pattern folding. Angle ranking: differences are small.
340 words, about 2 min03Reading Comprehension: Mapping, Question Types, and Traps
Reading Comprehension presents three science passages with roughly 50 questions in about 60 minutes. The passages are dense and factual, often drawn from research summaries or textbook-style prose.
295 words, about 1 min04Quantitative Reasoning: Arithmetic Through Precalculus
Quantitative Reasoning is fast: about 40 questions in 45 minutes, roughly one minute each. Topics include fractions and percentages, ratios and proportions, rates and work problems, algebra (linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, functions), geometry (area, volume, similar triangles, circles), basic trigonometry, exponents and logarithms, probability and counting, and descriptive statistics.
313 words, about 2 min