The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is administered by the American Dental Association's (ADA) Department of Testing Services, and it's required by every dental school in the U.S. as part of the admissions process. It's a computer-based test taken year-round at Prometric testing centers rather than on a handful of fixed national dates, which gives you more flexibility in scheduling than a test like the ACT -- but the tradeoff is that the material itself is dense and covers real college-level science.
The basic format
The full DAT has four sections: Survey of the Natural Sciences, the Perceptual Ability Test (PAT), Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning. This site's practice question bank currently covers the three text-based sections -- Survey of the Natural Sciences (100 questions, 90 minutes), Reading Comprehension (50 questions, 60 minutes), and Quantitative Reasoning (40 questions, 45 minutes), 190 questions and 195 minutes altogether. The PAT (90 items, spatial and 3D-rotation image-based questions) is a separate, image-heavy section that isn't part of this site's question bank yet -- if you're preparing for the real DAT, budget separate study time for it using ADA's own materials.
Related: 6 Common DAT Mistakes -- and How to Avoid Them
What each section actually covers
- Survey of the Natural Sciences -- the largest section by far, split into Biology (40 questions), General Chemistry (30 questions), and Organic Chemistry (30 questions). Biology covers cell and molecular biology, diversity of life, structure and function of organ systems, genetics, and evolution/ecology. General Chemistry spans stoichiometry, gases, solutions, acid-base chemistry, equilibria, thermodynamics, kinetics, redox reactions, atomic structure, and periodic trends. Organic Chemistry covers mechanisms, synthesis, acid-base chemistry of organic molecules, and structural identification.
- Reading Comprehension -- three passages on dense science topics, each followed by roughly 16-17 questions testing comprehension, not outside subject knowledge. The real skill being tested is extracting and retaining detail from long, technical text under time pressure.
- Quantitative Reasoning -- algebra, data analysis and interpretation, quantitative comparison, probability and statistics, and applied word problems. A basic four-function on-screen calculator is provided during the real exam for this section.
Understanding your score
The DAT has no pass/fail threshold. Instead, each section is reported on a scaled score, and effective March 1, 2025, the DAT moved to a 200-600 scaled-score system (replacing the older 1-30 scale) -- if you're looking at older prep material or score comparisons, make sure they reflect the current 200-600 scale, not the retired one. Dental schools set their own admissions standards and typically look at your section scores individually rather than applying one universal cutoff, so what counts as a competitive score varies by program. You're allowed to retake the DAT, but ADA requires a 60-day wait between attempts and caps you at four attempts within any 12-month period, so a retake isn't something to plan casually.
How to prepare
Given how the real exam is weighted -- roughly 53% Survey of the Natural Sciences, 26% Reading Comprehension, and 21% Quantitative Reasoning -- most of your study time should go toward the science content, and within that, Biology carries the largest individual share. Because Reading Comprehension passages are genuinely dense and technical, practicing under real timed conditions matters more here than it does on a lighter test -- you want to build the stamina to extract detail from difficult text quickly, not just review content. Start with a baseline practice exam to see where you actually stand before committing to a study schedule, then weight your review time to match the real section proportions above.
Test day
You'll need to submit your DAT application through ADA (typically six to eight weeks before your desired test date) and then schedule your specific appointment through Prometric. Bring valid, government-issued photo ID that matches your application exactly -- Prometric testing centers are strict about ID requirements. Because the DAT is administered essentially year-round rather than on fixed dates, you have real flexibility in when you sit for it, but that also means there's no "next available date" to fall back on the way there is with a once-a-month national test -- plan your application timeline around when you actually want to test, not the other way around.