DENTAL ADMISSIONS TEST (DAT) - What It Is - Course Prerequisites and Test Content

Sep 17, 2026

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Dental Admissions Test (DAT) guidance outlines how the American Dental Association (ADA) administers the exam for applicants seeking admission to dental school. The document explains the DAT’s purpose: measuring general academic ability, comprehension of scientific information, and perceptual ability. It lists prerequisite undergraduate courses across biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, mathematics, physics, and English, notes optional biochemistry and microbiology, and provides when to take the exam (typically by junior-year summer) plus a detailed section-by-section schedule and total testing time.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

What Is the DAT?

Prerequisite Courses for DAT

When Do I Take the DAT?

Content of the Dental Admission Test

DAT Testing Schedule

DENTAL ADMISSIONS TEST (DAT) WHAT IS THE DAT? The DAT is conducted by the American Dental Association (ADA) for applicants seeking admission to dental school. The DAT is designed to measure general academic ability, comprehension of scientific information, and perceptual ability. The DAT is administered year round at test centers operated by Prometric, Inc. PREREQUISITE COURSES FOR DAT All students, regardless of major, must complete the following courses for dental school admissions. Students with AP credit in science subjects should speak with the Pre-health Advisor as soon as they arrive on campus. The new DAT (as of 2015) will have a considerable amount of statistical analysis so students should complete stats before they sit for the exam. | GENERAL BIOLOGY I AND II
BIO 1011R, 1012R Principles of Biology—Lectures (3 credits)
BIO 1011L, 1012L Principles of Biology—Laboratory (2 credits) | | --- | | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I AND II
CHE 1045R, 1046R General Chemistry Lectures (3 credits)
CHE 1047L General Chemistry Lab (2 credits) this lab is only offered with Chem. 1046 Lecture | | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I AND II
CHE 1213R, 1214R Organic Chemistry I & II (Lecture) (3 credits)
CHE 1215L Organic Chemistry I (Lab) (2 credits) this lab is only offered with organic 1213R (students who take orgo outside of YU must complete both the lecture and lab off-campus) | | MATHEMATICS
STAT 1021 AND MATH 1412 (calculus I) | | PHYSICS I AND II
PHY 1031R, 1032R Introductory Physics Lectures (4 credits) (ALGEBRA BASED) or 1051H, 1052H (Honors) (CALCULUS BASED)
PHY 1031L, 1032L Introductory Physics—Laboratory (1 credit) | | ENGLISH
First Year Writing and 1 additional ENG LIT course | | | | --- | | BIOCHEMISTRY (OPTIONAL) AND MICROBIOLOGY
Biochemistry 1376 R (not all dental schools require biochemistry or microbiology—check with the schools)
Biology 4023R | WHEN DO I TAKE THE DAT? The DAT should be taken by the time you submit your application, generally in the summer (May-June) of your junior year. CONTENT OF THE DENTAL ADMISSION TEST The Survey of the Natural Sciences is a test of achievement. The content is limited to those areas covered by an entire first-year course in biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry. The Perceptual Ability Test includes various types of nonverbal visual acuity items. There are six sections in the Perceptual Ability Test. One section covers two-dimensional perception, while the other sections cover three-dimensional perception. The Reading Comprehension Test consists of three reading passages, each with 16 to 17 items. The reading passages are scientific in nature and may reflect topics covered in dental school. The Quantitative Reasoning Test measures your ability to reason with numbers, to manipulate numerical relationships, and deal intelligently with quantitative materials. DAT TESTING SCHEDULE Optional Tutorial ...................................15 minutes Survey of Natural Sciences ................90 minutes Perceptual Ability Test ........................60 minutes Scheduled Break (optional) ..............15 minutes Reading Comprehension Test ..........60 minutes Quantitative Reasoning Test .............45 minutes Optional Post Test Survey .................15 minutes Total Time 5 hours Updated: September 20, 2016

FAQs

What is the DAT and who administers it?

The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is conducted by the American Dental Association (ADA) for applicants seeking admission to dental school. It measures general academic ability, scientific comprehension, and perceptual ability.

What prerequisite courses are required for dental school admissions using the DAT?

Students must complete biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry courses, plus mathematics, physics I and II, and English. Optional biochemistry and microbiology may be required by some dental schools.

What topics are covered in the DAT and what is the testing schedule?

The DAT includes a Survey of the Natural Sciences, a Perceptual Ability Test with six sections, a Reading Comprehension Test, and a Quantitative Reasoning Test. The document provides timing for each part, totaling 5 hours.

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Cart