The DAT

The Dental Admission Test is a 280-question exam required by dental schools across the United States. It runs 4 hours 15 minutes of timed testing across four sections and is offered year round. Below: how it is built, how the new scoring scale works, and the free tools and guides we have for it.

Test Ninjas Research · Updated September 11, 2026
The scale changed. On March 1, 2025 the ADA replaced the DAT’s 1–30 reporting scale with 200–600. Most school averages and advice you will find still use the old numbers — the score converter maps between them using the ADA’s official concordance.

The four sections

Each section is timed separately. The Survey of Natural Sciences is one section on the clock but produces four separate reported scores; the other three produce one each.

Natural Sciences100 Qs · 90 min

Survey of the Natural Sciences

The Survey of the Natural Sciences is one section on the clock but three subjects on your score report. Its 100 questions run in fixed blocks — Biology first, then General Chemistry, then Organic Chemistry — and produce four separate reported scores.

Perceptual Ability90 Qs · 60 min

Perceptual Ability Test (PAT)

The Perceptual Ability Test has no equivalent on any other admissions exam. It measures spatial visualisation — reading three-dimensional form from two-dimensional drawings — and it is the one DAT section with nothing to memorise and everything to practise.

Reading Comprehension50 Qs · 60 min

Reading Comprehension Test

Reading Comprehension gives you three scientific passages and 50 questions in 60 minutes. Everything needed to answer is in the text — the section tests whether you can locate and interpret information under time pressure, not whether you already know the subject.

Quantitative Reasoning40 Qs · 45 min

Quantitative Reasoning Test

Quantitative Reasoning is 40 questions in 45 minutes covering algebra, data analysis and applied problem solving. It is the only DAT section with a calculator, and the maths itself does not go beyond what most applicants met before university.

How it is scored

A DAT report carries eight numbers, all on the same 200–600 scale. A score near 400 sits around the middle of the national candidate pool.

The eight reported DAT scores
ScoreNotes
Academic AverageMean of the five non-PAT scores — the headline number
Survey of Natural SciencesScaled from all 100 science questions together
Biology · General Chemistry · Organic ChemistryThree separate subject scores
Perceptual AbilityReported separately; excluded from the Academic Average
Quantitative Reasoning · Reading ComprehensionOne score each

Look up where any score falls with the DAT score calculator, read how the scale works on DAT score range, or see the full percentile table on DAT percentiles.

All DAT guides

DAT Score CalculatorPercentile rank for every reported scoreDAT Score ConverterOld 1–30 ↔ new 200–600All DAT CalculatorsEvery DAT tool in one placeDAT FormatSections, timing and question countsDAT Score RangeThe 200–600 scale explainedDAT PercentilesOfficial ADA rank tableWhat Is a Good DAT Score?Benchmarks against admissions dataScheduling & RetakesYear-round testing, applying, retake limitsDAT vs MCATWhich test is harder, and which you need

Your GPA carries as much weight as your DAT.

Dental schools read your science and cumulative GPA alongside your scores. Work out both with our free GPA calculators.

Open the GPA calculators →

Frequently Asked Questions

There are 255 minutes of timed testing across four sections. With the optional 30-minute break, the tutorial and the post-test survey, total administration time is 5 hours 15 minutes. The DAT is shorter than the MCAT by roughly two hours.

There are 280 multiple-choice questions: 100 in the Survey of Natural Sciences, 90 in Perceptual Ability, 50 in Reading Comprehension and 40 in Quantitative Reasoning. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.

Every reported score sits on a 200-600 scale in 10-point steps. The ADA replaced the older 1-30 scale on March 1, 2025. Your report carries eight numbers, including the Academic Average, which is the mean of the five non-PAT scores.

Year round. Unlike the MCAT, the DAT has no fixed test dates — it is offered continuously at Prometric test centres. You apply to the ADA first, then schedule with Prometric once your eligibility is confirmed.

You must wait 60 days between attempts, with a maximum of four administrations in any 12-month period. A third or subsequent attempt requires permission from the ADA, and after five attempts testing is limited to once per 12 months.

No. The Canadian DAT is a separate exam administered by the Canadian Dental Association, and most Canadian dental schools require it rather than the ADA version — though some accept either. Everything on these pages refers to the ADA DAT used for U.S. dental schools. If you are applying in Canada, check each school’s requirement before you book anything.

Not at this time. Our DAT resources are free guides and calculators, including a percentile lookup and an old-to-new score converter built from the ADA’s published tables.

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