Set any score from your DAT report to see the percentile rank it carries. Every reported score sits on the same 200–600 scale, but each has its own distribution — so the same number means different things on different lines.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated September 11, 2026
400
Mean of the five non-PAT scores, computed by the ADA
54%
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400
The combined science score (Biology + General & Organic Chemistry)
53%
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400
54%
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400
53%
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400
54%
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400
Reported separately; excluded from the Academic Average
52%
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400
54%
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400
56%
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Percentile ranks are the ADA’s published figures, from a national normative sample of more than 30,000 DAT attempts over a recent two-year period. An Academic Average of 400 sits at the 54th percentile.
Enter your Academic Average from your score report rather than working it out from practice results. This tool looks up the percentile of each reported score; your official report supplies the score to enter.
What is on a DAT score report
A DAT report carries eight numbers, all on the same 200–600 scale in 10-point steps: six subject or section scores, plus Academic Average and Total Science.
The eight reported DAT scores
Score
What it is
Academic Average (AA)
Mean of the five non-PAT scores. The headline number most schools screen on.
Total Science (SNS)
Rounded average of Biology, General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry scale scores under the current system.
Biology
Subject score drawn from the Natural Sciences section.
General Chemistry
Subject score drawn from the Natural Sciences section.
Organic Chemistry
Subject score drawn from the Natural Sciences section.
Perceptual Ability (PAT)
Its own section, reported separately and excluded from the Academic Average.
Quantitative Reasoning
Its own section.
Reading Comprehension
Its own section.
How the summary scores work
Total Science averages the three science scores. For administrations after March 1, 2025, the ADA uses the rounded average of the Biology, General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry scale scores. The earlier system used a different calculation.
Academic Average includes five non-PAT scores. The ADA defines it as the rounded average of Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Quantitative Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. These definitions are published in the ADA score FAQ. Enter the official summary score to look up its percentile here.
The same score, different sections
Because each reported score has its own distribution, one number does not carry one meaning. This is worth knowing before you decide which section to put your remaining study time into.
Percentile rank for the same score across three reported scores
Score
Academic Average
Perceptual Ability
Natural Sciences
340
15%
18%
17%
380
39%
39%
39%
400
54%
52%
53%
420
69%
65%
67%
440
81%
76%
79%
460
88%
84%
87%
480
94%
90%
92%
500
97%
94%
95%
For the complete table across all eight scores see DAT percentile ranks. If you are holding older scores on the 1–30 scale, the DAT score converter maps them onto this one using the ADA’s official concordance.
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.
The ADA defines Academic Average as the rounded average of the Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Quantitative Reasoning and Reading Comprehension scale scores. Perceptual Ability is reported separately and is excluded from it.
Enter the Academic Average from your official score report. This calculator looks up percentile ranks for reported scores; it does not calculate an official result from a daily practice question or a raw number of correct answers.
Yes, under the current scoring system. For administrations after March 1, 2025, the ADA defines Total Science as the rounded average of the three science subject scale scores. It has its own percentile distribution and appears separately in this calculator.
Every reported DAT score sits between 200 and 600, in 10-point increments. The ADA replaced the older 1-30 scale with this one on March 1, 2025. A score near 400 is around the middle of the national candidate pool.
They are the ADA’s published percentile rank table, calculated from a national normative sample of more than 30,000 DAT attempts over a recent two-year period. A percentile rank is the percentage of candidates in that sample who scored at or below the given score.
No, and this is the most useful thing the calculator shows. Each reported score has its own distribution, so identical numbers sit at different percentiles. Move any two rows to the same score and watch the percentile column disagree.