The DAT does not have test dates in the way most admissions exams do. It runs year round at Prometric centres, so the question is not which date is offered but how far ahead to apply and schedule — and how the retake rules constrain your timing.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated September 11, 2026
There is no DAT calendar to check. Testing is continuous. What you do need to plan around is the two-step registration — ADA first, then Prometric — and the 60-day minimum between attempts.
How registration works
You cannot book a DAT appointment directly. You need a DENTPIN before you can even apply, the ADA has to grant eligibility after that, and only then can you schedule with Prometric. Building in time for all three steps is the single most common scheduling mistake.
From application to test day
Step
When
Notes
1. Create a DENTPIN
Before anything else
Your Dental Personal Identifier Number — required to apply
2. Apply to the ADA
6–8 weeks before your target date
Complete the DAT application and pay
3. Receive your eligibility letter
After the ADA processes your application
You cannot schedule before this
4. Schedule with Prometric
60–90 days before your target date
Popular centres and times fill up
5. Test
Your chosen date, year round
5 hours 15 minutes total administration
6. Official scores
3–4 weeks after testing
No unofficial score is given at the centre
Retake rules
The DAT’s retake limits are stricter than they first appear, and the 60-day wait is what most often forces a decision. If you test late in a cycle and want to retake, the mandatory gap may push the second attempt past the point where it is useful.
DAT attempt limits
Rule
Limit
Minimum gap between attempts
60 days
Maximum attempts in 12 months
4
Third or later attempt
Requires ADA permission to retest
After five attempts
Limited to once per 12-month period
Schools see every attempt. Plan the first sitting as the one that counts rather than as a trial run, and use a practice test rather than a real administration to find out where you stand.
Timing it against your cycle
Dental school admissions are largely rolling, which means submitting early carries a real advantage — and that in turn means testing early enough that your score is available when applications open. Working backwards from that point, and then adding the 6–8 weeks the ADA asks for, usually lands you on a date in the spring of your application year.
The ADA publishes the current DAT fee in the DAT Candidate Guide rather than fixing it indefinitely, and Prometric rescheduling fees rise as the date approaches. Check both before you book — and note that fee waivers and partial-fee programmes have their own deadlines that cannot be applied retroactively.
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.
Year round. Unlike the MCAT, the DAT has no fixed test dates — it is administered continuously at Prometric test centres across the United States, its territories and selected Canadian locations. You pick a date that suits you rather than working around a published calendar. Note that the Canadian DAT is a separate exam administered by the Canadian Dental Association.
In two steps. You apply to the ADA first and receive eligibility, then schedule an appointment with Prometric. The ADA recommends applying 6 to 8 weeks before the date you want, and scheduling with Prometric 60 to 90 days ahead, because popular centres and times fill up.
You must wait 60 days between attempts, and you may test a maximum of four times in any 12-month period. A third or subsequent attempt requires you to apply to the ADA for permission to retest. After five attempts, testing is limited to once per 12 months.
Early enough that your score is in hand when applications open, because dental school admissions are largely rolling. Testing in the spring of your application year is common. Leaving it late means that if the score disappoints, the mandatory 60-day wait may put a retake outside your cycle entirely.
Three to four weeks, and often sooner. Note that unofficial scores are no longer shown at the test centre — that stopped on March 1, 2025, when the ADA moved to the new scoring model, which requires analysis Prometric cannot do on site. You will leave the test centre without a score.
Yes, through Prometric, subject to their deadlines and fees, which increase as the date approaches. Check the current DAT Candidate Guide for the fee schedule before booking, since the amounts are revised periodically.