{"id":8295,"date":"2018-09-28T15:36:37","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T21:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/?p=8295"},"modified":"2019-04-23T14:49:09","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T20:49:09","slug":"dental-admissions-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/dental-admissions-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you Need to Know about the Dental Admissions Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pre-dental students are a motivated and hardworking bunch, but they don\u2019t get enough credit. Just like pre-doctoral students take the MCAT, pre-law students take the LSAT, and business students take the GMAT, pre-dental students have to take the Dental Admissions Test, or DAT, in order to get into a dental school.<\/span><\/p>\n

We talked to Dawn Sul, a pre-dental student at the <\/span>University of the Pacific <\/span><\/a>and president of the Pacific Pre-Dental Society, and Kyle Larsen, who attended <\/span>Brigham Young University, Idaho<\/span><\/a>, where he served as a <\/span>Pre-Health Academic Advisor and the President of the Pre-Dental Society<\/span>. Larsen then went to dental school at the University of Colorado<\/a> School of Dental Medicine<\/a> and now works as a dentist. Both Sul and Larsen have taken the test themselves, and offer their experience and insight. This article will explain the ins and outs of the Dental Admissions Test and those last years of undergrad before you head to dental school.<\/span><\/p>\n

Psst…check out our<\/span><\/i> test prep section<\/span><\/i><\/a> for loads of grad school test prep tools. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What is the DAT?<\/b><\/h1>\n

The Dental Admissions Test is required as part of your application to dental school. The test is science-based, and Sul described it as similar in structure to the math and science section of the SAT\u2013except harder. She explained that the main subject areas she studied were general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, and perceptual ability. <\/span><\/p>\n

Give me details<\/b><\/h1>\n

Scoring – The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 30.<\/span><\/p>\n

Timing – The test takes 4 hours and 15 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Registering – To register, you need a DENTPIN from the American Dental Association. Get that <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>. Then, register through the <\/span>ADA website<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sections – Sciences, perceptual ability, reading comprehension, and quantitative reasoning. <\/span><\/p>\n

Format – Multiple choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cost – $445.<\/span><\/p>\n

When to study<\/b><\/h1>\n

Students take the DAT at varying times. Larsen suggested taking the test as soon as you can after taking organic chemistry, as this is one of the more difficult topics. He also recommended taking it over a school break, such as winter or summer break, and studying for four to eight weeks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sul was in a three-year undergraduate program, and took the test in the winter of her second year at UOP. She studied intensely for one month over her winter break.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really tough but that fall semester I took courses at school that were helpful and got me ready for the DAT,\u201d said Sul.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to study<\/b><\/h1>\n

Some students break up the sections studied for the DAT into chunks where a certain amount of time is dedicated to one section, then another, and so on. However, Sul studied a bit of each subject every day, and recommended that students follow a similar method to keep information fresh. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI made up a schedule for myself at the beginning of winter break,\u201d said Sul. \u201cBasically I tried to do little by little of everything each day, not just all chem in a few weeks and all ochem in the next few weeks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She said that she didn\u2019t want to forget information learned earlier in studying by moving on entirely to another subject, and found studying parts of each section everyday to be the most effective. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI strictly studied the whole day. I would wake up in the morning, then the whole morning from 9-11 would be gen chem, 1-3 would be o chem, 5-7 would be bio, and then PAT at night,\u201d said Sul.<\/span><\/p>\n

While you may have more time to space out your studying than Sul did, it\u2019s definitely important to keep a schedule that works for your learning style so that you can retain what you learn and study. Larsen recommended treating the studying process \u201clike a job,\u201d where you work from 8 a.m. to around 5 p.m. as much as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven if I did have more time I would\u2019ve still done it my way,\u201d said Sul. She explained that she may spread out the bulk of the work more, but would still follow a similar schedule of blocked time for each subject each day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sul said she used study materials like videos, notes, and workbooks, and that she felt prepared when it came to test day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another piece of advice Sul provided is to focus on the perceptual ability aspect of the test, as this isn\u2019t covered in the pre-dental classes and the concepts take more time to get a handle on. She tells underclassmen who will begin studying for the test soon to start on perceptual ability test section.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a pre-dental we just don\u2019t get enough time to build that eyes and perception for seeing 3D models which is what PAT is looking for,\u201d said Sul. \u201cSo, I think science and chemistry and organic chemistry-wise, you can do that in a shorter time [because] we\u2019re learning that throughout the semester, but PAT is something that you have to do on your own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another tip Larsen offered was to utilize practice tests throughout the process. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice for studying specifically is to start taking practice tests as soon as possible, because you can review it all day every day, but you never quite know how solid the information is in your mind until you\u2019re actually taking practice exams,\u201d said Larsen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Practice tests will not only familiarize you with the format and test your current knowledge, they can help you find out which skills and topics you need to study more in depth. You can then target these topics and use online videos, textbooks from your classes, notes, and any other resources you have available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are there any curve balls?<\/b><\/h1>\n

The short answer? Not really. This is a standard multiple choice test with defined sections.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the dental admissions test I think it\u2019s very what you expect,\u201d said Larsen. <\/span><\/p>\n

He explained that every now and then someone will be thrown off by a specific article they were given in the reading comprehension section or someone may feel that the perceptual ability portion was harder than they expected, but for the most part, adequate studying is rewarded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are studied up on what topics are covered, you\u2019ve taken practice tests, you\u2019ve done your due diligence with that, nothing is really off about anything,\u201d said Larsen.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, a few things people forget about are the timing and the more \u201cunderrated\u201d sections. Larsen suggested timing yourself when taking practice tests so you aren\u2019t thrown off by this factor, and to not disregard the math or reading sections when studying. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can I get ahead?<\/b><\/h1>\n

While most people finish at least a year of undergrad before taking the DAT and it\u2019s preferable to take organic chemistry first, there are other ways to get a head start even in your freshman year. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe sooner you start on the perceptual ability portion of your study the better, because you don\u2019t need a class, or a foundation to study for that, you can just start anytime you want,\u201d said Larsen. \u201cThe more studying you get for that specific portion of the test the better off you\u2019ll be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What else should you be doing to prep for dental school?<\/b><\/h1>\n

Of course, there are things to do to prepare for dental school in the last year or two of undergrad aside from taking the DAT. Sul explained what she is doing to build experience and round out her background. Over the summer, she shadowed at a dentist\u2019s office to get hands-on experience. Additionally, she\u2019s taking non-science courses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis year I\u2019ve ventured out. Over the last two years, all I\u2019ve taken are science-related courses, but this year I wanted to take a business class because I realized that a major part of dentistry is also a business so that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing,\u201d said Sul.<\/span><\/p>\n

She also has attended interview workshops to prepare for the upcoming dental school interviews. Additionally, you can participate in an internship, an on-campus pre-dental club like Sul\u2019s, and look for schools you\u2019d like to apply to. There are plenty of ways to get involved and plugged into the dental network, helping you feel ready to enter the next chapter of your education.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the DAT can be intense and you want to give it your all, keep in mind that this isn\u2019t the only thing dental schools look at when making admissions decisions, just like the SAT isn\u2019t the only thing colleges view. Staying on top of your work and the test is a very important part of undergrad for a pre-dental student, but remember to also enjoy your last year and to reach out within the dental community to get you excited about your future as a dentist. <\/span><\/p>\n

Want help retaining the information you study? Check out the <\/span>Dean Vaughn Total Retention Program<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pre-dental students are a motivated and hardworking bunch, but they don\u2019t get enough credit. Just like pre-doctoral students take the MCAT, pre-law students take the LSAT, and business students take the GMAT, pre-dental students have to take the Dental Admissions Test, or DAT, in order to get into a dental school. We talked to Dawn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":8313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1709,1708,431,434,502,1710,1711],"class_list":{"0":"post-8295","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-test-prep","8":"tag-dat","9":"tag-dental-admissions-test","10":"tag-dental-school","11":"tag-grad-school","12":"tag-graduate-school","13":"tag-pre-dental","14":"tag-pre-dental-students","15":"ad_tags-dat"},"better_featured_image":{"id":8313,"alt_text":"","caption":"Afro american female students learning dentistry at prosthodontic lab. 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