The
Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is a computerized
test that may be taken any day of the year.
This test is conducted by the American Dental
Association Testing Program and has been in
use since 1950. You may register to take the
test by submitting a paper application or online
at http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/Online/index.html.
Paper applications can be obtained from the
College of Basic Sciences in 338 Choppin Hall.
Although the test may be taken
at any time, students are encouraged to complete
the test well in advance of their intended
dental school enrollment. Typically the test
is taken a full year prior to entering dental
school. LSU students wishing to be evaluated
by the LSU Premedical/Predental Review Committee
must take the test prior to June 15 of the
year in which they use the committee.
The current cost is $170 that
includes submission of test scores to five
dental schools, a personal copy of the test
scores and a copy released to your Predental
advisor. There is an additional $10 charge
for submitting scores for each additional
school beyond five. Paper registration may
be paid with a certified check or money order
made payable to the Dental Admission Test.
Online DAT registration are payable only by
credit card (Visa or MasterCard).
After the application is processed
a letter is sent to the applicant instructing
them to call a toll free number to register
with the Prometric Candidate Contact Center.
The computerized DAT is administered at Prometric
Testing Centers, which are operated by Sylvan
Learning Centers. The applicant will arrange
the date, time and place for administration
of the test. There is a 48 hour advanced notice
for scheduling a test. The approved registration
application is valid for 12 months. If the
student does not complete the test within
this time frame, the fee is forfeited and
the candidate must reapply.
Students who wish to retake the examination
must wait a minimum of 90 days. The result
of the four most recent DAT scores are forwarded
to dental schools and the total number of
DATs taken is listed.
The examination is multiple
choice and students have 4 hours and 15 minutes
to complete the four tests in the DAT battery.
There is an optional 15-minute break offered
between the second and third test battery.
The computerized test begins automatically
after 15 minutes if the student opts for the
break.
|
| The
DAT battery includes: |
| I Survey
of Natural Sciences
|
90
minutes |
| II Perceptual
Ability Test |
60 minutes |
|
III Reading
Comprehension Test |
60 minutes |
|
IV Quantitative
Reasoning Test |
45 minutes |
The
Survey of Natural Sciences includes Biology,
General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. Quantitative
reasoning includes algebra, geometry, trigonometry,
probability and statistics, and applied mathematics
problems.
The DAT is scored based on
the number of correct answers. The scores are
reported to the dental school as standard scores.
Scores range from 1 to 30 on each battery area
with a standard score of 17 typically signifies
the national average. Immediately upon completion
of the test, the candidate receives both standard
scores and percentile equivalents of their performance.
Scores are typically sent to dental schools
within three weeks of the examination.
While all dental schools in
the United States and Canada require the DAT,
each school places differing emphasis on individual
portions of the test. You are encouraged to
contact the admissions office at dental schools
in which you are interested for information
regarding the average test scores of admitted
students and evaluations of performance.
Further information regarding
the DAT can be obtained for the American Dental
Association.
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