Dental school is academically rigorous and competitive. Preparing for dental school remains essential, and one of the most significant steps to prepare is taking the Dental Admissions Test (DAT).
The DAT is a timed, multiple-choice examination conducted by the American Dental Association (ADA). This examination measures general knowledge, how well an examinee comprehends scientific information, and their perceptual ability.
If you’re considering registering for the DAT and unsure where to start, a DAT test study guide can help.
Do Your Best!
Preparing for the DAT Exam, applicants feel similar feelings of dread to those taking their MCAT for admission into medical school. After all, test takers have a significant amount at stake. DAT scores can impact getting into the best dental programs, so you’ll want to do your best on the examination.
Formulating and implementing a DAT study guide can be daunting to think about itself for any student. While it may feel intimidating to decide where to begin, our DAT Destroyer team from Orgoman has some tips on how you can study and the benefits of using a professional DAT test study guide.
Facts About the DAT
- All US Dental Schools require the DAT examination
- You can take the test all year on most days
- Computer-based format
- Multiple choice questions
- The test length is approximately 4.5 hours
How to Study for the DAT Examination
The DAT examination consists of 4 sections:
Survey of Natural Sciences
100 questions, 90 minutes
- Biology (40 questions)
- General chemistry (30 questions)
- Organic Chemistry (30 questions)
Perceptual Ability
90 questions, 60 minutes
Reading Comprehension
50 questions, 60 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning
40 questions, 45 minutes
The DAT Destroyer does a fantastic job of preparing students for the natural sciences and QR section of the exam. However, the remaining two sections (PAT and Reading Comprehension) are unique to the Dental Admissions Test and may require additional work with a DAT study guide.
The perceptual ability section contains various challenging questions that analyze an applicant’s spatial aptitude. The DAT employs this section to assess a candidate’s capacity to manipulate two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects, determine patterns between shapes, and visualize movements or changes in those shapes.
It is often difficult to describe the questions in the perceptual ability portion of the DAT, often requiring a professional DAT test study guide that can offer visual examples, practice problems, and training.
When to Start Studying
Most DAT applicants will begin studying the DAT test study guide two to three months before their testing date. Nonetheless, the DAT Destroyers at Orgoman can provide a study schedule as a part of our study guides that can provide guidance based on how quickly and efficiently you study.
A study guide remains the ideal solution for anyone who struggles with making a strict study schedule. While everyone has a different method of what works best for their habits, a guide can help narrow the scope of your preparation and find what works best for you. Don’t overcomplicate your study plans while dedicating enough time to more heavily weighted sections on the test.
Biology
The biology portion of the DAT broadly addresses subjects and applications, making it difficult to narrow down precisely what an applicant should study. DAT Destroyer study guides offer hundreds of questions for the biology section to help applicants ably prepare.
General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry
Like the biology portion of the DAT, this section contains hundreds of general and organic chemistry questions. DAT Destroyer study guide and Orgoman provide various options on our website to help prepare with practice and general organic chemistry questions from previous DAT examinations.
Perceptual Ability
This section often seems daunting to applicants initially, but with practice and appropriate time, it quickly becomes one of the easiest.
Reading Comprehension
The best way to use the DAT test study guide to study for the reading comprehension section seems straightforward enough: practice. This section is similar to what we might find on other standardized tests, providing takers with passages who must answer questions about each specific entry.
Quantitative Reasoning
The math sections in the DAT quantitative reasoning section look similar to the SAT or ACT examination. DAT Destroyer and Orgoman provide study guides and other literature composed of specially tailored questions for this section.