Learning Center

If you’re wondering what DAT score you need to be competitive for dental school, you’re in the right place. Kaplan notes that most successful applicants score around 20–22 on the old 1–30 DAT scale, which converts to approximately 440–480+ on the new 200–600 scoring system introduced in 2025. GPA remains equally important, with many programs reporting averages around 3.5–3.7 for recent entering classes. While ADEA publishes national trends, many individual dental schools do not release full, updated DAT + GPA statistics every cycle. The following guide compiles the latest publicly available school-specific averages, including ADEA-referenced data, school-published class profiles, and...

Discover why leadership matters in dentistry and how future dentists can build essential skills before dental school. Ideal for pre-dental students preparing for the DAT.

Understand your DAT percentile under the new 200–600 scoring scale. This 2025–2026 guide explains what your score means and how to improve with DAT Destroyer and OAT Destroyer.

Deciding whether to specialize is one of the most important choices dental students face. This guide breaks down what specialization involves, why some dentists pursue advanced training, why others stay in general practice, and how your DAT score and academic foundation can influence future options. Use this overview to understand the path that fits your goals and long-term lifestyle.

Preparing for the DAT can feel overwhelming, but many score-lowering mistakes are completely avoidable. After helping students for more than 35 years, we break down the ten most common errors and show you how to study smarter, stay focused, and build a strong foundation for test day.