The Dental Admission Test is administered by the American Dental Association and is a prerequisite test required prior to applying for admission to a U.S. dental school.
The test is administered by Priometric Test Centers across the U.S. However, in order to attempt the test you must first submit an application to the DAT program and upon approval you will receive an email informing you to contact a test center in your area to arrange a testing time. Important: you should prepare well in advance to take the DAT as you are allowed to only attempt the DAT ONE TIME PER 12-MONTH PERIOD.
The complete DAT examination guide can be found here:
http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/dat_examinee_guide.pdf
DAT Test Prep can be done through private institutions such as Kaplan Test Prep. The cost for professional test preparation courses, such as Kaplan, is usually extremely high. For example, Kaplan charges $1399 for an “Anywhere” test prep course, which allows you to complete the course online.
Kaplan offers some guarantees with these courses, which include continued free study if you are not satisfied with your results or your preparedness.
Is it worth paying these prices for test prep courses?
If you take into consideration that you can only make one attempt per year at the DAT then the importance of obtaining the highest score possible on the first attempt becomes all that more important to you. Each year you delay is actually a year you delay in entering the work field as a dental professional. A thousand dollars now is a small investment relative to the earning potential you will have as a dental professional.
Can you prepare for the DAT on your own?
Yes, there are plenty of DAT Test Prep books on the market today. And if you are accustomed to test preparation on your own then you may be better suited to completing these books, videos, and other materials on your own schedule. We cannot suggest any particular course material that will provide better results, as each individual has a different preference and learning method. Given the affordability of these books you may choose to purchase more than one. You should begin preparing for the test well in advance of applying for the test. In fact, you should be completely prepared to take the test before submitting your DAT test application. Upon application you can then continue refreshing your test skills as you wait for acceptance.