UK | Undergraduate Studies | DAT: Dental Admission Test

DAT: Dental Admission Test

The DAT is the required entrance exam for dental school. The DAT is conducted by the American Dental Association (ADA) and administered by computer on almost any day of the year at Prometric Testing Centers. The testing program is designed to measure general academic ability, comprehension of scientific information and perceptual ability. The examinations are comprised exclusively of multiple choice test items. Each edition of an examination is developed according to the examination outline.

There are four examinations included in the Dental Admission Testing Program. The entire program requires just over one half day for administration. The examinations included are: Survey of Natural Sciences (90 min), Perceptual Ability (60 min.), Reading Comprehension (60 min.), and Quantitative Reasoning (45 min.). Prometric requires at least a 48-hour advance notice for scheduling a test.

A current listing of Prometric Testing Centers can be found online at www.2test.com. The Prometric site in Lexington is located 2573 Richmond Rd., Suite 260, (859) 268-3338.

Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS)

Students apply to dental school through Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). This service is available to all students applying to dental schools participating in the application service. There are a few dental schools that do not participate in a centralized application you must apply to those schools directly. For up-to-date fee information and to learn more about AADSAS visit their website, http://www.adea.org.

To complete the centralized application, you will need a copy of all your transcripts, a list of the schools to which you are applying, and a lot of time to organize and write your essay, and to type up the forms.

WHERE TO APPLY

Because state funded education is heavily taxpayer supported, public medical, dental and other professional schools give a high percentage of their slots to residents of their home state. Your best odds will be to apply with the public-supported schools of your state of residence. Kentuckians will want to apply to the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville dental schools. Dental school applicants whose official state of residence is elsewhere would apply to the public schools in that state. In addition, you may want to apply to private dental schools, and perhaps to public dental schools in other states (knowing that competition is keen for out-of-state slots). Use the Official Guide to Dental Schools, and information gained from web sites, to determine the instate/out-of-state admits, and the average GPA and DAT scores for students admitted to various schools. Consider location, programs, tuition, and where you think you will likely practice once you complete your education.

APPLICATION ESSAYS

If required, essays are very important parts of your application to professional school. Take time to think carefully about who you are and what experiences have shaped your life. How have you come to this point of seeking a career in dentistry? The essays that you write should be so much "you" that no one else could have written any portion of them. Admissions officers want to learn more of who you are! In addition to careful attention to content, please be sure that your essay is error-free. Have someone proof your essay to ensure that spelling and grammar are correct.

TRANSCRIPTS

In most cases, official copies of your transcript(s) need to be sent directly to centralized application, unless otherwise noted. Make sure to check the application instructions. Transcripts can be requested from the Registrar's Office. A transcript from each and every post-secondary school you have attended must be submitted. Besides your UK transcript, be sure to request official ones from any community college or 4-year institution where you attempted or earned credit; any college from which you earned credit while in high school; correspondence programs; summer programs; military education; etc. Some applications services provide a form that you complete and give to each registrar's office to attach to your transcript when they send it to AADSAS.

You will need personal copies of your transcripts for use in completing the academic portion of your application. Review them carefully to be certain that all coursework and grades are recorded accurately.