United States · Admission test
The DAT is the admission test for dental school, run by the American Dental Association (ADA). Every US dental school requires it, and some Canadian schools accept it. You take it on a computer at a Prometric test center: 280 multiple-choice questions in four tests, about five hours in all. Scores run from 200 to 600 and there’s no pass mark. This guide covers what’s on it, what it costs and how to sign up, and there’s a free practice test further down.
Key facts
How it works
Topics
How cells are built, how they make and use energy, and how materials and signals cross their membranes.
The organ systems the DAT lists, from circulation and breathing to hormones and nerves.
Inheritance, gene expression, population genetics and how populations and ecosystems work.
Stoichiometry, gases, solutions, acids and bases, equilibrium, thermodynamics, kinetics and redox. A periodic table is on screen during this section.
Mechanisms, synthesis, acid-base chemistry, properties of molecules and structure. ADA updated the topic names in its organic chemistry specifications in 2026.
Three science passages with 50 questions in 60 minutes. You don’t need to know the topic; everything is in the text.
Algebra, data analysis, quantitative comparison, probability and statistics, and word problems. An on-screen calculator is available.
Free practice test
These 20 questions are our own, written in the style of the DAT: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning, each with four answer choices. There’s no Perceptual Ability here, because those questions are all pictures of shapes and folds. The real DAT has 280 questions. It has no pass mark, so we use 70% as a practice target: 14 right out of 20. That’s our goal for practice, not an ADA number. After each answer you can ask the tutor to explain it another way, and anything you miss comes back at the end.
Sample of the DAT: same format, 20 questions.
Test day
Study options
Start with ADA’s free Candidate Guide, which lists every topic on the test, and its Perceptual Ability instructions. ADA also sells official practice tests through Prometric, from $20 a section. We’ve compared the question banks, books and videos people use for the DAT.
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official and free | |||
ADA DAT Candidate Guide and test specificationsOfficial · PDFThis is the official outline of what the DAT can ask, from the people who write it. Use it as your checklist. ADA also publishes the list of reference textbooks its question writers use, and the 2026 organic chemistry specifications with their new topic names. | Free | The full topic list for every section, timing, scoring and rules | |
ADA Perceptual Ability instructionsOfficial · PDFPerceptual Ability is the section most people have never seen before. ADA strongly encourages reading these instructions before test day, so you know how apertures, paper folding, cube counting and the rest work. | Free | Instructions for all six Perceptual Ability question types | |
ADA DAT practice testsOfficial · online through PrometricThe questions are written by real DAT test constructors. Each section gives you 24 hours of access, with three separate Perceptual Ability sets. The full test has six sections and runs 3 hours 5 minutes. You only see how many you got right, not a scaled score. | $20 per section; $100 for the full practice test | One full practice test is included with an ADA partial fee waiver | |
| Apps and websites | |||
DAT BootcampWeb and appA large question bank (it says 11,000+ questions), full practice tests in all sections including Perceptual Ability, videos, flashcards and a study schedule. Plus adds five more practice tests per category. Klarna and Afterpay payments are offered. The Bootcamp.com app is rated 4.9 from 18K ratings on the App Store, but it covers several exams and needs a paid membership. | Pro $599 for 90 days; Plus $999 for 180 days | A free account to start; the full question bank and videos need a paid plan | |
DAT BoosterWebPractice tests in each subject, extra questions and videos. Memberships don’t auto-renew, and you can pause one until you’re ready. Premium Max adds more practice tests and priority support. Pre-dental clubs can ask for a discount code. | Premium $549 for 90 days; Premium Max $899 for 180 days | No free plan listed | |
Kaplan DATBook and online prepKaplan’s DAT Prep Plus book comes with two full-length online practice tests and more than 600 practice questions, according to its retail listings. We couldn’t check Kaplan’s own course prices, so look on its site before you buy. | Paid; the DAT Prep Plus book is sold by bookstores, and prices vary | Not confirmed | |
Orgoman: DAT Destroyer and Math DestroyerBooks, with free videosDr. Romano’s Destroyer books are big sets of hard practice problems with worked solutions. DAT Destroyer covers the sciences and Math Destroyer covers Quantitative Reasoning. They’re for drilling, not for learning a subject from scratch. | DAT Destroyer $189.95; Math Destroyer $109.00 | YouTube playlists for general chemistry, organic chemistry, math and biology | |
| Video | |||
Chad’s PrepVideo course · webThe DAT course covers general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology and quantitative reasoning with 50+ hours of video, study guides and 2,500+ questions. It doesn’t cover Perceptual Ability or reading. You can cancel any time and keep access until the end of the month you paid for. | $60 a month for DAT Prep | Chemistry and biochemistry videos on the website and YouTube; no free DAT course | |
Khan AcademyVideo · web and appNot made for the DAT, but useful if a topic from your college courses never clicked. Use it to relearn the basics, then go back to DAT-style questions. | Free | Everything: videos and practice in biology, chemistry and organic chemistry | |
The Organic Chemistry TutorVideo · YouTubeShort, worked-example videos on chemistry, organic chemistry and math. Handy for quick reviews of a single problem type, like gas laws or absolute value inequalities. Not DAT-specific. | Free | All videos | |
Prices and ratings checked October 2026.
FAQ
Four tests, all multiple choice. Survey of the Natural Sciences has 100 questions: 40 biology, 30 general chemistry and 30 organic chemistry. Perceptual Ability has 90 questions on shapes and space, like paper folding and cube counting. Reading Comprehension has 50 questions on three science passages. Quantitative Reasoning has 40 math questions. You don’t need physics or advanced biology.
280 questions. The timing is 90 minutes for the Natural Sciences, 60 for Perceptual Ability, 60 for Reading Comprehension and 45 for Quantitative Reasoning. With the optional tutorial, the 30-minute break and the survey at the end, the whole appointment is 5 hours 15 minutes.
As of October 2026, the exam fee is $580. That includes sending scores to every school you pick when you apply. Extra score reports later cost $55 each, and changing your appointment costs $50 to $150, depending on how much notice you give. A limited number of partial fee waivers cover half the fee for people with financial hardship.
There isn’t one. Each dental school decides what scores it wants. Since March 1, 2025, scores run from 200 to 600 in steps of 10, and they used to run from 1 to 30. ADA publishes percentile tables so you can see how your score compares. For example, an Academic Average of 400 was at the 54th percentile in its national sample.
First get a DENTPIN, your dental testing ID, at ADA.org/DENTPIN. Then read the Candidate Guide, apply and pay through your DENTPIN account on ADA’s site. When ADA emails you to confirm your eligibility, book a date with Prometric. You have six months to test.
You must wait 60 days between tries, and you can take it at most four times in any 12 months. After three attempts, you need ADA’s permission to test again, with proof that you’ve applied to dental school. After your fifth attempt, you can only test once a year. Every attempt is reported to schools.
In a eukaryotic cell, where is most ATP made by oxidative phosphorylation?
Mitochondrion Oxidative phosphorylation happens at the inner mitochondrial membrane. The electron transport chain pumps protons across that membrane, and ATP synthase uses the flow of protons back in to make ATP. That’s where most of a cell’s ATP comes from in aerobic respiration.
For each ATP it uses, what does the sodium-potassium pump (Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase) move across the plasma membrane?
3 Na⁺ out and 2 K⁺ in The pump uses one ATP to push 3 sodium ions out of the cell and bring 2 potassium ions in. Both ions move against their concentration gradients, which is why it needs ATP. Because more positive charge leaves than enters, the pump also adds a little to the negative resting potential inside the cell.
Which blood vessels carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs back to the heart?
Pulmonary veins The pulmonary veins carry freshly oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium. They’re the main exception to the idea that veins carry oxygen-poor blood. Arteries and veins are named by direction: arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins carry it toward the heart.
Which hormone lowers blood glucose by helping cells take up glucose?
Insulin Insulin is released by the beta cells of the pancreatic islets when blood glucose rises. It helps muscle and fat cells take up glucose and tells the liver to store it as glycogen. All three of the other hormones tend to raise blood glucose.
Two plants that are both heterozygous (Aa) for a trait are crossed. Allele A is completely dominant over a. What fraction of the offspring is expected to show the recessive phenotype?
1/4 A Punnett square for Aa × Aa gives AA, Aa, Aa and aa in a 1:2:1 ratio. Only aa shows the recessive phenotype, so the expected fraction is 1/4. The other 3/4 (AA and Aa) show the dominant phenotype.
A population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for a gene with two alleles. 16% of individuals show the recessive phenotype. What fraction of the population is heterozygous?
0.48 The recessive phenotype frequency is q², so q² = 0.16 and q = 0.4. Then p = 1 − 0.4 = 0.6. Heterozygotes are 2pq = 2 × 0.6 × 0.4 = 0.48.
How many moles of water are in 9.0 g of H₂O? (Molar mass of H₂O = 18.0 g/mol)
0.50 mol Moles = mass ÷ molar mass. So 9.0 g ÷ 18.0 g/mol = 0.50 mol. The grams cancel and you’re left with moles.
A gas at 2.0 atm fills 3.0 L. At constant temperature and amount of gas, it is compressed to 1.5 L. What is the new pressure?
4.0 atm Boyle’s law says P₁V₁ = P₂V₂ when temperature and moles don’t change. So 2.0 atm × 3.0 L = P₂ × 1.5 L, which gives P₂ = 4.0 atm. Halving the volume doubles the pressure.
Water (H₂O, 18 g/mol) boils at 100 °C, but hydrogen sulfide (H₂S, 34 g/mol) boils at about −60 °C. What best explains the difference?
Hydrogen bonding between water molecules Oxygen is small and very electronegative, so the O-H bonds in water let molecules form hydrogen bonds with each other. Sulfur is much less electronegative, so H₂S can’t hydrogen bond in the same way. It takes far more energy to pull water molecules apart, so water boils much higher.
For the reaction N₂(g) + 3H₂(g) ⇌ 2NH₃(g), the volume of the container is decreased at constant temperature. Which way does the equilibrium shift?
To the right, toward NH₃ Decreasing the volume raises the pressure. By Le Chatelier’s principle, the system shifts toward the side with fewer moles of gas to ease that stress. The left side has 4 moles of gas and the right side has 2, so the reaction shifts right, toward ammonia.
What is the hybridization of each carbon atom in ethyne (acetylene, HC≡CH)?
sp Each carbon in ethyne forms a triple bond to the other carbon and a single bond to hydrogen. That’s two electron domains, which gives sp hybridization and a linear shape with 180° bond angles. The triple bond is one sigma bond plus two pi bonds made from the leftover unhybridized p orbitals.
(R)-2-bromobutane reacts with hydroxide ion by an SN2 mechanism. What is the substitution product?
(S)-butan-2-ol, formed with inversion of configuration In SN2, the nucleophile attacks from the side opposite the leaving group, in a single step. That flips the stereocenter, like an umbrella turning inside out. OH takes the place of Br with the same priority rank (highest), so the R starting material gives the S alcohol.
Which of these compounds is the strongest acid?
Acetic acid Acetic acid has a pKa of about 4.8, far lower than phenol (about 10), water (about 15.7) and ethanol (about 16). Its conjugate base, acetate, spreads the negative charge equally over two oxygen atoms by resonance. A more stable conjugate base means a stronger acid.
Which reagent oxidizes a primary alcohol to an aldehyde without going on to the carboxylic acid?
PCC in CH₂Cl₂ PCC (pyridinium chlorochromate) is a mild oxidant used in a dry solvent like dichloromethane. Without water, the aldehyde can’t form the hydrate that strong oxidants turn into a carboxylic acid, so the reaction stops at the aldehyde.
Read the passage, then answer. “Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue in the human body. It is made mostly of crystals of hydroxyapatite, a calcium phosphate mineral. When bacteria in dental plaque ferment sugars, they release acids that lower the pH at the tooth surface. Below a pH of about 5.5, the crystals begin to dissolve, a process called demineralization. Saliva slowly raises the pH again and supplies calcium and phosphate ions, so lost mineral can be put back.” According to the passage, what allows lost mineral to be replaced?
Saliva raising the pH and supplying calcium and phosphate The last sentence says saliva raises the pH again and supplies calcium and phosphate ions, “so lost mineral can be put back.” That’s the passage’s explanation of how mineral is replaced.
Read the passage, then answer. “When fluoride is present while enamel remineralizes, it can take the place of hydroxide ions in the crystal, forming fluorapatite. Fluorapatite dissolves only at a lower pH than hydroxyapatite does. For this reason, a tooth surface rich in fluorapatite can stay intact during acid attacks that would damage ordinary enamel.” Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?
Enamel with more fluorapatite resists acid better. The passage says fluorapatite needs a lower pH to dissolve, so a surface rich in it “can stay intact during acid attacks.” That directly supports the idea that more fluorapatite means better acid resistance.
Read the passage, then answer. “Early in the 20th century, dentists noticed that people in some towns had brown stains on their teeth but surprisingly few cavities. The drinking water in those towns turned out to contain high natural levels of fluoride. This chance observation led to studies of how much fluoride gives the benefit without the staining.” As used in the passage, the word “chance” most nearly means:
unplanned The dentists weren’t running an experiment. They simply happened to notice the pattern. In this sentence “chance” describes an observation that came about by accident, so “unplanned” fits best.
Two fair six-sided dice are rolled. What is the probability that the sum is 7?
1/6 There are 6 × 6 = 36 equally likely outcomes. Six of them add to 7: (1,6), (2,5), (3,4), (4,3), (5,2), (6,1). So the probability is 6/36 = 1/6.
Which values of x satisfy |2x − 3| < 5?
−1 < x < 4 |2x − 3| < 5 means −5 < 2x − 3 < 5. Add 3 to get −2 < 2x < 8, then divide by 2: −1 < x < 4.
The mean of five numbers is 12. Four of the numbers are 8, 10, 14 and 15. What is the fifth number?
13 If the mean of five numbers is 12, their total is 5 × 12 = 60. The four known numbers add to 8 + 10 + 14 + 15 = 47. So the fifth number is 60 − 47 = 13.