United States · Admission testWhich DAT do Canadian dental schools want?
ADA’s Candidate Guide tells anyone applying to Canadian dental schools to confirm that they accept ADA’s DAT before applying to take it. The CDA says its Dental Aptitude Test is used by Canadian dental schools, and that each school decides how much weight the scores get.
The CDA’s test has its own candidate guide, fees, registration and dates. Its Manual Dexterity Test, a soap-carving exercise, is suspended.
How do you take the DAT in Canada?
- You sign up the same way as in the US: a DENTPIN, ADA’s online application, then a Prometric booking.
- The fee is $580 in US dollars.
- There are no fixed dates. You book any open seat at a Canadian Prometric location within your six-month window.
- Every ID except a passport must be in English, so if your cards are only in French, bring a passport as your primary ID and make sure your secondary ID is in English.
Fee waivers and practice
ADA’s partial fee waiver is only for US citizens or people who meet the IRS green card or substantial presence test, so a Canadian citizen qualifies only by meeting one of those IRS tests. ADA’s online practice tests are open to anyone, at $20 a section.
Sources: ADA · Canadian Dental Association and 1 more. Checked October 2026.
- ADA: Dental Admission Test (DAT) ↗
- ADA: Dental Admission Test (DAT) 2026 Candidate Guide (PDF), Eligibility Requirements, Examination Fees, Partial Fee Waiver, Identification Policy ↗
- Canadian Dental Association: Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.