Entrance Exam
The DAT (Dental Admission Test) is required by all dental schools. Competitive scores are usually at least 60th percentile or higher (minimum ~18-20 in each section), but vary by program. Starting March 1, 2025, the American Dental Association (ADA) will implement a new scoring system for the DAT. At that time, the current 2-digit score reporting scale (1 to 30) will be replaced by a 3-digit reporting scale (200 to 600). You can view the changes here.
Some programs are now also requiring or recommending applicants to complete and submit scores for a situational judgment test (SJT) such as Casper, to assess your social skills, behaviors and professionalism. You are presented with a variety of scenarios and asked to think about what you might do in these situations. Casper does not require significant preparation and is taken on your own computer, but it must be taken in the year that you apply to Dental schools. Be sure to check the requirements for EACH Dental program to which you are applying for their specific requirements and deadlines for Casper scores (if any).
Casper scores are NOT automatically posted to your AADSAS application. You must request scores to be sent to each specific school that you apply to that requires them.
DAT Prep
Although we do not offer a formal DAT prep course at Bradley, the Health Professions student clubs often hold a DAT Workshop and offer an on-campus practice test day to help students develop a personalized strategy, timeline, and study plan to meet their individual needs. There are many commercially available DAT prep materials and services. We do not endorse any one over the others, but can assist students in choosing products and services that fit their learning style, timeline, and budget. (Hint: The DAT and OAT are essentially the same exam, except the DAT’s Perceptual Ability section replaces the OAT’s Physics section. So many prep materials are interchangeable.)
- Official DAT practice tests and questions (ADA)
- Crack the DAT
- DAT Bootcamp
- DAT Destroyer
- Chad’s videos - DAT (Coursesaver)
- Khan Academy (Free! designed for the MCAT, but content may be valuable for parts of the DAT)
- Princeton Review
- Kaplan
DAT Testing Locations
The DAT is administered year round at Prometric Testing Centers. The closest testing centers to Bradley University are:
Sylvan Learning Center
7501 N University, STE 218
Peoria IL 61614
Sylvan Learning Center
2405 E Federal DR
Decatur IL 62526
Sylvan Learning Center
1035 Lincoln Rd, STE 307
Bettendorf IA 52727