DAT: DENTAL APTITUDE TEST

The DAT is the main instrument used to evaluate the capabilities of all applicants from various universities. Unlike the MCAT, Canada and the United States offer a separate DAT that varies in both the format and the tested materials.

The Canadian Dental Aptitude Test contains four sections:

1.Manual Dexterity Test: Requires the carving of a specific model from a bar of soap The University of British Columbia, Western University, the University of Saskatchewan, Dalhousie University, University of Toronto, and McGill University do not require a score from the manual dexterity test. ¹

2. Survey of Natural Sciences: Multiple choice questions on Biology and General Chemistry ¹

The section on biology spans a knowledge base that is similar in content to first-year biology courses An understanding of human anatomy and physiology is also required ¹ The section on general chemistry spans a knowledge base that is similar in content to firstyear chemistry courses. No knowledge of organic chemistry is necessary.¹

3. Perceptual Ability Test: Various multiple-choice questions that test perceptual skills, such as angle discrimination and form development ¹ This section consists of six subtests: apertures, view recognition, angle discrimination, paper folding, cube counting, and 3D form development.

4. Reading Comprehension Test: Requires the analysis (through answering multiple-choice questions) of 3 scientific passages that are similar in content to those encountered in the first year of dental school. No prior understanding of the material is required, but an understanding of the natural sciences is necessary.¹

Theoverallscoringrangeisfrom1to30foreachsectionThescoringsystemisnotbased onthenumberofcorrect/incorrectanswers,butinsteadreflectsastandardizedrankingbasedon yourstandingcomparedtootherswhowrotethetest.Ascoreof15equatestothenational averageperformance.¹

The Canadian DAT is held twice every year, once in February and then again in November.¹

To be considered a valid applicant for the current application year, the DAT must be written by the November test date.¹ For example, if you are attending the fourth year of your undergraduate studies in the 2022/2023 school year and wish to apply to dentistry for the 2023/2023 school year, the November 2019 test is the last valid test you can take. Taking the February 2022 test date would instead make you a valid applicant for the 2022/2023 school year. Another point to note is that test scores are often only valid for a certain period of time. For example, the University of Toronto does not accept tests taken more than two years prior to the application deadline.¹

The Canadian DAT costs $365 ($295 for the written portion, and $70 for the optional manual dexterity test) ¹ This fee includes registration costs and 5 official transcripts that will be mailed directly to the dental schools These five dental schools must be selected at the time of registration ¹

The American Dental Aptitude Test is fairly similar to its Canadian counterpart, the main differences being:

An additional quantitative reasoning section (40 questions, 45 minutes) that deals with basic mathematical problems.² No Manual Dexterity Test.²

30 questions within the Survey of Natural Sciences that pertain to Organic Chemistry.²

The Canadian DAT does not contain organic chemistry.¹

The national average of the American DAT is standardized to a score of 17.²

The national average of the Canadian DAT is standardized to a score of 15. ¹

Across the 4 sections, the American DAT spans 255 minutes.2 The Canadian DAT spans 200 minutes.¹

The American DAT is computerized 2 whereas the Canadian DAT is written.¹ Thus, the American DAT is offered year-round, while the Canadian DAT is only offered twice a year Many Canadian schools do not accept the American DAT and some American schools do not accept the Canadian DAT² ; this depends on the school itself

Dental Schools In Ontario

InOntario,theonlyuniversitiesthatofferaDoctorofDentalSurgeryProgram(DDS)arethe UniversityofTorontoandWesternUniversity.Nocentralizedapplicationcenter(suchasOMSASformedicalschools)isavailable,andthusapplicantsmustobtainindividualapplication formsforbothuniversitiesbyeithercontactingtheuniversitiesoraccessingtheform electronicallythroughtheuniversities’websites.

Althoughalldentalschoolsusethesamesources(DAT,academicscores,interviews)to evaluateallapplicants,eachuniversityweighseachcomponentdifferently.Thefollowingisa descriptionoftheDDSprogramsattheUniversityofTorontoandWesternUniversity.