Should I Retake The DAT?

This question is often found in the forums. To be quite honest, it’s not a question that can be easily answered.

There is no limit to the number of times that you can take the DAT (Dental Admissions Test). When you go to a testing center and take the DAT you must designate at least one school for the test score to whom the test score will be released. After you finish the exam and receive your score, the most recent 4 scores will be sent to the schools that you designate.

Because of this it is important to realize that the schools will see the last 4 exams, so be prepared to answer questions during your interview if you retake the exam and end up with a lower score than you had on a previous test.

I think you must first take an objective look at your scores and ask yourself if your scores are competitive with scores for the schools that you are applying. Remember, when you look at a schools numbers and see that their DAT academic average is 18.5, that means that some students were higher, some were lower, but in general if you have that score you will be competitive with other students who are applying to that University. Well, at least with respect to DAT score.

The next thing to think about is what have you done to improve your chances of receiving a higher score? There are a number of study guides for the DAT, including the Kaplan DAT with CD-ROM, 2007-2008 Edition. While Kaplan is probably the most well known, there are a number of other very good study guides. Barron’s How to Prepare for the Dental Admissions Test is also quite good. The item I found to be absolutely indespensible for my preparation for the DAT was TopScore Pro for the DAT software from Scholarware. It contained 3 complete exams that are in the exact format of the DAT.

My best advice is for you to call the school that you are interested in and ask to speak to someone in admissions regarding your score. Many students are reluctant to call the institutions that they are planning to attend. Don’t be! Each school is the best source for information with regard to that school.