Last Updated on February 19, 2025 by Laura Turner
Beginning in March 2025, the American Dental Association will implement a new scoring system for the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Those who take the exam will receive three-digit rather than two-digit scores. This article will summarize the scoring and reporting changes announced by the ADA.
How Is the DAT Scored (Now)?
DAT scores were based on a 30-point scale for academic average and perceptual ability scales. Subscores were also provided for individual science sections (biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry), math/quantitative reasoning, and reading comprehension. An aggregated “survey of natural sciences” subscore incorporated the results of the science sections.
As of March 2025, DAT scores will be reported between 200 and 600 (effectively a 40-point scale) for academic average, perceptual ability, and all the subscores. 400 represents the 50th percentile of examinees taking the exam or an appropriate section.
How Does the Three-Digit Score Benefit Applicants?
The ADA posted information about its new three-digit scores with concordance tables to help applicants, advisors, and admissions officers translate older scores to the new system. The three-digit score is more valid and precise (three-parameter psychometric scoring design, read about item response theory) with better separation of applicants who get their answers correct through guessing versus an informed process.
Let’s use an example to understand this jargon. There was a challenge to distinguish high-scoring examinees from the old system (test-takers scoring 20 to 30 on academic average). Because a score of 20 represented the 70th percentile of test-takers, the remaining 10 levels represented the top 30 percent. Under the new scoring model, the same examinee group can score 420 to 600 – 18 levels instead of 10. Furthermore, applicants scoring 25 to 30 (representing the top 3% for academic average) also have more levels of separation (500 to 600).
No applicant should be upset with a 540 academic average versus a 550. Both scores fall within the 100th percentile of examinees. The difference would lie in minor performance differences on DAT sections (perhaps one or two questions). However, there is a better distinction (albeit minor) between 540 and 550 for test constructors.
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What Are Competitive Three-Digit DAT Scores?
My usual DAT scoring advice of 20s across all scores is equivalent to getting at or above 420 for all sections. Most applicants will aim for 450 to 500, regardless of any assurances from admissions teams or advisors that lower 400-level scores are acceptable.
Each school’s curricula reward different skills that the DAT measures along with grade point average, and research has looked at the predictability and reliability of DAT scores to student progression (as examples: Carroll (Midwestern Arizona) 2015, Novack (University of Montreal 2020, Rowland (Southern Illinois) 2018). With more precise scores, it is hoped that future evaluation can better find statistical correlations to refine admissions criteria.
No Changes Have Been Made to the Exam Content
When the ADA announced the scoring change in November 2024, the Testing Services team was adamant that the exam content and structure remain unchanged. All the exam sections, the number of questions, the format, and the timing would stay the same. However, the ADA completed a review of the Organic Chemistry testing curriculum with changes planned for 2026.
No More Test-Day Unofficial Score Reports
Dental applicants are no longer the only ones who receive unofficial score reports right after completing their DAT. Under standard-industry test security policies, examinees must wait three to four weeks for official scores to be released. The electronic transmission of DAT results to AADSAS or designated programs should remain unaffected.
Observations About Reading Comprehension Scores
Many non-native English-speaking dental applicants may express concerns about their performance in the Reading Comprehension section. The concordance tables show that an examinee with a 15 RC score would likely receive a 300 score, corresponding to a 5th percentile performance. As a key proxy for patient and peer communication skills (in the absence of a standardized situational judgment test or an on-site activity (MMI or group discussion), non-native English speakers should seek challenging courses and test prep resources to maximize their reading speed and test-taking skills.
Here are some suggestions for ESL learners from DAT Destroyers/Orgoman, one of SDN’s longtime sponsors. DAT Reading Comprehension Strategies for ESL Learners (2023).
What Happens to my Old (pre-March 2025) Scores If I Apply in the Upcoming Cycle?
All intended applicants are encouraged to use the DAT concordance tables to anticipate their three-digit scores. Applicants and admissions teams can see their converted scores from test attempts from January 1, 2010 on the ADA Hub (DAT score portal). Reapplicants should not request a re-delivery of their DAT scores; the conversation will be available automatically. Manual self-reporting DAT scores in AADSAS using either the two-digit or three-digit format will be allowed.
Impact on Holistic Review
The new scoring system helps admissions teams sort out a large group of applicants with scores between 16 and 21 (now 350 to 450 for Academic Average) with twice as many scoring levels. I would not expect much change in selecting some candidates with compelling journeys to the profession despite obtaining sub-400 scores).
No studies have been published looking at how to assess candidates with multiple DAT scores, as there are with examinees with multiple MCATs. Following guidance from the ADA and ADEA, admissions committees should clarify and publish their policies for examinees with multiple valid scores, especially those with scores from the old two-digit and new three-digit systems. Applicants are advised to check with their desired schools about whether they would only consider the most recent results. Specifically, programs that are used to averaging DAT scores or developing a “super score” must reconsider their approach.
Impact on Test Preparation
DAT examinees have limited resources to prepare. The ADA offers very few full-length DAT exams, and their scoring keys must be readjusted to the new system. We hope the ADA will provide a more robust library of resources, including additional practice tests.
References
- Dental Admission Test (DAT) topic page from American Dental Association Testing Services
- SDN Discussion thread: Changes to the DAT Starting March 1, 2025 | Student Doctor Network .
- Admission Officers and Advisors FAQ | ADEA
- Updates to the ADA DAT Scoring and Reporting | DAT Destroyer
- Carroll AM, Schuster GM. Correlation Between Students’ Dental Admission Test Scores and Performance on a Dental School’s Competency Exam. J Dent Educ. 2015 Nov;79(11):1325-9. PMID: 26522638.
- Novack R, Turgeon DP. Investigating Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) results as predictors for preclinical and clinical scores in dental school. J Dent Educ. 2020; 84: 1254–1261. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.12331
Rowland, K.C. and Rieken, S. (2018), Rethinking Dental School Admission Criteria: Correlation Between Pre-Admission Variables and First-Year Performance for Six Classes at One Dental School. Journal of Dental Education, 82: 411-416. https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.018.042
Emil Chuck, Ph.D., is Director of Advising Services for the Health Professional Student Association. He brings over 15 years of experience as a health professions advisor and an admissions professional for medical, dental, and other health professions programs. In this role for HPSA, he looks forward to continuing to play a role for the next generation of diverse healthcare providers to gain confidence in themselves and to be successful members of the interprofessional healthcare community.
Previously, he served as Director of Admissions and Recruitment at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Director of Admissions at the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, and as a Pre-Health Professions Advisor at George Mason University.
Dr. Chuck is an expert on admissions, has been quoted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and has volunteered as a workshop facilitator on holistic admissions for the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). He has also contributed to the essay collection The Perfect Doctor by Pager Publications and has developed competency-based rubrics supporting holistic review.