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UBC PRE-DENTAL SOCIETY
Canadian Dental Aptitude Test
The DAT is a standardized test used to gauge the abilities of prospective Dentistry students. It has been created by the Canadian Dental Association and is required by dental schools for admissions. Available twice a year, the Canadian DAT may be written once in November and once in February. There are 4 sections to the DAT: Survey of Natural Sciences, Manual Dexterity, Reading Comprehension and Perceptual Ability.
need help preparing?
Free DAT Practice Tests Online throughout October!
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These practice tests serve as one of the best starting point for your DAT preparation, without the need to study beforehand! Grasp this free opportunity to see what the DAT is like and get a detailed score report illustrating your strengths and weaknesses. With no one but you able to see your score, you will get a clear idea of which are you need to work on the most, without suffering any consequences!
Survey of natural sciences
Duration: 60 mins
This section consists of 70 multiple choice questions, 40 of which are biology questions and 30 of which are chemistry questions.
manual dexterity*
Duration: 30 mins
In this section, you will be required to carve a given pattern out of a cylindrical bar of soap, made specifically for the DAT. You will also be provided with a knife handle and blade as well as a plastic ruler.
* NOTE: The manual dexterity section is now optional and only needed to apply to certain Canadian schools.
Reading Comprehension
Duration: 50 mins
This section consists of reading three passages with 50 corresponding multiple choice questions.
Perceptual Ability
Duration: 60 mins ​​​
​This section is unique to the Canadian DAT and is designed to test your ability to make judgments, based on what you see. There are 6 different components: Key Holes, Top-Front-End Views, Angle Discrimination, Cube Counting, Hole Punching and Pattern Folding.
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