The Dental Admission Test or DAT is the standardized admission test designed for dental schools in U.S and Canada. Students who wish to apply to dental schools in these regions must take the multiple-choice assessment to qualify as potential candidates in the comprehensive process. Applicants can sit for the test any time of the year as administered by the Prometric test centers.
That being said, students must register for the DAT assessment before appearing for it. Apart from the cumbersome process and associated resources, the additional registration expense can be a concern. But fortunately, you can get a certain amount of exemption on the application process. So, how to get a DAT fee waiver?
Let’s find out!
The first step is registering for the American Dental Association (ADA). Before signing up, you must collect your Dental Personal Identified Number (DENTPIN). Using the DENTPIN, students can log in to the ADA website. Then, open the application page, fill it up according to the instructions given, and set up the test date.
Candidates can only take the test three times but have to wait for a minimum of 60-90 days from the time of the previous sitting.
The application fee sums up to 495 dollars, but eligible candidates can get up to a 50% waiver. Note that this fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. The one-time expense includes the exam cost and the cost of the score distribution. Therefore, applicants are usually recommended to schedule appointments at least 2-3 months before the date they want to appear for the test.
When you apply for the DAT, you will be given a list of schools or programs. The ones you select are where you will want to receive your scores. Therefore you are granting permission to release official results to the listed institutions, published upon further authorization.
Following the testing session, unofficial reports are provided at the test center. In any case, official results are published electronically within a span of 3-4weeks after the testing date. This result will be posted in your account, and if you have appeared for the DAT more than once, all your previous records will have been stored here.
However, the concern here is that the ADA grants a limited number of opportunities each year.
For requesting the DAT fee waiver, you have to complete the required form and mail the application along with the proper documents to [email protected].
However, all these documents must not be older than 18 months.
Before applying, check the ADA website to check if fee waivers are available at that particular moment and which forms need to completed. Also, you can request the fee waiver by emailing them at [email protected]. From the date of your request, the board may review and send you an answer within 5-10 business days. It's best to wait for this period and check the decision before applying.
The American Dental Education Association lets students apply to more than one dental school simultaneously. You don't even have to complete each of the application processes individually.
Students need reimbursed $259 for the first program and add $112 for every additional application. However, some schools may charge extra fees that applicants pay directly to the institutions.
ADEA AADSAS application is expensive, but they offer limited DAT fee waivers for specific cases. However, the notion is based on the first-come, first-served principle. So if you are looking to seriously invest the next few years of your life in this direction, start honing your applications now. With proper documentation in the right place at the right time, you may have a solid chance of getting that DAT fee waiver.
For the ADEA AADSAS fee waiver application, you have to create an account online. Then follow the steps given below:
Other than the regular procedure, you can also try contacting the schools on your priority list and check if they are distributing DAT fee waiver forms.
Now comes the question: who is eligible to get a DAT fee waiver? If you can qualify for the strict eligibility criterion, you can apply for the partial fee waiver.
Students are only eligible to apply if they take the test for the first time. The waiver applies to American citizens. But it is also useful if your parent/spouse is American or if anyone is a resident alien. Most importantly, you have to present why you need the aid. Showing the proper documents that testify to the financial hardships is necessary. If you have ever received a monetary award from your schools, that can also come in handy to portray the situation more convincingly. Another concerning factor here is that your family income is up to 200% more than the U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Remember that once you have received the fee waiver, any changes in the schedule will not be considered. The waiver doesn't cover any associated charges for rescheduling or canceling the test dates or reporting scores beyond the prescribed time of applications.
Don't worry! We will review the basics briefly.
For all the first-time examinees, the thought of acing admissions can be quite daunting. So this part of the section addresses the very core issues when you will be preparing to take the DAT.
Prospective candidates should ideally start preparing for the DAT when they are in the second semester of their junior undergraduate year. Or you can choose to start prepping during the summer when transitioning to senior years. At this point, make sure you have completed all the subjects that the test covers, importantly, organic chemistry.
The first thing before you start the application process is to thoroughly read the DAT guide. Since the test is developed per the established test specifications, having an overview as a base will go a long way.
Precisely, DAT consists of four sections:
Both the U.S customary and metric or Imperial system of units are practiced in this assessment. The aforementioned sections cover an intense amount of information from a varied undergraduate curriculum. The sections primarily require knowledge from the classes of Introductory Biology, General and Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and English. As prospective candidates, you will be expected to be done with all the prerequisite coursework prior to taking the test.
As far as the standard protocol goes, it is encouraged that students prepare for the exams thoroughly. This includes beginning the process by brushing up the basics and expanding their existing understanding by studying different resources and multiple study techniques.
The time frame for DAT is five hours and fifteen minutes, so apart from your academic preparation, you need a strong built mental and physical preparation. This means you have to practice to the extent where your brain can perform for the given period at one go.
The Dental Admission Test scores the students on a scale of 1-30. The ADA claims the national average value for DAT candidates is 19. Therefore, the scaling feature means, the test score contains neither raw nor percentile ranges.
Now, there are DAT programs that offer practice tests intending to give potential students gain a deeper idea regarding the questions.
The practice tests are an excellent resource to understand the type and format of the questions. They reflect the original test specifications though there might be a few minor differences. In fact, the ADA also offers resources for prospective students. Once you have gone through the official DAT guide, there are individual modules, each for 20dollars from the ADA. They also have a practice test at 100 dollars if you are interested.
The key idea here is to train the mind in a way that reflexes trigger memory during the actual exam. And that, in turn, ensures that candidates can perform well.
The DAT fee waiver is a spectacular opportunity if one is able is to follow through with the process. But if it is dependent on only chance to qualify, wouldn't you choose to give your very best, no matter what? We bring you DAT Prep: the ultimate DAT prep package.
DAT prep focuses extensively on deriving the best results for their students, featuring the mobile app that lets you learn on the go, no matter where you are.
With more than 5000 questions provided in over 40 practice tests, the DAT Prep gets your brain up and running as you practice through. They also offer analytics that tells you how much time you spent and the score you earned in each section.
This is your chance. Waiver or no- waiver, the ultimate challenge here is to crack the test and find yourself in your dream school. And DAT Prep is here to support you every step of the way. So, stop waiting around and take the tables in your hand. Get Started today!
