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DAT Coaching and Information

The DAT is the entry exam for Dental school. It consists of multiple choice tests in reading comprehension, natural sciences and perceptual ability. If you are taking the Canadian DAT there is also a practical test of manual dexterity, soap carving. The Natural sciences test consists of questions from Biology and Inorganic Chemistry.

In Canada, the soap carving and perceptual ability sections are given the most weight when applying for dental school. As such, we focus on these components more than any other. Perceptual ability questions tend to be unfamiliar to students. Practice and coaching can greatly improve scores in this area. Soap carving tends to be very unfamiliar to students, and there are not many quality materials available to teach it. Our course covers soap carving in depth with lots of practice on models that are of similar complexity to those on the actual DAT.

In some parts of Canada, however, the other sections are given more weight. That is why we offer full course including the perceptual ability and soap carving lessons. Our full courses include practice and coaching for the natural sciences and reading comprehension sections. We also offer individucal and online coaching for these areas. We cannot offer coaching in soap carving, however. For that you must register for a course.

Your score on the DAT could be the difference between acceptance or rejection from the dental school of your choice. Don't let one test keep you from your goals. Get coaching in the DAT before you write. Don't hold yourself back.

DAT Information

The DAT is a half day exam broken into three or four parts. The English DAT in Canada has reading comprehension, while the French version does not. The US DAT does not have soap carving currently.

The SNS (Survey of the Natural Sciences) consists of questions in biology and chemistry. The material covered on the exam is about the level of first year courses in these fields. There is no organic chemistry, advanced biology or physics on the test. The SNS is usually broken down into 40 Biology and 30 Chemistry questions. It is all mutliple choice, so many multiple choice testing strategies can be applied here. The best thing you can do for self study is review first year biology and chemistry, and practice multiple choice tests on those subjects.

The reading comprehension section consists of three reading passages taken from natural and dental sciences. They are similar to what you might be required to read in your first year dental courses. All the information needed to answer the questions is in the passages. You will not need to study any particular course material to do well in this section. The passage will be there for the duration of the test. As long as you have determined the basic structure of the passage on the first read through, you should be able to find the information you need. Do not read the questions before you read the passage. This generally just wastes time, and actually reduces comprehension in many cases.

The perceptual ability test examines your ability to do mental mapping and perceive details about objects. The question types are generally unfamiliar to most students. Practicing them before the exam will be very helpful. You will be tested in a variety of perceptual skills. While they are multiple choice, standard test taking skills do not generally apply here. You will need to use a different set of skills to master the questions.

Soap carving is generally the most complicated and challenging section of the test. You will be required to carve a figure from a cylinder of soap provided. Perceptual ability and manual dexterity are important here. The forms are generally complex and require a very steady hand. Practice and coaching is the key here. If you do sculpture and other manual art work, you may have an advantage. The best preparation, however, is lots of practice.

For the most difficult of the sections, practice is the key. Good practice materials can be hard to find. You can order carving materials and tools from the CDA. To get the most out of them, and out of the DAT itself, you may want some good practice books. Take a look at what is available from IQ Publications. They have excellent practice materials for soap carving and perceptual ability. Order yours today and start perparing for the test. It's never too early.

To enroll in DAT Coaching, click here to go to the enrollment page.

DAT Prep Course

38 Hour Full Course
Available in:
Toronto and London, ON
Vancouver, BC

16 hour weekend soap carving and perceptual ability seminar
Available in:
Toronto and London, ON
Vancouver, BC

12 hour weekend soap carving and perceptual ability seminar
Available in
Edmonton and Calgary, AB
Saskatoon, SK
Winnipeg, MB

Upcoming Test Dates

Nov. 6, 2004
Feb. 19, 2005

Upcoming Course Start Dates:

Full Course

Oct. 2, 2004
Jan. 22

Seminar

Oct. 23, 2004
Feb. 5, 2005

Prep Course Costs

38 Hour Full Course

Register 30 days or more before start date: $822.83

Register 15-29 days before start date: $876.33

Register less than 15 days before course start date: $929.83

16 Hour Seminar

Register 30 days or more before start date: $529.65

Register 29 or fewer days before course start: $636.65

12 Hour Seminar

Register 30 days or more before start date: $422.65

Register 29 or fewer days before start date: $529.65

DAT Coaching Costs

Individual Coaching: $107.00 per hour, minimum 2 hours

Individual Coaching: 454.75 for 5 hours

Individual Coaching: $802.50 for 10 hours

Online Coaching: $74.90 per hour, minimum 2 hours

Online Coaching: $321.00 for 5 hours

Online Coaching: $535.00 for 10 hours

Online Coaching: Group

If three or more students wish to do online coaching at the same time and book for 10 hours, the cost is $321.00 per student.