© 2024 American Dental Association All rights reserved. Updated: 08/22/2024
DAT 2024 Candidate Guide | 4
EXAMINATION CONTENT AND PREPARATION MATERIALS
EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS
The DAT
®
is composed of multiple-choice test questions (items) presented in the English language. It consists of
four sections: Survey of the Natural Sciences, Perceptual Ability, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative
Reasoning. Both the U.S. customary system (Imperial System) and the metric system (International System) of
measurement are used. Additional information on test content is provided below.
The Examination Program Governing Body, state boards, and the profession expect strong ethical behavior from
all candidates aspiring to be dentists. The Governing Body annually publishes policies and procedures applicable
to misconduct and irregularities in the application and examination process. This information is available in later
sections of this document. The Governing Body expects all candidates to carefully read and understand this
information, recognizing and respecting the obligations held by each candidate in taking this examination.
SCOPE OF THE EXAMINATION
SURVEY OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES (100 ITEMS)
The Survey of Natural Sciences test section consists of 100 items from Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic
Chemistry.
Biology (40 items)
• Cell and Molecular Biology: cell metabolism (including photosynthesis, enzymology), cellular processes
(including membrane transport, signal transduction), thermodynamics, mitosis/meiosis, cell structure and
function, experimental cell biology, biomolecules, and integrated relationships
• Diversity of Life: viruses, Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Fungi, Protista, Plantae, Animalia, and integrated
relationships
• Structure and Function of Systems: integumentary, skeletal, muscular, circulatory, lymphatic/immune,
digestive, respiratory, urinary, nervous/sensory, endocrine, reproductive, and integrated relationships
• Genetics: molecular genetics, human genetics, classical genetics, chromosomal genetics, genetic
technology, developmental mechanisms, genomics, gene expression, epigenetics, and integrated
relationships
• Evolution and Ecology: natural selection, population genetics/speciation, animal behavior, ecology
(population, community, and ecosystem ecology), and integrated relationships
General Chemistry (30 items)
• Stoichiometry and General Concepts: percent composition, empirical formulae, balancing equations,
moles and molecular formulas, molar mass, density, and calculations from balanced equations
• Gases: kinetic molecular theory of gases, Dalton’s, Boyle’s, Charles’s, and ideal gas law
• Liquids and Solids: intermolecular forces, phase changes, vapor pressure, structures, polarity, and
properties
• Solutions: polarity, properties (colligative, noncolligative), forces, and concentration calculations
• Acids and Bases: pH, strength, Brønsted-Lowry reactions, and calculations
• Chemical Equilibria: molecular, acid/base, precipitation, calculations, and Le Chatelier’s principle
• Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry: laws of thermodynamics, Hess’s law, spontaneity, enthalpies
and entropies, and heat transfer
• Chemical Kinetics: rate laws, activation energy, and half-life