DAT Scoring: The Ultimate Guide - Test Prep Pal

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New DAT Scoring Rules 2025 Explained Written by John Reed Updated on July 31, 2025 Test Prep Pal is reader-supported. If you click a link on this page and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Most pre-dental students wonder how they can achieve a good DAT score because, ultimately, your DAT scores can make or break your dental career before it even starts.

Overall, the Dental Admission Test score preferences vary amongst dental schools, but knowing the average DAT score of your dental school of choice can prove quite beneficial.

Learning about the DAT scoring system will give you a feel of what to expect in the exam and how to handle the various questions.

However, before we get into that, I just want to mention that there is an ongoing sale exclusive to TestPrepPal readers where you get up to $90 discount on the best DAT prep course in the market today. Make sure to use the promo code TESTPREPPAL10 in checkout.

Quick Summary

• DAT scores are now reported on a 3-digit scale (200–600, in 10-point steps). This replaced the old 1–30 scale on March 1, 2025.
• The score sent to dental schools is the scaled score (200–600). Results in ADEA AADSAS are all on the new scale; older attempts are psychometrically converted.
• Academic Average (AA) is still reported and is the rounded average of Bio, Gen Chem, Org Chem, Reading, and Quantitative (PAT is not included).
• Timing: Starting Mar 1, 2025, no unofficial printout at the test center; official results arrive ~3–4 weeks after testing.
• As a reference point, ~400 AA ≈ 54th percentile, ~440 AA ≈ 81st percentile, ~470 AA ≈ 91st percentile (new scale).

How Is The DAT Scored?

The DAT uses a 3-digit scaled score from 200 to 600 (increments of 10) for each section and for Academic Average. This new reporting scale began March 1, 2025 and replaced the historical 1–30 scale.

Below are approximate AA percentiles on the new scale (from the ADA’s percentile table). Use these as orientation only—percentiles vary by section.

Composite Score	Assessment
400	54th Percentile
430	75th Percentile
470	91th Percentile

How Does DAT Scoring Work?

a) Raw Scores

This is the number of questions the candidate managed to answer correctly, per section, in the whole exam.

Each multiple-choice question in the DAT carries the same value, which is equivalent to one raw point.

In this exam, there is no penalty for incorrect answers or unanswered questions. So a student is encouraged to answer all questions even if they will have to guess some answers.

Your raw score doesn’t appear on your score report.

b) Scaled Score / Standard Score

Raw scores are converted to scaled scores on the 200–600 scale to account for minor difficulty differences across test forms. Scaled scores are what dental schools see.

If you need to compare an old 1–30 score to the new scale, the ADA provides a concordance table (old→new). Example: AA 21 (old) ≈ 440 (new).

The scaling process is done to take into account the minor differences that may occur in exam difficulty between different editions of the test. This ensures fairness for all students across the years.

The scaled score is what’s reported to Dental schools as your DAT score.

If you have just taken a practice test and would like to know how your performance measures up as a scaled score, you can use this free DAT score calculator.

Working with a scaled score gives you a realistic idea of how your DAT prep is going and where exactly you stand if you were to take the exam this very minute.

c) Composite Score / Academic Average

This is the rounded arithmetic mean of the standard scores obtained in Biology, General Chemistry, Organic chemistry, Quantitative Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension sections.

Academic Average does not include the PAT section standard score.

However, the Composite Score is also included in the score report.

d) Total Science Score

This score is based on how many questions you get correct overall in the entire science section comprising Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry.

Keep in mind that the total science score is not the rounded average of your results in the Survey of Natural Sciences section.

DAT Scores By Section

The DAT exam is designed to assess a student’s skill and prowess in critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and general scientific knowledge.

The main exam essentially contains 4 individual tests: the Survey of Natural Sciences, Perceptual Ability Test, Reading Comprehension Test, and Quantitative Reasoning Test.

• DAT EXAM OVERVIEW •
DAT Section	Duration	No. of Questions
Survey of Natural Sciences • Biology• General Chemistry• Organic Chemistry	90 Minutes	100 Qns. 40 30 30
Perceptual Ability • Keyhole• Top-Front-End• Angle Ranking• Hole Punching• Cube Counting• Pattern Folding	60 Minutes	90 Qns. 15 15 15 15 15 15
Reading Comprehension	60 Minutes	50 Qns.
Quantitative Reasoning	45 Minutes	40 Qns.
TOTAL DAT EXAM		280 Total Qns.

One thing you need to know about the DAT is that the exam contains some unscored questions. These are pretest questions, which are experimental, helping to develop future versions of the exam.

Because all questions on the DAT are presented in the exact same manner, it is impossible to distinguish these pretest questions from the other questions on the exam.

However, the good news is that the unscored questions constitute just a few questions on the test, so it doesn’t really matter much anyway.

Here are the DAT scores by section, based on the 2021 exam results (Make sure to translate this to the new 2025 scoring system 200–600)

• DAT SCORES BY SECTION •
50th Percentile	75th Percentile	90th Percentile
Survey of Natural Sciences	17 – 18	19 – 20	21+
Biology	17 – 18	19 – 20	22+
General Chemistry	17 – 18	20 – 21	23+
Organic Chemistry	17 – 18	20 – 21	23+
Perceptual Ability	18 – 19	20 – 21	22+
Reading Comprehension	19 – 20	22 – 23	24+
Quantitative Reasoning	17 – 18	20	22+
Academic Average	18	20 – 21	22+

What’s A Good DAT Score?

“Good” depends on your target schools, but the ADA’s new percentile table helps you benchmark:

Around 400 AA ≈ 54th percentile (about average nationally).

~430–440 AA ≈ 75th–81st percentile (competitive at many programs).

~470 AA ≈ 91st percentile, ~490 AA ≈ 96th percentile (strong to outstanding).

Always check each school’s published expectations in the ADEA Official Guide or on program websites. If a school historically listed a minimum AA of 18 (old scale), the ADA indicates that’s ≈ AA 390 (new scale)

Schools often have different cutoffs for minimum DAT scores, whereas other schools don’t have any particular score preferences.

As such, it is important that you learn about the cutoffs your desired school might have. You can find this information in the ADEA Guide to dental schools.

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DAT Scores Percentiles

Below Average DAT Scores

Below average scores are in the 25th percentile.

These scores are good enough to get you into a wide variety of dental schools. However, they will be below average compared to how the rest of the test-takers performed in the exam.

Average DAT Scores

Average scores are in the 50th percentile.

These scores are good enough in the sense that they place your performance at about 50% compared to the results obtained by other test-takers. However, they will not give you that competitive edge required when applying to highly coveted dental schools.

Good DAT Scores

Good scores are in the 75th percentile.

These scores place you in the top 25% of all test-takers. As such, this kind of score would give you a highly competitive advantage during admissions.

High DAT Scores

High scores are in the 90th percentile.

These scores place you in the top 10% of all test-takers. As such, you are pretty much guaranteed to get admission into whichever dental school you desire.

FAQs About DAT Scoring

When Are The DAT Scores Released?

Official scores post in ~3–4 weeks after you test. Since Mar 1, 2025, no unofficial score printout is provided at the test center.  

What Is The Average DAT Score In 2025?

On the new 200–600 scale, the middle of the distribution is roughly around 400 AA (~54th percentile); 390 AA is ~47th percentile. Use these as national benchmarks; each cycle varies.

What DAT Score Do I Need To Get Into Dental School?

It varies by program. Translate any old (1–30) school cutoffs to the new scale using the ADA concordance. Example: old AA 18 → ~390 new. Check each school’s current site or the ADEA Official Guide.

What Percentile Is A 23 On The DAT?

On the old scale, AA 23 ≈ AA 470 on the new scale, which is about the 91st percentile (AA).

Is 24 A Good DAT Score?

Old AA 24 ≈ new AA 490, roughly the 96th percentile (AA)—an excellent result.

Conclusion

The DAT is an important exam, and it is easy to see why many pre-dental students stress out about getting a good score on this exam.

Keeping DAT scoring in mind while undertaking your practice tests will help keep you grounded and focused, allowing you to better visualize how to attain your desired score in the actual exam.

A good DAT score is very much attainable. You just need to put in the work and keep your eyes on the prize.

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John Reed

The chief editor of TestPrepPal.com. I am an alumni of the university of Pennsylvania and my goal with the website is to help future graduates with their tests.

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