ADAT vs CDAT

This blog post will address the question of which test would be more beneficial for you to do, American or Canadian DAT. This blog is dedicated to answering all your questions regarding what to expect for American DAT exam, and what to expect for the Canadian DAT exam.

This post is a combination of advices that I have received from my fellow Canadian students that either have taken ADAT or CDAT or both. I asked my fellow peers on their experience with the cDAT and aDAT. This is what they had in mind. This question has been coming up in our blog constantly, as people ask why should we not do the Canadian DAT if there is less content to memorize? Also, there have been many questions on whether American DAT is easier than Canadian DAT? So, in order to answer your questions, I managed to ask some predental students and some dental students on what they had to say about this matter, and how their experience was with either American, Canadian or both.

I asked one of my friends who has done both the American DAT, and the Canadian DAT, and this is what she told me in regards to her experience. She did the February DAT and she found it very challenging, and she said “the PAT section was harder than expected.”. She said that "given that I had done the American DAT in December and I did the Canadian DAT in February, I was shocked as how different they are". The American DAT overall allows you to score higher, as there are a multitude of sections that goes into the overall Academic score, so by doing well in some of the sections you get a chance of a higher score than Canadian DAT. Canadian DAT is much harder in terms of questions and content. There are fewer sections, so it is harder for you to get a higher score. The sections are a bit harder than the American DAT. The reading comprehension is a bit easier, less lengthy, and less complicated than the American DAT. However, you have less time for the reading, only 50 minutes. The PAT section can be easier in some sections, such as angle ranking, and cube counting, but becomes complicated for TFE and keyhole problems. Overall, she was happy with the Canadian DAT as it required less content to memorize. She recommended that if you are to do the Canadian DAT do the November one as many people have mentioned that it was easier than February.

Next, I asked another predental student on his experience with the American DAT. I asked specifically from him why he chose to do the American DAT and not the Canadian DAT? He said, “I am doing the American DAT because I’m not trying to apply to Canadian schools, and to keep in pace with the requirements of American schools. ”

And I asked what were the resources he used to study and prepare for the American DAT, he said that he used DATBootcamp only. He added that he is planning on retaking the American DAT and he will be using DAT destroyer as well for the math section just for extra practice.

Lastly, I asked if he could give an advice to other students taking the aDAT, he said” I recommend to do as many practice tests as possible instead of studying and memorizing content. Also, to be familiar with the general concepts of all the sections of the DAT. He also gave us a warning, as to not focus on the finicky details of every single topic, and rather know the basic and more general concept of the materials.

Next, I asked another predental student on her experience with the Canadian DAT. She had a full course load, and she did the cDAT twice. Her primary resources consisted of DATBootcamp, DAT crusher, DAT destroyer, Kaplan, and Princeton. She was happy with her score, however, she wanted to redo her DAT to boost her PAT score. After the November DAT, she became comfortable with the style of the questions. Thus, she said having to memorize every little detail is not necessary, you must be able to eliminate answers fast to be able to score high. I asked her if she wants to the do the American DAT she said no, as many Canadian schools don't accept the American DAT and she said it would be waste of time and money. She recommends not relying on one single resource for the Canadian DAT, and doing as many practice problems as you can, to just become more comfortable with the style and content of the DAT.

Overall, all the individuals that I asked mentioned that they are happy with their choice on doing the American or Canadian, since the reasons for doing each is personal, and mostly based on the schools you are applying for. If some of the schools in Canada do accept American DAT I would suggest doing the aDAT since you will be able to do the aDAT throughout the year, anytime you would like, and is not only limited to two seatings. These individuals were kind enough to share their experience with us, and give us an idea of what to expect when writing the aDAT or cDAT. I appreciate their time that they put aside to help other students to do better. If you have any more questions pertaining to this topic do not hesitate to let us know, we are here to help!

The questions that were asked and being addressed in this blog post:

American DAT:

1. As a Canadian student, why should I do American DAT when I can do Canadian, given that Canadian DAT has only 4 sections, whereas American has 6 section? easier to score higher since it has more sections.

2. If I do American DAT, how many times can I do them? Is there a penalty for doing it more than once? Must check with the university that you are applying with, usually if you do it twice there are no penalties, then again it is mainly based on the school you are applying for.

3. How do you sign up for the American DAT, and is it true that you can change the dates of your examination? Through the American Dental association website, and yes you can.

4. How would you describe your experience with doing your exam on a computer versus paper? is it harder having the exam on the computer? for some parts it is harder having it on the computer, especially the reading comprehension section can be a bit challenging.

Canadian DAT

1. is it true that cDAT is harder to score higher than aDAT ? yes due to having less sections and more difficult questions.

2. if I do Canadian DAT can i send my score to American schools? yes some schools accept the Canadian DAT.

3. is it easier to do Canadian DAT since it is on paper, whereas American is not? I would say it's based on your own preference, being comfortable with the computer or paper.

4. should I use American resources to prepare for cDAT? they are somewhat similar and they have more interactive resources you can use.

5. what score is considered competitive on the cDAT and is it different for aDAT? 21 and above and no they are not different.