MCAT vs DAT: Medical School vs Dental School Admissions

Key differences

• compare_arrowsPurpose: the MCAT is for medical school (MD and DO); the DAT is for dental school.
• compare_arrowsSections: the DAT has Survey of the Natural Sciences (100 items), Perceptual Ability (90), Reading Comprehension (50) and Quantitative Reasoning (40); the MCAT has four sections totaling 230 questions.
• compare_arrowsUnique content: the DAT’s Perceptual Ability Test (spatial reasoning) has no MCAT equivalent; the MCAT includes physics, CARS and psychology/sociology, which the DAT does not.
• compare_arrowsScoring: the MCAT is scored 472–528; the ADA changed DAT score reporting on March 1, 2025, so use the ADA’s current scale guide.
• compare_arrowsRetakes: the ADA requires 60 days between DAT attempts and allows at most four in a 12-month period, with extra rules after the third attempt.

The bottom line

Take the MCAT for medical school and the DAT for dental school. The science overlaps, but the DAT adds perceptual ability and quantitative reasoning, while the MCAT adds physics, CARS and psychology/sociology.