Old DAT Scoring to New DAT Scoring: Explanation, Conversion, and DAT Percentiles (2025)
/The DAT has changed to a new scoring system. Learn what that means for your admissions odds and review our old to new DAT score conversion tables
learn everything you need to know about dat scoring changes
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Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: What has changed with the DAT?
Part 3: Why did the DAT scoring change?
Part 4: Old DAT to new DAT score conversion tables
Part 5: Old DAT to new DAT score conversion tables (with percentiles)
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Part 1: Introduction
The path to dental school is long and arduous, requiring careful planning and strategizing. Nowhere is this more apparent than in your preparation for the Dental Admission Test or DAT, the most consequential exam to determine your chances for entry into dental school. The DAT is a requirement for admission into dental schools in the United States and is accepted at select dental schools in Canada.
First developed in 1945, the DAT was intended to mitigate the high number of student withdrawals from dental programs before graduation. It was also intended to compare the academic aptitudes of current students with veterans returning from World War II, whose records were already a few years old.
Since then, the DAT has undergone multiple changes and refinements but has remained relatively consistent. In 1972, a section testing knowledge of organic chemistry was added, and the Perceptual-motor Ability Test replaced the Chalk Carving Test. During the 1980s, the test underwent a few formatting and scoring changes, finally settling into its current form in 1989. These changes included removing a verbal reasoning test, altering the reading comprehension portion of the exam, and consolidating the two perceptual ability tests into one.
In addition to the exam content, the scoring scale changed in 1988 from its original -1 to 9 scale to the 1 to 30 scale. Since March 2025, the DAT scoring has been changed again, this time to a three-digit score ranging from 200 to 600 and reported in 10-point increments.
DAT results are scaled scores, but since there is no official passing score, each dental school determines the minimum score it will accept. Additionally, some schools will require a minimum scaled score in each section or a specific section. Be sure to check the exam requirements and recent class profiles for matriculants for the schools you’re considering.
(Suggested reading: What DAT Score Do You Need to Get Into Dental School?)
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Part 2: What has changed with the DAT?
According to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), only the scoring has changed. Nothing regarding the format or content of the exam was altered in any way, so you can rest assured that your studying up to this point has been worthwhile.
One minor difference, however, is that the new scoring system requires additional time to process each test and arrive at a final score. Until now, examinees could learn of their DAT scores the day they took the test, though these initial reports were unofficial. Due to the additional processing time with the new scoring system, unofficial scores are no longer available at the testing site.
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Part 3: Why did the DAT scoring change?
The ADEA notes that the new scoring model is meant to accurately reflect your skills and “level of preparedness for the rigors of dental school.” They claim this new model is more sophisticated and gives dental schools a better idea of how you will fare in their programs.
What will happen to my old two-digit score?
Absolutely nothing. Your old two-digit DAT score will still be completely valid and will not be converted to the new three-digit scale at any time. Furthermore, you will receive a two-digit score if you took the DAT before or on February 22, 2025.
Whether your score is reported to dental schools on the two-digit scale or the new three-digit scale will not affect your odds of acceptance in any way. Schools will continue to accept the two-digit scores and evaluate your application accordingly. When scheduling your exam, the most important factor is ensuring you are fully prepared to achieve the highest score you can, regardless of the scoring model.
(Suggested reading: How to Get a 520+ DAT Score: Strategies from Top Scorers)
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Does the new scoring mean I should retake the DAT?
There’s no need to retake the DAT to be in line with the new scoring model. You should only consider retaking the DAT if you’re unhappy with your previous attempt and are sure you can raise your score in time for your planned matriculation. Keep in mind that retakes are allowed but you must wait 60 days between attempts.
If you’re planning to apply to dental school but it’s been a few years since you’ve taken the DAT, you don’t need to retake the test simply to obtain a new three-digit score. However, remember that most dental schools will only accept test results taken within the last three years. You’ll need to retake the exam if more than three years have elapsed. We recommend checking with the individual schools you’re considering to be sure.
(Suggested reading: Should I retake the DAT?)
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Part 4: Old DAT to new DAT score conversion tables
Here, you’ll find conversion tables for old and new DAT scores. We’ve listed score conversions based on their respective tests for easy comparison. This means conversions for the science subtests are in one table, with the other major sections, such as Perceptual Ability and Quantitative Reasoning listed in separate tables.
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Old DAT to new DAT: Science subtests scores
| New DAT Score | Old DAT Biology Score | Old DAT General Chemistry Score | Old DAT Organic Chemistry Score |
|---|---|---|---|
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Old DAT to New DAT: Survey of the Natural Sciences (SNS) and Academic Average (AA) scores
| New DAT Score | Old Survey of the Natural Sciences (SNS) Score | Old Academic Average (AA) Score |
|---|---|---|
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Old DAT to new DAT: Perceptual Ability (PAT) scores
| New DAT Score | Old DAT Perceptual Ability Score |
|---|---|
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Old DAT to new DAT: Quantitative Reasoning (QRT) scores
| New DAT Score | Old DAT Quantitative Reasoning Score |
|---|---|
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Old DAT to new DAT: Reading Comprehension (RCT) scores
| New DAT Score | Old DAT Reading Comprehension Score |
|---|---|
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Part 5: Old DAT to new DAT score conversion tables (with percentiles)
You’ll find conversion tables for old and new DAT scores and the corresponding percentiles here. As with the tables above, we’ve listed them according to the test subsections. The first table (Academic Average) lists the overall percentiles, whereas the other tables list percentiles by test subsection.
Old DAT to new DAT: Academic Average (AA)
| Old DAT Score | New DAT Score | DAT Percentiles (AA) |
|---|---|---|
Old DAT to new DAT: Survey of Natural Sciences (SNS)
| Old DAT Score | New DAT Score | DAT Percentiles (SNS) |
|---|---|---|
Old DAT to new DAT: Perceptual Ability (PAT)
| Old DAT Score | New DAT Score | DAT Percentiles (PAT) |
|---|---|---|
Old DAT to new DAT: Quantitative Reasoning (QRT)
| Old DAT Score | New DAT Score | DAT Percentiles (QRT) |
|---|---|---|
Old DAT to new DAT: Reading Comprehension (RCT)
| Old DAT Score | New DAT Score | DAT Percentiles (RCT) |
|---|---|---|
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
