DAT Test Dates: How Scheduling Actually Works

There is no list of DAT test dates to choose from. The exam runs year round at Prometric centers, so the date that decides everything is not one the ADA publishes: it is the last date your application cycle can still use, which is 28 days before the day your score has to be on file.

For the 2026-27 ADEA AADSAS cycle, that date is January 8, 2027. Getting there takes three official numbers, and one of them is not the number most pages quote. The 2026 DAT Candidate Guide, updated in August 2026, puts the examination fee at $580, not the $560 that search results and AI summaries still repeat.

Key takeaways

• The DAT has no published test dates. It runs year round, and your real options are the seats your Prometric center has open.
• The 2026 fee is $580 per attempt, and a retake means a second full application and a second $580.
• Scores reach your schools and ADEA AADSAS within three to four weeks of your test date.
• Test 28 days before the day you need the score on file. Make it 88 days if you want a retake to still fit.
• ADA eligibility lasts six months from the day your application is processed, so applying too early can waste it.

Why there is no list of DAT test dates

The DAT is scheduled on demand. The ADA confirms it is offered year round at Prometric test centers across the US, its territories including Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and select locations in Canada. Quebec is no longer a testing location. There are no national test windows and no registration deadlines, which is why the two pages that rank highest for this question do not list a single date.

Booking happens in two steps, and most scheduling mistakes happen between them.

1. Apply to the ADA. You need a DENTPIN first, then you submit an application and pay. Applications are processed Monday to Friday during US business hours.
2. Wait for the eligibility email, then schedule with Prometric. You cannot pick a seat until that confirmation arrives.

How far ahead? The ADA's own pages give two answers. Its application page says to submit the application 60 to 90 days before you intend to test, while the main DAT page says six to eight weeks for that same step and separately advises contacting Prometric at least 60 to 90 days ahead because schedules fill up. Plan on 90 days and the conflict stops mattering. If you are still deciding which year to test in rather than which week, our guide to the best time to take the DAT covers that question, and the rest of the DAT hub covers content and scoring.

The date that actually matters is your cycle's last safe test date

The ADA never sets a deadline for you. ADEA AADSAS and each dental school do, and the gap between your test day and the day your score lands is what turns their deadlines into yours.

That gap is fixed. The Candidate Guide says results are reported electronically to your selected schools and to ADEA AADSAS within three to four weeks of the test date. Plan on four weeks, because planning on the fast end of an official range is how people miss cycles.

So the rule is simple. Take the day your score has to be on file, subtract 28 days, and that is the last DAT date your cycle can use.

ADEA publishes the cycle anchors. For 2026-27 they were May 12, 2026 for the application opening, June 2, 2026 for the first day to submit, December 15, 2026 for the acceptance notification date, and February 5, 2027 for the close. Subtract 28 days from each and you get the calendar nobody publishes.

The 60-day retake wait and the four-week score window, worked backwards from the published AADSAS close. Source: ADA 2026 DAT Candidate Guide and ADEA GoDental.

Two caveats keep that table honest. First, ADEA AADSAS takes about four to six weeks to process an application once your application, fee and transcripts are all in, and it will not forward your file to a school after that school's own deadline. Second, admissions are largely rolling, so the last safe date is a floor, not a target: a score that arrives in February competes for whatever seats are left.

ADEA has not posted 2027-28 dates yet. Until it does, the 2026-27 anchors are the pattern to plan against, which puts the next cycle's first submission day in early June 2027 and its retake-safe test date in early March 2027.

What a retake does to your last safe date

You must wait 60 days between testing attempts, with a maximum of four administrations in any 12-month period. That wait is what pushes the real planning date back.

Work it through. Your first score lands 28 days after you test. If it is not the score you need, the earliest you can retest is day 60, and that second score lands 28 days later, on day 88. So a test date that leaves room for one retake sits 88 days before the day you need a score on file, not 28.

A retake is also a second purchase. Each attempt needs a new application and a new fee, so two attempts cost $1,160. And at a third or later attempt you have to write to the ADA for permission and show proof that you applied to dental school in the past 18 months, which is a delay you cannot schedule around. After a fifth attempt you are limited to once per 12 months.

Before you budget for that second attempt, check whether you actually need it. Our guide to what counts as a good DAT score shows what the 2025 score distribution looks like, and how DAT scoring works explains why a retake adds a score rather than replacing one.

The six-month eligibility window is its own deadline

Once the ADA processes your application, you are eligible to test for a six-month period. That clock starts at processing, not at booking, and not at your test date.

This is where early planners lose money. Apply in September for a test you intend to take in April and the window closes in March, before you ever sit down. Extending it costs $150 for 45 more days, once per application. Letting it lapse costs another $580.

Every DAT scheduling rule in days, at the planning maximum of each published range. Source: ADA 2026 DAT Candidate Guide.

The practical order is: pick your target test date first, count back 90 days, and apply then. Applying earlier buys you nothing, because you still cannot book until eligibility clears, and it spends part of a window you may need. A DAT study plan built backwards from the test date will tell you whether that date is realistic before you pay for it.

What it costs to move or miss your date

Rescheduling is priced by how much notice you give, and the fee is paid to Prometric rather than the ADA.

Saturdays and Sundays do not count as business days, so a Monday reschedule for a Friday test is tighter than it looks. Appointments must be changed at least one business day ahead and at least 24 hours in advance. Miss that window, or turn up more than 30 minutes late, and you forfeit the full testing fee and start again with a new application.

There is help with the fee itself, but it runs on its own calendar. The partial fee waiver covers 50 percent of the examination fee for a first attempt and 50 percent for a retake, plus one free full practice test. Waivers go out first come, first served in batches that begin on January 1, April 1 and July 1 each calendar year, and only to candidates who have not tested before and have not had one previously. The ADA's page currently states that every 2026 waiver has been granted and that more become available on January 1, 2027. If money is the constraint, the free DAT resources are worth working through before you commit to a paid DAT prep course.

DAT test date FAQs

How often is the DAT offered?

Continuously. The DAT is delivered year round at Prometric test centers rather than on fixed national dates, so availability comes down to what your chosen center has open. Popular centers and summer slots fill first, which is why the ADA suggests booking 60 to 90 days out.

How far in advance should you schedule the DAT?

Ninety days is the safe answer. The ADA advises contacting Prometric at least 60 to 90 days before your desired date, and its application page asks for the ADA application itself 60 to 90 days ahead. Since you cannot book until the application is processed and eligibility is confirmed, treating 90 days as one combined lead time keeps both requirements satisfied.

How long do DAT scores take to reach dental schools?

Three to four weeks from your test date. Results are reported electronically to the schools you selected on your application and posted to your DENTPIN account, and if you send them to any dental school they also go to ADEA AADSAS. There is no charge for schools chosen at the time of application, but adding a school later costs $55 per report.

Is there a deadline to take the DAT for this application cycle?

Not from the ADA, but your cycle creates one. For 2026-27, AADSAS closes on February 5, 2027, so a test on January 8, 2027 is the last one whose score is certain to arrive in time. Individual dental schools set earlier deadlines, and AADSAS will not send your file to a school after that school's date has passed, so check your own list rather than relying on the cycle close.

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