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65 multiple-choice questions and 120 flashcards, written to the American Dental Association DAT Examinee Guide blueprint. Every question carries a full rationale.
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American Dental Association DAT Examinee Guide (public, ada.org) — 4 test sections: 1) Survey of Natural Sciences (100 items: 40 Biology, 30 General Chemistry, 30 Organic Chemistry), 2) Perceptual Ability Test (90 items: 6 question types including keyhole, top-front-end, angle ranking, paper folding, cube counting, pattern folding), 3) Reading Comprehension (50 items, 3 science-related passages), 4) Quantitative Reasoning (40 items: algebra, probability/statistics, geometry, trigonometry, applied math). 4-hour 30-min exam. MCQs are original items per public content outline.
CoStudy's DAT — Dental Admission Test bank holds 185 items. Every multiple-choice question carries a written rationale explaining why the correct answer is correct and why each distractor is tempting but wrong.
A sample of 12 multiple-choice questions from the bank, with the full rationale shown.
DAT Gen Chem: Hess's Law states:
Answer: E — ΔH of reaction is INDEPENDENT OF PATHWAY; sum of ΔH for individual steps = ΔH for overall reaction; allows calculating unknown ΔH from known reactions
Hess's Law: thermodynamics state function. ΔH_overall = Σ ΔH_steps. Used to: combine known reactions to find unknown, use ΔHf° to calculate ΔHrxn. ΔHrxn = Σ ΔHf°(products) - Σ ΔHf°(reactants). DAT Gen Chem thermochemistry.
DAT Gen Chem: Standard Reduction Potential:
Answer: C — Voltage relative to Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE = 0 V); higher (more positive) potential = STRONGER OXIDIZING AGENT; F₂ very strong (+2.87 V), Li⁺ very weak (-3.04 V)
Reduction potential E° measured at standard conditions (1 M, 25°C, 1 atm) vs SHE. E°cell = E°cathode - E°anode. Positive E°cell → spontaneous (galvanic). Connect to ΔG: ΔG° = -nFE°. DAT general chem electrochemistry.
Which biological process produces the most ATP per glucose?
Answer: B — Oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria (~26-28 ATP per glucose, total aerobic respiration ~30-32 ATP)
Aerobic respiration breakdown: glycolysis (2 ATP, 2 NADH), pyruvate oxidation, citric acid cycle (2 ATP, 6 NADH, 2 FADH₂), oxidative phosphorylation via ETC (26-28 ATP from reducing equivalents). Total ~30-32 ATP/glucose. DAT bio classic.
DAT Biology: ATP energy currency:
Answer: A — Adenosine TRIPHOSPHATE — hydrolysis of high-energy phosphate bonds (ATP → ADP + Pi) releases ~7.3 kcal/mol; powers cellular work (muscle contraction, biosynthesis, active transport)
ATP: cellular energy currency. Generated by oxidative phosphorylation (~30-34 ATP per glucose aerobically). Hydrolysis driven by high P-O bond energy + low ADP+Pi stability. Coupled reactions use ATP energy for endergonic processes. DAT Bio + Gen Chem.
DAT Biology: BLOOD TYPING:
Answer: A — ABO + Rh systems; A/B/AB/O blood types; antigens on RBC surface determine type; people make antibodies against missing antigens (A makes anti-B, B makes anti-A, O makes both, AB makes neither); O = universal donor, AB = universal recipient
ABO blood typing: codominant alleles (Iᴬ, Iᴮ, i). Type A: AA or AO. Type B: BB or BO. Type AB: AB. Type O: OO. Rh: D antigen present (positive) or absent (negative). Hemolytic transfusion reactions: must match. DAT bio classic.
What does the 'angle ranking' question type in PAT require?
Answer: A — Ranking 4 angles from smallest to largest by visual inspection — precise but small differences require careful comparison
Angle ranking: 4 angles shown; rank from smallest to largest. Differences are subtle (often <5°). Hands-off-screen estimation challenging. 15 questions in PAT. Practice improves performance significantly.
Which is a primary characteristic of enzymes called 'Lewis acids'?
Answer: D — Accepts electron pairs — broader definition than Brønsted-Lowry (proton donors/acceptors)
Lewis acid: electron-pair acceptor (e.g., BF₃, AlCl₃, transition metal cations). Lewis base: donor. Brønsted-Lowry: H⁺ donor/acceptor (narrower). Arrhenius: produces H⁺/OH⁻ in water. Gen Chem definitions tested on DAT.
DAT General Chem: pH 4 vs pH 7 — how many times more acidic?
Answer: D — 1000 times (each pH unit = 10x change; pH 4 is 3 units lower = 10³ = 1000x more H+ ions)
pH logarithmic. pH = -log[H⁺]. Each unit = 10x change in [H⁺]. pH 4: [H⁺] = 10⁻⁴; pH 7: [H⁺] = 10⁻⁷. Ratio: 10⁻⁴/10⁻⁷ = 10³ = 1000x. DAT chem foundational.
The DAT's Reading Comprehension section tests:
Answer: D — Critical reading of three science-related passages with 50 questions over 60 minutes — emphasizing identifying main ideas, supporting details, and inferences from new information
D) Standard structure. A/B/C) Each is incorrect.
The DAT score scale uses:
Answer: B — 1–30 per section and a Total Science / Academic Average — with a typical competitive score around 19–20+ for matriculation
B) Standard scale. A/C/D) Each is incorrect.
DAT Org Chem: STEREOISOMERS differ in:
Answer: C — 3D ARRANGEMENT of atoms while having the same connectivity; enantiomers (mirror images, R/S configuration) + diastereomers (not mirror images, different physical properties); chirality requires asymmetric carbon
Isomer types: constitutional (different connectivity), stereoisomers (same connectivity, different 3D). Stereo: enantiomers (mirror images, only differ in optical rotation), diastereomers (non-mirror images, different physical+chemical properties), cis/trans, R/S. CIP rules assign R/S. DAT Org Chem advanced.
An SN2 reaction proceeds via:
Answer: D — Concerted single-step mechanism with backside attack by nucleophile, inverting stereochemistry at carbon
SN2: bimolecular, concerted, inversion (Walden). Rate = k[substrate][nucleophile]. Favored by primary substrates, strong nucleophiles, polar aprotic solvents. Contrast SN1: 2-step via carbocation, racemization, tertiary substrates. DAT org core.
6 sample cards from the 120 in the bank.
Hybridization for sp²?
3 sigma bonds, planar, 120°. (Like alkenes, aromatic rings.)
Second law of thermodynamics?
Entropy of universe always increases for spontaneous processes.
What's a buffer?
Weak acid + conjugate base (or vice versa). Resists pH change.
Phases of mitosis?
Prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase (then cytokinesis).
What's the difference between veins and arteries?
Arteries carry blood AWAY from heart (high pressure). Veins TOWARD heart (low pressure).
10% rule?
About 10% of energy passes from one trophic level to next. Rest lost as heat.
These samples are a small slice. The full bank runs flashcards, multiple choice and timed mock exams with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
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The DAT — Dental Admission Test bank holds 185 items: 65 multiple-choice questions, 120 flashcards. 18 of them are on this page to read free, with no signup.
Yes. Every multiple-choice item carries a written rationale that states the controlling principle behind the correct answer and then addresses each wrong option in turn — why it tempts and precisely where it fails. Knowing why the plausible answer was wrong is worth more than knowing which letter was right.
American Dental Association DAT Examinee Guide (public, ada.org) — 4 test sections: 1) Survey of Natural Sciences (100 items: 40 Biology, 30 General Chemistry, 30 Organic Chemistry), 2) Perceptual Ability Test (90 items: 6 question types including keyhole, top-front-end, angle ranking, paper folding, cube counting, pattern folding), 3) Reading Comprehension (50 items, 3 science-related passages), 4) Quantitative Reasoning (40 items: algebra, probability/statistics, geometry, trigonometry, applied math). 4-hour 30-min exam. MCQs are original…
The samples on this page are free to read in full, rationales included, with no account. The complete 185-item bank, the timed mock exams and per-chapter progress tracking are part of CoStudy on the web and in the iOS app.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22. Banks are written against the certifying body's published exam outline and re-checked when that outline changes — exams get renumbered, retired and reweighted, and a bank written to a superseded outline teaches the wrong proportions. Figures that are re-indexed annually are deliberately not asserted as rules; the questions test the governing principle instead.