Canadian vs American DAT

What’s the difference between the Canadian and American DAT?

To start, both exams are very different. For one, they are operated by two different independent organizations: the American DAT is operated by the ADA (American Dental Association) and the Canadian DAT is operated by the CDA (Canadian Dental Association).

Now, when you take a closer look at both exams, you can see that there are major differences that can impact your DAT scores if you use techniques and strategies meant for the American DAT on the Canadian DAT. This is why I always recommend using Canadian DAT resources rather than American resources to prepare for the Canadian DAT. But in case you were wondering what exactly these differences are, we will take a closer look at them below:

I. The Canadian DAT has a completely different format

One major difference is that the Canadian DAT has a different format than the American DAT, as shown below:

Please Note – The breaks mentioned above for the Canadian DAT are estimates until official details are released in February 2022.

II. The Biology section covers different topics on both exams

You can expect different Biology topics to be covered on the Canadian DAT versus the American DAT. For example, the Canadian DAT does NOT cover experimental cell biology, biomolecules, and experimental embryology whereas the American DAT does. However, the Canadian DAT covers a few extra sections that the American DAT does not, such as cladistics, ecosystems, and developmental biology. For more information, you can check out the CDA website.

Please note that starting in 2022, the Biology section of the Canadian DAT will be significantly different than the American DAT as the entire “Developmental Biology” section will be removed from the American DAT. Furthermore, various subtopics such as viruses, archaebacteria, genomics, gene expression, and epigenetics will be added to the American DAT.

III. The Canadian DAT can be used to apply to almost every dental school

One of the biggest benefits of writing the Canadian DAT is that it can be used to apply to every Canadian dental school and almost every American dental school. However, the American DAT is not accepted by most Canadian dental schools, so it’s HIGHLY recommended that you write the Canadian DAT if you are applying to dental schools in Canada.

Therefore, we recommend that you use the appropriate resources based on which exam you are taking. If you are taking the Canadian DAT, we highly recommend using DATCrusher during your DAT preparation since all of the tools and content are geared toward the Canadian DAT. However, if you are taking the American DAT, we highly recommend using DATBooster since all of the tools and content on it are geared towards the American DAT.