Preparing for DAT registration
In our previous OzTREKK blog posting, What the Canadian DAT is all about, OzTREKK helps outline the format of the Canadian Dental Admission Test in order to help pre-dentistry students feel more prepared. As Benjamin Franklin stated, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
So let’s get prepared! Below is some background information about registering for the DAT. As registrations for the February 2013 sitting are closed, students interested in applying to the 2014 intake of an Australian dental school will find this information helpful.
Regulations and Procedures for DAT Registration
1. Applications are accepted online only. Applicants should consider the Confirmation of DAT Registration page as verification that the DAT office has received their registration.
2. Registration fees must be paid at time of registration. Payment must be by VISA or MasterCard.
Fees are not refundable or transferable. Applicants are required to submit a new application and fee for each exam. Applicants who do not appear for a scheduled exam will not be refunded their testing fee nor will they be assigned to an alternate testing session.
3. There is no limit on the number of times you can write the DAT. However, only the results of the most recent DAT written, along with the total number of times written, will be reported on the official DAT transcript. Applicants who want the results of a previous DAT sent to one or more faculties of dentistry must make such a request online.
4. It is the responsibility of the applicant to clearly and accurately complete all portions of the online application. Applicants are urged to verify all personal information entered, and to carefully indicate the desired testing period, testing centre and language preference for writing the DAT exam. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
5. Applicants should ensure they accurately input their name and address on the application as well as in any correspondence sent to the DAT Office.
Once an application is received and formally processed by the DAT Office, a DAT Confirmation Letter and receipt is sent to the applicant by regular mail. This letter includes:
- Applicant’s unique DAT ID number
- Applicant’s registered test date
- Time and location
- Instructions for the day of the exam.
To be admitted into the DAT test centre on the day of the exam, the applicant will be required to present the original of this DAT Confirmation and receipt to the DAT Administrator.
Notify the DAT Office in writing (email, fax or regular mail) of any change of name or address. Once assigned a DAT ID number, applicants must include this number in all correspondence sent to the DAT Office.
Applicants are advised to keep a copy of their DAT Confirmation Letter and any other correspondence they may have with the DAT Office and the admission offices of the dental schools to which they have applied.
6. The University of Montreal and Laval University are French-language test centres, while the Universities of Moncton and Ottawa, and Laurentian University, are bilingual test centres. McGill University offers English-language testing only.
Applicants should note that the English-language exam contains a Reading Comprehension Test, while the French-language DAT does not. Applicants should ensure that this variation in the examination is acceptable to their selected faculties of dentistry.
7. Requests for changes in test centre assignment will not be accepted after the registration deadline. When you register you reserve a seat at one test centre. If you register for a second test centre you will be charged a second registration fee.
8. During registration, indicate all of the dental schools you would like to have your DAT scores sent to. Up to five official transcripts of your DAT scores are included in the DAT registration fee (and one personal copy). You can select additional schools to receive your transcripts; however, there is a transcript fee for each additional school. The University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney require the DAT as part of their admissions requirements.
9. Requests to delete any dental schools selected on the application must be submitted in writing to the DAT Office via fax, or regular mail. Schools can be removed from the applicant’s list before transcripts are mailed to dental schools; however, there is no refund for the deleted school(s).
10. Applicants are advised to read the Rules and Notice Form of the Dental Aptitude Test. At the time of testing, applicants will be required to sign an acknowledgement that they have read and understand the Rules and Notice and agree to abide by them.
About Australian Dental Schools in Australia
Australian dental schools in Australia have traditionally offered professional degrees at the undergraduate level, and students enroll in these Bachelor of Dental Science degrees straight from secondary school. OzTREKK‘s universities, the University of Queensland and James Cook University, offer five-year dentistry programs at the undergraduate level.
The University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney recently introduced four-year, graduate-entry dental programs in Australia—the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), respectively. Canadian applicants must complete an undergraduate degree, the MCAT or DAT, and undergraduate prerequisite subjects to be eligible for admission to the Melbourne Dental School and Sydney Dental School.
James Cook University Dental School launched its dentistry program in 2009, and welcomed international students for the first time in 2012, at the beautiful JCU Cairns campus. JCU accepts applications from high school graduates or from those who have completed university studies.
The University of Queensland Dental School offers a five-year, undergraduate-entry Bachelor of Dental Science degree. Students may enter the UQ dentistry program directly from high school or after having partially or fully completed post-secondary studies. However, with only two or three international places available each year for applicants from countries like Canada, applicants must have graduated at the very top of their class to be competitive for admission into this UQ dentistry program.
Students from Canada, who have already completed an undergraduate degree, can apply for entry into Australian dental schools at either the graduate-entry or undergraduate-entry levels.
Four OzTREKK Australian university partners offer dentistry programs:
Contact OzTREKK Dentistry Admissions Officer Broghan Dean for more information about studying in Australia, and about Australian dentistry programs.
Email Broghan at broghan@oztrekk.com
Telephone 1 866-698-7355
