Entrance Exams
Achieving a competitive score on your entrance exam shows preparation for your future career and is an important step in your professional journey.
Begin preparing for your entrance exams by truly learning the material from your related courses, not just studying for the next exam. Take thorough and clear course notes in your prerequisite courses, and save them, along with your textbooks. Form study groups with peers with similar educational aspirations. Plan to take your exam after you complete all of your prerequisite courses and have had adequate preparation. This generally requires several months of concentrated study (4-6 months or 300 hours for MCAT, 3-4 months or 200 hours for DAT, 2-3 months for GRE, 3-4 months for OAT).
If you don’t have enough time to prepare for your exams or if you have upcoming coursework that could help improve a lower GPA, it’s strongly recommended to consider applying in a future cycle to enhance your application’s competitiveness.
The single biggest mistake that students make is taking their entrance exam before they are fully prepared. It’s better to delay your test and, if necessary, defer your application for a year, then to get a non-competitive score. For most programs, schools will have access to all of your exam scores. Apply only when you have a competitive score for admission!
About the Exam
The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is the required entrance exam for Dental programs.
The DAT is administered year-round at Prometric test centers in the U.S. and Canada. The DAT is comprised of multiple-choice test items consisting of a battery of four tests: 1. Survey of the Natural Sciences, 2. Perceptual Ability, 3. Reading Comprehension, and 4. Quantitative Reasoning.
The DAT should be scheduled only after all biology and organic chemistry prerequisite courses are successfully completed and the applicant has had 3-6 months (approximately 200 hours) to study. If the resulting date would be later than May, then deferral to the next year is highly recommended.
On March 1, 2025, the DAT moved from a 2-digit to a 3-digit scoring format. Learn more! Understanding the New Dental Admission Test (DAT) Score Reporting Scale
Metrics
- Average total DAT of Accepted Dental Applicants: 20.8 (2-digit score) or 440 (3-digit score)
Northeastern University DAT Prep
The Northeastern University PreMed and PreHealth Advising Mapping Your Entrance Exam Seminars offer complimentary MCAT and DAT prep courses exclusively for our students and alumni. Learn more HERE!
DAT Resources
About the Exam
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is the required entrance exam for Medical and Podiatry Programs.
The MCAT® is offered on set dates from January through September, except February. The MCAT® has four test sections: 1. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, 2. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, 3. Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and 4. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
The MCAT should be scheduled only after all laboratory science prerequisite courses are successfully completed and the applicant has had 4-6 months (approximately 300 hours) to study. 2 semesters of Behavioral Science coursework are also recommended for MCAT prep (1 semester of Psychology and 1 semester of Sociology). If the resulting date would be later than May for Pre-Med or August for Pre-Podiatry, then deferral to the next year is highly recommended.
Metrics
- Average total MCAT of Accepted MD Applicants: 511.9
- Average total MCAT of Accepted DO Applicants: 504.77
- Average total MCAT of Accepted Podiatry Applicants: 494.7
Northeastern University MCAT Prep
The Northeastern University PreMed and PreHealth Advising Mapping Your Entrance Exam Seminars offer complimentary MCAT and DAT prep courses exclusively for our students and alumni. Learn more HERE!
MCAT® Resources
About the Exam
The Optometry Admissions Test is the required entrance exam for Optometry Programs.
The Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) is administered year round by Prometric test centers in the U.S. and Canada. The OAT is comprised of multiple-choice test items and consists of a battery of four tests: 1. Survey of the Natural Sciences; 2. Physics; 3. Reading Comprehension; and 4. Quantitative Reasoning.
The OAT should be scheduled only after all prerequisite courses are successfully completed and the applicant has had 4-6 months to study. If the resulting date would be later than August, then deferral to the next year is highly recommended.
Metrics
- Average OAT of Accepted Optometry Applicants: 300+
OAT Resources
About the Exam
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is the required entrance exam for many Physician Assistant and Veterinary Programs.
The GRE General Test is administered year round and is available at more than 1,000 test centers in more than 160 countries. The GRE is consists of a battery of three tests: 1. Verbal Reasoning; 2. Quantitative Reasoning; and 3. Analytical Writing.
The GRE should be scheduled only after all prerequisite courses are successfully completed and the applicant has had 2-3 months to study. If the resulting date would be later than the launch date of your program’s centralized application, then deferral to the next year is highly recommended.
*Note to Pre-PA students: As you build your PA schools list, our office recommends applying to programs that allow you to take the same entrance exam.
Metrics
- Average GRE of Accepted PA or Veterinary Applicants: 300+
GRE Resources:
About the Exam
The Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT) is an entrance exam used by a few Physician Assistant programs.
The PA-CAT is administered year-round and is available at more than 5,000 test centers and at home through remote proctoring. The PA-CAT measures general academic ability and scientific knowledge necessary for success in the demanding Physician Assistant curriculum. The PA-CAT covers the following subjects: Anatomy, Physiology, General Biology, Biochemistry, General and Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, Behavioral Sciences, Genetics, and Statistics.
The PA-CAT should be scheduled only after all prerequisite courses are successfully completed and the applicant has had 4-6 months to study. If the resulting date would be later than the launch date of your program’s centralized application, then deferral to the next year is highly recommended.
*Note to Pre-PA students: As you build your PA schools list, our office recommends applying to programs that allow you to take the same entrance exam.
Metrics
- The overall scoring range is between 200 to 800, with 500 as the mean.
- A competitive score would likely be in the 550-600 range, depending on the competitiveness of the specific PA program.
PA-CAT Resources