Attending Dental School – Prerequisites and Degree Requirements
Along with their DAT scores, most students also need to have a good grade point average (GPA), experience shadowing a dentist, and excellent recommendation letters.
Although an applicant doesn't need a science degree to enroll, they need some dentist education requirements from their undergraduate classes.
Most programs require at least eight hours.
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How do I prepare for dental school?
One way you can prepare for a rigorous dental school curriculum is by taking advanced science and math courses in high school and earning a bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry, anatomy or a related field.
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Passing Dental Licensure Exams
Once dental school is complete, a student needs to take and pass a series of examinations.
The ADAnotes three critical requirements to licensure: an educational component, a written test, and a clinical examination.
Besides these three components, additional requirements for licensure vary by state.
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The Dental Admissions Test
The first step in considering a dental degree is determining the testing and prerequisites needed during an undergraduate degree.
Any college student thinking about becoming a dentist needs to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT).
As theAmerican Dental Association (ADA) notes, it's typically recommended that students take the DAT at least a year b.
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What GPA do you need for dental school?
For a dental school to accept you into a competitive program, it's often a requirement to maintain a college GPA of at least 3.2.
Read more:
- How To Become a Dentist in 6 Steps (With Salary and FAQs) What's the best major for dental school?