Information Regarding DAT Reading Comprehension

3 Tips to Solve DAT Reading Comprehension Questions

The Dental Admission Test (DAT) evaluates the analytical capability in prospective dental school students through the Reading Comprehension section of the examination. Moreover, the score from this section is of paramount importance if you want your admission application to be considered favorably by premier dental schools. The following section of this article will discuss some strategies to help you improve your Reading Comprehension score.

Tips to Answer DAT Reading Comprehension Questions with Confidence

As it is evident from the name, this section comprises comprehension passages that you have read to answer the questions based on them. Some of the points, which you should remember in order to answer the questions correctly and efficiently are as follows:

  1. Read the passages carefully: The comprehension passages that you will come across in the test are usually excerpts from scientific journals. Hence, they will be chock-full of scientific terms and information. You must be able to understand the terms as well as discern the information that will be required, in order to answer the questions. Some of the passages may even deal with latest scientific and technological advancement in the fields of medicine and dentistry. You may be unfamiliar with the information provided in the passage, but you can understand the primary theme of the passage only if you read it carefully. Hence, read the passages thoroughly and jot down the main points, as they will come handy when you answer the questions.
  2. Understand the question: It is essential to understand the nature of the questions in this section before you start answering them. For example, a question may ask you to identify which one of the statements, provided in the list, is false in the light of the information provided in the passage. Here, you must be careful in choosing the correct answer, because the question is asking you to identify the incorrect statement. So read the question carefully and then compare it with the passage, before you click on the correct answer.
  3. Do not answer from memory: Students often feel that since they have read the passages carefully they can answer the questions from memory. Do not make this mistake! It is very difficult to imbibe all the information provided in the passages in the short span of time, which you will get to read as well as answer in the minimal time. This is especially true in case of passages that provide intricate scientific details. Hence, before you answer a question, ensure that there is sufficient information in the passage to support your answer.

Developing strategies to answer the questions are not sufficient if you do not understand the nature of the particular section of the examination. The following section of this article will provide details about the Reading Comprehension section.

What is Reading Comprehension for DAT?

This paper has no sub-sections and hence, it alone results in one of the most important scaled scores reported in the score card. Other than that, the Reading Comprehension score along with the scores you receive in Quantitative Reasoning, Biology, Chemistry (General and Organic) together forms your Academic Average score. This is another one of the 8 scaled scores reported in the score card. Thus, overall the section provides for two scaled scores. Some other features of the section are as follows:

  • Time allotted and the number of questions: Like other sections of the test, the American Dental Association (ADA) has fixed a specific time limit to answer the questions. You will get 60 minutes to answer the 50 questions asked in this section of the test. These 60 minutes are inclusive of the time you take to read the passages.
  • Type of questions asked: There are different types of questions that you may come across in the Reading section. For example, some questions may deal with the overall notion a particular passage is trying to develop, whereas others my deal with certain specific detail provided in the passage. Some of the questions may even ask you to explain the meanings of scientific or medical terms. However, the topics covered in the passages will be related to those which you have studied either in college or as a part of your pre-dental education.

Once you have understood the nature of the given passages and questions, you will find preparing for it becomes easier. However, if you require more information regarding this section of the examination then click on the following link: http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/dat_examinee_guide.pdf Go through this link and understand the nature of the test and the Reading Comprehension section in particular.