Admission Tests

What, When and How:

Several admissions tests are required for admittance to professional schools. Typically, the tests are taken at the end of the junior or beginning of the senior year. Most registration materials are available online or from the chair of HPAC. The table below outlines the necessary information. (The AHPAT and VCAT, which were designed for allied health and veterinary admissions respectively, have been discontinued).

Professional School

Test

Dates Given

Dentistry

DAT

On a computer by appointment

Medicine

(MD, DO, DPM)

MCAT

On a computer on dates mainly between April and August

Optometry

OAT

On a computer by appointment

Pharmacy

PCAT

January, July, Sept. October 

Veterinary and
Allied Health

GRE

On computer by appointment 

Preparation

You must be well-prepared to take these examinations. DO NOT TRY TO TAKE THEM COLD! There are several ways that you can prepare yourself for these exams:

  1. Take good notes in prerequisite courses, that is what you will be tested on.
    (BIOL 141, 142; CHEM 141, 142, 201, 301; PHYS 121, 122) (additional pre-requisites for the MCAT are CHEM 204, PSYC 101, SOCI 101, and a statistics course)
  2. Take a review course.
  3. Take practice exams.

Numbers to Shoot For

The following data provide a general guideline on test scores and GPAs you will need to be competitive for admission to health professional schools in various fields. Each program may have slightly different requirements, so you should investigate those before you apply. Typically, there are lower GPA and test score limits below which an applicant will not be considered.  For example, 3.0 is a typical lower limit for a GPA to be considered for most graduate programs in the health professions.  The listed values are averages for students accepted into the following programs nationally.

Dentistry: 3.60 and 19 on DAT

Medicine (MD): 3.68 and 511.4 on the MCAT

Medicine (DO): 3.57 and about 507 on the MCAT

Occupational Therapy: 3.20 and above average on the GRE

Optometry: 3.30 and about 320 on the OAT

Pharmacy: 3.40 and about 85th percentile on PCAT

Physician Assistant: 3.30 and about 60% on the GRE

Physical Therapy: 3.37 and about 55% on the GRE

Podiatry: 3.20 and about a 496 on the MCAT

Veterinary Medicine: 3.60 and about 70% on GRE verbal and 65% on GRE math