Free Dental Admission Test Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Dental Admission Test practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1In a replicated chromosome, where are the two sister chromatids joined?

   1. A.At the centromereCorrect answer: A
   2. B.At the telomere
   3. C.At a replication origin
   4. D.At a gene promoter

   Explanation: NHGRI states that "chromatids are joined at a constricted region of the chromosome called the centromere." Telomeres cap chromosome ends, replication origins initiate DNA copying, and promoters control transcription.

   Reference: Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms — Chromatid

2. 2A solid is made by extending this five-square outline uniformly one square unit into the page; each # is a unit square, and each dot is empty space: ``` #.. #.. ### ``` All four openings below are drawn to the same scale. The object may be oriented before insertion, but must pass straight through without turning or twisting. Which opening has the exact matching outline? In each answer diagram, X corresponds to # and o corresponds to the empty dot in the key.

   1. A.``` XXX oXo oXo ```
   2. B.``` XXX ooX ooX ```Correct answer: B
   3. C.``` oXo XXX oXo ```
   4. D.``` XXo oXo oXX ```

   Explanation: The ADA specifies that "Once the object is started through the aperture, it may not be turned or twisted." Rotating the solid’s L-shaped end 180 degrees yields the shape shown in the correct option. The T, cross, and zigzag outlines do not match that outline under rotation.

   Reference: Perceptual Ability Test Section Instructions — Page 4, Apertures, rules 1–3

3. 3A meal begins a journey through a connected series of hollow organs, but the journey is not simply a matter of carrying food from one opening to another. The digestive tract moves its contents, changes their physical form, and combines them with substances that help break large food components into smaller ones. Several organs outside the tube contribute fluids to the process. The result is a coordinated system in which movement, chemical breakdown, and absorption happen at different locations. The tract begins at the mouth and continues through the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. In the mouth, chewing breaks food into smaller pieces. Saliva moistens it and contains an enzyme that begins breaking down starch. The tongue then pushes the food toward the throat. A flap called the epiglottis folds over the windpipe during swallowing, helping keep food out of the airway. The food enters the esophagus, where the act of swallowing becomes automatic. Much of the movement along this tube depends on peristalsis. A section of muscle behind the material contracts, while muscle ahead relaxes, pushing the material forward. This pattern can move and mix the contents; it does not itself turn proteins, fats, and carbohydrates into their smaller chemical components. At the lower end of the esophagus, a ring of muscle called a sphincter relaxes to admit food to the stomach. When closed, it helps keep stomach contents from flowing back into the esophagus. The stomach mixes its contents with acid and enzymes. Its muscles also regulate the gradual delivery of the resulting mixture, called chyme, to the small intestine. The distinction between mixing and chemical breakdown matters: a muscle can redistribute food and digestive juices, while enzymes participate in breaking particular nutrients apart. Neither description alone accounts for all the work done by the digestive system. The pancreas supplies digestive juice through ducts to the small intestine. The juice contains enzymes that act on carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The liver supplies a different fluid, bile, which helps in fat digestion. Bile can travel from the liver toward the small intestine, and it can also be stored in the gallbladder between meals. When food is eaten, the gallbladder contracts and releases stored bile through ducts into the small intestine. Thus, making a substance and storing it are separate tasks performed by different organs. The small intestine contributes its own digestive juice, which mixes with bile and pancreatic juice. Its muscular movements mix the contents and push them forward. Its wall absorbs most nutrients from food after breakdown. Some of the resulting small molecules enter the bloodstream and travel to the liver, which stores, processes, and distributes nutrients. The lymphatic system absorbs fatty acids and certain vitamins. These routes are not interchangeable descriptions of one vessel; they are distinct parts of how absorbed material is transported. What remains moves into the large intestine. This material includes undigested food components, fluid, and older cells from the tract lining. The large intestine absorbs water, and bacteria there help break down remaining nutrients and make vitamin K. As water is absorbed, the remaining waste changes from a liquid toward stool. Peristalsis continues to move the material toward the rectum, where stool is stored before it leaves the body. Control of this process is distributed rather than assigned to a single organ. Hormones and nerves convey signals within the tract and between the tract and brain. Cells in the stomach and small intestine release hormones that help regulate when digestive juices are made and that signal hunger or fullness. These signals coordinate events in different places, allowing the movement of food and the delivery of digestive fluids to be understood as parts of a connected process. The system therefore illustrates several distinctions. Food passes through the hollow tract, while organs such as the liver and pancreas add fluids through ducts. A substance may be produced in one organ and stored in another. Breaking food into smaller particles is not the same operation as moving it forward, and breaking it into absorbable components is not the same as transporting those components after absorption. These steps depend on one another, but each has a distinct role. Which statement best expresses the passage's central idea?

   1. A.Digestion depends on coordinated movement, breakdown, absorption, and transport.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Digestion consists only of chemical reactions within the stomach.
   3. C.All digestive organs perform the same task at different speeds.
   4. D.Most absorbed nutrients remain inside the digestive tract.

   Explanation: The passage connects several distinct functions throughout the tract. NIDDK explains that "Each part of your digestive system helps to move food and liquid through your GI tract, break food and liquid into smaller parts, or both." The passage also describes absorption and transport.

   Reference: Your Digestive System & How it Works — How does my digestive system work?

4. 4What value of x satisfies 5x + 7 = 32?

   1. A.3
   2. B.5Correct answer: B
   3. C.6
   4. D.7

   Explanation: The DOE notes that "If the same quantity is subtracted from both sides of an equation, the resulting equation is still true." Subtracting 7 yields 5x = 25; dividing by 5 gives x = 5.

   Reference: DOE Fundamentals Handbook: Mathematics, Volume 1 — Module 2, Linear Equations Summary

5. 5What does haploid describe about a cell's chromosomes?

   1. A.It contains two homologous sets.
   2. B.It contains one complete set.Correct answer: B
   3. C.It contains duplicated chromatids only.
   4. D.It contains no nuclear chromosomes.

   Explanation: The glossary states: "Haploid refers to the presence of a single set of chromosomes in an organism’s cells." The number of chromosome sets, rather than whether chromatids have replicated, determines haploidy.

   Reference: Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms — Haploid

6. 6The diagram gives the heights, in unit cubes, of a solid built on a 2-by-3 rectangular base. Every column is solid from the floor to its stated height. ``` BACK: 1 3 1 FRONT: 2 1 2 ``` Looking horizontally from the right end toward the left end, the front of the object appears on the left of the view. Which outline shows the end view without perspective? In each option, # is one occupied unit square and . is empty. In each answer diagram, X corresponds to # and o corresponds to the empty dot in the key.

   1. A.``` Xo XX XX ```
   2. B.``` oX XX XX ```Correct answer: B
   3. C.``` oo Xo XX ```
   4. D.``` XX XX XX ```

   Explanation: The ADA specifies that the views are "without perspective" and use "parallel lines of vision". From the end, the tallest front column is 2 cubes high and the tallest back column is 3 cubes high, giving the stated outline.

   Reference: Perceptual Ability Test Section Instructions — Page 6, View Recognition

7. 7Food does not move through the digestive tract merely because a person stands upright. The tract's wall contains muscle that contracts in a coordinated sequence. A section behind the contents contracts while the section ahead relaxes, pushing the material onward. This coordinated movement is called peristalsis; it also mixes food and liquid. Chemical breakdown is a different operation: digestive juices contain substances that split nutrients into smaller components. The same meal can therefore be transported, mixed, and chemically changed, but none of those words describes all three jobs. According to the passage, what is the immediate role of peristalsis?

   1. A.It pushes and mixes contents by coordinated muscle movement.Correct answer: A
   2. B.It chemically breaks the contents into smaller nutrient molecules.
   3. C.It moves contents by relaxing behind them and contracting ahead.
   4. D.It moves contents without the action of muscles in the tract wall.

   Explanation: The passage distinguishes muscular transport from chemical breakdown. NIDDK states: "The movement pushes food and liquid through your GI tract and mixes the contents within each organ." The other options describe separate processes.

   Reference: Your Digestive System & How it Works — How does food move through my GI tract?

8. 8If x + y = 9 and x − y = 3, what is x?

   1. A.3
   2. B.4
   3. C.6Correct answer: C
   4. D.12

   Explanation: DOE describes solving two equations by combining them so "one of the unknowns is eliminated". Adding the equations eliminates y, giving 2x = 12 and x = 6.

   Reference: DOE Fundamentals Handbook: Mathematics, Volume 1 — Module 2, Solving Simultaneous Equations

9. 9What characterizes an individual who is heterozygous for a genomic marker?

   1. A.Two copies of the same allele
   2. B.A single copy of the marker
   3. C.Two different alleles at the markerCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Two copies of each chromosome set

   Explanation: NHGRI states: "an individual who is heterozygous for a genomic marker has two different versions of that marker." Identical versions describe homozygosity; ploidy and allele number are different questions.

   Reference: Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms — Heterozygous

10. 10In the square-unit grid below, imagine four rays from O to the numbered points. Each angle is measured above the horizontal ray from O to the right. Rank the four angles from smallest to largest. ``` · · · · 4 · · · 3 · · · · · · · · 2 · · · · · · · · · 1 O ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ → ```

    1. A.1, 2, 4, 3Correct answer: A
    2. B.1, 4, 2, 3
    3. C.2, 1, 3, 4
    4. D.3, 4, 2, 1

    Explanation: The ADA describes this task as "Rank a series of angles from smallest to largest." The rays to 1, 2, 4 and 3 have progressively steeper slopes: 1/6, 2/3, 4/4 and 3/1.

    Reference: DAT Candidate Guide 2026 — Page 10, Perceptual Ability: Angle Discrimination