Many four-year colleges and universities also require ACT or SAT scores. College preparatory courses should include chemistry, biology, physics, and English composition. Admission to dental schools is limited and competitive. Although students can apply for admission to some schools after their sophomore year in college and be accepted to dental school without a bachelor's degree, the majority of students admitted to dental schools already have a bachelor's degree. Schools look for a strong academic record, demonstrated qualities of good judgment, and perseverance, a high degree of motivation, and high scores on the American Dental Association Dental Admission Test.
Some dental schools require completion of specific pre-dental courses.
Passing both state and national board examinations may be required for graduation. Students may use computers for research, word processing, and business applications. They may also be introduced to dental office software packages. To Know About twenty percent of dental school graduates take additional training of from two to seven years to become dental specialists in one of the recognized specialties in dentistry. A strong component of both the dental school curriculum and the practice of dentistry involves a high level of manual dexterity.