Thanks guys! I found this too!
Here's how this works:
When you sign up for your DAT exam, you choose the schools that you want your scores to be sent to. If after taking the exam you decide you want additional schools to receive your scores, you simply go on ADA's website, and there's a form there that allows you to add additional schools.
Your scores are available to your designated school electronically 2-3 days after the exam. However, it takes between 3-4 weeks for schools to receive a physical copy of your scores from AADSAS.
On June 1st, you will start making an application on AADSAS. After submitting your application, paying the fee, and sending your transcripts and LOR to AADSAS, they will calculate your overall and science GPA's. Once they have your GPA's they will mail out your application to your designated schools. Schools will NOT receive your application any sooner than July 14th. Now, here's the catch. Your application will NOT be mailed out util AADSAS calculates your GPAs. To calculate your GPA's they need all your transcripts. So, the later you send in your transcripts, the later they will calculate your GPAs, and the later your application gets mailed to schools. AADSAS will still forward LORs to schools, even after they mail out your application.
After July 14th, schools will start reviewing the first applications they've received and start sending out e-mails for secondary applications. The earliest date you will receive an e-mail for a secondary application (Provided that you're selected to fill one out) is late July/early August.
Most schools will not look at your application until they have your DAT scores. This is an standardized test and it's a good indication of your academic performance. So, they want to see some solid scores, before they even consider reviewing your application. So, if you take your DAT by late June, schools will probably receive your scores by mid July, which is also the time they will start receiving copies of your application from AADSAS. Therefore, you should be fine!
There are really no specific dates for you to be considered an early applicant. The earlier you finish your application the sooner schools will start reviewing your application, which means you'll be competing with fewer applicants for more open spots. The later you send in your application the more competitive this process has become. You'll be competing with more applicants for fewer available spots. Subsequently, schools will start scrutinizing your application to ensure that they pick the best applicant for the few open spots they got. In short, the earlier you get everything done the better!!
Hope this has answered your questions!
So the best time to take your DAT is really mid-june! But yeah I will be taking it in July...no choice really, hopefully will still make it in first cycle...as the info here suggests it takes max 4 weeks to send out hard copy of DAT so if I do take it in early July the schools will get my completed application by early August latest so that makes it max 2 weeks after they start reviewing apps in mid july...hopefully that is still first cycle...fingers crossed
