The DSST Substance Abuse exam allows students to demonstrate college-level knowledge of substance use, dependence, pharmacology, addiction, commonly used substances, and approaches to prevention and treatment. This guide covers the current exam format, content outline, scoring, cost, testing options, retake policy, and study resources.
What Is the DSST Substance Abuse Exam?
The DSST Substance Abuse exam, formerly known as Drug and Alcohol Abuse, is a credit-by-examination test designed to measure knowledge comparable to that covered in an undergraduate course on substance abuse.
The exam covers the biological, psychological, and social aspects of substance use and dependence. Topics include drug classification, neurological and pharmacological principles, alcohol, nicotine, opioids, cannabinoids, stimulants, hallucinogens, prescription medications, and approaches to treatment and intervention.
Before registering: Check with your college or university to make sure it accepts the DSST Substance Abuse exam and determine exactly how the credit will apply to your degree. ACE recommends three lower-level baccalaureate semester hours for a score of 400 or higher, but each school establishes its own credit policy.
DSST Substance Abuse Exam Format
Each question has one correct answer and three incorrect options. You have two hours to complete all 100 questions, which gives you an average of about 72 seconds per question.
What Is on the DSST Substance Abuse Exam?
The current official exam outline contains 14 content areas. Alcohol and the general overview of substance abuse are the two largest sections at 13% each.
| Content Area | Exam Weight |
|---|---|
| Overview of Substance Abuse and Dependence | 13% |
| Classification of Drugs | 4% |
| Pharmacological and Neurophysiological Principles | 6% |
| Alcohol | 13% |
| Anti-Anxiety, Sedative, and Hypnotics | 6% |
| Inhalants | 6% |
| Tobacco and Nicotine | 10% |
| Psychomotor Stimulants | 6% |
| Opioids | 10% |
| Cannabinoids | 8% |
| Hallucinogens | 7% |
| Other Drugs of Abuse | 4% |
| Antipsychotic Drugs | 3% |
| Antidepressants and Mood Stabilizers | 4% |
Overview of Substance Abuse and Dependence – 13%
This section covers the basic concepts used throughout the exam. You should understand terminology related to substance use, misuse, dependence, and addiction, along with major theories and models used to explain substance-related problems.
Other topics include demographic patterns, social costs and consequences, and diagnosis using DSM-5 concepts.
Classification of Drugs – 4%
This area focuses on the federal scheduling of controlled substances and regulations associated with different drug classifications.
Pharmacological and Neurophysiological Principles – 6%
Questions in this section address how drugs interact with the nervous system and body.
You should understand basic neurotransmission, synaptic processes, receptors, dose-response relationships, routes of administration, drug metabolism, and drug interactions.
Alcohol – 13%
Alcohol is one of the two largest sections of the exam. Topics include its history and types, factors affecting blood alcohol levels, acute and chronic effects, prenatal effects, tolerance, withdrawal, overdose, dependence, treatment, and intervention.
Anti-Anxiety, Sedative, and Hypnotic Drugs – 6%
This section covers the history, types, uses, administration, effects, tolerance, withdrawal, overdose, dependence, and treatment of anti-anxiety medications, sedatives, and hypnotics.
Inhalants – 6%
You should understand major types of inhalants and their acute and chronic effects, as well as tolerance, withdrawal, overdose, dependence, prevention, and treatment.
Tobacco and Nicotine – 10%
This domain covers nicotine and tobacco products, their short- and long-term effects, tolerance, withdrawal, dependence, prevention, and treatment.
The current DSST outline specifically includes current trends such as vaping.
Psychomotor Stimulants – 6%
This section includes psychomotor stimulants such as caffeine, xanthines, amphetamines, and related substances. Topics include their effects, uses, routes of administration, tolerance, withdrawal, overdose, dependence, and treatment.
Opioids – 10%
The opioid section covers the history and types of opioids, including endogenous opioids, along with therapeutic uses, effects, tolerance, withdrawal, overdose, dependence, current trends, and behavioral and pharmacological treatment approaches.
Cannabinoids – 8%
Topics include naturally occurring and endogenous cannabinoids, acute and chronic effects, therapeutic uses, administration, tolerance, withdrawal, toxicity, dependence, treatment, and current trends.
Hallucinogens – 7%
This section covers types of hallucinogens, acute and chronic effects, therapeutic uses, tolerance, withdrawal, toxicity, dependence, treatment, and current trends.
Other Drugs of Abuse – 4%
This category includes substances that do not fit neatly into the larger sections of the blueprint, including:
Anabolic steroids
Over-the-counter medications
Synthetic drugs
Club drugs
Antipsychotic Drugs – 3%
This area covers the history and types of antipsychotic medications, their therapeutic uses, administration, side effects, adverse reactions, and toxicity.
Antidepressants and Mood Stabilizers – 4%
This final section addresses the history, types, effects, therapeutic uses, administration, tolerance, withdrawal, adverse reactions, toxicity, and other major safety considerations associated with antidepressants and mood stabilizers.
How Much Does the DSST Substance Abuse Exam Cost?
The standard DSST examination fee is currently $100.
A testing center may charge an additional administrative fee beyond the standard $100 DSST fee.
DANTES-eligible military test takers may qualify to have eligible DSST examination fees funded. Military candidates should verify their eligibility before scheduling.
How Is the DSST Substance Abuse Exam Scored?
The American Council on Education recommends awarding credit for a score of 400 or higher on the current Substance Abuse exam.
The current DSST score scale should not be interpreted as a simple percentage. A score of 400 does not mean that you answered exactly 40% or 80% of the questions correctly.
Your college or university ultimately decides whether it accepts the exam, what score it requires, and how the credit is applied to your academic program.
Credit recommendation: ACE currently recommends three lower-level baccalaureate semester hours in Substance Abuse for candidates earning a score of 400 or higher.
Where Can I Take the Exam?
DSST exams are administered through Prometric. The Substance Abuse exam can be taken through several testing arrangements.
Schedule an available appointment at a Prometric testing location.
Take the exam through a participating college, university, or other authorized center.
Take the exam online through Prometric ProProctor using an approved computer and testing environment.
How Do I Register?
The exact registration process depends on how you plan to take the exam.
1. Check your school’s credit policy.
Confirm that your institution accepts DSST Substance Abuse and determine the score and course equivalency it requires.
2. Select a testing method.
Choose a Prometric testing center, participating National Test Center, or remotely proctored exam.
3. Schedule or register.
Follow the Prometric or testing-center instructions for the testing method you selected.
4. Provide your school’s code.
Enter the correct institution code when requested so your score can be sent to the school where you want to receive credit.
5. Pay the applicable fees.
Pay the standard DSST fee and any additional testing-center charge that may apply.
What to Know Before Test Day
Bring a current, valid government-issued photo ID that meets Prometric’s requirements.
Make sure your registration name matches your identification.
Know the institution code for the college or university that should receive your score.
If testing remotely, complete Prometric’s system compatibility checks and prepare a private testing environment.
Plan your pacing so you can complete all 100 questions within the two-hour limit.
When Will I Get My Score?
For computer-delivered DSST examinations, candidates generally receive their score information after completing the exam. Prometric also sends the result to the email address provided during scheduling.
If you supplied the correct institution code when registering, your score is also sent to the designated college or university.
What If I Don’t Pass?
You may retake the DSST Substance Abuse exam, but you must wait before attempting the same exam title again.
Current retake waiting period: 30 days. Attempting the same DSST examination before the required waiting period has passed can cause the new score to be invalidated.
You must pay the applicable exam fees again when retesting. DANTES funding generally does not cover a repeat attempt of an examination that was previously funded.
How Can I Prepare for the DSST Substance Abuse Exam?
Start with the current 14-area content outline rather than studying every drug category equally. Alcohol and the general concepts of substance use and dependence together account for more than one-fourth of the exam, while nicotine and opioids each account for another 10%.
At the same time, the test requires more than memorizing lists of substances. You should understand how different substances act on the nervous system, how tolerance and withdrawal develop, the difference between therapeutic and nonmedical use, and how prevention and treatment approaches differ among substance categories.
DSST Substance Abuse Study Checklist
Know the terminology, theories, diagnostic concepts, and social effects associated with substance use and dependence.
Review the DEA drug schedules and the basic principles used to classify controlled substances.
Understand neurotransmission, receptors, routes of administration, metabolism, dose-response relationships, and drug interactions.
Spend extra time on alcohol, nicotine, opioids, and the general substance-abuse overview because these are among the largest sections.
For each major substance category, know the typical effects, uses, administration, tolerance, withdrawal, toxicity or overdose, dependence, and treatment concepts.
Do not skip newer outline topics such as vaping, synthetic drugs, current opioid trends, and current cannabinoid and hallucinogen trends.
Complete timed practice so you become comfortable answering 100 questions in two hours.
DSST Substance Abuse Study Resources
Use these resources to review the exam content and practice before your testing appointment.
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