DrStudentDentist

So, I had this great idea for a post about prep material but I realized, the best place to get that information would probably be SDN. Students are constantly posting about who got what and what they used. I’ve still taken the liberty to do a small bit about the ins & outs of each material I used but bear in mind, I did take mine more than a year ago. However, before you brush me off as an old-timer who’s out of the loop, do realize Kaplan uses the same material year after year without updates. But their big name still gets students to shell out the grand it takes to register for their course. So, do take care to do your own homework.

Here’s a mini-breakdown of the materials I used and what my opinion of them were - not in any particular order.

1) Kaplan - Course (currently: $1399)

The main teacher was an medical student who taught both MCAT and DAT science sections. He knew about as much as the Kaplan-assigned binder he was teaching from. He re-iterated what was already in the manuals in front of us and offered little insight into the actual going ons with the DAT.This girl who did take the DAT came in once in a while to half-heartedly go through the PAT section. She purportedly scored in the 90th percentile. Now that I, myself, have taken the DAT, I don’t know what her 90th percentile means. Did she score in the 90th percentile in all sections or her AA or her TS? And frankly, does it even matter? If she can’t teach (and she couldn’t), she could’ve written the test herself and it wouldn’t have done me any good.

Remember, a good test-taker doesn’t make a good teacher. I know, my name’s on the top of that list.

Bottom line: It’s a gamble. The usefulness of the course depends on the teacher and their teaching ability but that varies greatly depending on location. If you want to take a course, ask around the area. See if there are others with scores you want and ask them who their Kaplan teacher was. Or there’s always the option of the slightly cheaper online version. One last thing, when you sign up for the course, they send you two kaplan books. One is a thin course manual with exercises for the course. The other is a thicker one. That’s the review book which is identical to the blue book they sell in bookstores. Just a heads up.

2. Schaum’s Biology

Boring. I started using this and found it too dry and boring to continue. Paper is gray. Words are tiny. Pictures, minimal. Does the great world of biology a disservice.

3. Topscore ($50) & Achiever ($50)

I group these together because they’re both computerized. That’s their strength. They both contain 3 full length exams for a total of 6 full length exams between them. You have the opportunity to take each section separately or together. I’d urge you to definitely invest in both of them. Taking an exam is more than knowing the answers for each question. That’s a major part of it but the other part that gets frequently overlooked is the actual exam experience. If you ask anyone why they got a low QR score, it’s never “the math was hard”. It’s always, “I ran out of time”. The math is high school math at most - algebra, a dash of trig, some basic probability. Not calculus. Personally, I’m not good with numbers and whip out my phone calculator to tally up restaurant tabs & tip and having had bad experiences with math, D’s in pre-calc and calc 2, my confidence in my math abilities were low. Still, I ended up getting a 20 on the DAT. Not stellar but doesn’t have to be. I’ve seen smarter kids wind up with 17s and 16s. Why? They underestimated time. That’s where a computerized test simulator comes in handy. These aren’t for studying. They’re for gaging your ability to sit through a 4 hour exam and training you in proper time management. How will you know if you’re gonna freak out with 10 minutes left on the counter if you don’t actually put yourself in that situation?

If you can’t see the value in exam simulation, then go ahead and cut this corner. I personally think $100 is a small price to pay.

4. Undergraduate textbooks

If you kept them, great. If you haven’t, it’s not going to make a difference. You could just as easily find the information elsewhere. If you want to know if you should keep them, the only one I’d consider keeping is Campbell’s biology. Keep in mind, I had other sources of study material for organic chemistry and general chemistry. I used Campbell’s biology just to get some info on subjects not covered in my undergrad biology courses - ecology, evolution stuff.

5. DAT Destroyer ($149.95)

A plastic spiral bound book. Not very professional looking but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in quality. This book is packed to the brim with questions written by a DAT/OChem/Physics tutor. Dr Romano does this for a living. He could be practicing dentistry but he tutors instead. Compare that with Kaplan tutors who take the exam, get a good grade and go back to do some teaching for some extra spending money. Plus, if he’s preparing students for the DAT, don’t you think he’ll follow up with them after they take the exam. They’ll probably even discuss their experience, what worked, what didn’t work, etc. You can piece two and two together. Dr Romano gets personal accounts from real people regarding the actual DAT.

When I used this, it wasn’t any bigger than a regular spiral notebook. Romano’s constantly adding updated questions to this and last I saw from another DAT taker, this thing has ballooned to quite a manual. It’s all Q&A format. Not your typical review book but it works.

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I’d say find out how you study best then find the material that suits your needs. I bag on Kaplan but plenty of people do well with it. That’s great! The purpose is to find the test prep material to best facilitate your learning.