A lot of people are saying destroyer orgo is overkill for whats actually asked and that Kaplan covers orgo well.

Could those who have taken the DAT give us some thoughts on which is better to use: :D

Kaplan subject and section tests :thumbdown:thumbup: vs DAT destroyer :thumbdown:thumbup:

I used both and thought that destroyer was really good for the reactions and such... I just used Kaplan for the subject test.

I took the Kaplan course and bought the Destroyer. I would say kaplan is one of the better books to build a base off of... and Destroyer helps you fine tune your skills. But kaplan alone is definitely NOT enough. It covers the basics well but isnt complete because it doesnt give you enough practice with all the different complex things that can happen with ochem.

Destroyer was seriously awesome. Dont think of it as just a book with a bunch of problems. It covers everything you need to know with all its problems. I just went through all the problems twice to make sure I knew it. However, it is not a text book so it won't explain everything in detail, but if you dont get it you can always look it up.

I would say your best bet is to get both because they both bring something else to the table. If you dont have an instructional ochem book, get kaplan. If you already do, use destroyer for the best ochem practice.

Im not trashing kaplan but they will expalin the basics but they wont give you all the little bits and pieces. Yes tollens test for aldehyde but only destroyer will tell you that it also tests for alpha hydroxy ketones as well. For fine points like this is what destroyer is there for. There is more in the answers of destroyer then the questions. Again thank g-d for the destoryer in life!

I couldn't agree more, not having read the destroyer before the DAT is like going to take the SAT without a calculator, I don't think you stand a chance. Kaplan is fine and all but the detail in the destroyer is what makes the difference between getting an average score and a great score.