kaplan blue book??

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Hi,

I have been using kaplan blue book to study for DAT science parts and I am wondering whether it is good enough for the preparation for DAT science parts.
I finished the pre-req courses (gen chem/o chem/bio), so studying kaplan blue book so far has been pretty good.
I do have a barron's DAT and cliffs test prep one but I don't have much time for the preparation for DAT.
I need you guys' input.
Thanks.

Kaplan Blue book is great to start out with. What you need to do now is take as many practice DAT as you can get your hands on and afterwards studying all the questions and all the answer choices, especially the bio. This will give you a lot more bio exposure. Wiki will be your best friend in this aspect.
So you have one in the blue book, one in barrons. You can get a free one on the ADEA website...

Originally Posted by archonsbk

Hi,

I have been using kaplan blue book to study for DAT science parts and I am wondering whether it is good enough for the preparation for DAT science parts.
I finished the pre-req courses (gen chem/o chem/bio), so studying kaplan blue book so far has been pretty good.
I do have a barron's DAT and cliffs test prep one but I don't have much time for the preparation for DAT.
I need you guys' input.
Thanks.

Kaplan Blue Book is horrible! Its a big waste of time and money. Its worst area is Orgo, I tried to use it and I gave up after a few weeks because it wasn't working for me. Stick with Barrons AP Bio for the Bio section. For Gen Chem and Orgo use Destroyer + Chad's videos.

Originally Posted by archonsbk

Hi,

I have been using kaplan blue book to study for DAT science parts and I am wondering whether it is good enough for the preparation for DAT science parts.

NO! NO! NO! NO!!!

these boards hate kaplan for some reason

i used it exclusively and thought it covered everything that was on the dat

Originally Posted by yellowishbluish

these boards hate kaplan for some reason

i used it exclusively and thought it covered everything that was on the dat

yup because for the same price you can get better quality products that will enhance your score.

yeah most ppl seem to be anti kaplan... not going to go there so I wont.
The blue book doesn cover most of it but its only a good refrence book to get you started. You also would want to go deeper into the subjects that you aren't very familiar with. For me I had to really study more (using wiki) about ecology, plant anatomy, and photosynthese. Although, now that I think about everything that was asked in those subjects was well covered in the blue book. I never studying anatomy or physiology subjects cause i recently took the class and it was very fresh. Find what you are weak at and focus on that subject.

Barrons AP Bio is cheaper and better suited for subjects like Bio. I see no point in spending $50 for a Kaplan book when you can get Chads + Barrons AP bio for $30

I used Kaplan to get started and for the cd of practice tests. I found that while I was well prepared for the Kaplan practice tests (beacuse I studied the Kaplan book) I felt that the real DAT was A LOT different. Kaplan doesn't have a very good orgo section and the biology is absolutely terrible (no botany at all if I recall correctly). I would suggest supplementing Kaplan with Cliff's AP biology (at least for comparative and botany) and exam crackers (for MCAT is what I used) for gen chem and orgo. If you are curious about DAT math, I don't think Kaplan has conversions in it either. I used the Kaplan book to study for the PAT and found that it was much different doing it on a computer than on paper. This was completely my fault, but something to be aware of. Make sure you use a computer program for PAT. Sorry to rip on Kaplan, it really is a good place to start, just make sure you get something to help you out where its lacking. Good luck!

Okay I found out that I will use Chad's videos for gen chem and o chem.

What I am worried the most is Biology section. So, you think that kaplan isn't good enough for bio section?

Chad is amazing!

And in my opinion, Kaplan is not enough for bio. I definitely recommend you also use Cliff's AP Bio. You can get a used copy on Amazon for a little less than $10.

Kaplan definitely isn't enough for bio. However, for ochem? Just know your reactions. No big deal there seriously Kaplan is fine for ochem.

Originally Posted by archonsbk

Okay I found out that I will use Chad's videos for gen chem and o chem.

What I am worried the most is Biology section. So, you think that kaplan isn't good enough for bio section?

Use Barrons AP Bio its a lot better than Kaplan.

Chads videos along with DAT Destroyer did the trick for me for orgo and gen chem. I did use the Kaplan blue book however as a core. For Bio though, just get your hands on as much material as you can and read read read!!! By no means is the Kaplan book enough to score well on the bio section (or any section). I took the DAT twice and I learned the hard way that the Kaplan book alone is not enough.

No Kaplan alone isn't enough for bio. I primarily studied Kaplan for bio, so I knew everything Kaplan had to offer inside and out. While I was taking the test I thought I was missing every question because the style of the questions is so different. I think Kaplan especially does a bad job of bio section practice questions. I used Cliff's and had already completed my BS in biology when I took it. Don't neglect ecology/evolution, botany and comparative bio. Kaplan, however, is a good place to start studying for the DAT because it gives you a good base for every section. It just isn't thorough enough for a 20+ score.

i used kaplan for bio...20 on bio section. it was enough for me. BUT, I would suggest using at least one other resource.