DAT Destroyer, Achiever, Kaplan, or Topscore??

[How Sleepy??!!]

Hey everyone, I am a newcomer to this DAT forum and I will be taking my DAT in the very near future. As a new member, I have found myself browsing through numerous discussions about the usefulness of various DAT study guides - Kaplan, Topscore, Achiever, and Dat Destroyer - and I couldn't help but notice all the ambivalence on the issue. The struggle for acceptance into dental school is rigorous enough without these complications, and I will take this opportunity to clarify a few things, if I may. For those of you who simply "aren't sure what to think anymore," and for those of you who want to know the REAL story behind these study guides, here is the deal from an ordinary pre-dental student such as yourself.
On the lower end of the study guide spectrum lies the Achiever and Topscore. Yes, if you are looking for a "feel good" study guide that will convince you that you're ready, then those are the right books for you. The questions are simple, fundamental, and as basic as possible. Slightly higher lies the Kaplan crew. Their study guides are more broad and are satisfactory. If you know the Kaplan book inside and out, you will probably do fine on the DAT. And then comes the blockbuster, the book that far surpasses all the above, the DAT Destoyer. It is undoubtedly the most comprehensive book in DAT preparation. It is your key to dental school, your door to success, and your secret to scholarships. It covers every science question you will need to ace the DAT, it provides the reader with detailed answers, and it is truly a masterpiece. Additonally, (aside from the Destroyer's incredible depth), is the creator of the book, Dr. Jim Romano. Even greater than his scientific brilliance, is his intense dedication and commitment to all of his students. After you buy the Kaplan book, you can't quite call up Mr. Kaplan to ask him questions, could you?? But with Dr. Romano, you could. He lends a whole new meaning to the field of DAT preparation, and I can tell you that from firshand experience. For anyone interested in exceeding your expectations on the DAT and getting accepted to the schools of your choice, the DAT Destroyer is the only way to go. I wish you all the best of luck in your decisions and your studying. Looking forward to hearing back from you guys.

Doc, you are truly the best!!! Have a nice weekend.

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[Jaybe]

I don't work for any test review company. Five years ago I took the DAT. It had been 4 years since I took Organic Chem. or Gen Chem.

I used Kaplan and TopScore. Kaplan was a joke. It was atrocious. The practice tests were too easy, and unrealistic. They may have improved since then.

TopScore consisted solely of practice tests which very closely mirrored the true DAT testing environment. They were hard, and my practice test scores were about 2 - 4 points lower than my actual DAT score. TOPScore really helped. But I had to study material on my own from old notes and textbooks.

I got a 22 TS. 22AA. 25 PAT.

 

[TL294]

Hi all,
Im new here and have read a good amount of posts about different reviews books/classes/program. I find it funny why some SDNers think that everyone promotes the DAT Destroyer/Kaplan is an paid advertiser. I mean, people learn things in different ways, some learn better with notes, some have to deal with problems/pratice tests to understand the materials. Maybe DAT Destroyer actually works for some while Kaplan is better for others. This forum is designed to help pre-dent student, so what wrong if ones (even they are new members and haven't take the DAT yet) just want to share some experiences with others (if ones don't want to read it, then just don't.) There's no need to be offensive here, I believe.

 

[smiles2]

I just wanted to comment alittle on dat destroyer. i retook my dat in october, and already did kaplan the first time around. After reviewing kaplan's material i purchased topscore to get different types of questions. I ordered dat destroyer less than 2 weeks before my test, and was alittle skeptical. i didn't think that it helped that much while i was going through the material to be honest, especially since i thought the questions were more difficult. But my organic section did go from a 21 to a 25, and that was only from running through the orgo material in the destroyer for a couple days.. I think that you should study how you feel best, but i thought i'd post and tell others that the destroyer helped my orgo score go up 4 points (i think that's pretty significant)..
Goodluck to everyone preparing for DAT's, i know it's incredibly stressful

 

[burton117]

Isn't the owner of SDN like a Nancy Sween or something like that? Is she the same person from DAT Destroyer? Nancy Steen does DAT Destroyer, so this is a huge freak coincidence otherwise, right?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-29483.html

http://www.orgoman.com/index.htm

 

[DrMom]

CRG, a nonprofit group, owns SDN. Nancy Sween started a website that merged with a number of other sites forming what is now known as SDN. She is currently an advisor on SDN. Nancy Steen is co-owner of DAT Destroyer. Not the same people.

Here is a link to the basic SDN history.

 

[burton117]

CRG, a nonprofit group, owns SDN. Nancy Sween started a website that merged with a number of other sites forming what is now known as SDN. She is currently an advisor on SDN. Nancy Steen is co-owner of DAT Destroyer. Not the same people.

Here is a link to the basic SDN history.

Ahhhh... Thanks for the info Mom! I figured this was the case, but the names seemed too similar to ignore..

 

[pmoney]

Let me get this straight.

TopScore and DAT achiever are JUST practice tests.
Kaplan has the blue book and Tests (as well as the classroom option)
DAT Destroyer is sets of questions for bio, chem, and orgo

So doing kaplan and some practice questions or tests, be it achiever, topscore whatever should be good studying. And using Destroyer as more practice for those three subjects if you need help.


And what is the best thing to study for the PAT?

Also, in the green book from the DAT people, you do that practice test on paper? My predent adviser was saying something about trying it on the computer...any way to get a cd or something of it?

 

[FaithinFastCars]

is the dat destroyer good if you have about 4 weeks to study?

 

[KOM]

is the dat destroyer good if you have about 4 weeks to study?

No. Either take the time to really go through it or don't buy it.

 

[fancymylotus]

is the dat destroyer good if you have about 4 weeks to study?

I had studied for like six weeks before I got Destroyer and I got it 2 weeks before my test day.

 

[sadipagla]

And what is the best thing to study for the PAT?

Hmmmm I have the same question. Can anyone help?

 

[Japin]

Hmmmm I have the same question. Can anyone help?

I thought DAT Achiever with its tougher quesions & 3D explanations has been known to be the best study guide for PAT. The following page that samples some of these especially the one on Orthographic Projection impressed me a lot when I first came to know about the website:

http://www.3tquest.com/page3.html

I believe sciences and maths sections from DAT Achiever also dwell on very intuitive problems, that often prompt me work harder and explore more into subjects I'm still weak on. I'll highly recommend it for DAT prep!

 

[longlashes]

..

 

[swtcatastrophe]

the best material to study for the dat is kaplan. the subject tests are free on sdn and the review book is less than 30$. at least they have a 90 day money back guaranteed. dat destroyer is just an extra practice which is not bad to get. the more practice questions we do the better.

where can i find the subject tests?

 

[MrLebowski]

The only reason I didn't buy Destroyer is because their SDN marketing trolls insult our intelligence by acting like we can't tell they're marketing.

I'm so not down.

 

[bigstix808]

The only reason I didn't buy Destroyer is because their SDN marketing trolls insult our intelligence by acting like we can't tell they're marketing.

I'm so not down.

yea, way to "stick it to the man". you're such a rebel

hell, if it works, it works. if it doesn't, it doesn't and no marketing sceme is going to change that. i know me personally, i'm not willing to boycott something that could potentially jeapardize my chances in getting in to d-school. i haven't personally bought the book (yet), but if i do and it doesn't help me then i'm out a buck fifty, but if it does, then it's worth it's weight in gold...

to each his own i guess...

(no hard feelings Lebo)

 

[Mattgk50]

haha.

MrLebo ("the Dude")- stay strong my friend, fight the American corporate marketing machine. start the revolution! Viva La Resistance!!!

...meanwhile, we'll all be studying our destoyer

 

[DRKNM]

WOW!!!!!
i AM TRYING TO GET THE BEST MATERIALS TO HELP ME STUDY FOR THE DAT AND NOW I AM A LITTLE CONFUSED AFTER READING THE POSTS. I really think that exposing your self to a lot of material and practice tests is the way to get a good score. However, I really do not want to waste time and money if dESTROYER IS NOT GONNA HELP. i AM PLANNING TO STUDY FROM DESTROYER, ACHIVER, KAPLAN, AND TOP SCORE. UNBIAS FEEDBACK WILL BE HIGHLY APRECIATED.

 

[pmoney]

WOW!!!!!
i AM TRYING TO GET THE BEST MATERIALS TO HELP ME STUDY FOR THE DAT AND NOW I AM A LITTLE CONFUSED AFTER READING THE POSTS. I really think that exposing your self to a lot of material and practice tests is the way to get a good score. However, I really do not want to waste time and money if dESTROYER IS NOT GONNA HELP. i AM PLANNING TO STUDY FROM DESTROYER, ACHIVER, KAPLAN, AND TOP SCORE. UNBIAS FEEDBACK WILL BE HIGHLY APRECIATED.

This is one old thread.

I would suggest looking at the posts in the DAT forum that people made after their tests regarding what they did. I have one, just search under threads made by 'pmoney'.

I personally did not use the DAT Destroyer and did fine. I did take the kaplan course but the classroom time wasn't all that helpful.

 

[sol1]

I don't work for any test review company. Five years ago I took the DAT. It had been 4 years since I took Organic Chem. or Gen Chem.

I used Kaplan and TopScore. Kaplan was a joke. It was atrocious. The practice tests were too easy, and unrealistic. They may have improved since then.

TopScore consisted solely of practice tests which very closely mirrored the true DAT testing environment. They were hard, and my practice test scores were about 2 - 4 points lower than my actual DAT score. TOPScore really helped. But I had to study material on my own from old notes and textbooks.

I got a 22 TS. 22AA. 25 PAT.

Is TopScore really that helpful?

 

[sol1]

I have DAT Destroyer for sale if anyone is interested. I used it to study for the OAT. PM me if anyone is interested. Asking price is $125 including shipping. There is very very little writing on this book. Two pages are wrinkled. Otherwise, it's in excellent condition.

Do you still have the book?

 

[allstardentist]

Is TopScore really that helpful?

I think topscore is the best predictor of how well u will do on the real thing as far as the number goes. however, i think easy/medium questions of dat achiever best represent the real DAT questions.

 

[kush87]

LMFAO this is one long ass thread been active for a year..lol

 

[klutzy1987]

Who the hell brought this thread up?? What a waste of time, what did you do sift through 5000 old threads until you found this one, and you liked it for what reason>?????

It was started over 2 years ago.

 

[chuck187]

May I recommend a book for studying orgo for the DAT:
Organic Chemistry as a Second Language: Translating the Basic Concepts (Paperback)

~ David R. Kleinhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471272353/ref=cm_rdp_product# (Author)
David R. Klein (Author)
› Visit Amazon's David R. Klein Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
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This author is a professor at Johns Hopkins and his book makes orgo easier to understand than you can ever imagine. He breaks the concepts down into layman's terms and helps you piece everything together....sn1, sn2, e1, e2. Knowing the basics helps with everything else.

 

[hausee]

GET TOPSCORE!

I got it like 4 days b4 test and did one test everyday. One thing I can tell you, it helped a lot.

Bio is kinda weak compare to real DAT. Maybe current bio increased their difficulties. But get topscore and DONT skip RC!!!

 

[myheart01]

GET TOPSCORE!

I got it like 4 days b4 test and did one test everyday. One thing I can tell you, it helped a lot.

Bio is kinda week compare to real DAT. Maybe current bio increased their difficulties. But get topscore and DONT skip RC!!!

Thank a lot!!

 

[gentile1225]

The true story is that everyone has their own study methods and that there are plenty of different study materials to use. I personally preferred the DAT Destroyer because I liked the way it was organized for the way that I study. In terms of the information it contained I found it to be awesome! However, I did use other study materials that I found to help my scores as successful as they were, giving me an acceptance into all 5 schools I interviewed at (NYU, UMDNJ, BU, Columbia, Stonybrook). In conjunction with the DAT Destroyer I recommend Kaplan Subject Tests (they really helped me with gen chem and explaining why the answers were right and wrong), Cliffs AP Bio, Cliffs Gen Chem book, and wiki helped a lot too in clarifying anything I didn't really grasp too well. Good luck studying to the rest of you still waiting to take the exam, just ignoring the stupid marketing ploys and see what works best for you!!! Not to be biased, but I do think the Destroyer as well as Kaplan book are essential!!

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

For any pre-dent who reads this thread and makes it this far, you should know that ALL of the aforementioned study materials should be used.

I would not advise picking only one or two of them because they all have strengths and weaknesses. Do not put all your eggs in one basket ever.

 

[wooly89]

I just took the DAT yesterday and had been studying for the past month...i took a Kaplan prep course and felt like i was prepared until i came on here and saw everyones comments that made Kaplan seem like it was insufficient. I never looked into anything else like topscore or DAT destroyer because Kaplan was already very expensive and i didnt feel the need to spend any more money. After taking the test yesterday i have to say that Kaplan was sufficient. I actually thought that the kaplan full length exams were harder in chemistry and orgo. I took 4 full length exams and scored 18,18,19, and 20, usually getting an 18 or 17 in the sciences.. On the actual DAT i got a 21 and a 22 science score so i definitely felt that i was well prepared. To anyone looking for the best study tools i thought that kaplan was very good and i cant really speak for the other prep materials but from everyones comments it seems that destroyer is just very challenging questions that would most likely discourage me which is the last feeling i want walking into an exam. Just trying to offer my recommendations. Beware of the angle ranking though because the ones on the kaplan tests are much easier than on the actual test.. the other parts of the PAt were easier though so it all balanced out.

 

[tehassan]

Has anyone here taken the DAT before and after using these guides (basically taken it more than once), and if so what was your score difference for all sections?

 

[thejamespark]

First off Do you work for Kaplan????

I completely disagree with the last post. First off I mean how much more can you bash this product. Ill give you a true perspective because, i am a living testimony of a dental student who used Kaplan, Topscore, Achiever and the Destroyer. Kaplan's material is good for a general review but thats about it. Topscore and Achiever also are very good just so you can understand and test yourself on similar testing conditions. However it was the Destroyer that I truly feel let me achieve my 25's in the sciences & i will stand down for this product no matter what anyone says. It was it that got me into STONY BROOK DENTAL. Honestly, i dont think i would have ever felt so confident as i did walking into the DAT as i was because, of the Destroyer.

I understand your entitled to your own opinion but at the same time its getting a little ridiculous constantly bringing this great product down. Dr. Romano and Nancy are fabulous people with great hearts who only wish students to prosper in life and in school. They stood behind my studies throughout this DAT process along with tons of other students. So if your the one person that isnt happy with the product then so be it, but i know for a fact that it was one of the main reasons i made it into one of the best dental schools.
The Destroyer was made to challenge students and get them ready for the worst, and it does it very officiently. Im sure i have hundreds if not thousands of people at this point to agree with what im saying. I tell everyone one of friends to know the Destroyer cold and you will be very confident come test day, because it approaches every angle of the sciences.

Did you take the course or just bought the books?