FINALLY: A FULL comparison and breakdown ACHIEVER VS TOPSCORE!!!!

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Orgodox

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So this is one of the most frequent questions when it comes to DAT studying so I hope you find this thread helpful.

Which test materials should I use? Well for test prep materials I already put my 2 cents in (see my FULL BREAKDOWN OF STUDY MATRERIALS: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=544826) but when it comes to taking practice tests the two main resources are TOPSCORE and ACHIEVER. People often wonder WHICH SHOULD I USE TOP SCORE OR ACHIEVER?

Yes, there are many posts on this topic and when people start a new thread with this question, people (including myself) respond: Do a search this has been addressed many times. So why am I posting this then? Well aside from the fact that people asked, if you do a search, many of the results are not informative. People just say one or the other and don’t explain the pros and cons of each. I will try to address as much as I can here but if you feel that I missed something or am off base please say something. I hope this will be helpful:

The first thing to realize is that both of these are meant to primarily be test simulations and practice tests. Unlike PAT where you can almost exclusively learn the basic concepts and get the rest by taking tests, the sciences are different. While you can (and should) learn a great deal of information from taking the tests, they are just tests and are not intended to be used as your main study guide (like Destroyer, Cliffs, Schaum’s…) but should be used to get a real feel for the length, order and format of the DAT as well as testing your knowledge to give you an idea of where in your studies you are holding.

Ill start with 7 general points then go through each section:

1) Difficulty: Most people find achiever harder for most sections and don’t score as highly overall. For example I scored 18, 19 in Topscore Bio and 19, 17 in Achiever similarly, three 25s in Topscore Orgo and a 23 and an 18 in the two Achiever tests I took. So if you are a person who will get really bumbed by scoring lower than you think you can and are saving your practice for the last week (which ill address soon) I recommend Topscore because the last thing you need the week before your test if you are nervous or not totally confident is a 15. They are both hard and while nothing is a guarantee, a good Topscore mark is not false reassurance.

2) Retake: If you plan on taking the test more than once for whatever reason (I did not) because you want to take these 6 weeks before your test then again the week before then keep in mind that with Topscore you CAN delete your scores and take it again but you CAN NOT with Achiever. (I’ve heard you can uninstall then reinstall or something but haven’t tried it)
(((((* I highly recommend you DO NOT leave your practice tests for the last week. Start them AT LEAST 2 weeks before. I also personally think 3 tests is sufficient for the purpose (I took 5 but think it was a mistake) Once you are comfortable with the length and format stick to studying because its more time efficient. At least for me after I took a practice test I couldn’t study for a good chunk of time and it killed a good part of the day because taking it takes over 4 hours itself. So unless youre really gaining a lot from reviewing the tests I feel you can gain more by studying during that time.))))

3) Options (Full/Sections): Topscore gives you the option to take the FULL exam like the real thing but in achiever they don’t offer this option. (I may be wrong but on mine I couldn’t at least so don’t jump all over me if I’m wrong on this) The first time I took achiever I didn’t have the self-discipline to start the PAT without checking my science scores, I was just so curious. Well on the real thing you don’t have this option. I didn’t check on my second test but its not the same continuing when you don’t know how your doing for sure.

4) Pausing: On Topscore you can pause your exam. While you shouldn’t do this because it defeats the purpose of taking a full test, sometimes things happen. I was in my schools library and didn’t realize they were closing but it wasn’t a problem because I paused it. Yes you can exit achiever and restart it where you left off but its not a real option you must exit the program. (Nothing important really both equal here)

5) Exhibit button: On my screen when I pushed the exhibit button on Topscore the periodic table was not the full size. I couldn’t see the whole thing at once without enlarging the screen which I found frustrating every time. (This may be an option somewhere but I couldn’t find it) I did not have this problem on Achiever or the real DAT

6) Simulation: I thought Achiever looked more like the real test. The questions each took up a full screen where as in Topscore part of the screen remains gray and the test is in a section of your monitor (like watching a movie in not full screen vs full screen). I know this just a setting and I didn’t care to change it but aside from that I still think they both did a great job but I thought achiever was slightly more realistic.

**As a side note here: Both of thee programs use a font that is kind of skinny. The real test is much better, uses thick dark bold looking font, which is easier to read than both of these programs. I was pleasantly surprised by the clarity and crispness (is that a word?) especially in the PAT section of the real DAT.

7) EXPLANATIONS: (Some people don’t care much about this and barely review their tests others go through it for an entire day and care a lot about this. Depends how much time you have and what kind of person you are)
Topscore only explains the correct reason. For example: In destroyer as well as other sources they offer an explanation of the correct choice and also show you why some of the other choices are wrong. Topscore just gives a quote about the correct answer so you don’t learn as much from each question because the other choices are never discussed. I did however like the fact that they had a direct quote from Campbells in the bio section because the answer was never lost in translation and worded incorrectly. However the down side here is the formality. It easier to take information in when its less formal and sometimes it doesn’t address the point so clearly because they are just quoting a paragraph from the book.
Achievers science explanations are pretty good. Not too long and usually easy to follow.


……….......……….Section Breakdown…………......…..​
SCIENCES: Both are good nothing really to add except that both achiever and topscore have the A) I only B)II only C) I, II and IV …. But don’t worry this is one of the worst ways to test knowledge and was not on my test and I haven’t heard anyone who had this.

PAT: Achever is much harder. First off Topscore PAT is a joke. Not because its too easy but they reuse the same stuff for all three tests. They give you the top and side view in test one and ask for the front view then just reuse the same image and ask for the top view. This is a terrible way to learn because you are familiar with the object. Yes Achiever is very hard but its great practice because you will feel like the real thing is easy in a way. Topscore hole punching is great! I cant open mine now Ill try later but they had these ¾ folds I explained in my other thread which did appear on the real test. I don’t remember if both had half holes but you should also be familiar with those before the real test. Don’t base your decision which to buy on PAT because Crack is really the best resource for this.

RC: At least for my version of the DAT both of these were terrible representations of the real thing. I had about 15 tone questions and very few directly in the passage but these are all about being in the passage. From what I hear though different versions do have more search and destroy type questions so at least its practice for speed and endurance at this point of the test. No real favorite in my opinion here

QR: I thought Topscore had like 3 problems that weren’t that bad but NEEDED a calculator because the answers were so close (The one im thinking of right now is the one with the singles and buckets of tar for the roof its was like 17, 1575 16,1575 and 17, 1576 lol) I have heard that Achiever is more accurate here but I don’t know. I didn’t think it was so hard on either of my practice test but found the real thing much harder. Its defiantly good to practice timing though because that’s an issue many people have trouble with in this section.

So which should you get? Should you get both? That’s up to you but I hope this was helpful and now you can make a more informed decision.

Good luck to you all!!!

For a full breakdown of DAT prep material see my thread http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=544826 and you may also find it helpful to see my good friend and study buddy DRGreens thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=544620

******If you found this post helpful please let me know or give it a bump so others can benefit as well

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Awesome, thanks for taking the time to do this.

ABSOLUTELY!!! This forum is great. I really got a lot out of it and Im just trying to do my part to help others now.

Thanks guys for the positive feedback so far, it makes putting the time and effort into this more than worth it! :)
 
One word, freckinawesome!!!!
Direct hit- from the orthodox bear again!
 
Thanks a lot for the breakdown. I can't wait to be on your end of the spectrum come August lol...
 
ABSOLUTELY!!! This forum is great. I really got a lot out of it and Im just trying to do my part to help others now.

Thanks guys for the positive feedback so far, it makes putting the time and effort into this more than worth it! :)

Ya i agree, its time to give back. Orgodox sweet post man. You basically covered everything but I thought Id add my two cents.

There is one feature in topscore that doesnt exist on the real test and it caught me off guard. In topscore RC, when you are navigating back and forth b/w questions, the part of the passage you are on doesnt change. However, on the real test, if you were reading say the 17 paragraph of the stupid ethics passage and you found the answer to an earlier question, if you hit the back button the passage at the bottom would automatically go back to the top (meaning you lost your spot in the passage). So if you couldnt remember exactly where in the passage the answer was, youd have to find it again. Trust me, it was annoying since I didnt expect it!

Hope that others dont make the same mistake! also, overall I found topscore to be spot-on for difficulty in the sciences. RC and QR were too easy. :)
 
Yes, I mentioned I heard it was possible, but thanks for confirming Sl20bel2ts!!
 
Ya i agree, its time to give back. Orgodox sweet post man. You basically covered everything but I thought Id add my two cents.

There is one feature in topscore that doesnt exist on the real test and it caught me off guard. In topscore RC, when you are navigating back and forth b/w questions, the part of the passage you are on doesnt change. However, on the real test, if you were reading say the 17 paragraph of the stupid ethics passage and you found the answer to an earlier question, if you hit the back button the passage at the bottom would automatically go back to the top (meaning you lost your spot in the passage). So if you couldnt remember exactly where in the passage the answer was, youd have to find it again. Trust me, it was annoying since I didnt expect it!

GREAT POINT! I remember that was annoying when I lost my spot in the RC practice test I took with one of the programs but didn't make a note if this happened on the real test.

Thanks for your contribution!
 
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thanks Orgodox and Greenwave...you guys are beyond awesome!!!! I just got achiever for the purpose of taking 3 full lengths timed...like the real thing...but I know myself and if I get a low score....like a 13... my confidence level will be below zero...should I take each section individually and review them right after you think or will that defeat the purpose? Thank you again:)
 
Thanks.
Take it in one shot! The whole purpose is to take it like a practice. On the real thing you don't get to see what you got before continuing plus it will get you used to the length of the test. It can be draining if your not used to it!!
 
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thanks Orgodox and Greenwave...you guys are beyond awesome!!!! I just got achiever for the purpose of taking 3 full lengths timed...like the real thing...but I know myself and if I get a low score....like a 13... my confidence level will be below zero...should I take each section individually and review them right after you think or will that defeat the purpose? Thank you again:)

you should definitely take it as if it was the real thing. if you have never taken a test this long you might lack the mental endurance the first few times. you have to be able to focus for 4.5 hours! if low scores get you down, why not get topscore too and take it closer to test time... these scores will make you feel much better :D.

good luck
 
i have to agree with u on topscore and achiever RC. 21-25 on the practice tests, and 18 on the real one. :(:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:
 
i have to agree with u on topscore and achiever RC. 21-25 on the practice tests, and 18 on the real one. :(:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:

Exactly the same thing with me 22-25 on the achievers and 18 on real thing. Achiever really sucks for RC.
 
Yea tell me about it, we had the same version SL2OBEL! Practice tone questions guys, you wont see much of them in either of these practice programs!
 
Yea tell me about it, we had the same version SL2OBEL! Practice tone questions guys, you wont see much of them in either of these practice programs!
And also wierd questions where they give you 2 statements and ask if they are true and for the right reason and the question is worded in a very confusing way.
 
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And also wierd questions where they give you 2 statements and ask if they are true and for the right reason and the question is worded i a very confusing way.

I didn't have this but I heard about this here on SDN, sounds hard. K I dont want this thread to get into a rant about RC, Id rather keep it on topic of Topscore/ Acheiver but to sum up: they both stink for RC so dont get a false sense of security!!
 
very helpful, so true abt reading comp and tone questions u have a friend who just took it said ALOT of tone que on there
 
bump

this post deserves a bump cuz it pretty much outlines the differences between topscore and achiever so well. but just remember the practice tests are there to lend its information to you, plus its basically a question bank you can study from and allows you to have a broader sense of information other than just destroyer and the bb. but regardless, just study everything you can lay your hands on! :smuggrin:
 
thaknks for the breakdown. I do have another question, though. How did your scores on these practice tests compre to your real thing? Did you improve?

thanks again.
 
thaknks for the breakdown. I do have another question, though. How did your scores on these practice tests compre to your real thing? Did you improve?

thanks again.

Good question and heres an important point. Make sure to analyze each of your test scores to see if you "deserved" that score and it might be telling (I say might b/c the real test may not have the same type of questions like you may not have any genetics questions on practice test but then get 3 on the real test for example) or you may have wildly guessed on a few but could have easily gotten them all wrong. So be sure to check over your tests instead of getting to happy or down right away.
Also take them early so you can make adjustments if needed in your studying

As for my practice scores, they are posted in my DAT Breakdown post, the link is in my signature

Good luck
 
great post man, you covered all my questions and i believe the best bet would be to get both
 
great post! can anyone make it a sticky?? Answered all my questions- finally! Now of someone can make the same one for datqv and bootcamp that would be awesome too :)
 
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