Canadian DAT help??

[iwannabeadentist]

Hi, I'm going to be writing the Canadian DAT next february and the American DAT a couple months after.

It seems that Kaplan and Princeton review require me to attend a class in person in certain cities in order for me to take on their Canadian DAT course. Which is not really happening as I live far from the nearest city.

So, what are all the resources I could use to prepare for the Canadian DAT (i.e. books, software, mock exams), that will help me?
Do you think it's worth the trip to go study with kaplan instead?

Thank you and any feedback would be appreciated.
p.s I opted out of the manual dexterity test

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[ac_ac]

I just wrote the Canadian DAT last weekend.. I took the Kaplan class, but I think it was a big waste of money. I learned the most on my own and through materials that other people have used on this site (i.e., Destroyer, Bootcamp, etc). If I could go back and re-evaluate the resources I used, I definitely would not have paid for Kaplan and reallocated the money towards other online resources.... that's just me though! It wasn't like Kaplan covered topics/suggested tips and tricks that weren't found in other resources. In the last month of studying, I didn't use Kaplan at all (ie the online workshops and blue book) because I preferred all the other resources I had. Hope this helps.

 

[iwannabeadentist]

I just wrote the Canadian DAT last weekend.. I took the Kaplan class, but I think it was a big waste of money. I learned the most on my own and through materials that other people have used on this site (i.e., Destroyer, Bootcamp, etc). If I could go back and re-evaluate the resources I used, I definitely would not have paid for Kaplan and reallocated the money towards other online resources.... that's just me though! It wasn't like Kaplan covered topics/suggested tips and tricks that weren't found in other resources. In the last month of studying, I didn't use Kaplan at all (ie the online workshops and blue book) because I preferred all the other resources I had. Hope this helps.

Thanks yeah it does. I bought the Princeton Review's 'Cracking the DAT' and Kaplan's blue book. For the PAT I might get Crack DAT PAT.
A lot of people say that Kaplan's blue book is a good start but not to be used alone, and it seems that everyone's avoiding the tutoring course like the plague.

I wanted to know what exactly are the resources that really helped you, i.e. the ones you would use if you could go back? And also what helped you with the PAT?

I hope you did great on it, I could swear they're getting a kick out of making it twice a year at the worst times of the year.

Cheers

 

[ac_ac]

Thanks yeah it does. I bought the Princeton Review's 'Cracking the DAT' and Kaplan's blue book. For the PAT I might get Crack DAT PAT.
A lot of people say that Kaplan's blue book is a good start but not to be used alone, and it seems that everyone's avoiding the tutoring course like the plague.

I wanted to know what exactly are the resources that really helped you, i.e. the ones you would use if you could go back? And also what helped you with the PAT?

I hope you did great on it, I could swear they're getting a kick out of making it twice a year at the worst times of the year.

Cheers

I used the Kaplan blue book definitely for the beginning, and I also did the practice tests they had online which was good for practicing timing. But this was definitely not worth the $1300 that I saved up for from working and thinking I would be investing greatly into my DAT prep.

In terms of other materials, I used DAT destroyer (did it 3 times) and Cliff's AP Bio.. I also bought DAT bootcamp which was really helpful too. Compared to the other users on this site, I think the number of materials I used to prepare for the DAT are considered fairly light :S

For PAT, Bootcamp had really good explanations and more comparable to the difficulty of the section. Kaplan was way too easy.

If I could do it over again/had more time I would have bought other online tests like Achiever or Topscore, and maybe even CDP... if only I could reallocate that Kaplan money!!

And yeah Nov and Feb are brutal.. not to mention having to wait 6-8 weeks for our scores ! Good luck on your DAT. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[MarcosStu]

Hi!
I also wrote the Canadian DAT on Nov. 2nd (this is the second time I've written the DAT) and here's what I used:

Biology and General Chemistry: I used Examcrackers (a series of books meant for the MCAT), the information is presented very clearly and each section is followed by questions with detailed answers in order for you to gauge your understanding a few topics at a time (which is nicer than finishing everything and finding out you really only understood half of everything)
Having said that about Examcrackers, you should be aware that it is lacking a few topics you need to know for the DAT (such as some basic plant science, ecology, and animal behaviour for the biology section and nuclear reactions for the chemistry section) --> for these topics I went to the Kaplan Blue Book (2009-2010 edition), I also went over Barron's DAT, but to be completely honest I think it's trash (luckily I didn't waste my money on it since it was a [sucky] gift) --> DO NOT base all of your studying on Kaplan's or Barron's, although I did very well on these sections the first time I took the DAT, many of the questions on the DAT I answered using prior knowledge (I have an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry) and not from what I read in either of these books
Overall I definitely do not regret doing most of my studying (for my second DAT) using Examcrackers! (it sounds like I'm doing some advertising over here, but I'm being completely honest)
For the PAT: Crack DAT PAT. It was totally worth the investment (about $250 if I remember correctly). Although I have not received my scores yet (though I'm waiting anxiously), I felt as though this section went spectacularly well! It has 10 complete tests, each question has a detailed text and video explanation. It also has a seemingly infinite number of questions for angle ranking, hole punching, and cube counting. The level of difficulty with the actual DAT was very similar (except for angle ranking, which I found to be easier in the actual DAT, thankfully). You should keep in mind, however, that Crack the DAT PAT is a computerized version of the PAT, and the Canadian DAT still uses good old fashioned pencil and paper, so the "tic-tac-toe" strategy for hole-punching, for example, won't be of much use on the Canadian DAT unless you want to spend 15 minutes on that section (which you don't).
For the Reading Comprehension Test: I used both the passages provided by the practise booklet you can purchase from the CDA, the practise passage from the ADA, and IQ Publications: Reading Comprehension book (which has a total of 9 passages). You should be aware that the Canadian DAT RCT has a time limit of 50 minutes for this section (unlike the american section which has a limit of 60 minutes, I think), so practise under the proper timed conditions!

Anyway, that's the end of my essay! hahaha
I hope this was of some help and I wish you the best of luck!

Marcos