Currently taking Kaplan Course - suggestions?

[iamsolo24]

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Hello,

I am currently taking the Kaplan DAT course and I was curious to know if anyone who had taken it before had any suggestions during the course. Like anything they realized after the class was over or anything helpful.

 

[molar3]

yea, drop it. and get your $2000 dollars back

 

[cariesRbad]

Record the lectures. I had a really great instructor, so listening to his instruction over a couple of times helped me focus on the important stuff.

Read the review notes at least twice. Have the sciences memorized. Supplement Bio with Cliffs. Screw the passage mapping - didn't work at all for me. A variant of SnD worked better for me.

 

[yangwang]

yea, drop it. and get your $2000 dollars back

+1

I can teach you for $1000 and I'll help you to package your app, guarantee you at least 1 interview or your money back.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

Lol what molar said. or take princeton since it's better.

but if you're stuck with it, then i would recommend trying to keep up and doing extra studying. Alot of people think that you're going to learn alot in the class time but they really don't teach you that much. 90% of your studying is going to be on your own.

 

[Double Bonded]

yea, drop it. and get your $2000 dollars back

+3

The practice tests and quizzes online are really really good though. The course, not so much. Get out asap.

 

[UBERlowGPA]

When it came to studying for the DAT, DAT DESTROYER is where it's at! I found it to be the MOST HELPFUL study guide.

I took Kaplan also and thought that it really didn't offer me anything I couldn't have done on my own. But if you have the money to blow, then why not. I think attacking the DAT from multiple directions it a good idea... i.e. take Kaplan, go through DAT Destroyer, and then take DAT Achiever tests closer to your test date to study.

 

[quickad88]

The actual class did not help much at all. I think what did help the most was the online tools, all the quizzes and practice tests. Make sure you complete ALL the online stuff, even the "non-required" things.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hello,

I am currently taking the Kaplan DAT course and I was curious to know if anyone who had taken it before had any suggestions during the course. Like anything they realized after the class was over or anything helpful.

I never took the kaplan course, so everytime Im about to tell u is based on what I've read from these forums.

There are a few members who took advantage of the kaplan course's online exams (I think there are like 4 of them, a diagnostic, a midterm, and like 2 finals or something).... Some of our members who took those exams to the heart, learned from EVERY mistake they made, and ended up with pronominal scores on the real deal.... I think they also took advantage of topscore's and archiver's exams.

 

[TalkingTom]

I took the class, and found it not to be that useful in actually learning a lot. However, what was useful was that it enabled me to get into studying slowly again, and the online and textual resources are great that come with the class.

Do you need it? Probably not. But the online stuff really is great to gauge your progress and really improve. Like everyone else said, DAT Destroyer and cliffs are the supplements that you need.

 

[iamsolo24]

Thank you everyone for the input. I agree with quickad88, the online supplements do help even though the class is more of a reiteration of the material.

Didn't $2000 more like $1200 so i guess i had money to blow : )

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

if it did anything, it put me behind. Even if you have the money, drop it. Use the materials plus the other materials recommended on sdn. It is you who can change your score, not a tutor.

 

[HillsNayyr]

Hello,

I am currently taking the Kaplan DAT course and I was curious to know if anyone who had taken it before had any suggestions during the course. Like anything they realized after the class was over or anything helpful.

Yup. Save yourself the 2k and withdraw immediately. Complete waste of time and money.

 

[ALffreyDO]

I actually thought the Kaplan course was useful, but then again I had a really good instructor - I think that makes a BIG difference. He actually explained things really well and went over material not in the course and told us his own strategies he developed.
In terms of suggestions, as someone said before, don't just do the required homework/material. Do all the subject tests and quizzes and whatnot and try to cover the same topics you're covering in class (it may get repetitive but to me it helped stick in my head). Engage yourself in the class by answering all the questions your instructor asks and asking any of your own. You can even talk about it with other students in the class (maybe form a study group with them). I also made use of the flashcards they provide (as the exam got closer I went over those things everywhere - when I ate, in between classes, etc) I think the more you immerse yourself in the material, the easier it will be to remember.
However, these are just things that worked for me. I find it difficult to just sit down and read textbooks and find it very helpful to discuss it with other people. That's why I thought the class setting was best for my style of learning.
Anyway, hope it all goes well for you and good luck on the DAT!

 

[uclaDDS101]

I never took the kaplan course, so everytime Im about to tell u is based on what I've read from these forums.

There are a few members who took advantage of the kaplan course's online exams (I think there are like 4 of them, a diagnostic, a midterm, and like 2 finals or something).... Some of our members who took those exams to the heart, learned from EVERY mistake they made, and ended up with pronominal scores on the real deal.... I think they also took advantage of topscore's and archiver's exams.

I agree completely. I thoroughly went through every practice question I took online. If there was ever a single word or concept that I wasn't 100% familiar with, I would look it up and learn it (a very successful strategy for covering the breadth of bio). I also essentially memorized the science sections of the review notes. Kaplan (and wikipedia) was my ONLY resource for the sciences. But I also used Crack PAT/Math and Achiever for more practice. In the end, the in-class experience didn't do much for me, besides keep me on a study schedule. It was really the online material that made the class worth it for me.

If you've already put down the money and begun the class, don't be discouraged by naysayers. Just get the most you can out of the class, and make sure complete every online assignment.

 

[BLTDENT]

I got a lot out of the Kaplan course. Lots of people bag on it, but for me it was very helpful. I did ALL of the online "homework", quizzes and tests though so I am sure that is why I got so much out of it.

Here are my suggestions to make the course worthwhile:

-do ALL of the online materials. ALL OF THEM.

-PAT is all practice, practice, practice. Take as many practice PAT's as you can

-The Kaplan method for counting blocks is awesome. Use it and you will rarely miss a question in that part of the PAT.

-If your instructor has actually taken the real DAT (mine hadn't, which sucked) pick his or her brain for some DAT taking "tricks".

-For me, Kaplan's reading comprehension method is awful! Every time I would use it during a practice test I was getting a 14-17 in that section. I ended up just reading one question at a time and then searching of the answer until I found it. I finished the section with time to spare and got a 21.

That's my advice, for what it's worth.

 

[paullaff]

I am about to take the actual test in a couple of weeks and will let you know the actual outcome. For preparation, I probably got everything there is on the planet. From what I see, Kaplan's biology is pretty good Gen Chem and O Chem are ok, PAT & RC are lacking. Get some more stuff to supplement...theirs is not enough.

 

[theheatles]

The actual class isnt very helpful but their online resources are very good. Make sure to take advantage of everything online and buy the DAT Destroyer.