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I actually found this forum in the past week because I was trying to find past threads on comparisons between the Kaplan DATs and the real DAT. The different threads on this forum were also very helpful in giving me suggestions of what to do, especially in the different DAT breakdowns that I read. So I also decided to contribute in hopes that someone can read this post and learn something new.
So I just took the DAT this past week and scored
Bio: 19, Gchem: 19, Ochem: 21, TS: 19, QR: 18, RC: 26, AA: 21 and PAT: 24
I studied for 2 weeks about 8-10 hours a day. I used Kaplan Online Resources, DAT Destroyer and Cracked DAT PAT.
I believe that the Kaplan Online DATs are very helpful in familiarizing yourself with the format of the exam. The layout is very similar so you don't have to adjust on test day. One thing that is different is that Kaplan allows you to use the calculator in all sections of the DAT, but in the real exam you are only allowed to use it on the QR portion.
On average, I was scoring a Bio & Gchem: 18, Ochem: 19, QR: 20, RC: 22, PAT: 22 on my Kaplan exams (I took 4). Now yes my scores did increase (except for QR🙁). However, I found the Bio and Gchem sections were very different and in my opinion harder than the Kaplan exams. That is why I am unsure how I could have scored higher unless I was just lucky or maybe Kaplan gives out lower numbers then the real DAT or the same percentage. But hey, thats just my theory and I could be totally wrong so please correct me if I am.
Overall, I had mixed feelings on how Kaplans curriculum helped me for the real exam. I felt as though Kaplans sciences were either weak or different. Kaplan's bio section is definitely not a good source for the real DAT. It isn't so much that Kaplan is easier but its just that they ask questions in different ways. Also Kaplan's bio section tends to be repetitive so you only get a small area of concentration vs. the real DAT there were some real curveball questions that I had never even heard of. Kaplan's Gchem section is also very different. The real DAT is very conceptual in the Gchem section and I believe for some this is a good thing and for others it is bad. I read on a thread that someone had a question where it asked what a noble gas was. Unfortunately I did not get such easy problems and some conceptual questions actually had me spinning in circles. One thing I will say though, is that there were definitely several questions in the Bio, Gchem, Ochem sections that were very similar to the Kaplan questions if not identical. So my suggestion is to use Kaplans online sources and also DAT Destroyers problems.
DAT Destroyer is VERY difficult in comparison to the real DAT. However, I think it is a good thing because the solution explanations cover the basics to the harder parts of their problems. It is a good way to learn some of the more obscure facts of science.
The PAT section is also interesting to describe. I believe that Cracked DAT PAT is a must. The angle ranking, hole punches and cube counting sections are very difficult in CDP and will prepare you for the real exam. I felt however, that Kaplans PAT had harder problems on keyholes and top-front-end. Still, the real DAT seems to model the difficulty of CDP for these two sections and follows their style more closely than Kaplan. I also was averaging a 21 on CDP and I took 5 of their practice tests.
QR is something I have always struggled with, but I think it is very similar to the Kaplan exams because the style of questioning is the same. Also the RC is harder on the Kaplan exams then the real DAT. I think part of the reason is because Kaplan has passages that are boring compared to what I had on the DAT. Also the real DAT passages seemed a bit shorter.
So basically the first week of studying I went through the entire Kaplan course book. I honestly think it wasn't very helpful. All the information in the book seems to be in the quicksheets that Kaplan also gives out. I wish I could have found this forum sooner and maybe tried to read the AP Biology Cliffnotes instead. I believe that may have been a better route for the bio section then the Kaplan Review notes and course book.
The second week I took an exam everyday. I took the exam the during the exact time my real DAT was scheduled so I could get my body into a routine. After I took the exam, I would go through every problem in the exam. Then I would go through a NS test in the DAT Destroyer and a test in CDP.
Now, I'm sure there will be people reading this that would probably say that I should have studied longer for an even higher score or how did I manage to set aside that much time to study (because in those 2 weeks DAT studying, eating and sleeping was all I did). Well all I have to say is that everyones life is different. I am moving in a few weeks so I had a very small window to take the exam, but moving gave me the excuse to quit my job a bit early so I can dedicate myself to studying.
Good luck to everyone studying for their DAT. I hope that this thread can help even one person out there to do better on their DAT. If you have any questions, comments or criticisms, don't hesitate to ask.
So I just took the DAT this past week and scored
Bio: 19, Gchem: 19, Ochem: 21, TS: 19, QR: 18, RC: 26, AA: 21 and PAT: 24
I studied for 2 weeks about 8-10 hours a day. I used Kaplan Online Resources, DAT Destroyer and Cracked DAT PAT.
I believe that the Kaplan Online DATs are very helpful in familiarizing yourself with the format of the exam. The layout is very similar so you don't have to adjust on test day. One thing that is different is that Kaplan allows you to use the calculator in all sections of the DAT, but in the real exam you are only allowed to use it on the QR portion.
On average, I was scoring a Bio & Gchem: 18, Ochem: 19, QR: 20, RC: 22, PAT: 22 on my Kaplan exams (I took 4). Now yes my scores did increase (except for QR🙁). However, I found the Bio and Gchem sections were very different and in my opinion harder than the Kaplan exams. That is why I am unsure how I could have scored higher unless I was just lucky or maybe Kaplan gives out lower numbers then the real DAT or the same percentage. But hey, thats just my theory and I could be totally wrong so please correct me if I am.
Overall, I had mixed feelings on how Kaplans curriculum helped me for the real exam. I felt as though Kaplans sciences were either weak or different. Kaplan's bio section is definitely not a good source for the real DAT. It isn't so much that Kaplan is easier but its just that they ask questions in different ways. Also Kaplan's bio section tends to be repetitive so you only get a small area of concentration vs. the real DAT there were some real curveball questions that I had never even heard of. Kaplan's Gchem section is also very different. The real DAT is very conceptual in the Gchem section and I believe for some this is a good thing and for others it is bad. I read on a thread that someone had a question where it asked what a noble gas was. Unfortunately I did not get such easy problems and some conceptual questions actually had me spinning in circles. One thing I will say though, is that there were definitely several questions in the Bio, Gchem, Ochem sections that were very similar to the Kaplan questions if not identical. So my suggestion is to use Kaplans online sources and also DAT Destroyers problems.
DAT Destroyer is VERY difficult in comparison to the real DAT. However, I think it is a good thing because the solution explanations cover the basics to the harder parts of their problems. It is a good way to learn some of the more obscure facts of science.
The PAT section is also interesting to describe. I believe that Cracked DAT PAT is a must. The angle ranking, hole punches and cube counting sections are very difficult in CDP and will prepare you for the real exam. I felt however, that Kaplans PAT had harder problems on keyholes and top-front-end. Still, the real DAT seems to model the difficulty of CDP for these two sections and follows their style more closely than Kaplan. I also was averaging a 21 on CDP and I took 5 of their practice tests.
QR is something I have always struggled with, but I think it is very similar to the Kaplan exams because the style of questioning is the same. Also the RC is harder on the Kaplan exams then the real DAT. I think part of the reason is because Kaplan has passages that are boring compared to what I had on the DAT. Also the real DAT passages seemed a bit shorter.
So basically the first week of studying I went through the entire Kaplan course book. I honestly think it wasn't very helpful. All the information in the book seems to be in the quicksheets that Kaplan also gives out. I wish I could have found this forum sooner and maybe tried to read the AP Biology Cliffnotes instead. I believe that may have been a better route for the bio section then the Kaplan Review notes and course book.
The second week I took an exam everyday. I took the exam the during the exact time my real DAT was scheduled so I could get my body into a routine. After I took the exam, I would go through every problem in the exam. Then I would go through a NS test in the DAT Destroyer and a test in CDP.
Now, I'm sure there will be people reading this that would probably say that I should have studied longer for an even higher score or how did I manage to set aside that much time to study (because in those 2 weeks DAT studying, eating and sleeping was all I did). Well all I have to say is that everyones life is different. I am moving in a few weeks so I had a very small window to take the exam, but moving gave me the excuse to quit my job a bit early so I can dedicate myself to studying.
Good luck to everyone studying for their DAT. I hope that this thread can help even one person out there to do better on their DAT. If you have any questions, comments or criticisms, don't hesitate to ask.
