When I was studying for the DAT it seemed like half the battle was just finding which materials are worth studying, and which ones would help boost my score. In order to save some people some time, here is my thoughts on which materials are the best. For my comprehensive review of the actual DAT that I took, take a look at my link http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=754458.
Kaplan Blue Book (2008-2009 Edition) -This book is def. worth the time and money it takes. It is not an 100% perfect resource, but if you know this stuff well you are well on your way to success on the DAT. Most of the biology questions I had could be answered from what is covered, however to get the trickier/ more obscure questions CLIFFS and Barron's AP BIO does well. Chemistry and Q.R sections are solid foundations, but look to Chads for more Chem review and Destroyer for more good math review.
Cliffs AP BIO-Best biology review. Studying Bio was overwhelming, but it seems like Cliffs has a great way of including everything you need without too much extra. I had some questions on the real DAT that I would have bombed without this or Barron's AP Bio (Kaplan simply doesn't have enough detail). The practice tests are great for hammering principles and facts into your brain so you can regurgitate them all over the DAT.
Barron's AP Bio-Very similar to Cliffs, but in my opinion Barron's is a little less efficient in covering the material. Probably has a little more detail overall than Cliffs, and the practice tests are also great. I read through both AP BIO's because it helped to reinforce principles and gave me more practice.
Chad's Videos-Best source for Chem. Watch Chads, take notes, and take the practice tests. Then do it again. Combined with Kaplan this should be enough to do really well. Honestly, on my real dat O Chem test there were some exact same problems that Chad did in his Videos. Thanks for the 30 in O Chem Chad. Taking notes and referring back to the notes you take of the videos seem to really help solidify the knowledge.
DAT DESTROYER-This monster is great for mastering the more subtle aspects of O. Chem, G. Chem, BIO, MATH. It is important to realize that overall, the questions are much different than DAT questions. Although these questions are more complex and detail oriented, they will help reinforce principles that can help boost your score from say a 22 to a 24 (difference of a few questions). I went through chem twice and bio once, and that seemed to be plenty. I wouldn't make this the central focus of DAT study but it is def worth the time spent.
Cliff's DAT Review (Yes, it exists)- I bought this book before I knew anything about DAT reviews. I found that the PAT tutorial was good, and the Math section is decent. It also comes with a couple practice tests (one on CD). This is not the best resource, but it can't help. I wouldn't spend a lot of time or money to get it though.
Barron's DAT review- I loved the PAT on Barron's, and if you search posts many people agree that Barron's PAT is a good representation of the real DAT. This also has 2 practice tests, which were decent. The more practice tests the better, even though TOPSCORE and Kaplan's practice tests are better overall.
Crack DAT PAT- This is the best PAT resource by far. The paper folding is much harder than the real dat, but the other sections are pretty accurate. The explanations were crucial for me. Well worth the money.
Topscore- Best practice tests. This seems to be a pretty good representation of the real DAT. The PAT may be a little easier than the real DAT, but I found the sciences etc to be great. The format is just like the real DAT. I saved these golden nuggets until the end of my studying, and took them the last week or two before I took the real thing. They really help gauge where you are and help develop a healthy pace so that you don't end up running out of time on the real thing. The Bio has some obscure taxonomy that I did not see on the real DAT, but my real DAT had other obscure Bio questions so it evens out.
Anyways, I hope this helps--I was just so frustrated not knowing the best way to study.
Also, I have all these materials available from my studying, spent a lot on them (bought all new) --I'll sell them for around 200 bucks or best offer (Topscore and Crack DAT not included obviously). PM me if interested.
If you have any other questions or input about DAT materials PM me or add on to the thread!
Kaplan Blue Book (2008-2009 Edition) -This book is def. worth the time and money it takes. It is not an 100% perfect resource, but if you know this stuff well you are well on your way to success on the DAT. Most of the biology questions I had could be answered from what is covered, however to get the trickier/ more obscure questions CLIFFS and Barron's AP BIO does well. Chemistry and Q.R sections are solid foundations, but look to Chads for more Chem review and Destroyer for more good math review.
Cliffs AP BIO-Best biology review. Studying Bio was overwhelming, but it seems like Cliffs has a great way of including everything you need without too much extra. I had some questions on the real DAT that I would have bombed without this or Barron's AP Bio (Kaplan simply doesn't have enough detail). The practice tests are great for hammering principles and facts into your brain so you can regurgitate them all over the DAT.
Barron's AP Bio-Very similar to Cliffs, but in my opinion Barron's is a little less efficient in covering the material. Probably has a little more detail overall than Cliffs, and the practice tests are also great. I read through both AP BIO's because it helped to reinforce principles and gave me more practice.
Chad's Videos-Best source for Chem. Watch Chads, take notes, and take the practice tests. Then do it again. Combined with Kaplan this should be enough to do really well. Honestly, on my real dat O Chem test there were some exact same problems that Chad did in his Videos. Thanks for the 30 in O Chem Chad. Taking notes and referring back to the notes you take of the videos seem to really help solidify the knowledge.
DAT DESTROYER-This monster is great for mastering the more subtle aspects of O. Chem, G. Chem, BIO, MATH. It is important to realize that overall, the questions are much different than DAT questions. Although these questions are more complex and detail oriented, they will help reinforce principles that can help boost your score from say a 22 to a 24 (difference of a few questions). I went through chem twice and bio once, and that seemed to be plenty. I wouldn't make this the central focus of DAT study but it is def worth the time spent.
Cliff's DAT Review (Yes, it exists)- I bought this book before I knew anything about DAT reviews. I found that the PAT tutorial was good, and the Math section is decent. It also comes with a couple practice tests (one on CD). This is not the best resource, but it can't help. I wouldn't spend a lot of time or money to get it though.
Barron's DAT review- I loved the PAT on Barron's, and if you search posts many people agree that Barron's PAT is a good representation of the real DAT. This also has 2 practice tests, which were decent. The more practice tests the better, even though TOPSCORE and Kaplan's practice tests are better overall.
Crack DAT PAT- This is the best PAT resource by far. The paper folding is much harder than the real dat, but the other sections are pretty accurate. The explanations were crucial for me. Well worth the money.
Topscore- Best practice tests. This seems to be a pretty good representation of the real DAT. The PAT may be a little easier than the real DAT, but I found the sciences etc to be great. The format is just like the real DAT. I saved these golden nuggets until the end of my studying, and took them the last week or two before I took the real thing. They really help gauge where you are and help develop a healthy pace so that you don't end up running out of time on the real thing. The Bio has some obscure taxonomy that I did not see on the real DAT, but my real DAT had other obscure Bio questions so it evens out.
Anyways, I hope this helps--I was just so frustrated not knowing the best way to study.
Also, I have all these materials available from my studying, spent a lot on them (bought all new) --I'll sell them for around 200 bucks or best offer (Topscore and Crack DAT not included obviously). PM me if interested.
If you have any other questions or input about DAT materials PM me or add on to the thread!
