I have done well in all of my science courses and have started studying for the DAT on my own. I live in a small town that doesn't have any DAT programs available. However, I am wondering if it is a wiser choice to take a prep course. Is there a significant advantage to taking a course such as Kaplan? Is it common for students to study for the DAT independently?
I don't know, the answer to this question really lies in the individual person.
I did well and studied on my own with simply old textbooks, a Kaplan book, Kaplan notecards, Topscore CD and a Kaplan study guide. I also live in a small town, although I go to school in a bigger town, and studied out here in the middle of nowhere for most of the summer. I used my own motivation to study a lot for the test.
However, I think that having someone there as a guide for me would have really helped before taking the test. I will actually be teaching some Kaplan classes this summer and the next year or so and I plan on being there for all of my students. I think that if you get the right teacher, the class can really make a difference. The teacher is more of a scheduler and timekeeper than anything else. They will help you study the right things, in a good timetable, with the right material. Plus they are there to answer any questions you may have and help you if you have any trouble with techniques/fundamental abilities. They SHOULD make sure you have a good conceptual grasp of the material. If they don't, they aren't doing their job well enough.
Paying to take the class is definitely not necessary, but if you really work hard at it and take the class you should do well. You can also work hard at it by yourself and do well, but for me personally (knowing what I know now), I think I could have scored maybe a point higher if I would have taken the class.
If you don't take the class, be sure to keep up to date on SDN with stuff and ask people on here for questions, they are very helpful.
As far as percentage of ppl who take the class vs don't, I have no idea how scores compare. I did very well in all of my science classes and didn't have a lot of trouble relearning the material. Of course the avg score of the person who takes the class vs. those who didn't may be higher, but there are a lot of unmotivated students out there who don't study nearly as much as they should for this test. Push yourself and I'm sure you can do fine.