You get your scores right away. When you finish QR, there is a survey section. You can choose not to take it. As soon as you finish survey or hit end to skip it, your scores pop up on the screen. After that, before you leave, the center also gives you a printout of your scores.
Achiever had the exact same setup as the real DAT in terms of layout, buttons, setup, break time, etc. Questions on achiever were far more difficult than the real thing. From all the version I had, there was one question on Achiever that showed up on the real thing and it was one of the easiest questions they have on Achiever, not the really hard super detailed questions.
Most people have said that TopScore is closest to the real thing and I would have to agree for an overall score. I would say TopScore's reading is a bit too easy, PAT/QR is too easy, bio/chem/ochem about right. Topscore's set up is a bit old, outdated and not like the actual DAT in how it looks. Their PAT section needs a revamp real bad. Angles are terrible. Aperture can be a bit off as well. The graphics are outdated and pixelated so it can be too easy (just count the pixels) or too ambiguous. By far their weakest section in their program.
You didn't ask about the following, but it's some stuff I'll elaborate on that I think helped a lot.
Crack the DAT PAT was pretty accurate for all sections of the PAT except the aperture IMO. I'm not particularly good at apertures and most of my marked answers for the PAT was aperture. The DAT aperture was slightly more difficult than CDP.
For bio, I just think you need to go over Campbell's biology textbook. I found a lot of the questions could have been answered if you know that textbook if not all of them. The only section that would be hard is taxonomy using that book because of how often the field is changing. I would say the best advice I got for bio was from my friend who said that bio is more about general knowledge than very specific details in the big areas. I'd say you need to know everything on the list that the DAT says the test will be over. Know it a bit more than just superficially and you should be fine. There were a few super detailed questions but if you think through them you'll be able to go at least 50-50 on them. It's better than seeing 4-6 general questions about a subject that you're weak on and only eliminating 1 answer IMO. I would say bio is hard because of what they can ask you. There's just so much that they can cover so questions can be really random. I think answering lots of bio questions help. One of my friends who used the online kaplan DAT thing said that if you use their program, they have literally thousands of questions just for bio. I don't know if they have lots on the less asked areas, but if they do, it might be something I would have considered getting. I really believe the Campbell's textbook is your best friend for biology.
OChem, Odyssey was freaking gold. You could double the price on that book and I would still buy it. I went through that book twice and my ochem scores from practice tests went from 15s to 25s. DAT destroyer ochem is like 15% of what odyssey has to offer even though they are done by the same people. First time I went over odyssey I just answered questions and read explanations. Second time I went through it, I took notes and wrote down formulas/reagents as I went along. After that I just reviewed notes. I cannot emphasize in words how much this book as helped me. I would seriously pay 350 dollars for this book because it just made OChem such a breeze.
Chem, no real advice here. I'm average at chem. I just reviewed my chem textbook 3 times. I would say its important to know the relationships and the hows and whys of theories and principles. Lots of people have said before to not worry about exact calculations and I will reiterate that. I don't think there was any calculation they gave me that required more than 20 seconds. Most of the time it will be in the answer format of how to find it, than the actual answer. So it will be like 20*5/10, 20*10/5, etc versus 10, 20, 50. If they do give you actual answers, it does not require complicated calculations. If you don't get whole, easy numbers to work with, usually an estimate will give you the answer.
QR took me by surprise. I ran out of time, left I believe 2 blank and just clicked/guessed without thinking on 2-3 other questions because I had no idea how to approach it and didn't want to waste time. I would recommend NOT using the calculator unless it will save you at least 2-3 seconds. Most of the calculations they ask you to do are simple and for me, the calculator threw off my rhythm because inputting the numbers is slow and painful. You can't click on the numbers or input them as fast as you can on your home computer. You need to input, wait a split second, input, wait, etc. Or that was how it was for my calculator, so use at your own risk. I would say my reliance and laziness on the calculator cost me at least a minute on the test. Having to clear/reset because I clicked too fast or using was actually slower than calculating it because I was lazy. =/
I thought I would have done better on reading. Wish I could see how many I got wrong and which ones. I don't really have much advice on this section except to read more. Read stuff from Smithsonian, Wall Street Journal, stuff that is written well and about things you are unfamiliar with. Near the end, I just read more and it boosted my reading a little. I did search and destroy method.
