How similar are Topscore and Achiever to the Real one?

[Commitment]

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hey guys
what do you think about achiever and topscore in prep for the real thing? close to it? harder?

 

[Mstoothlady2012]

I think topscore is pretty close but achiever is way off. Use those softwares to expand your knowledge, don't use it to predict how you are going to do on the real thing.

 

[RMPredent2009]

I didn't use topscore but I used achiever and I was averaging 15-18 on most sections. i did especially bad on the last achiever test. It is a lot harder than the real DAT which i think is the general consensus The only thing thats nice about it is that it gives you extra practice and when you get to your real DAT you will probably be pleasantly surprised that it is much easier. I got a 19/20/18 on the real thing which is considerably better than my achiever practice tests so im happy with that🙂

 

[BigLou]

Topscore was well worth the money. I also bought a cheap children's origami instruction book and did some of that when I needed a break from ochem material. Also I cut out squares and used a hold punch to practice drawing what I was punching. Kaplan books were not very challenging for PAT.

 

[Commitment]

Topscore was well worth the money. I also bought a cheap children's origami instruction book and did some of that when I needed a break from ochem material. Also I cut out squares and used a hold punch to practice drawing what I was punching. Kaplan books were not very challenging for PAT.

how much time did you put in a day and for how long

 

[Dentista08]

I didn't use topscore but I used achiever and I was averaging 15-18 on most sections. i did especially bad on the last achiever test. It is a lot harder than the real DAT which i think is the general consensus The only thing thats nice about it is that it gives you extra practice and when you get to your real DAT you will probably be pleasantly surprised that it is much easier. I got a 19/20/18 on the real thing which is considerably better than my achiever practice tests so im happy with that🙂

wow im so happy to hear that!! In achiever I'm getting 14-16 on sciences, 17-18 PAT 16s QR & 21s on RC... my DAT is thursday i was starting to think of postponing.. but at the same time i want to get it over with ...
I already took it once last year & did horribly 16s on Bio&Ochem 17Gchem 14QR(ouch- better @ it now though 🙂 ) 21RC 19PAT.. I'm so scared im gonna get lower scores the 2nd time! Did any of you or anyone you know get a lower score 2nd time around than 1st one on the real DAT??

 

[0dental0]

okay so achiever sucks as a accurate representation of the dat from what i been reading on other threads. How about the topscore program, how accurate if that .

 

[efficient]

topscore is very similar to the real dat. I scored a couple of points higher in the real thing. I'd say all the sections do a very good job.

 

[dent2009]

wow im so happy to hear that!! In achiever I'm getting 14-16 on sciences, 17-18 PAT 16s QR & 21s on RC... my DAT is thursday i was starting to think of postponing.. but at the same time i want to get it over with ...
I already took it once last year & did horribly 16s on Bio&Ochem 17Gchem 14QR(ouch- better @ it now though 🙂 ) 21RC 19PAT.. I'm so scared im gonna get lower scores the 2nd time! Did any of you or anyone you know get a lower score 2nd time around than 1st one on the real DAT??

I'm not gonna take credit for this as "doc toothache" has been the one posting this link everywhere, but see this for yourself...

DAT-To Retake-Yes or No http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=400209

Looking at the stats (from 2005), however, it looks as though a retake may not turn out to be a positive experience afterall. But then again, i've seen posts on here that says otherwise. In the end these stats are "averages" therefore you'll have some that improve, others that do worse, and others that do just about the same. Numbers never lie though and therefore the majority of retakers, unfortunately, will end up doing just a bit worse.

 

[0dental0]

topscore is very similar to the real dat. I scored a couple of points higher in the real thing. I'd say all the sections do a very good job.

okay by couple points higher do you mean like from 16 in bio to 19 or more like 16 to 17

 

[Mstoothlady2012]

wow im so happy to hear that!! In achiever I'm getting 14-16 on sciences, 17-18 PAT 16s QR & 21s on RC... my DAT is thursday i was starting to think of postponing.. but at the same time i want to get it over with ...
I already took it once last year & did horribly 16s on Bio&Ochem 17Gchem 14QR(ouch- better @ it now though 🙂 ) 21RC 19PAT.. I'm so scared im gonna get lower scores the 2nd time! Did any of you or anyone you know get a lower score 2nd time around than 1st one on the real DAT??

I took all 3 achiever tests within 10 days before my DAT. wanna know my TS for achiever? 1 - 17, 2 - 18, 3-17. You can look at how i did on the real thing under my profile. Do not postpone! After looking at these scores, if felt like pushing it back to but good thing I didn't.

Also this was my second time the first time I took it I got 17 AA, 17 TS, 18 PAT. So yes you can definitely improve if you put your heart into it. It worked out great for me 🙂

 

[Dentista08]

I took all 3 achiever tests within 10 days before my DAT. wanna know my TS for achiever? 1 - 17, 2 - 18, 3-17. You can look at how i did on the real thing under my profile. Do not postpone! After looking at these scores, if felt like pushing it back to but good thing I didn't.

Also this was my second time the first time I took it I got 17 AA, 17 TS, 18 PAT. So yes you can definitely improve if you put your heart into it. It worked out great for me 🙂

wow thanks.. u made me feel better. awesome scores btw! Congrats 👍

 

[Orgodox]

heres what I think
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=546119

 

[BigLou]

how much time did you put in a day and for how long

When I studied, I would try and do my PAT practice maybe 30-45 minutes/day. I really feel the overall AA and total science are way more important than the PAT(although the rumor is out there that the PAT is weighted equally to the entire AA, I say BS). The first time I took DATs I had 18AA 19 SA and 23 PAT and wasn't accepted ( I attribute that to my GPA which was around 3.2 and a 15 QR ). I digress, I think if you take practice tests and are scoring around 19 or 20 on your PAT then you are FINE. Make sure you get at least 18s and 19s on all sections. It's competitive, sometimes it takes more than just a Kaplan book a few hours a day, as I have stated in my other posts, I tried to utilize other resources, i.e. GRE books, PAT practice techniques, as well as old subject profs.

Take home point...Studying should not be determined by hours, but by comfort level. When you leave the library the only person you have to answer to is yourself. It is more useful to study for 2 hours, retain info, and take a break for an hour, than to sit in one seat for 7 hours and learn nothing at all(which I have done many times).