Youre on the way to dental school! I teach for Kaplan- you made the right decision. Get you online access working ASAP, tell them that youll wave the money back guarantee and theyll activate it for you the same day. Start going through the syllabus on your own, do all the readings, watch the lectures, and do all the assignments as soon as you can; this way when you start in May, youll just be able to bombard the teacher with the stuff thats really bothering you. I find that my students that follow this regiment do much better than those that wait for me to assign the work. Try if possible to take the test two weeks after the final, this way the beginning material doesnt begin to slip away.
Kaplan has a great track record- you can ask the center what others have said about the particular teacher teaching your class, this REALLY helps. I've had people drive 3 hrs to come to my class even though there were several other Kaplan centers on the way. They learned about my track record through friends (as of last week my lowest scoring student scored a 23, though that was ruined by a student this week that scored a 21 overall- can't really blame the guy, he's only been in the country for a couple years and his English wasn't the best), so knowing a little about the guy or gal teaching before you go in helps. Just remember one thing, the lectures are only about 5% of your total Kaplan course- as with any other class, its really on the student, youre not going to magically score a 25 because you went to a few lectures- so study, study, study, and you will be rewarded!
As for other material, everything I have seen as of yet is good except for Barons- throw that book out or give it to a friend you dont want to do well (when a book has a few mistakes you live with it, when a book has more errors in answers than correct answer you begin to wonder). Many of the companies out there, including Kaplan, have material that will WAY over prepare you- so dont take it to heart if you score low on their tests.
I personally used Topscore- great for everything, Kaplans course and material- dont let people tell that their bio is weak- it was the closest to the real test in terms of readings- I scored a perfect on the bio and I credit that portion to Kaplans readings, Princetons material and tests- great for bio (questions were closest to the real test), g-chem, RC, and QR- their o-chem was a little tuff and way beyond the scope of the DAT (I remembered most of the concepts because I had recently taken o-chem, but my students that bring me their questions have a hard time comprehending the material). Their books are great if you really have a minimal understanding of the material, though a little slow out of the gate if you already have a decent grasp of the subject matter. Their tests have a few mistakes, though when grading them, if you know your stuff, youll pick out the mistakes easily. Their PAT was pretty weak. Also, don't forget to download the free practice test of the ADA website- the math was identical to what I had test day (same problems, different numbers) Lastly, I had and still have, copies of audio osmosis, great for listening in the car or at the gym. Email me if you want a copy.
Maybe you can have the breakfast delivered to my dorm, lunch delivered to school, and dinner delivered again to the dorm! Just kidding- save the cash, youll need it for tuition, and your own meals.
