Kaplan Course--is it worth it?

[bugmenotlol]

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hi! I have beens studying from the Kaplan blue books(the one you buy outside) and have accumulated massive amounts of notes in it. I heard that the course is worthless, but the test materials is helpful. What test materials are you guys talking about?

I was wondering beside the whitebooks,lesson books, flashcard, what else do you get? What other resources do you get?

I keep hearing about practice tests #1,#2,#3. Are those the subject tests?(I have those from a friend). If there more, than i'm probably pay kaplan for more test materials. I'm just trying to see if i should put 1,100 dollars for the online course.

Thanks in advance!

 

[sacjumpman]

I haven't taken Kaplan, but you may want to buy Destroyer, Achiever and Topscore and then see if you still feel like you need more practice tests.

For the $250 you invest in those resources, you should be able to learn a HUGE amount. It just doesn't seem worth it to pay 1100 for Kaplan's full lengths, especially when you've purchased the books.

Others will have their opinion as well. Just my thoughts.

 

[UNC2008]

I'd say it depends....I took the class and god knows how much I regreted later....what they teach you in the class(and I assume the online version is just the same) is a very quick review of what you read/learn from thier blue book. However, the tests are not totally worthless...they are helpful, but I don't think they are any better than TS or Achiever....regarding the flash cards...they are also the same materials from the blue books written on flash cards!! So basically I'd say don't take it, it is just a waste of money😀

 

[DrCooper2637]

Hi bugmenotlol. I used the Kaplan book, the Kaplan subject tests (#1, #2, #3, etc.), DAT Destroyer, TopScore, and DAT Achiever and did fine on the real DAT. As long as you study well on your own and don't need to attend lectures to learn the material, I would not recommend the course. I would save your money and use it to buy the other resources like Achiever, etc.

 

[bugmenotlol]

thanks for all the replies. but does anyone know what i get with the kaplan courses? What is the most important materials?

 

[bruinpredent]

thanks for all the replies. but does anyone know what i get with the kaplan courses? What is the most important materials?

i actually am grateful for the kaplan course. the book is great and all, but you get so many more resources with the class, it really pays off...in essence, what you're paying for is their almost endless supply of practice tests, homeworks, review problems, and tutorials. their subject tests are particularly helpful, and although most people are not a big fan of the actual class itself, i found that it helped me stay on track, as i wanted to have all of the reading and the homework done before each given class.

if you don't want to deal with the class, at the very least do the online course so you can have access to the materials.

best of luck 👍

 

[JamieMac]

For the most part, I agree with bruinpredent. If you have difficulty setting your own schedule, the class would be worth the money. I stayed on track with Kaplan's syllabus, but actually would have been fine on my own. The resources are valuable as long as you use them. I found the full length exams and the subject tests to be very helpful. They have a few tutorials that are good, and some that are so-so. The class itself was not as informative as I thought it would be. I often (not always) came out of the class with the feeling that I was wasting my time.

Other recommendations: use Top Score and Achiever also. Taking Kaplans full length exams and using Achiever really helped with my timing, which is important when taking standardized tests.

I also used Destroyer. It contains a wealth of questions, which can be very helpful to you on the exam - they'll make you think a little harder. The roadmaps in the Orgo section are pretty good too. I'm not sure about the hype about the 'support' that you'll read about. Dr. Romano seemed very nice and willing to help, but I found Nancy to be somewhat unfriendly in a conversation. After which, I never received answers to my questions.

Just remember that everyone is different and Kaplan may be just what you need. Good luck!

 

[jigabodo]

Both my friends who are going to attend dental schools this fall took the Kaplan course. One of them is off to creighton, the other one to UNLV and they got 21 and 24 on DAT, respectively.

They did use additional materials though, I beleive both used Topscore and one used Achiever too.

 

[Envision]

I used kaplan and scored pretty well. Topscore, achiever are great supplements. But i think thats the problem, they are good supplements. I think kaplan is the best review, and should be the backbone of your studies because it simply covers everything and is a pretty comprehensive review for the DAT. THe class is simply one aspect of the kaplan package. Some choose not to utilize it because they work better on their own. However, with the course, like bruin said, you get an abundant amount of resources. THe online resources are very useful with lots of practice problems, review workshops, simulation quizzes and full length exams. I would disagree with one of the posters before when they said the flash cards aren't very effective. I think the flash cards, albeit they are written in the blue book, are tailored to maximize and emphasize important concepts that most people who scan or passively read miss (myself included). If the flashcards were about topics that were not in the blue book...well then that would just be chaotic. I think you should invest in other resources as well, but kaplan should also be highly considered. gl.

 

[daniel525i]

I took the Kaplan course and private tutoring and I found studying alone was the best for me. When you break down the material, the only way to really know the stuff is to read it over and over and over and truly understand it. Tutors and classes can't spoon feed you the material.

 

[poc91nc]

Well, I think a good tutor can give you many tricks of the trade and facilitate the learning process. That is really the job of an instructor, to make learning easy for you and give you valuable insight.

That being said, the quality of kaplan instructors in my area is really bad. You don't know how many times I have heard of kaplan DAT instructors not even having taken the DAT. Also, coming to class totally unprepared and etc.
But I suppose it varies on the area. Some are probably much better than others.

As for the materials, it isn't anything special really. For the person who wants a comprehensive review of material, the blue book would probably be useful.

Subject tests: The ochem is pretty good. But the biology was atrocious. I thought it was way too easy. Gchem was fairly good and I thought there were some good questions here and there. I think Destroyer gives you a better source/comprehensive base of questions. The solutions are better too in my opinion. In terms of biology/gchem....Destroyer wins hands down. For ochem, both sources are different but good. Destroyer has better ochem solutions though (road maps, more detailed, etc).

The tests: About equal to topscore. The only thing that gets me about the kaplan tests is that they test you only on kaplan material. For actual practice tests, I thought achiever was the best, and a comparison between kaplan tests and achiever isn't even close. Achiever wins this battle by a first round KO in the opening seconds. If you use practice tests wisely, achiever is really all you need for the tests themselves.

For all the additional stuff like flashcards/workbooks: I found it really helpful to make my own flashcards that were tailor made for me. Also, making your own flashcards is a good form of passive review. I had a total of 1500 science flash cards hand made when I studied. If you need extra workbooks for subjects, I think the following are better than kaplan:

Ultimate study guide for Biology (volume I, II, III)
Cliff's AP Biology
Barron's AP Chemistry
Organic Chemistry Odyssey

In conclusion, if you find yourself benefiting from structure, by all means invest in the course. Just be sure to ask ahead and make sure the instructors in your area are good! However, if you are taking the course just to get the material....I think IT IS NOT WORTH 1000+ DOLLARS TO GET THE MATERIAL. By investing around 400 dollars, you can easily get material that blows the kaplan material away!

 

[bugmenotlol]

Thanks for all the replies. So i am guessing the kaplan materials contains more than just the subject tests for each of the 6 sections. Looks, like i have to put down 1100 dollars for the online thing. For those who took the course, were the insane amount of practice tests online or are they on the computers at Kaplan? I don't have a car....🙁.

poc91nc you mention 400 dollars for materials. Beside topscore,destroyer, and acheiver what other materials are you referring to?

I see that the QR is the weakest for most people, what can i do to prepare myself? Anyone has a specfic book(not just a generic get a GRE math book)?
Again, thanks everyone!

 

[poc91nc]

Thanks for all the replies. So i am guessing the kaplan materials contains more than just the subject tests for each of the 6 sections. Looks, like i have to put down 1100 dollars for the online thing. For those who took the course, were the insane amount of practice tests online or are they on the computers at Kaplan? I don't have a car....🙁.

poc91nc you mention 400 dollars for materials. Beside topscore,destroyer, and acheiver what other materials are you referring to?

I see that the QR is the weakest for most people, what can i do to prepare myself? Anyone has a specfic book(not just a generic get a GRE math book)?
Again, thanks everyone!

Organic Chemistry Odyssey 120 dollars
Ultimate Study Guide for Biology (Volume I, II, III) each volume is 50 dollars each

REA's Biology (big pink book) 25 dollar
Study Guide for Campbells Biology (basically a condensed version of campbells w/ tons of multiple choice problems, drilling exercises and more...about 50 dollars
Barrons AP Chemistry 20 dollars

That is just the tip of the ice berg. You gotta search, but there is much better material out there. Liberate yourself from the blue book!

I prefer to break down each science section and get seperate guides. First I hit the Destroyer, mastered it....then moved onto specific guides. My approach was a little different, and I'm not saying it was the best. Only a different approach.