Kaplan online or class

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ms374

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I wanted to get some expert opinion on to help me decide if i should take the online version or class version.
ill be grateful for your help
 
I liked the online materials but thought the actual class was a waste of time. The instructors are typically just students who don't know much more than you do anyways. The materials are good practice though and are useful for a studying time line and to gauge your progress.
 
They're both a waste of money....



I strongly disagree with that. Its overpriced to be sure, but not a waste. I did kaplan and went from straight 19's on my first application cycle to 22AA, 22TS, 24 PAT on my second. For me, it was worth every penny- in the long run its a drop in the bucket and its the single best thing you can do to improve you application. Also, if you don't improve they'll give you back your money.

I think overall the online materials are the best deal though, they were alot more important for my success than the class. The best preparation for the DAT is taking as many computer-based practice tests as possible.
 
I liked the online materials but thought the actual class was a waste of time. The instructors are typically just students who don't know much more than you do anyways. The materials are good practice though and are useful for a studying time line and to gauge your progress.

I agree the online is better so you don't waste so much time in the classroom and you can watch the online course any time you want. But make sure you really spend time and practice on Kaplan subject tests.
 
I agree the online is better so you don't waste so much time in the classroom and you can watch the online course any time you want. But make sure you really spend time and practice on Kaplan subject tests.

yes, i cant stress enough the value of going over every subject test, practice test, and workshop multiple times. It will drill the basics into your brain. The online material alon IMO is sufficient for chem and O chem sections of DAT. You will just need additional sources for bio and PAT.
 
I strongly disagree with that. Its overpriced to be sure, but not a waste. I did kaplan and went from straight 19's on my first application cycle to 22AA, 22TS, 24 PAT on my second. For me, it was worth every penny- in the long run its a drop in the bucket and its the single best thing you can do to improve you application. Also, if you don't improve they'll give you back your money.

I think overall the online materials are the best deal though, they were alot more important for my success than the class. The best preparation for the DAT is taking as many computer-based practice tests as possible.

It's true they're not a complete waste of money but I really felt that it was not worth how much they cost. I took the online course and while it was structured, I felt I could have done better just by buying a few books and studying my notes from college. I think the only worthwhile part about it are the practice tests, but you can get a bunch of practice tests on CDs from amazon.

All in all it might be worthwhile for some, but it was not for me. The nice thing about it is they will refund your money if you put up a fight....
 
yes, i cant stress enough the value of going over every subject test, practice test, and workshop multiple times. It will drill the basics into your brain. The online material alon IMO is sufficient for chem and O chem sections of DAT. You will just need additional sources for bio and PAT.

I think the online material is really nice too.
 
Thank you so much for all the good information so i guess if i want to go with kaplan i should go with the online version. I just thought the class room might be motivating.
thank you very much
 
The kaplan materials presented online for their tests, are they they same ones thats going around in these forums. 5 subject tests for bio, gchem, org, and 7 QR tests? thanks
 
I liked the online materials but thought the actual class was a waste of time. The instructors are typically just students who don't know much more than you do anyways. The materials are good practice though and are useful for a studying time line and to gauge your progress.

My opinion exactly.
 
I took both....yes yes I am a Kaplan junkie I guess. I found the classroom much more informative. The teacher was very insightful and informative. It was worth the extra $$$200 in fees and gas. The only thing that I would recommend is getting the destroyer due to the fact I received several questions on the dat that were not covered in the online or in class course. (histology, hypothesis ?s) Def. go with the class. If you deceide against my advice and go with the online and are not satified with your scores you can sign up for the in class course and pay the difference as long as it is with 3 months of you orginal enrollment... hows that for a run on!
 
I would say don't waste $1,400 on KP. If you just plan to spend about $400 you can get everything that is out there. I got a lot of stuff from ebay and amazon.com. From time to time look at ebay and do a search and you find really nice things at a very good price. Hope this helps.
 
If you do go with the online, make sure you use a coup!

I found one for 10% off a couple months ago, which saved ~ $129? Couldn't find one that wasn't expired but found this one:

Use Coupon Code: VANDERBILT100
Details and Restrictions: Enter the coupon code where prompted on the merchant web site (usually in the shopping cart or during checkout). $100 off GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT, PSAT, SAT and ACT Classroom Courses, Premium Online Courses, and Private Tutoring Programs.
 
For me the class provided someone to read over the class book and go over a few examples. I unfortunately had 2 jobs at the time and only prepared by going to the class and did very little out of class to prepare. If you go to the class and do all of the out of class prep (reading the blue book sections assigned and taking all of the online practice tests) the combination can be very helpful. Bottom line with DAT prep, you will get out of it what you put in, i.e. more work = a higher DAT score.
 
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