Kaplan or Barron's?

[HenryH]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I was at the bookstore checking out DAT study guides, and I evaluated both the Kaplan "blue book" and Barron's guide. Is Barron's book an effective study aid? Skimming through it, the material seemed concise and to-the-point; on the other hand, Kaplan's book is, well, thicker and seems like it would make for a much more laborious study process.

However, despite being shorter, does Barron's book contain sufficient material for review? I can handle a few simple typographical errors here and there, but if the book is too brief and shallow in its reviews of the sciences, I'll pass.

 

[War Eagle]

Barron's alone will not cut it, but it does provide good practice. The only things I used Barron's for were the PAT and practice tests. It gives good tips and strategies. It's worth the $10 you'll spend on it, but it is definitely not a stand alone product.

 

[HenryH]

Is it just not in-depth enough? I ask because the book advertises itself as a "complete" review guide, but I'll just get the Kaplan book if it's not comprehensive enough.

 

[STACM]

In my opinion there is no complete study guide for the DAT, all u can do is use more and more stuff to help, but you'll never get to 100% everything in any one source, let alone tons of sources

 

[boxdesker]

It's also important to note that Barron's is filled with errors. I bought as a study guide for the PAT--and even the PAT section is plagued with errors. It can be helpful as long as you use it very very skeptically.

 

[Simiam]

If you have limited fundage I would buy Barrons, Schaum outline of Biology and Kaplan. With those three you will have 5 practice tests. 1 thru ADA, 2 Kaplan, 2 Barrons. I would only use Barrons for QR and PAT and the practice tests. Kaplan will be sufficient for OC and GC, but lacks in the PAT sections. Also, Kaplan lacks a little with biology, so following it up with shcaums is a good idea. good luck

 

[HenryH]

Thanks for the input. So aside from the errors in some of Barron's answers, would you say that the science reviews go in-depth enough? When I briefly browsed through the book yesterday, I liked the brief and to-the-point nature of what I read of the science reviews (e.g., "(Blank) contains this, this, and this, but only under conditions of..."). In other words, it seems like it eliminates much of the "fluff" that likely wouldn't be tested on the DAT.

 

[gogobruin]

I used kaplan and I like it alot!

 

[PSU SHC 414]

Thanks for the input. So aside from the errors in some of Barron's answers, would you say that the science reviews go in-depth enough? When I briefly browsed through the book yesterday, I liked the brief and to-the-point nature of what I read of the science reviews (e.g., "(Blank) contains this, this, and this, but only under conditions of..."). In other words, it seems like it eliminates much of the "fluff" that likely wouldn't be tested on the DAT.

I've made this claim numerous times before, and I'll do it again... IMO, Barron's is piss poor for review of the science sections. I think if you rely solely on Barron's for your science review, you're inevitably setting yourself up for disappointment (unless your undergrad science DAT-related courses were excellent and you mastered the material from those courses).

As other posters have mentioned, I thought Barron's offered good strategies and tips for the PAT section, had sufficient info for the QR section, and provided extra practice exams (which contained many mistakes, but it was still practice nonetheless...). Besides that, eh... You get what you pay for.

 

[HenryH]

Thanks for your advice; since Barron's book seems to be regarded with unanimous disdain, I think I'll go with Kaplan. Barron's book just seemed like an initial good choice because of its brief length; I was hoping to be able to review for the DAT and take the test before the beginning of next semester (August 17th), but I might have to extend my studying into the fall and take the test sometime during the school year.

 

[jay47]

Thanks for your advice; since Barron's book seems to be regarded with unanimous disdain, I think I'll go with Kaplan. Barron's book just seemed like an initial good choice because of its brief length; I was hoping to be able to review for the DAT and take the test before the beginning of next semester (August 17th), but I might have to extend my studying into the fall and take the test sometime during the school year.

Buy both and then you'll reinforce material and get it from a different perspective at the same time.

If you HAVE to buy just one though, go with Kaplan, but this is such an important test, go ahead and buy as many review materials as you can so you can perform as well as possible.