Kaplan/Princeton courses worth it?

[woox]

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I know there have been threads on this but I am asking anyways as I need help deciding based on my critera...

• So is the Kaplan/Princeton courses worth it?
• I really want to get taking the FULL test experience and I know they have like 7-11 full tests?
• My question is that are teh course/classes helpful?
• Do they teach you any neat DAT-test taking tricks?
• Are the practice tests helpful?
• Can I get full practice tests else where?

Freaking out thanks :/

 

[Sunspear]

I know there have been threads on this but I am asking anyways as I need help deciding based on my critera...

• So is the Kaplan/Princeton courses worth it?
• I really want to get taking the FULL test experience and I know they have like 7-11 full tests?
• My question is that are teh course/classes helpful?
• Do they teach you any neat DAT-test taking tricks?
• Are the practice tests helpful?
• Can I get full practice tests else where?

Freaking out thanks :/

I didn't buy the course -- I used the materials of my friend who did take the Kaplan course, though. The materials are great -- the Kaplan blue book in particular is a pretty good "start" to the material. I've heard that taking the course (i.e., the experience of actually being in a classroom) is good for those who might have trouble motivating themselves to study on their own. From what I understand, though, all one needs to qualify to be a teacher of the Kaplan course is a good score on the DAT -- so you can imagine that you might get a pretty ineffective teacher.

I personally wouldn't want to spend thousands of dollars on a sub-par instructor when I could just intensely study on my own with the proper materials. In fact, that's what I did, and I got a pretty good score. In the end, it likely depends on your own study habits and what you think you'll need in terms of motivation.

 

[woox]

This blue book?
http://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-DAT-De...6592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295827672&sr=8-1

Also I bought the DAT destroyer to start too is that enough?

 

[wizi]

This blue book?
http://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-DAT-De...6592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295827672&sr=8-1

Also I bought the DAT destroyer to start too is that enough?

Yes thats the KBB.

I haven't taken the DAT yet but I am taking Kaplan course.
Their online materials and tricks are definitely helpful. The practice tests help a lot. If you can afford it, you should go for it.

I don't think you can get Kaplan full-length tests anywhere else but you also have topscore and Achiever to work with.

But $1400 is something to think about 🙂

 

[Sunspear]

Destroyer is great. The one resource that I would *highly* recommend would be Top Score. I found it to be GREAT practice and very similar to the format and level of difficulty of the actual DAT.

 

[woox]

is Achiever+Top Score better than the practice tests offered by Kaplan?

I hear mixed reviews form Kapalan and dont want to waste my time and money if its not worth it

 

[Predental2012]

Personally, I liked Kaplan because of the extra practice it gave you. It also gave a nice outlined schedule to follow but if you're good with time management and self discipline this shouldn't be a problem. I really liked the Achiever tests because it was probably a bit of a more realistic perspective of the PAT section. The Kaplan practice tests and little tips were helpful, but if you're worried about the cost, then if you have the coursebook that should be enough.

I thought Destroyer was a lot of good practice. Especially for the gchem and ochem sections. Definitely a little more challenging the real thing maybe, but better to go in over prepared than not prepared enough =)

 

[ddslove789]

I took the Kaplan course and it was way worth it for me in terms of general review of the sciences. I finished the majority of those science classes a significant time before taking the test, so I had forgotten a lot of the details. Kaplan was great for directing my studying and showing me what I needed to know and didn't need to know. Definitely don't rely on Kaplan for all of your studying though. I also really liked the syllabus Kaplan lays out for you - it really helped me in terms of planning out my studying (otherwise I would have been so overwhelmed and wouldn't have known where to start). Kaplan is also great for test-taking tips in terms of time-management, tricks for the PAT, and ways to approach certain questions.

In terms of the practice tests, Kaplan has 5 full-length exams. I would say that they are pretty realistic with respect to the actual DAT, but their PAT section is slightly easier (especially in angle-ranking!). What is great about the Kaplan exams, though, is that they give you a detailed score report and answer explanations that can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses so you can better focus your studying using their material and additional outside resources.

I highly recommend taking a Kaplan course, it was definitely worth my money. In addition to Kaplan, I also used the DAT Destroyer Set (which includes the Destroyer (covering Bio, GC, OC, QR), OC Odyssey, and Math Destroyer). I used all three of these extensively, especially focusing on Odyssey and Math Destroyer because those were my weakest sections. I HIGHLY recommend Crack the DAT for the PAT section and for the QR section. CDP is very similar to the actual DAT in difficulty and may even be a bit harder for some sections.

I haven't heard much about Princeton Review, but from what I have heard, Kaplan seems better. I think PR is stronger on exams like the SAT/ACT, while Kaplan is stronger on graduate exams such as the DAT, MCAT, LSAT, GRE, etc.