Topscore vs Achiever?

[emitpeels]

Good morning everyone! I am considering adding an additional study material to help get ready for the DAT. I have already gotten Qvault and destroyer but I want to add one last thing. Alot of people have recommended these two materials, but I would love to hear from you guys about the pros and cons of each. Thanks!

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[fungames]

I bought both but ended up not really using them. I took one topscore test and hated it. I definitely wasted my money. I think Qvault and destroyer would be your best bet! And then, once you finish them (and do it twice if you can), then MAYBE purchase topscore. Achiever isn't very helpful. Good luck!

 

[Member 6236]

I have to say Achiever is a waste of money and will make you feel like total crap. Some say it's good for PAT but I think bootcamp by far has the best explanations for that! Topscore is meh. Too outdated imo.

 

[smileurdentist]

I did 3 exams of Topscore the last week before test.. I scored AA 20,21,20... and I ended up with 20 in the real thing! I heard that achiever is kinda tough but there is no damage if you can practice it

GOOD LUCK!

 

[strawberr]

Honestly, I have to say that both were not of much help to me. Achiever was more helpful than topscore, but only for certain sections (ie. GC and QR). Overall, achiever was way harder than anything you will see on the DAT. If you want something really representative of the actual DAT then I would get Bootcamp tests for the sciences, Crack the DAT for PAT and RC, Math Destroyer for QR section or do the Achiever for QR.

Nothing is more discouraging then getting Achiever and getting pretty low scores because my Achiever scores were nothing like what I got on the DAT. I don't think I got above 20 on anything from achiever.

I didn't really do "full practice tests" of the same program before my DAT, but instead did a full practice test by picking different sections from different programs. So I would run it as if it was a full exam but switch from Bootcamp for the sciences to Crack the DAT for RC and PAT to Destroyer/Achiever for QR because for me I felt that this is what was most representative of the actual DAT.

 

[Dotoday]

You have good study materials. The addition will depend on your weak areas. If you are weak in Bio, get Cliffs, Feralis notes and Kaplan. If you are weak in Math, get Math Destroyer, Kaplan and CrackDAT. If you are weak in Orgo, get the Odyssey, or Organic chemistry as a second language, or ACS organic chem prep book.
Good luck.

 

[Soleus715]

Both are a waste of time as far as I can tell. People I know in dental school that got these two really regretted it. Time could be better spent on Chad's Videos/Quiz and Feralis notes/Barron's/Cliffs. Heck even just going through Campbell's quizzes might be better seeing how random the Bio section can be. As for practice tests, nothing beats the 2007/2009 DAT from ADA. I honestly think 2 is all you need.

 

[Bereno]

Chiming in as a dental student, I think people forget the value of practice tests is not wholly to give you an idea of your score, but rather to let you become more familiar with the format, timing, and feel of the test. These are not to be used primarily as study tools, but to let you become familiar with what to expect on the DAT, as well as show you where your weaknesses might be. I used both Topscore and Achiever, and found them very useful in that manner. Best of luck everyone.