My friend and I at the University of Florida want to pair up and buy some supplement materials to aid us in studying for the DAT. After reviewing the forum I found these materials: DAT Destroyer, DAT achiever, topscore, and AcetheDAT.
Does anyone know if it is even possible to use the programs listed above between two people? Also, which one do you think is the best? Should I get Dr. Jim's Orgo book or just stick the Kaplan book review book?
Thanks,
Kevin
Get the DAT Destroyer. I have gone through a lot of prep material, and nothing really comes close to the destroyer. I am using this book for gchem and biology, and I have to say this is a great study tool. Simply put, this is a problem solving book for the sns and quantitative reasoning. Here are a few things that set this book apart from other study guides:
1. Virtually every problem is loaded with some kind of a booby trap. This helps to reinforce important concepts and prevents sloppy mistakes. Later on, the trap nature of the questions become valuable for drilling purposes because it keeps the brain honest (provided you don't just memorize the answers and rely on your reasoning)
2. Very detailed solutions with lots of extra things you should know. These tid-bits of information are valuable.
3. Quite a bit of material that is not seen in other study guides (ie kaplan, achiever, topscore). The ochem problems are very unique in my opinion.
4. Material is constantly being updated. When was the last time Kaplan updated their material?
If you have time for it and really want to tear apart the Organic chemistry sections....BUY Dr. J's Organic Chemistry Odyssey!!! I know this book like the back of my hand (spent about a month dissecting and analyzing it), and I know more about organic chemistry than I ever did, and I was a strong organic chemistry student. The chapters on stereochemistry, substitution reactions, and elimination reactions are priceless. Those three areas of organic chemistry, along with organic synthesis, in my opinion, are where textbooks fall short in teaching you what you need to know on test day. Because what you need to know can't really be read in any textbook, but must be cultivated through problem solving. I have been through multiple textbooks as an undergraduate (mcmurry, carrey, morrison and boyd, loudon) and numerous other organic teaching tools, and Organic Chemistry Odyssey surpasses every tool on the market. Is it overkill? Sure....it probably is, but if you know this book, you'll be hard pressed not to get a 20 on a really really bad day.
Other guides worth looking at (not commonly talked about but very good):
Ultimate study guide for biology: key review questions with answers and explanations. This is a three volume set of biology questions in multiple choice format. Great source for oddball biology questions.
REA's Problem Solvers: Biology (thick pink book from REA's problem solvers line): If you have time for schaum's, use this instead....way better. People use this book to score in the 90th percentile on GRE biology exam. All information is in the form of essay questions, and at the end of each chapter there are multiple choice/fill in the blank questions (very tricky ones that make you think).
3000 solved problems in General Chemistry from Schuams:
Not absolutely necessary, but a great source for difficult gchem problems of quantitative nature. The type that require an extra step or "thinking outside the box." Similar to a few of the achiever gchem questions.
Stay away from:
Exam Krackers 1001 questions for gchem, ochem, and biology.
This is way off the mark in terms of DAT prep. gchem is just loaded with oddball conceptual questions. We're talking questions of hair splitting nature. The explanations are sketchy as well. Even though there are a few decent conceptual questions for gchem....its still an overall waste of time.
Just my 2cents though, if you're pressed for time, cease all material and stick with destroyer. The destroyer does a good job of condensing a large body of knowledge into manageable form. Concentrating on theory alone in a short amount of time won't do much good. Don't take it for granted that you'll "be able to apply what you read" on test day. That is especially true for gchem and equations. Hope this helps and good luck.
