When to start Kaplan

[gatorchc27]

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Hey all,
I was wondering when y'all started to prepare for the DAT and when you started the Kaplan class (if you took it).

Thanks,

Linda

 

[Darksunshine]

Hi there, and good luck to you!

I took a Kaplan course before I took my DAT. I scheduled it so that I would have about 3-4 after the finish of it to really study what I was weak on. So basically my DAT was scheduled about a month after Kaplan ended.

I reall think Kaplan helped me, but having just taken O.Chem that summer was also a big plus.

Again, Good Luck!

 

[gatorchc27]

Hi there, and good luck to you!

I took a Kaplan course before I took my DAT. I scheduled it so that I would have about 3-4 after the finish of it to really study what I was weak on. So basically my DAT was scheduled about a month after Kaplan ended.

I reall think Kaplan helped me, but having just taken O.Chem that summer was also a big plus.

Again, Good Luck!

3-4 weeks? months?

 

[DrTacoElf]

I studied 3 months.

 

[JavadiCavity]

I started Kaplan May 6, started studying April 20, and I took the DAT on June 17. The Kaplan course finished the day I took the DAT. So, in all, I studied about 2 months.

 

[Darksunshine]

3-4 weeks? months?

sorry bout that had a migraine earlier. 3-4 weeks. 🙂

 

[Typo]

I started Kaplan in early May, and took the DAT at the beginning of September. I put in a moderate effort the first two months, upped the effort during the third month, and busted my arse during the last month.

Lots of people take a twice-weekly class in May so that they can focus primarily on the DAT, but some people take the once-a-week class in January right along with their school classes. Even if you do that, you can do their higher score guarantee, which basically says that as long as you go to all the classes and complete some required assignments, you can keep studying with their materials even after the original 3 months they gave you (so, if you started in January, you could study all the way until July if you wanted to). So, there are a couple of options you can pick from.

 

[Dr. Steve Brule]

i think kaplan is a huge waste of money..it's like over a grand right? ur so much better off keeping that money and using it for the application process which can get pretty expensive..all u need is the blue book from them and a few other resources and as long as u put in the time you'll do fine..i studied for 2 months over the summer and took it in august and scored a 21 on the AA..so u don't need the class! also it had been a few years since i had taken the classes it tests u on

 

[Typo]

i think kaplan is a huge waste of money..it's like over a grand right? ur so much better off keeping that money and using it for the application process which can get pretty expensive..all u need is the blue book from them and a few other resources and as long as u put in the time you'll do fine..i studied for 2 months over the summer and took it in august and scored a 21 on the AA..so u don't need the class! also it had been a few years since i had taken the classes it tests u on

If you're disciplined, you're right - you can score very high with just the book and a lot of time.

For ultra-high scores, though, I disagree. The actual classes may be a waste for some, but the amount of mini tests and practice tests you get with the online component could be invaluable if you want to score in the 99th percentile. Besides, there were little facts inside of the practice test explanations that weren't anywhere to be found in the blue book. I read through Kaplan's blue book several times and thought it was great, but feel that I learned by far the most from the actual practice tests. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have scored 24 AA/24 Science without them.

In the long run, you're probably going to be over $100K in debt after dental school. Another $1,000 for something that could guarantee you interviews or acceptance to certain schools is a drop in the bucket. Since my GPA is average (science GPA is below average), I feel that my DAT scores are what set me apart, so it was definitely worth it.

Another option to consider is buying just the online component, which is something like $800-$900 I think.

 

[bpenly]

I agree and disagree with typo. I studied on my own for about 2 months during summer school (took two other classes also) and scored 22 AA and a 30 in the bio section. On the other hand, OC took me down to an 18 because I wasn't studying correctly for that section. I used my notes from class and looked over the kaplan book to see what reactions my class was missing.

The point is, you can score really well on your own if you can figure out what is expected. My advice is to read this board and see peoples analysis of the each DAT. I chose to ignore the OCHEM advice and got burned.

Either way, you have to put in your own time studying unless you are really just an extremely gifted person. Kaplan will just focus you a little better so you aren't wasting that precious study time wondering what the heck you are doing or reading this board to kill some time.

 

[DMD_hopeful]

i think kaplan is a huge waste of money..it's like over a grand right? ur so much better off keeping that money and using it for the application process which can get pretty expensive..all u need is the blue book from them and a few other resources and as long as u put in the time you'll do fine..i studied for 2 months over the summer and took it in august and scored a 21 on the AA..so u don't need the class! also it had been a few years since i had taken the classes it tests u on

I agree and disagree. I think the lecture portion is pretty pointless but the online resources are totally worth the money. You get all the subject exams, which are challenging, you get all the additional notes that aren't in the blue book and you get 3 full length exams.

So.. I would suggest taking their online class vs their classroom one.

Anyone who is super disciplined can study and do well on the DAT without Kaplan.. However, Kaplan is good in that they take a ton of info and nicely present it in a 1000+ page book (blue book), which is much simpler to study than all your notes and text books.