I think it is more realistic.. there are always going to be curve balls on the DAT, if they taught you everything 1st.. then you took the test and got like a 27... then took the real test and got a 18 you be POed... it better to see how you handle what you dont know and learn to just apply common sense and reason.
Yeah when I handed over my $1400 or however much it was, I was expecting some genius, full-time-test-teacher to be teaching the course ... not some 19 year old who got into a 7 year dental school program and was just teaching her first DAT course. I was incredibly disappointed by her lack of knowledge of anything but the material directly in front of her. (I couldn't even tell you how many times she told us to "google it" if we didn't know something.) What a waste of time to drive 40 minutes twice a week for that ... luckily I didn't end up needing that money back guarantee, lol ...
BUT the book and online materials were definitely part of the key to my success on the DAT. Excellent stuff. The screen style of the tests could have been more realistic, but it did prepare me and teach me where I was weak and needed more focus.