DAT RESOURCE REVIEW
Kaplan Course
By: Jackie Nelson '18
All dental school applicants must take the Dental Admission Test (DAT), which is unlike any exam you have ever taken
before. In order to be a competitive applicant, you want to do well on the DAT because it is an aspect of your application
you can easily control. To do this, you must prepare! There are numerous prep materials to choose from, but deciding
how to invest your time and money all depends on your personal preference and learning style. Kaplan offers DAT prep
courses in person and online that cover all aspects of the exam. Deciding whether or not to enroll in a prep course can be
difficult, so listed are some pros and cons to consider before enrolling in a Kaplan prep course:
Pros:
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Comprehensive
o Course covers logistics of the exam, as
well as every section of the DAT
Keeps you on track
o Weekly goals to complete before class
Classroom environment with instructor
o This is how some people learn best
o More people to meet and ask
questions!
Feedback
o Scores are instantly reported
o Analysis of strengths and weaknesses
Online resources
o Optional workshops, quizzes, and full
recorded lectures to review outside of
class
Practice tests
o Timed and on the computer to simulate
actual test experience
"Money Back Guarantee"
o If you are not ready to take the DAT or
not satisfied with your score, you can
take the course again without repaying
Cons:
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Price
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Find discounts online, through ASDA,
etc. if possible!
Kaplan Method
o How Kaplan approaches problem
solving questions may not be the best
approach for you!
Total Science Section
o Relearning general chemistry, organic
chemistry, and biology might be
challenging, so review these before
trying Kaplan's practice questions
PAT Section
o The actual DAT PAT section was
harder than Kaplan's practice PAT
Overall, I would definitely recommend taking a Kaplan prep course to prepare for the DAT, but I recommending using
other resources outside of Kaplan as well. Get extra practice for the PAT section from a second resource, like Crack the
DAT PAT. Also, I had trouble recalling some major concepts from general chemistry and organic chemistry. For these
sections, I'd recommend first watching Chad’s Videos to build up a strong foundation before tackling Kaplan’s prep
questions.