If you’re planning to pursue a career in dentistry, then you’re bound to have to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) in order to get into the college or university of your choice. However, the DAT is not an easy exam, in fact, choosing a great DAT prep course will be key to helping you score high on the DAT exam. With that in mind, it is also important for you to pick the right DAT review course with suitable study materials that suit your learning style.
With so many DAT prep courses available online all claiming to be the best product, picking the best one can be confusing. Choose the wrong review materials and you may find yourself having wasted hundreds of valuable study hours and lots of money. To help you make a better-informed decision on such a crucial choice, we’ve researched and reviewed some of the best DAT prep courses available. Read on below on our take of the top DAT prep courses for you.
Best DAT Prep Courses
Kaplan DAT Review
Kaplan DAT Prep course is one of the most popular review courses on the market and has even taken control of the entire Dental Admission Test review course industry by offering one of the most comprehensive review courses with a number of benefits that are simply too hard to beat. Kaplan DAT prep course is perfect for students who don’t have a strong science background as Kaplan is able to give you the foundation you need to score a competitive level on all sections of the Dental Admission Test.
Kaplan claims to provide the most comprehensive resource for the DAT with 800+ pages of information in their Review Notes book that covers every single topic on the DAT. This book will help you establish a solid foundation for every section of the test on top of serving as an excellent resource for further understanding.
On top of a very thorough study book, Kaplan has more than 3,500 practice questions and five full-length practice exams to give you plenty of problems to solve and to get familiar with the actual DAT exam format. The practice exams and simulations are presented in the exact same computerized format as your test day, including proper time limits, break policies, and rules for moving through the exam content. This will ensure you’re familiar with the DAT format and help build your confidence for the actual exam day.
After each practice test, Kaplan will even generate Smart Reports to help you identify your weakest areas and propose ways to best adjust your preparation for maximum score improvement. Kaplan’s system will analyze each section of the test according to the question type and provide a comprehensive performance analysis. From here, the review course will recommend specific assignments you should do to master the content and improve your scores. Your performance will continue to be assessed as you go along your preparation course.
Kaplan understands that different people have different learning styles that suit them best, which is why this best DAT prep course offers a wide variety of courses available to fit any type of learner. Whether you prefer working alone, attending a class, or have more dedicated attention with a private tutor, Kaplan has it all. Kaplan also offers a free full-length DAT practice test that you can enroll in online for free. It is highly recommended for you to take this free test before you begin your studies to see how well you do and to identify which areas you need to work on. You can treat this practice exam as a baseline for you to compare against as you progress through the DAT prep course.
The bottom line is that the Kaplan DAT course is one of the only few review courses available that’ll give you an all-around solid foundation for the DAT. While there are some specialized courses that do a better job at teaching specific sections of the DAT, they’re certainly not as comprehensive enough to cover everything on the DAT like Kaplan.
Although the review course may be rather expensive, the amount of quality study materials and value you get out of Kaplan greatly outweighs the cost. This is, without a doubt, one of the best DAT prep courses for pre-dental students.
Pros
- Kaplan DAT offers a variety of courses available to make it possible for any type of learner to receive instruction in the way that suits them best. Whether you prefer self-paced online learning, attending a class, or working with a private tutor, Kaplan has something for everyone.
- Kaplan provides a thoroughly comprehensive review course with detailed content for every section of the DAT. The study material is presented in different formats including instructional videos, textbooks, or flashcards to engage and help all types of learners.
- Kaplan has a large bank of practice questions and full-length DAT practice tests to help their students get prepared and ready for their actual DAT. They understand that working through practice questions is an important part of the preparation for any major test.
Cons
- The high-quality study materials in the review course come at a high price. So, do be ready to fork out a nice lump of cash to prepare for the DAT with Kaplan.
Princeton Review
Founded in 1981, the Princeton Review has been a long-time leader in the test-preparation services industry as they helped thousands of college students achieve their higher-education goals. The company is so confident that their comprehensive DAT preparation courses have everything you will ever need to prepare for the DAT that they guarantee it with a money-back policy.
Although Princeton Review has been overlooked at times, they’ve done a complete revamp of their review courses last year and are not top-notch and deserve a serious look by pre-dental students looking for high-quality DAT prep study materials.
When you subscribe to a Princeton Review DAT review course, you’ll get a copy of the Cracking the DAT textbook which has 880+ pages of information that covers every topic on the DAT. This book helps you establish a solid foundation for every section of the Dental Admission Test as well as serving as a reliable resource to boost your understanding.
Aside from the DAT prep book, Princeton Review comes equipped with hundreds of questions and four-full length practice tests to give you plenty of opportunities to solve and become familiar with the actual DAT format. We especially like how Princeton Review has included several practice questions after every section of review content in the Cracking the DAT book to check on your understanding. They also include derailed solution explanations to every practice question, which is crucial for learning and understanding.
After you complete each practice test, the pre-dental school prep course will generate a thorough analysis report to help you identify your weakest areas and suggest ways to adjust your preparation in order to improve your scores. They analyze each section of the test and provide a comprehensive performance analysis with specific advice tailored to your results.
What really impressed us about the Princeton Review is their attention to detail as they offer thorough explanations in all subjects so that you’re never left in the dark. They also include explanations about the DAT, including a general overview, scoring information, and information about dental schools to ensure you know what to expect.
Any of their review course packages come with Perceptual Ability Manipulatives materials to help you enhance your skills for the Perceptual Ability Test. These hands-on materials can be manipulated to visualize and practice for the Angle Discrimination (Angle Ranking), Paper Folding (Hole Punches), Cube Counting, and 3D From Development (Pattern Folding) sections of the Perceptual Ability Test. The prep course even includes additional worksheets and materials online in your portal to gain additional practice.
The bottom line is that the Princeton Review DAT course is perfect for anyone who is serious about achieving high scores on their DAT. This review course provides you with just about anything you will ever need and is even more affordable than most. It’s obvious that the team at the Princeton Review has put plenty of thought and effort into producing a well-structured and organized course with exceptional instruction by their highly trained subject expert instructors.
Pros
- The Princeton Review offers thorough explanations on everything on the DAT course so that you’re never left in the dark. You’ll always know what to expect and how to prepare for it with their well-structured and organized DAT review course.
- Princeton Review offers a variety of courses available to make it possible to match all kinds of learning styles. The versatility of their DAT curriculum is obvious with the choice of self-paced online lessons, classroom lessons, or even private tutoring sessions.
- The Princeton Review DAT course is very comprehensive with detailed content for every section of the DAT along with numerous practice questions and full-length practice tests to get you ready for the actual exam day.
Cons
- The high-quality study materials in the review course come at a high price. So, do be ready to fork out a nice lump of cash to prepare for the DAT with Princeton Review.
Crack the DAT Review
Crack the DAT has made its mark in the DAT prep industry with its top-notch Perceptual Ability Test review materials which have enabled hundreds of pre-dental school students to achieve enormous success with their software.
Crack the DAT’s testing software and limited review material has been designed to provide you with “your prescription for success” on the DAT. The review course emulates the exact same platform interface and actual testing conditions you’ll experience on test day to help you familiarize yourself with the DAT test environment as well as to help you estimate and predict what your DAT scores will be.
Crack the DAT software is available for download on either a Windows or Mac computer and is available for instant download upon checking out. The company even offers unlimited access with no expiration date on the software. You’re even provided with free updates on your software as newer versions are released over the years. So, do periodically check for updates on your software to make sure you have the most current version.
Overall, crack the DAT is an exceptional resource for those who have a little extra cash to spend on. Their high-quality practice tests give you the most realistic experience in order to adequately prepare for the DAT. On top of that, the software is even loaded with additional features to teach and help you through difficult concepts.
Pros
- The software gives you practice exams and simulations that are presented in the same computerized format you see on your test day including the proper time limits, break policies, and rules for moving through the exam content to familiarize yourself with the Dental Admissions Test format.
- Crack the DAT offers thousands of practice questions and up to 10 full-length practice tests to give you plenty of opportunities to practice and get familiar with the actual DAT.
- Crack the DAT provides a free trial for you to download on either your Windows or Mac in order to take a shortened DAT practice test. The free demo contains identical exam simulation software and will even provide you with an analysis report upon the completion of your test.
- Crack the DAT offers a 100% money-back guarantee on all their Royal Flush editions and both of their DAT Bundle Packages. Score a 14 or below on the sections you’ve prepared with Crack the DAT and you’re eligible to get your money back.
Cons
- Unfortunately, Crack the DAT does not provide sufficient supplemental materials to study from to strengthen your knowledge foundation.
- The software can only be used 2-3 weeks off-line before it requires internet connection in order to renew for another 2-3 weeks of off-line usage. So, this may not be the best choice for those who will have long periods of no internet connection.
DAT Cracker Review
DAT Cracker is a relatively new web-based DAT prep company that’s been slowly gaining more recognition in the pre-dental field as they offer affordable DAT review packages consisting of multiple practice tests for each section of the DAT. On top of an affordable price tag, DAT Cracker also has a very friendly user interface that you can easily navigate around the website and find the information you’re looking for. They also have free diagnostic tests for each section to get a feel for their material.
DAT Cracker includes several practice tests for every section of the DAT and adds up to be 45 practice tests in total. They even have randomized tests you can take as a new option for every single section, except for the PAT (Pattern Folding) and Reading Comprehension. Following each test, DAT Cracker will email you your score report.
DAT Cracker even lets you track your progress with the app to see how you’re improving over time. The course includes illustrations and images that help you understand difficult concepts. You can even mark the cards so that you can focus on concepts you do not understand well and need more practice on instead of wasting time on concepts you already know.
The bottom line is that DAT Cracker is an affordable and relatively useful course tool for use to prepare for the DAT. They do a fairly good job at representing the DAT and are even one of the cheapest subscriptions of the DAT practice tests on the market. The answer explanations are decent and can be extremely helpful to understand the material better.
Pros
- The practice exams and simulations presented are in the same computerized format you’ll see on your test day, including the proper time limits, break policies, and rules for moving through the exam content. The difficulty level is also very similar to the actual DAT.
- Following each practice test, you will receive an analysis report that gives you a thorough breakdown in categories of all the questions. This comprehensive analysis will help you analyze your strong and weak subject areas as well as a myriad of other tools to assess your overall testing strategy.
- DAT Cracker provides detailed written and video explanations for the practice questions that are extremely informative. These are great features to access after completing a practice exam as you’ll learn a lot from them in order to increase your scores and excel on the DAT course.
Cons
- Although the DAT Cracker is relatively more affordable than the other options, you should still be ready to fork out a nice lump of cash to prepare with them.
Final Thoughts on DAT Classes
There are plenty of the best DAT prep courses available online. But before making any final decision on which is the best dental admissions test study plan for you, do remember to take some time to note down exactly what you want from a DAT prep curriculum and see which ones match your list. We hope today’s review has given you enough information and knowledge to make an informed decision.
FAQ on DATPrep Study
Do I need a DAT prep course?
To fully prepared for the DAT exam, most students will require a DAT Preparation Classes. After completing your degree, you must pass the DAT in order for you to enrol in dendistry school. Without a proper preparation, you could be sitting for the exam unprepared and will be struggling to pass.