DAT Test Prep Review

Kaplan

Kaplan offers On Demand and Live Online prep courses for those readying to take the Dental Admission Test. Classes are led by knowledgeable instructors who scored in the top 10% on the DAT, and who are effective at holding students' attention and clearly conveying both subject content and test strategies. Lessons pay particular attention to the perceptual ability section, the exam's most difficult.

There is a significant amount of resources for both courses. They include seven full-length practice tests in the same format as the DAT, as well as more than 5,000 practice questions that break out by test section as 2,000+ for survey of natural science and reading comprehension, 2,000+ for quantitative reasoning, and more than 1,000 for perceptual ability. Students also get a personalized study plan, a DAT prep book, and portable study sheets.

The On Demand course that can be used at any time provides 36 hours of pre-recorded video lessons with an instructor. It's available with access for either three or six months. The Live Online course provides 15 live 2½-hour classes that focus on the most likely content to appear on the DAT as well as test strategy.

For a lower cost, students can bypass instruction and access just practice tests and QBank questions. The Practice Test Pack include two full-length tests, the Self-Study has the Practice Test Pack plus four months access to the QBank, and the QBank only has more than 1,500 questions, plus another 650+ just on perceptual ability.

Good for those who appreciate the range of options from a company that's been doing test prep well for a long time.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review keeps it simple for the Dental Admission Test with just one course, the live online DAT 430+. But it packs a lot into the program. There are 60 hours of live instruction, taught by a team of three to five subject experts who rotate in and out according to the relevant topics. The lessons are structured well, developed so they build on the previous material, and also include DAT test-taking skills.

The comprehensive course provides a good number of study resources, including four full-length practice tests intended to model what will be on the DAT, and more than 7,000 practice questions with detailed explanations. These are boosted by extra video lessons on organic and general chemistry.

Students also receive a DAT textbook, workbooks, and 180 pages of drills for in-class use. Included as well is a 3-D practice kit with physical objects to help students improve their performance on the tricky perceptual ability section.

Princeton Review offers a money-back guarantee based on performance. It will refund the cost of the course if a student who had at least a 390 baseline score doesn't get 430 or higher on the real DAT, or doesn't boost their score by at least 40 points if their baseline was under 390.

Good for those who think Princeton Review's well-rounded single option gets it right, and appreciate the 430+ money-back guarantee.

DAT Bootcamp

DAT Bootcamp offers two levels of its online video courses for students preparing to go to dental school, which customer reviews praise for the realistic study materials and comprehensive preparation via a large number of materials. The look of the practice tests is very similar to the real Dental Admission Test and also stays close to its content, and the prep is updated weekly to stay current. However, the courses do not have any live classes.

Both levels, Bootcamp Pro and Bootcamp Plus, include more than 3,550 instructional videos taught by experts, with particularly good ones for chemistry, that focus on the kind of questions that frequently show up often on the DAT. They also come with access to more than 11,000 practice questions with explanations for right and wrong answers, 10 full-length tests, and unlimited practice for the harder perceptual ability section. Among other features, students can also ask for assistance from the content experts.

The Bootcamp Pro level allows access to all these resources for 90 days. The Bootcamp Plus prep, which is available for 180 days, encompasses everything in the Pro level, along with five more full-length tests, and 30 more tests for the exam sections, five for each of them.

A Higher Score Guarantee is offered based on the student's academic average, the average of their biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, quantitative reasoning, and reading comprehension scores, not including perceptual ability. Only someone who's taken the DAT before can claim it, if their score when taking it again after going through a Bootcamp course isn't higher than their previous number. If that happens, their access to the prep course will be extended for free for up to 180 days until they take the exam again.

Good for those who want practice materials that are close to the DAT in appearance and content, and want to study with an impressively large question bank.

DAT Booster

DAT Booster has similarities to Bootcamp, including it's two levels of courses, Premium Membership and Premium Membership Plus. Its wealth of practice tests and questions are praised for closely duplicating the actual exam in content and appearance. Its features that help effectively boost student scores include the PAT Booster, which focuses on the more difficult perceptual ability section with interactive 3-D models, section-specific tips, and an unlimited number of PAT questions. The prep courses also have some game elements to help the learning go down easier.

The Premium Membership provides 90-day access to more than 3,000 video lessons taught by experts in instructing the content for the DAT. The material has custom illustrations that aid in better grasping the concepts being taught, and is organized into subject-based modules. Study schedules can be set up to guide the process.

Premium also has 10 full-length practice tests and some 11,200+ practice questions, updated weekly, emphasizing concepts that often are tested on the exam and mimicking what students will see when they take it. Students are also able to speak to instructors for assistance through chat. Premium Plus, which has 180-day access, has all the same features as the regular Premium, along with five extra tests for individual sections for an overall 25 more. These students also receive higher priority.

DAT Booster provides a guarantee of a score increase after the course. It also is based on the student's academic average, the average of their biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, quantitative reasoning, and reading comprehension scores, not including perceptual ability. For someone who's taken the DAT before, if their post-Booster course score isn't higher than their first one, they can request a 50% refund, or ask for their course to be extended for 90 days.

Good for those who want a course that embraces more innovative methods, like its PAT Booster and gaming elements.

iPrepDental

This smaller prep company than the bigger players offers an eight-week online DAT course for under $600m and claims a 90% rate of its students scoring higher than 20 on the Dental Admission Exam. Although the course is eight weeks, the site remains accessible to students for three months.

The course offers more than 50 hours of recorded online lessons and thorough study notes, taught by instructors who scored 24 or higher on the DAT. It has a structured, demanding schedule with daily work for seven days a week. That instruction covers all aspects of the DAT's content, and also teaches strategies to help test takers quickly and accurately advance through the exam.

Students have access to assistance from instructors and TA's through a discussion board, as well as a group chat with others who started taking the course at the same month as them. iPrepDental also provides more than 18 full-length practice tests, and hundreds of practice questions and quizzes.

Good for those who want to buckle down with a demanding course, and are comfortable with a smaller prep business.