HOT DAT Prep Materials

The DAT is a nationwide test. That being said, the routes students take in their preparation for the Test vary like Michael Jackson after the plastic surgeries. Many companies have attempted to capitalize on market of students by making review books, programs and courses. Some review materials are a must buy while others should be avoided like the plague. Through the valuable opinions of the members of Student Doctor Network (SDN) who have successfully taken the DAT, (and now my own opinion as of 3/10/12 :) ) I have compiled a list of materials that are worth getting.


I will post a picture of each review material listed, 
than add a link to the picture of a possible source of where you can get it along with a review of the material (with my opinions inserted if I used it).

Click This Sentence To see and vote on the Hottest 2012 DAT Study Materials on SDN

1. Crack DAT PAT 

Crack DAT PAT is a downloadable program that you can use to simulate an actual DAT PAT test. It is by far the best PAT prep material out so far. Many SDNer's will attest to this. Having taken the DAT already, I can say that this was prep material is by far the most accurate representation of what the test was like (make sure you work on your speed!). You can set time limits for each of the 10 tests and the explanations given at the end are very helpful for helping you visualize those 2D images in 3D. They have a few versions you can buy, royal flush edition giving you the most practice material. I actually bought this one and found the extra questions in Angle Ranking, Cube Counting and Hole Punching very useful. These are the sections where you will need to zoom through to create some extra time for the other 3 sections that are a lot more time consuming. The virtually unlimited practice offered by the Royal Flush edition is very valuable in my opinion for making you a master at the 3 sections.  A must buy!

2. DAT Achiever

I personally did not use this for prep, however it is currently rated as the hottest DAT study prep material in 2012 by SDN on this thread. I have read on SDN that is a great simulation of taking the DAT since it is computer based, timed, and really tests your ability! Based on what I have read on SDN (and other threads), Achiever is harder than the actual DAT, but hey, just like the DAT Destroyer by Dr. Jim Romano, if you master doing hard problems, the actual test will be a cinch.

Here for the 5 Test Package 

Here for the 7 test package.

3. Chad's Videos

Having Trouble with General Chemistry or Organic Chemistry, not to fear, Chad is hear. I have read so many threads on SDN attesting to how great he is in helping you understand General and Organic Chemistry. Make sure you take diligent notes and do the quizzes to help with retention!

4. Organic Chemistry as a Second Language Translating the Basic Concepts by David Klein

Has it been a semester or two since you finished Organic Chemistry? Rusty on the mechanisms and concepts? Are your memories of O-Chem clear as mud? If you relate to any of the aforementioned questions, this is the book for you. David Klein uses simple and concise examples from everyday life and relates them to topics of organic chemistry, making seemingly complex concepts very easy to understand. There is also a good amount of practice questions to help with retention. Plus, I'm sure you aced your O-Chem class so you she be able to re-learn all these concepts much quicker

I was panicking for DAT O-Chem, but after reading (more like skimming) through both of these, I felt much better (21 on Ochem :) ). If you have any friends taking O-Chem, I highly recommend this book for them as well ( I used both for my O Chem classes and boy did they help).
You can buy both of his books (for O-Chem I and O-Chem II) on Amazon I linked the pictures to them.
I'll also put a link to half.com. Amazon is usually cheaper, but you can occasionally find them cheaper on eBay or half.com.

Organic Chemistry I
Half.com
eBay

Organic Chemistry II
Half.com
eBay

5. DAT DestrOyer

General consensus on SDN is that DAT Destroyer is harder than the actual DAT (in Gen Chem and O-Chem). I definitely agree. It is formatted a little differently from other review books, ie. it is basically a huge bank of questions. Make sure you understand the CONCEPTS introduced by questions, and don't just memorize answers. Know the explanations given for each question at the end of each section, and know why all the other answer choices given are right or wrong. If you are very fluent with the material presented in this book, you will be pleased with your results on the DAT! 

I linked the picture to the Destroyer listings on eBay. You can sometimes get lucky and find people selling it on their cheaper than Orgoman.com.

6. Math DestrOyer

Filled with 13 Practice tests and over 500 questions, this is definitely the only tool you need to master the QR section of the DAT. Like the destroyer, detailed solutions are given for every question. If you are rusty/weak in math, than the QR section in the regular destroyer probably isn't enough. Get this! Learn this! Understand all the concepts! Beast the DAT QR!  ;) 

Tip for using both the "Destroyers": As you are answering the questions, put a mark by any questions where the answer doesn't come to you "instantaneously". Make a note card of all those marked questions and review them until the concepts are clear.

I linked the picture of Math Destroyer to eBay as well. Like the regular destroyer, you can sometimes get it on eBay for cheaper. If not, get it from Orgoman.com.

7. TopScore Pro

Many SDN users feel that TopScore is very representative of the DAT. Here is a thread from 2008 that polls the difference in scores that users of TopScore had with the real DAT. Use books like Destroyer and others to help yourself understand more material than use TopScore to measure how much you really know. Here is a more recent thread from October 2011 that also shows that TopScore was very representative of the real DAT.

8. Kaplan's "Blue Book"

A great book to review and refresh your mind on some of the major concepts of the subjects covered on the DAT. The PAT questions are definitely much too easy in here though, make sure to prepare with more difficult PAT problems like the ones in CDP, Top Score, or Achiever.

This book is a great review/refresher because it concisely summarizes a lot of topics. Definitely supplement this with Destroyer/Math Destroyer as it doesn't cover every topic in Gen Chem, O-Chem, QR, and Bio.

9. Cliff's AP Biology

A solid review source for Biology. Shorter than the Campbell's textbook but more in depth than Kaplan and Destroyer. It goes fairly in depth with the many topics of Biology and will prepare you fairly well. You will definitely get the most bang for your buck with this review material (as most of you reading this probably already know, DAT prep can be pretty pricey, especially if you pay for a Kaplan class!). Luckily, for those of us looking for a more economical way to prepare, this book is here! You can get a used copy of the 2nd edition for a penny!

10. Campbell's Biology 

Probably one of the most if not the most well  known textbook in Biology to student's across the U.S. (hence the price tag on more recent editions 0.o ).

My first semester freshman biology teacher said if you knew this book inside and out you would have no problem passing the MCAT, DAT or PCAT biology. He was right (of course knowing 1300+ pages of information on any topic would make you fairly knowledgeable in that topic), but I digress. This is definitely a great review source and an even greater source to learn concepts you never learned or had a complete grasp on. Great pictures and explanations of concepts.

I used this book for 2 years in high school and 1 in college. This book helped me build a strong foundation in Biology and I am forever grateful as the Bio section on the DAT was a breeze for me.