Kaplan DAT 2008-2009 Edition (with CD-ROM)

 (9 customer reviews)

This book is pretty good but its a little too broad. The ideas are unorganized and often it doesn't explain them very well. Other than that I still benefited from it. The most useful thing for the DAT that I found out was the Exam Krackers books that are designed for the MCAT.

I'm taking an MCAT course this summer b/c I'm taking the MCAT and DAT. I'm studying science through my MCAT course, so I bought this book for PAT, math, and reading comp review. I also bought Barron's. Compared to Barron's the PAT and reading comp section are VERY skimpy. In Kaplan, the PAT questions seem too easy and they barely offer any tips on how to tackle them. I didn't have a strong grasp on PAT after reading it. The reading comp section is merely a practice reading comp test (how am I supposed to do well on it if they don't offer any strategy beforehand?). Barron's has a very comprehensive PAT section, which I highly recommend, and the reading section at least has some advice. I haven't taken a good look at the science sections yet, but Kaplan seems stronger in science than Barron's and it definitely has a bigger math section.

The main reason why I bought Kaplan is because it has a practice computer test, which is crucial for getting used to computer-based testing,...Read more

I'm only a quarter of the way through this book, but I can already tell you that it's a quality review tool. It's detailed enough to give you all the information you'll need to know for the exam, yet concise enough to articulate the information quickly and efficiently. My favorite part about his book is the DAT synopses, which sums the most important information up in a box, and the Kaplan Exclusives, which help you remember certain facts and principles easily.