dindin23 Posted October 8, 2007 Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 did anyone take rock the dat course in addition to kaplans? i am just wondering how useful the rock the dat course comparing to kaplans and would anyone recomment it? i already took kaplans but not sure if i should take rock the dat one. Any suggestions? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orchid Posted October 8, 2007 Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 I can't comment for sure cause I haven't done it, but I know 2 friends doing/did Kaplan DAT, AND are registering for rock the dat... they are basing this on what they heard from another friend, saying it was very worthwhile. Plus the benefit is to do a full-length (or two?) again. They heard the Toronto site was good and that's where they are going for it, but I would imagine if its standardized it should be good everywhere else. Kaplan gives you the whack of material, but they want a fresh perspective for a few extra hundred... quick, solid review too. Not sure if that helps - good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright_Smile Posted October 8, 2007 Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 I took Kaplan, and it helped a lot. The materials they give are very thorough, and they force you to practice under test-like conditions. My instructor was great at PAT and carving - that's what you need the one-on-one stuff for. Furthermore, if you sign up for Kaplan, you get online access to a HUGE database of test questions. They are organized into sections, each with the number and type of questions you will see on the actual test. I didn't take Rock the DAT, so I can't help you there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dindin23 Posted October 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 thanks everyone for your helpful inputs...i am worried ALOT about the reading comp i can not finish all three passages on time so i was thinking maybe i should take the rock the dat thingy just to practice for the reading comp...so the question is now is it worth taking the rock the dat for just the reading comp part only? thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dent2b Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 Hey, I took rock the dat in october... the reading comp during the 2 day course was only covered on the first day i think, but then the next week with the mock dat, i thought the reading comp questions were decent, and they were faily comparable with what i saw on the dat when i wrote it... and i wanna bash kaplan, but i did that one a different forum and got banned... so i'm not gunna say anything bad and lose this one too!! rock the dat seemed to explain the PAT well, and there was LOTS of 1 on 1 time for the carving and for general questions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonellaM Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 I can't really speak for Kaplan as I did not take it, but I bought their book and to be honest did not find it to be very well structured. I felt a lot more confident going through my course materials that covered the same topics as they were a lot more in depth, but that's just my opinion. As for rock the dat, I really liked it, there was plenty of one-on-one time to practice carving and lots of useful tips and tricks for the PAT section. I also followed their reading comp strategies and always finished ahead of time when I did so. They cut down my PAT time as well I think it depends on your study method, if you feel more confident learning the science section by yourself, take Rock the DAT, it will save you some money, and there's less time commitment. If you need someone to whip you into shape in all sections, take Kaplan. In either case, I found the best prep for the dat is doing as many practice questions as possible as many times as possible. The courses can only get you so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dent* Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 I took Rock the Dat, and it's very, very helpful for the carving section. The dentistry students teach you tips and tricks, and you can also get them to critique your carvings. It's alright for the PAT (they show you some tips and techniques, but go a bit quick so it's hard to grasp the concepts with harder things like Orthographic Projections). I wouldn't recommend it if you are looking for help with RC or Science. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnie Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 A course is only as good as the practice material they provide you with. This is where courses make their money. They need to charge enough so that in case their material gets around to non-paying students, they're not losing much since they charge paying students high prices to compensate. I took no course. Courses can give you a false sense of security, and its easy to get caught up in the course ritual. If I take a course, I have a guarantee. This is my safety net. Take responsibility for yourself, remind yourself of the consequences of your actions/ inaction, and use as much practice material as you can get a hand on-- library, online, whatever. Learning from your mistakes is the only way to raise your score. You can do this with or without a course. Lastly, ONLY write the DAT when you feel ready. No point slating a date and getting killed. Write it once, make sure its your best performance. There is no shame in delaying a write-date if you think it will help you in the end. I hope my post didn't sound cocky or too absolute. I realize everyone has different styles and weaknesses. Ultimately, do what you feel is best. GLuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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