Test Prep Insight is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Best DAT Prep Courses & Study Materials
Our comprehensive guide to the best DAT prep courses and study materials on the market
The DAT is one of the most challenging exams that you’ll take in your life, and in order to crush this all-important test, you’ll very likely need a prep course. But with so many options to choose from, how do you know which one is best for your needs? Our team of experts has purchased, thoroughly tested and reviewed just about every DAT prep course on the market, and ranked the best of the best here, so you can make the right decision on which is best for you.
To quickly navigate through this comprehensive guide of the best DAT prep courses and study materials, simply use the jump-to links above.
Which DAT Course Is Best? Our Video Review
In the video above, John from the Test Prep Insight team walks you through an overview of the three best DAT prep courses on the market. For more detail on any of the courses discussed in the video, be sure to keep reading below.
When it comes to DAT prep, DAT Bootcamp’s self-paced study program gets a ton of hype—and for good reason. They’ve primarily made a name for themselves by offering an absolute mountain of realistic practice material, a guided study plan, and some very solid video lessons.
Their video lessons are especially good. They have awesome production value and we loved the energy we got from DAT Bootcamp’s instructors, particularly their chemistry expert, Dr. Mike.
Chemistry video lesson from Dr. Mike
Additionally (as discussed more below), the biggest selling point in our team’s opinion is DAT Bootcamp’s heaps of practice work. There is no questioning that they are the kings of practice. And it’s more than just volume (11,000+ problems), as we found DAT Bootcamp’s practice problems to be the most realistic in the space.
They are a dead ringer for the content, difficulty and length of real problems. And in terms of when to do this practice work and watch those solid video lessons, DAT Bootcamp provides a really helpful study plan that we found to be one of the best in the game.
If there is one major downside here, when compared directly with Kaplan and Princeton Review, DAT Bootcamp doesn’t offer live classes, which can be a huge benefit when prepping for the DAT.
To be fair, they have rolled out some new live crash courses, which are pretty solid 3-hour intensive sessions, but they are an add-on and not regularly scheduled yet. Once Bootcamp builds these workshop sessions into their main course, they will unstoppable.
Mountains of DAT Study Material
If you’re the type of student that loves to burn through practice questions and take tons of simulated exams, DAT Bootcamp will be the option for you. They offer a crazy amount of practice work, and it is top-tier in the DAT prep space.
Specifically, you’ll get access to over 10 or 15 full-length practice tests (depending on your package), 11,000+ practice questions, and an unlimited number of PAT questions through their PAT generator.
And like I noted above, it wasn’t just the quantity that impressed our team – we also really liked what we saw with respect to quality.
DAT Bootcamp problem explanation
The practice questions from DAT Bootcamp are realistic in terms of content and difficulty, and we thought they closely mirrored the real thing.
We also liked the explanations that accompany their practice problems, especially those that carry a video explanation. These short video breakdowns were really useful and we wish they would add more to follow each question.
Chemistry Videos
While the quality of all their video lessons is solid, the series of chemistry videos from Dr. Mike are particularly good and noteworthy (hence the extra section to emphasize them). Dr. Mike is engaging, enthusiastic and a great communicator. I cannot say enough about these videos.
DAT Bootcamp practice problem
He easily breaks down some really tough chemistry concepts, that even the experts on our team find to be difficult. He uses sample problems to perfection to help explain his lesson and loves using the digital whiteboard, which can be a major benefit to visual learners.
We’ve even had readers tell us that they’ve used his chemistry videos as supplemental learning for class work. They’re that good.
Bottom Line
The bottom line for DAT Bootcamp is that they offer the most efficient and effective package on the market. Between their video lessons, study notes, study schedule, and realistic practice work, we were super impressed.
And it’s offered at a decent price! For right around $520, DAT Bootcamp is a killer value.
Kaplan makes our best DAT prep courses list for a number reasons, namely their engaging live classes,high quality video lessons, realistic practice material.
An example slide from one of Kaplan’s chemistry lessons
For starters, Kaplan’s live classes are the best in the entire DAT prep space. The classes are led by some amazing instructors that are engaging, personable, and knowledgeable (more detail about Kaplan’s live classes below).
Next, offering 120+ hours of online lessons and practice, Kaplan offers a ton of prep resources that will keep you busy right up until the day of your exam. This package includes a whopping 7 full-length practice exams, 5,000+ practice questions in a customizable question bank, interactive workshops, books and quizzes.
Bottom line, Kaplan offers a mountain of tried and tested DAT study materials that will fit the needs of students who love to grind out their studying with tons of practice work.
Live DAT Classes
If you’re the kind of student who thrives on live classes—whether you value the guidance and support they offer or need the accountability of a regular class schedule to stay on track—Kaplan is an excellent choice.
With 36 hours of live instruction, Kaplan provides a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to mastering the exam. Their instructors are not only highly knowledgeable but also exceptional communicators, making complex concepts easy to understand.
Kaplan’s lesson plans are thoughtfully designed for maximum efficiency, and they assign targeted homework after each session that ties directly into the day’s material. The live classes follow a structured, course-long curriculum that builds logically from one session to the next, creating a seamless learning experience.
This approach is notably different from Bootcamp’s one-off workshops, which serve a more focused, supplementary purpose.
If live classes are the cornerstone of your study strategy, our team confidently recommends Kaplan for its well-rounded and organized approach.
Excellent Video Lessons
Kaplan’s on demand video lessons are also a highlight of their DAT prep package. They are not quite as good as those from Bootcamp, but rock solid nonetheless.
These videos are modern, engaging and designed to effectively feed you everything you need to know about the DAT. Our team loved both the substantive content and delivery format of these lessons.
They are not the PowerPoint video lectures of yesteryear. These video lessons feature a team of rotating instructors who guide you through the most important concepts of DAT prep.
Unlike other companies’ video lessons, you actually get to frequently see your instructor onscreen and watch them work practice problems and explain concepts through a sleek digital whiteboard.
This format held my attention, and is generally going to be helpful for visual learners. Additionally, I loved the content of the lessons. Kaplan’s DAT test taking strategies are on point, and we had no issue with the content review portion of the lessons.
Along with Bootcamp and Kaplan, Princeton Review has one of the deepest curriculums we’ve reviewed. It all starts with a set of coursework that our team found to be incredibly comprehensive and well-designed.
Princeton does not shy away from the details, and their coursework gets into the nitty gritty, covering every last bit of material that you need to know for the DAT. This curriculum is primarily driven by their live classes, and prep books.
A snapshot from a Princeton Review lesson on organic chemistry
These books and classes are supplemented by over 4,600 practice questions and 4 full-length practice exams, which we found to be highly realistic of the actual DAT, including the all-important PAT section.
Solid Live Instruction
As mentioned above, Princeton Review’s live classes are one of the main reasons they make our best list. With 55 hours of live class time, they offer almost 20 hours more of live prep time than their next closest competitor, Kaplan (36 hours).
Winning on the quantity front is always good, but we also like the design of these live class sessions (though not quite as much as Kaplan’s).
Instead of using one generalist instructor who knows a little bit about everything, Princeton Review employs a subject matter expert approach. Specifically, this means you’re going to get a rotating team of 3 to 5 subject matter experts leading your sessions.
Princeton Review DAT prep practice test
These instructors were fantastic, and rotate in and out throughout your class sessions based on their strengths. Additionally, I found them all to be excellent communicators.
Maybe they weren’t all the most lively or funniest teachers I’ve had, but they were clearly all masters of their relevant areas and did an excellent job spoon feeding us the essentials that are needed for the DAT.
Awesome DAT Prep Books
As a complement to the core live instruction, Princeton Review boasts some of the best DAT prep books on the market. When you sign up with Princeton, they will ship you a set of hardcopy prep books that our team absolutely loved.
This set includes their legendary Cracking the DAT prep book, which has been a staple of DAT preppers for decades, and includes over 800 pages of test taking strategies, hard content review, and practice material.
You also get a course workbook with 500+ pages of practice problems, as well as an in-class booklet that contains drills and supplemental practice work.
Our team found these books to be clearly written, detailed and thoughtfully designed in terms of the balance they strike between strategy, content and practice. These books offer a huge benefit to text-based learners.
DAT Score Guarantee
For those who want total confidence in their ability to excel on the DAT, Princeton Review offers a compelling option with their 20+ Score Guarantee. True to its name, this course guarantees you’ll score a 20 or higher on the exam—equivalent to about the 70th percentile—which makes you a highly competitive candidate in the admissions process.
If you’re looking for a risk-free approach to securing a top-tier score, this program is an excellent choice. The promise is simple: hit the 70th percentile, or get your tuition back. It’s a strong assurance for students committed to success.
Why DAT Cracker Makes the Best DAT Study Material List
When considering all of the factors that help a course rise to our list of best DAT prep courses, value is always a huge part of the equation. Priced at just $199, DAT Cracker provides serious bang for your buck.
Let’s not hide the ball though – this course is no DAT Bootcamp, Princeton Review, or Kaplan. They do not provide robust video lessons, prep books, creative drills or interactive learning modules.
DAT Cracker costs what it does for a reason – this is a library of DAT and PAT practice tests that are designed to help you prep through practice, practice an more practice, pure and simple.
A sample PAT question from DAT Cracker
That said, while there aren’t any engaging video lectures or cool drills, there is one component of this online course that provides some significant instructional value, and that is the problem explanations that accompany every practice problem.
More on these below, but know that our team really liked these explanations. In short, if you’re on a budget and need a value prep option for your upcoming DAT, then DAT Cracker may be a solid option.
Awesome Practice Problem Explanations
As alluded to above, one of the highlights of this prep offering are the detailed problem explanations that accompany each and every one of the 1,400+ practice problems. These detailed explanations cover exactly why each answer choice is correct or incorrect. And this is more than simple one sentence statements of the obvious.
These explanations thoroughly explain the underlying rationale behind the question, the content or theory being tested, and why each choice makes sense or does not.
They are well written, comprehensive, and perhaps most importantly, easily understandable. These explanations provide your primary learning opportunity with DAT Cracker and their value should not be overlooked.
DAT Cracker As A Study Supplement
One thought our team shared as we reviewed the DAT Cracker course was that it would make for an excellent supplemental study tool. Without video lessons, live classes, prep books or other interactive study tools, it is hard for this course to stand on its own, unless you are an experiential learner who learns best by just doing. If you are, and practice work is all you need, then you may be set with DAT Cracker alone.
But if you’re like most others and need more instructional material, then DAT Cracker could be a nice study aid. For just $199, you get access to tons of practice tests with thousands of solid problem explanations.
The ideal study option here is likely going with DAT Bootcamp or Kaplan, then utilizing DAT Cracker to bolster your library of study material. Their practice tests do an excellent job mirroring the real DAT in terms of content and delivery, and we loved their problem explanations, as mentioned above. So if you’re looking for some additional practice work, this prep package might be a great supplementary option.
FAQ
Do I need a DAT prep course?
As the DAT is one of the most important exams you’ll take in your life and is filled with difficult problems, you will almost definitely need a prep course. The DAT is nearly impossible to ace without a prep package of some sort.
How much does a DAT prep course cost?
DAT prep packages range widely in price from around $200 all the way up to nearly $2,000.
Will a DAT prep course raise my score?
Very likely yes. The DAT is brimming with difficult material that you’ve probably forgotten since your undergrad science classes, as well as unique problem types that require actionable strategies. Given this, a prep course will almost assuredly raise your score as compared to going it without prep materials.
