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DAT Booster vs DAT Bootcamp
See which prep course wins in this comparison of DAT Bootcamp vs DAT Booster
When it comes to DAT prep, there are no two courses more similar than DAT Bootcamp and DAT Booster. Both offer the same general slate of features, and are even structured similarly. So how do you decide which is best for you? Luckily, we’ve purchased, used and thoroughly tested each DAT program. In this detailed guide, we break down all the strengths and weaknesses you need to understand, as well as note which course we think is better overall.
As this is a lengthy post, we’ve included jump-to links above for your convenience.
Video Review: DAT Bootcamp or DAT Booster?
In the above video, team member John breaks down the similarities and differences between DAT Booster and DAT Bootcamp. Please continue reading our written comparison below for more detail.
To begin this post, let’s kick things off with a discussion of cost, as it’s an important topic (especially for students).
DAT Bootcamp has two course options to choose from. First, there is the Pro package, which includes 90 days of access to almost all of Bootcamp’s tools and resources. This is their standard course and it costs right around $520.
Then Bootcamp also has a more premium Pluspackage, which costs closer to $920. That product gives you 180 days of access and kicks in an additional 5 full-length exams.
DAT Bootcamp problem video explanation
On the flip side is DAT Booster, which has two course offerings. Their premium membership costs $399, is good for 90 days, and gives you access to most of DAT Booster’s materials. Then, their premium membership maxcosts $699, is good for 180 days, and gives you access to all of DAT Booster’s materials.
Stepping back and putting things in perspective, DAT Booster is roughly $120 cheaper than Bootcamp. You’re looking at around $400 for Booster vs $520 for Bootcamp. This is not a negligible difference, and those are some decent savings.
However, it is important to note that those are just full retail prices, and both companies almost offer some sort of sale or special promotion, and you can usually find their courses for 10% to 20% off. In some cases, it may help close the pricing gap. So do be sure to check for coupon codes before buying.
How Each DAT Prep Course Works
Now that we’ve covered pricing, let’s briefly cover how each DAT prep program generally works and the study materials that you get.
To begin, I’ll just start with this: the courses from both DAT Bootcamp and DAT Booster are very, very similar in terms of the features that they offer, and even the way that they deliver their courses.
Both companies give you full-length practice tests, video lessons and video solutions, a checklist-style daily schedule, a Qbank, study notes and cheat cheats, flashcards, and more.
Not to mention, even the way the materials are housed and the way you navigate the course is similar, with everything broken out by the 6 DAT subjects.
DAT Bootcamp drill
Basically, from a high level point of view, the packages look nearly identical. However, as you might guess, there are definitely some differences if you know where to look, and I think those are probably best explained by looking at where each course has its strengths.
DAT Bootcamp Strengths
I believe DAT Bootcamp is particularly strong when it comes to practice work, video lessons, study schedule, and user experience. Let’s break those areas down.
Realistic Practice Work
A particularly strong facet of the DAT Bootcamp course is their practice material. It’s clear that they have invested a ton of time and money into the realism of their practice material, right down to the Prometric-style interface.
DAT Bootcamp practice problem with solution
When considering the difficulty, content and length of questions, we think Bootcamp’s problems very closely match the real exam.
Plus, Bootcamp delivers significantly more problems than just about every other prep provider in the space. In total, DAT Bootcamp’s program contains over 13,000 questions, while Booster’s program offers 8,900. That 8,900 figure is still very respectable (and is a lot of practice work), but it’s hard to argue with Bootcamp’s crazy volume of practice material.
For those that learn by doing and burn through practice work, this might be a nice advantage.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the DAT Bootcamp answer solutions (which come with their problems in text and video format) are very understandable and digestible in my opinion. They offer excellent rationales.
High-Quality Video Lessons
Second, our team prefers the video lessons and short video solutions from DAT Bootcamp over Booster’s. Both companies provide hundreds of video lessons covering content review, as well as hundreds more that each break down practice problems. And while they’re all good (both are much better than Kaplan’s), we just see Bootcamp’s as being slightly better.
While we actually think DAT Booster has stronger production value and better graphics, the analysis seems to go a little deeper with Bootcamp. In short, the Bootcamp videos dive a little deeper into each topic.
DAT Bootcamp PAT problem breakdown
Length isn’t everything, but it’s not just number of minutes and seconds in these Bootcamp videos. The points Bootcamp hits on make sense and resonated with me. Overall, though a very close call, we just prefer the DAT Bootcamp video lectures and problem solution videos.
Guided Study
If you’re looking for a little hand holding in your DAT prep, I was a very big fan of DAT Bootcamp’s study schedule. It is so detailed that it even breaks down which days to rest and recover.
For students that are not good about driving their own studies and figuring out what to study and when, this will be a life saver.
I do wish the study schedule was better integrated directly into the dashboard (it’s a standalone file), but it was incredibly useful nonetheless.
Superior Digital Experience
One more quick win here is that DAT Bootcamp has a slightly better overall digital platform and user experience. With their platform, everything is really modern and clean, and the functionality is awesome.
The program is super intuitive to navigate, and I personally found it to be one of the better overall prep course designs.
DAT Booster’s platform is strong in its own right, and actually pretty similar to Bootcamp’s, but just lacks some of the modern features and looks.
Now that you know the major highlights of Bootcamp’s course, let’s switch sides and cover the major advantages in favor of DAT Booster.
Better Written Study Materials
If you’re the type of student that thrives with detailed study notes and highly condensed cheat sheets that summarize the highest-yield content, you will love Booster’s written study materials.
As noted above, both companies provide written study materials, including cheat sheets and study notes. However, we prefer DAT Booster’s materials.
Their notes provide a ton of graphics, are organized very logically, and seem to find a really nice balance of detail and brevity. They cover just the right amount of info so that you learn, but without becoming bogged down.
DAT Booster study notes
Plus, these notes and cheat sheets are very smartly structured. They are built in a logical, progressive order and organized with a traditional outline numbering and lettering convention. For my OCD brain, they were a gift.
I do wish Booster provided these study notes in printed textbook form (for the record, Bootcamp doesn’t either), as I think that would be a huge advantage, but I am a big fan.
High-Quality Practice Work
Much like DAT Bootcamp, DAT Booster also offers some incredibly high-quality practice work that we found to be realistic of the actual DAT. In terms of content, difficulty and length of real problems, Booster’s are a great mockup.
And I’m not the only one to think so. They also get a lot of rave reviews on reddit for their practice realism as well. Plus, their answer solutions are rock solid in my opinion.
Bottom line, we really like Booster’s practice material, especially their PAT practice work and tools (as more fully explained below).
PAT Tools & Materials
Another advantage for DAT Booster is their PAT Generator. The short version of the story is that DAT Booster was originally PAT Booster. The PAT was literally all they focused on.
They’ve obviously have since expanded into full DAT prep, but due to this initial focus, their institutional expertise is clearly the PAT and everything that comes along with it.
As such, they provide a really, really good PAT generator tool and analyzer.
DAT Booster practice test
With their generator, you can create as many PAT problems as you want, broken down however you want. This allows you to really zero in on your weak areas. They also give you a cool analyzer tool that provides feedback on where you need work.
Not to mention, their 3D review tool is awesome and a lot of their video content centers around PAT. So if the PAT is a weak area for you, it’s definitely something to think about.
Really Strong Support
Another thing I liked about Booster was their support system. To be clear, it’s only online coaching, not live tutoring. This is not dozens of hours working intensively with a private tutor to boost your score. But it is very valuable.
They simply can’t offer that level of live personalization at their price point, but for helping answer some questions around your weak areas and fine tuning your study schedule, this online coaching and support really helps.
Higher Score Guarantee
Lastly, you’ve got the higher score guarantee, and this one’s pretty simple. DAT Booster provides a higher score money back guarantee, while Bootcamp doesn’t. It’s a simple but important difference in policy.
A video lesson from DAT Booster
So for those of you that are pretty nervous about the exam or looking for an insurance policy, take note of this.
Though I would just note that at the lower price points for these two courses, it’s not as important as it is with say Princeton Review or Kaplan, where the DAT course can cost thousands.
That covers the nitty gritty detail, so let’s get to my final verdict. Should you go with DAT Booster or DAT Bootcamp for your prep?
Well, after taking and thoroughly reviewing each program, it’s a very tough call. Here’s what I would ultimately say.
If you are looking for superb written study materials, like cheat sheets and study notes, go DAT Booster. Their written materials are fantastic. Likewise, if perceptual ability is a weak spot for you, go with DAT Booster in that case as well. That is their specialty, and their PAT tools are insanely helpful.
However, if video lectures, on demand problem solutions, and tons of realistic practice work are crucial to you, then go with DAT Bootcamp. They excel with respect to all of those elements and offer an amazing self-guided study package.
After a full and thorough review of each course, it is a very, very tough call. Both courses are eerily similar. However, if study notes, cheat sheets and an emphasis on perceptual ability is important to you, go with DAT Booster. But if video lessons, problem solutions, and lots of practice material are more important, go with DAT Bootcamp. To be honest though, we really like both.
What is the difference between DAT Booster and DAT Bootcamp?
To be totally honest, there really isn’t much different between DAT Booster and DAT Bootcamp. The two courses share so much in common that it’s kind of weird. I would say though that Booster’s strength is written materials and the PAT, while Bootcamp’s strength is their video lectures and practice work.
Is DAT Bootcamp cheaper than DAT Booster?
Though DAT Booster is cheaper than DAT Bootcamp when looking at full retail prices, DAT Bootcamp is very aggressive in their discounting. Their sales help to bridge the price disparity somewhat.
