Studying for the DAT

How many sources to use
Kaplan is generally where everyone starts out. Looking at my copy of Kaplan, there is not one single spot of white space left with all of the notes I took in the margins. I knew the book pretty well towards the end but taking the practice exams made me realize that Kaplan does NOT go anywhere near the depth you need to go in order to do well on the DAT. I believe that Kaplan alone would have gotten me an 18 on DAT which brings me to the first thing I believe about the DAT: a single source is nowhere near enough. Something else that helps you is getting comfortable with variety of questions that are asking the same thing but use very different wordings. When I started taking DAT practice exams I couldn't figure out what certain questions were asking and once I looked it up I realized there were just asking for simple solubility. Getting comfortable with the way questions are asked is pretty important since it helps you to not waste time. Time is extremely important.

The materials I used:
- Examcrackers MCAT Audio Osmosis with Jordan and Jon ($150?)
I really liked this one, I would listen to these lectures when I was in the car or running with my dog. This came out a long time ago so I am not sure if any of the information is dated. The DAT is pretty basic but covers a wide gamut so I think it is still fine.
http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-MCAT-Audio-Osmosis-Jordan/dp/1893858235 
- Textbooks (you can usually check these out at your college/university)
my college bio, org chem and chem books for reference
Organic Chemistry - Janice Smith
http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Chemistry-Janice-Gorzynski-Smith/dp/0077354729/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1434407342&sr=8-13&keywords=organic+chemistry
Chemistry - Brown
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Central-Theodore-E-Brown/dp/0321696727/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1434407385&sr=8-10&keywords=chemistry
Campbell's Biology
http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Biology-9th-Jane-Reece/dp/0321558235/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1434407411&sr=8-3&keywords=biology

- Kaplan ($50)
http://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-Strategies-Practice-Review-Tests/dp/1609780884/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
- Chad's Videos ($50 or $38 if you can find the coupon)
This one is pretty great for organic chemistry and chemistry
There is usually a 25% off coupon floating around somewhere on their site or facebook page
http://www.coursesaver.com/
- Tutoring Center

I got a job at my college's tutoring center, forcing me to face chemistry, biology and organic chemistry questions ten+ hours a week
- DAT Acheiver ($140)
I used the seven test version
http://www.3tquest.com
- Baron's DAT Exam Questions
I received a very old version of this for free which is why I used it. Not bad but not amazing. The link is for the new since I can no longer find the version I used. It asked some really random questions, one of which was very similar to a question I saw on the DAT.
http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-DAT-Dental-Admissions-Test/dp/0764193848
- Topscore ($60)
Three practice exams
I thought the difficulty of these exams were the closest to the actual DAT
http://www.scholarware.com

I've also heard good things about the following but did not use it myself:

-Cliffs for biology, chem etc...
-DAT Destroyer - a lot of people mentioned this one
http://www.orgoman.com/datdestroyer.html
-CrackPAT
https://crackdat.com/
-Feralis
http://datbootcamp.com/feralis-biology-notes/

ALSO: prometric, the company that gives the DAT, offers a $37 web based practice exam. If I knew about it, I would taken that too.

https://www.prometric.com/en-us/clients/ADA/Pages/landing.aspx

DAT Courses

There are $1,500+ classes available depending on where you are. I didn't take any of these. From some of the people I knew who took these, the instructor generally just ran them through the book the company provides. I guess if it's difficult for someone to get motivated, this might be a good thing? I thought the price was a little steep and that I was more than able to run through the books myself. Maybe some people received amazing help from one of these courses but I don't really know.

Cost

I've heard a lot of people say these materials are too expensive but considering the exam costs over $300, it would cost more to have to take it two or three times. You really want to get a good score the first time around and spending on prep materials is a REALLY good idea. A lot of the exams listed above are digital downloads that can only be installed ONCE, so if you were planning on sharing the cost with a friend I guess you would have to share the same computer.

College Courses

I would also suggest taking the related college courses before taking the DAT. The ones that helped me were bio, ochem, chem (of course) as well as animal physiology or any kind of physiology. Reviewing is a lot easier than learning for the first time. You will need these prereqs to apply for most of the schools anyway.

My Method

The forty days leading up to my DAT test date were the most intensive since I really started feeling the pressure. I made sure that I was doing nothing else: I left my job, moved back in with my parents and hardly talked to my girlfriend (she is very understanding). All I did from morning to night was study. I was completely unable to study at home so I found a coffee shop that opened early, closed late and was big enough so I could find a very isolated spot. Coffee shops can be really noisy so I always carried earbuds and played white noise on a loop to drown out any background noise. It payed off.

Unexpected Consequence
I realized that, in studying for the DAT, I had been isolated for so long I had a hard time interacting with people. My social skills were rusty and I had a sort of stutter for the first time in my life going out after finishing the DAT. Of course, seeing sunlight again and finally hanging out with friends and family fixed that in a week or so but it was still something I didn't expect: this might be specific to me. Either way, it was worth it.

A Few Pieces of Advice Based on my Experiences: 

If you finish a section early do not just move on to the next section. Sit there with eyes closed (make sure you don't miss the start of the next section though) and just relax.

Take as many of the practice exams as you can as if it were the actual DAT. This got me used to how grueling the process is.

The practice exams are generally more difficult than the actual exam, don't get too hung up on getting scores lower than what you are wanting. I thought topscore was pretty similar to the actual DAT in difficulty.
If you have group that you study with that is constantly keeping you from focusing, ditch the group.
If you need help, find a tutoring center at your local school.
The MCAT audio osmosis advice for the reading section really helped me. Received a 25 in that section.
My math section had a ton of trig functions (i.e. cos/sin equals ____ kind of stuff) which really made me wish I had glanced at that prior to the test.

My Score (taken in 2013)

Academic Average: 22

Perceptual Ability: 23

Science: 21
Reading: 25