CrackDAT Vs DAT Bootcamp: What Should You Choose in 2024?

Many students planning on taking the DAT on the way to dental school prefer to use DAT Bootcamp. But a significant number of students rave about the effectiveness of Crack the DAT, or just CrackDAT for short. That’s especially true considering how CrackDAT is a lot more affordable.

But which one is best for you? To help you answer that question, let’s compare these DAT online prep courses according to these factors:

Price

Let’s get this thing out of the way first. That’s because for some students about to take the DAT, the budget is quite tight. That means a DAT prep option might not even be a possible choice at all, since the student can’t afford it.

With DAT Bootcamp, you can go with the 90-day access for $499. You can opt for the 180-day option, but it won’t be $998. It will only cost you $899, and you’re also getting 5 extra practice tests for each section. That’s an additional 30 extra practice tests all in all. Keep in mind that you can get best discount from the listed price with DENMAX coupon code.

With CrackDAT, however, you have 3 different packages to choose from.

• There’s a 1-month access, which should be okay as a supplementary course or if you’re really short with your DAT budget. This costs only $199. Keep in mind, though, that most experts recommend that you devote a full 3 months to your DAT preparation. So, this might not be enough as your sole DAT prep.
• Then there’s the standard 3-month access, which costs $299. It’s a good thing you don’t have to pay the previous monthly rate, as that will total $597 for 3 months. This is probably the most popular option here, and also in the DAT online prep industry. A 3-month access is standard.
• But what if you want something longer? Then you can go with the 6-month access for $399.

Just be prepared as to the pros and cons of studying for 6 months might be. Sure, this allows you to study the material at a more relaxed pace. You’re more likely to tackle all the practice tests and all the practice questions.But that might not be completely true, because by the end of the 6-month period, you might have forgotten the lessons you learned during the first month.

Overall,CrackDAT is around 30% cheaper than Bootcamp. But do you miss out on something else? Let’s explore!

Access

Both are online options, which means you need a computer and an internet connection. It might be possible for some limited offline use, but overall, you need to be online. Both also offer mobile apps so that you can use your smartphone for studying. This might not be ideal for some activities (such as taking full-length practical tests), but it’s okay for watching video lessons.

And it’s ideal for flashcards. There will be times when you’re out and you don’t have your laptop with you, and maybe you’re even out on a date. While you’re waiting for your date to show up in the restaurant, you can whip out your smartphone and tackle a few practice questions or flashcards.

The DAT Bootcamp, however, is a purely online option. That’s because there’s no software to download if you’re using your desktop or laptop PC.

But CrackDAT gets you to download the software first. That means you may have to deal with some software bugs, although that’s highly unlikely. But it also means you don’t have to be online all the time. You can use it offline, though you still need to connect it online every 2 weeks or so. You need to be online if you want to watch the videos.

Reputation

No one wants to risk their money, which is why you should always go with reputable options. And both of these options are reputable.

That’s especially true with DAT Bootcamp. It is widely regarded as the industry standard, and it claims that 90% of all dental students use it for their DAT preparation. It’s like the Google of search engines. There’s no doubt about its effectiveness, and it sets the standard that other options must match.

But CrackDAT isn’t a newcomer in the DAT online prep business, either. It’s been around for 15 years now, and it remains popular. They’ve also been updating regularly, and they’ve already updated their materials for the 2023 DAT.

Both of these options have good reps. Both offer free trials, so you have a good idea of what you’re in for. CrackDAT even has a money-back guarantee, although it only kicks in if you actually go through the course and you still somehow end up with a DAT score of 14. That might only happen if you have a very bad day during the real DAT.

Interface

The DAT Bootcamp interface is absolutely fantastic. It’s really easy to use, and everything’s smooth and efficient. It really gives you the same feel as the real DAT, plus you won’t have any interface annoyances to deal with.

Not that the CrackDAT interface is bad. It’s also easy to navigate, and the content is laid out nicely.

But in the end, I prefer the DAT Bootcamp interface. You might have your own preference, but I bet that you’ll agree with me on this one.

Practice Tests

These practice tests have two main purposes. The first purpose is to familiarize you with the real feel and look of the DAT. That way, when you take the real DAT, you won’t feel jarred and uncomfortable because you’re encountering something new. The real DAT should feel very familiar instead, and that should be more relaxing. The time limits for the tests also give you a realistic way of gauging how much time you can devote for each section (and each question).

In addition, these tests offer an effective way of tracking your progress over time. Whenever you take a practice test (whether a full-length test or a shorter test focused on a particular section), you’re able to identify your strengths, so that you can devote less time and effort on these topics.Instead, you also identify your weaknesses and thus, you’re able to focus more on learning these subjects.

With DAT Bootcamp, you’re getting at least 10 full-length practice tests. That’s certainly more than enough to get you thoroughly familiar and comfortable with the real DAT format and feel. What’s more, you can take them almost once a week, so you’re regularly tracking your overall progress. But you have 50 more (at least) shorter practice tests as well, and each one of them focuses on a particular area. So, you can use these to help you improve on the weaknesses you’ve identified. With a total of at least 60 practice tests, tracking your progress is easy and accurate.

CrackDAT, like DAT Bootcamp, also has 10 full-length practice tests to offer. But you don’t really have the shorter practice tests to add to this set. You just have the 10 full-length tests, and that’s it.

Overall, DAT Bootcamp has more comprehensive and realistic practice tests compared to CrackDAT.

Practice Questions

You can argue that CrackDAT offers practice questions as well, so you can make up your own subject-specific practice tests. And CrackDAT certainly has more than enough of these practice questions, since you’re getting 4,500 of them. They’re all updated for the 2023 DAT as well.

These practice questions cover all the DAT topics, including the PAT. And each question comes with detailed explanations. You even have video explanations for all the questions for the Science, Math, and PAT sections. You don’t have video explanations for the Reading Comprehension, because obviously, it’ll be better if you just read the explanations. It’s just good practice.

But though CrackDAT has a lot of practice questions, you even have more with DAT Bootcamp. Here, you’re offered at least 8,000 practice questions, and they’re regularly updated and added to regularly. And you still have the unlimited practice questions from the PAT Generator.

It now makes sense why DAT Bootcamp doesn’t have a 1-month access option—there’s just no way to go through all these practice questions in a single month. With your 90-day access, you’re still going through 98 practice questions a day, and that’s if you study on Sundays. With Sundays off, that’s more than a hundred questions per day.

You also have detailed explanations and answers for each question. There are some video explanations as well. This puts DAT Bootcamp a notch above CrackDAT.

Video Lessons

For CrackDAT, the main videos are for the practice questions. But you also have more than 100 hours of video lessons. You can watch these videos first if you want, before you start taking the practice tests and questions.

You can add the 20,000 DAT flashcards along with the unlimited practice questions offered by the PAT Generator, and you sure have lots of study material to pore over. The flashcards are especially great with your smartphone.

On the other hand, you also won’t run out of video lessons with DAT Bootcamp. You have at least 3,500 video lessons available here, which means watching 39 videos per day, including Sundays. These videos are a bit advanced, however, and they’re fantastic after you’ve already established a decent understanding of the subject matter.

They’re very detailed, so they’re not for newbies to these subjects. These include at least 330 of Dr. Mike’s in-depth Chemistry videos, along with at least 400 videos on Biology.

You also have the DAT Bio Bytes Qbanks, and they’re great for short study periods with your smartphone.

Which One Should You Choose?

You determine what’s best, given your preferences and circumstances. We laid out the features and compared the two options side by side, so that at least you can make an informed choice.

In most other cases, DAT Bootcamp is much better overall. It’s not really surprising that it’s so popular, and that the overwhelming majority of students go with DAT Bootcamp than with any other alternative option. It really is just that good.

DAT Bootcamp offers tons of study materials, practice tests, and practice questions. Tracking your progress and identifying (and improving) your weak areas are much easier. You might pay a bit more, but you’re getting a lot more.

When it comes to value for money, DAT Bootcamp just offers a fantastic deal. Go with the 3-month access, and you’re getting the best deal for your $499. You can save upto 20% on DAT Bootcamp with DEN25 coupon code.

You can check our full DAT Bootcamp review here.

And if you want to supplement that with a month with CrackDAT, then go right ahead!

It does seem like CrackDAT is better for you only if:

• You’re on a very tight budget. CrackDAT is definitely cheaper across the board. It’s $200 cheaper if you want the 3-month access, and it’s $500 cheaper for the 6-month access. And CrackDAT even offers a truly cheap $199 option, even if it’s only for a month.
• You only have a month. If somehow, you’ve been procrastinating and you only have a month left for DAT studying, then you have no choice but to go with the CrackDAT.
• You’re overwhelmed by too many materials. It’s very possible that you want a more relaxed approach, and for you, the number of practice tests, questions, and video lessons in DAT Bootcamp may be a bit too intimidating. In that case, CrackDAT is just right.

You can find the list of best dat prep courses list here.