DAT Booster Vs. DAT Bootcamp in 2024

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Written by John Reed
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Well, it’s time to settle this debate once and for all.

In 2024, I think most pre-dental students would agree that DAT Booster and DAT Bootcamp are the best value-for-money prep courses out there.

However, the community is divided when it comes to which program wins the battle: DAT Booster Vs. DAT Bootcamp.

DAT Booster recently underwent a major update, so you may be wondering how the new Booster stacks up against DAT Bootcamp.

So, we got our hands on both courses and we compared them in every possible way to see which one has the upper hand.

Let’s dive in.

Quick Summary

  • DAT Booster and DAT Bootcamp are both excellent prep courses.
  • DAT Booster has a far better user interface that’s visually appealing and with better content organization
  •  DAT Booster is much more representative of the actual exam and their materials are also updated more regularly.
  • While Bootcamp is more in-depth, Booster’s content review is better condensed, covering only what you need to know for the DAT.
  • Bootcamp has excellent coverage of General Chemistry and Organic chemistry, while Booster is an excellent study resource for Biology and PAT sections.

Whatever option you go with, we have coupon codes to help you save money on both programs:

DAT Booster Vs. DAT Bootcamp Comparison Table

DAT Booster

DAT Bootcamp

Price

Standard: $399

Pro: $699

Standard: $499

Pro: $899

Subscription Length

90 or 180 Days

90 or 180 Days

Delivery Option 

Fully Self-Paced

Fully Self-Paced

Video Lessons

420+ Videos

1,100+ Videos

Total Videos (Including Exaplanations)

3,000+

3,500+

Full-Length Practice Tests

Standard: 10

Pro: 10

Standard: 10

Pro: 15

Subject-Based Tests

Standard: 60

Pro: 80

Standard: 60

Pro: 90

Practice Questions

8,900+

8,800+

Flashcards

4,500+

3,500+

AI Integration

Yes

Yes

Crash Courses

Yes

($125)

Yes

($97)

Mobile App

Yes

Yes

Tutor Support

Yes

Yes

Higher Score Guarantee

Yes

Membership Pause Feature

Yes

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DAT Booster Vs. DAT Bootcamp Overview

DAT Booster recently underwent a major upgrade resulting in a much faster website that’s far more visually appealing and with better content organization overall, across the entire platform. 

Boasting a fully mobile-friendly interface, this DAT prep program is regularly updated to keep up with the most recent DAT exam specifications.

You have thousands of animated video lessons, advanced PAT generators, and even tons of custom illustrations to help reinforce complex concepts.

Please see the image below for a full list of the newly added features to Booster. And for more details, read our new DAT Booster review here.

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DAT Booster Testimonial

This is the best bang for your buck when it comes to premium DAT prep programs.

Pros

The best PAT section content in the industry.

Representative practice tests that closely resemble the real thing.

Beautifully illustrated videos that get right to the point.

Cons

Tutors take a little longer to respond to queries during weekends.

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On the other hand, DAT Bootcamp is a similarly well-recognized DAT study tool comprising a hoard of study materials. 

Beyond just being a study tool, Bootcamp prides itself in being a study community with over 20,000 students who’ve walked or are currently embarking on the same journey as you. 

Similarly offering two premium membership options, a premium DAT Bootcamp account provides access to Dr. Mike’s Chemistry videos, as well as expert admissions services to guide you through dental school applications. So, all in all, it is definitely money well spent.

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dat bootcamp testimonial 2
datbootcamp testimonial 1

The all-in-one DAT prep that everyone is talking about is here, plus with a discount

Pros

Offers excellent answer explanations.

Top-notch chemistry videos.

High-yield practice tests.

Cons

Sometimes the videos can be too detailed.

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DAT Bootcamp Vs. DAT Booster Detailed Comparison in 2024

1. Price Comparison

Bootcamp Pro costs $499 for 90-day membership access, while Bootcamp Plus costs $899 for a 180-day membership. 

On the other hand, DAT Booster will cost you $399 for a 90-day membership and $699 for a 180-day membership.

While pricing isn’t everything when it comes to choosing the best DAT prep course, the consensus is that for almost $200 cheaper, the Max DAT Booster membership offers much better value for money than Bootcamp Plus.

Taking the Dental Admissions Test is an expensive venture as it is, and most pre-dental students simply cannot afford to spend a ton on DAT prep courses, no matter how badly they may want to ace the DAT exam.

Verdict: While both programs have similarly priced standard plans, Booster Max wins for being cheaper yet without compromising the quality of study materials and the general DAT preparation it offers its students. 

2. Practice Exams and Questions

Both Bootcamp and Booster offer roughly the same amount of practice materials.

The big difference, however, comes in the quality of practice offered in terms of up-to-dateness and how representative the material is of the 2024 DAT.

With regard to this, DAT Booster is a much more favorable resource for practice material because Booster’s tests and questions are the most representative of the real DAT exam.

Particularly in the science sections, numerous students have reported seeing similar questions word for word on the actual exam, as they encountered in DAT Booster practice tests.

That being said, Booster is significantly harder than the real DAT. Booster’s scores are deflated by about 3 points.

Verdict: Booster is the best DAT resource, with practice tests and materials that are up-to-date and most representative of the real DAT.

3. Video Lessons

DAT Booster Vs. DAT Bootcamp Video Lessons

Bootcamp has over 1,100  DAT video lessons, while Booster has 420+ video lessons, so even by sheer quantity alone, Bootcamp is in the lead here.

The video production quality is quite decent on both platforms.

However, Bootcamp’s videos are more broken down into specific topics making it easier to jump to the particular section you need to review.

Also, to reinforce your content grasp, Bootcamp offers a quiz after each video lesson. This is a great feature that you won’t find on DAT Booster.

Booster Videos are much more condensed and concise, going straight to the point, but despite that, these animated video lessons are still easy to follow. 

The instructor does an excellent job at explaining the basics, building up towards the topic of discussion, rather than just diving in as appears to be the case with Bootcamp.

One key thing to note here is that the newly updated DAT Booster features a completely revamped General Chemistry section, complete with new lecture videos that are quite similar in content and quality to Bootcamp’s lessons taught by Dr. Mike

Verdict: Bootcamp does an excellent job of breaking down its video lessons into specific topics, making it easy for students to jump to the exact section they need to review content. 

On the other hand, Booster videos may be condensed, but they are still easy to follow. Besides, being animated makes it easy to stay engaged with the content.

Nevertheless, this round goes to Bootcamp.

4. Study Materials

a) Cheat Sheets & Worksheets

DAT Booster offers Biology and Quantitative Reasoning cheat sheets while Bootcamp doesn’t. 

Just as well, Booster offers more General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry worksheets than Bootcamp.

While both test prep companies provide Organic Chemistry reaction sheets, Booster goes further to have lab tests and naming chart worksheets.

Verdict: DAT Booster has more comprehensive cheat sheets and worksheets. 

b) Study Notes

DAT Booster Vs. DAT Bootcamp Study Notes

DAT Bootcamp only provides study notes for Biology.

On the other hand, DAT Booster has study notes for Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. 

Booster’s study notes are divided by topics, making them more organized and easier to navigate to the exact document you need. On the other hand, Bootcamp’s Biology notes are all contained in a single document. 

Booster’s notes are bulkier and more detailed, while Bootcamp’s notes are far more condensed and straight to the point. 

Both Bootcamp and Booster’s notes are just as easy to follow through.

Verdict: Booster definitely wins this round. They provide notes for every science subject, and their topical arrangement makes it easier to navigate to the exact section you need.

c) Flashcards

DAT Bootcamp provides over 3,500 Quizlet flashcards, but only in Biology. 

DAT Booster provides over 4,500 Quizlet flashcards: 3,900+ in Biology and 600+ in General Chemistry. 

While Bootcamp only has Quizlet flashcards, Booster has both Quizlet flashcards and Anki Decks. Booster’s Anki decks cover Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Quantitative Reasoning.

Verdict: Booster offers more flashcard options, and they comprehensively cover each DAT subject.

5. PAT Tools and Material

a) PAT Generators

DAT Booster Vs. DAT Bootcamp PAT Generators

While both Booster and Bootcamp have PAT Generators, Bootcamp lacks Keyhole Generators, while Booster lacks Top-Front-End TFE visualizers.

Another difference is that while Bootcamp automatically displays the solutions once the timer has run out, Booster allows toggling the solutions on and off.

DAT Booster PAT Generators Options

Additionally, Bootcamp allows the option to choose either beginner or DAT modes. Booster does not have such an option. 

Bootcamp’s timer maxes out at 30 seconds, but Booster’s timer allows you to have as many as 180 seconds to solve the question.

Verdict: I’ll lean towards Booster here because their PAT Generators are overall faster, fully mobile-friendly, and updated for the 2024 exam.

Besides, you can switch solutions on and off as you wish, depending on how long it takes you to solve the PAT question,

b) PAT Question Banks

DAT Bootcamp

DAT Booster

Total No. Of PAT Qns.

3,674 Qns.

1,645 Qns.

Verdict: The best DAT prep courses should offer plenty of practice, and because Bootcamp has a much larger question bank, it’s the clear winner here.

c) PAT Analyzers

A PAT Analyzer is a special software designed to pinpoint your exact areas of weakness in the various sections of the Perceptual Ability Test. 

So how it works is that you start by completing a number of questions in a set amount of time, and then the software will assess your performance in detail.

Bootcamp doesn’t have any Analyzers, but Booster has Angle Ranking, Cube Counting, and Hole Punching PAT Analyzers, which can go a long way to boost your PAT score.

6. Interface and User Experience

DAT Booster Vs. DAT Bootcamp User Interface

Both Bootcamp and Booster have websites that run pretty fast and smoothly.

Both home pages are well laid out and organized, giving you a good visualization of exactly what you have to tackle and how much you’ve accomplished so far. 

That being said, Booster has far better content organization across the entire platform, and it is also easier to navigate.

Verdict: Booster provides a much more pleasant user experience in how content is organized across all the pages. Not to mention that its platform is entirely mobile-friendly as well.

7. Crash Courses

Crash courses are intense, affordable live-online classes that comprehensively highlight high-yield info, tips, and tricks. All this is covered in a 3-hour class composed of a very small group of students.

The entire point of a Crash course is that you get to learn weeks of material in just 3 hours. This way, you can boost your DAT scores in the least amount of time. 

Both Booster and Bootcamp offer crash courses, the catch here being that Bootcamp’s crash courses are priced lower than Booster’s crash courses.

While a DAT Booster crash course will cost you $125, Bootcamp’s crash courses are much cheaper, costing you just $97.

8. Additional Features

a) Markup Feature

Both Bootcamp and Booster come with a 3-tier flagging mark learning system that allows you to tag questions as ‘Learning’, ‘Reviewing’, or ‘Mastered’, based on how well you grasp the concepts being tested.

That being said, I like that Booster has a dedicated section on the side panel where you can access and review all your marked questions, whereas Bootcamp doesn’t provide the same.

Verdict: Booster wins for having a better system of organizing your marked questions.

b) Mobile App

Both Booster and Bootcamp have mobile Apps allowing you to conveniently study on the do.

Booster has a bigger advantage here though, in that besides having a mobile app, their platform is also entirely mobile-friendly.

c) AI Integration

One handy, time-saving feature within both DAT Booster and DAT Bootcamp is the integration of AI, that is Booster AI, and Bootcamp AI respectively.

Within both platforms, this is essentially your personal tutor for practice questions. All your questions are answered instantaneously right on the platform, without you having to turn to Google or a textbook.

d) Score Guarantee 

In contrast, while Bootcamp does not offer any guarantees, Booster has a Higher Score Guarantee. 

Is DAT Booster Harder Than DAT Bootcamp?

DAT Booster practice tests have always been more representative of the real DAT test, and this remains the case even with the newly updated DAT Booster.

Is DAT Booster therefore harder than DAT Bootcamp? not necessarily. It’s just closer to the real test.

Both DAT Booster and Dat Bootcamp are outstanding DAT prep programs that do a great job at getting pre-dental students prepared for the actual Dental Admissions Test exam.

As far as the difficulty of the practice tests that these two courses provide, they are very close to each other. As the DAT test questions change every year, that can make one course or the other seem more difficult compared to the real test.

With that being said, from multiple online reviews we gathered on Reddit and Facebook communities, we get the impression that DAT Booster practices tests have been more representative of the actual DAT test in the recent years.

However, you cannot decide which is the better DAT prep program, based merely on which is harder. Let’s take a deeper look at both courses and see what each has to offer.

Verdict: Which one is better?

While Booster is way better for Biology than Bootcamp, Bootcamp has far better Chemistry videos than Booster. 

DAT Booster is incredibly up-to-date and representative of the real test, especially when it comes to the perceptual ability and Biology sections. 

Furthermore, this is further enhanced by the fact that DAT Booster comes integrated with PAT Booster to provide the ultimate learning experience for anyone who’s particularly struggling in the PAT section. 

This is quite possibly the most representative resource for any student preparing for the DAT exam.

Both Booster and Bootcamp’s mobile Apps are a huge advantage in that you have full access to your videos and question banks while on the go. A bigger advantage, though, is that in addiiton to the mobile app, Booster’s platform is fully mobile-friendly.

So if you are always up and about, and therefore, it’s important for you to have your study resources on you to maximize every free time you can squeeze in, then I recommend DAT Booster.

Bootcamp’s video lessons are excellent for content review. This self-paced course does a great job of breaking down its video content to specific topics so you can effortlessly jump to the exact section you wish to review.

Lastly, we really cannot ignore the money factor, now can we?

For only a few hundred dollars, Booster gives you an elite studying experience using material that’s very representative and absolutely up-to-date. Whereas Bootcamp is priced a little higher for almost the same offerings.

Furthermore, Booster offers a higher score guarantee, while Bootcamp doesn’t.

Not only does this show the faith DAT Booster has in their study program, but it also doesn’t help with giving you some peace of mind when signing up for Bootcamp. 

You can easily make a compelling argument for either of the two DAT prep courses.

Ultimately then, perhaps it all boils down to certain individual factors:

  • How badly do you need the added advantage of having expert admissions services?
  • Which DAT section do you particularly need more help with: Chemistry, Biology, or Perceptual Ability?
  • Which matters more to you: content review or practice material?
  • Do you have your own comprehensive study notes?

DAT Booster is affordably priced with excellent quality, representative practice material, and top-notch study notes in every subject and is best suited to help with Biology and PAT. 

On the other hand, DAT Bootcamp has pretty great video lessons, offers guidance with dental school admissions, and is best suited to help with Chemistry.

So, it all depends on what you value more and what’s more important to you.

If money is not an issue, I’d actually recommend you buy both of them to make sure you get the best of both worlds. But I understand that is not possible for most people, so just choose what you feel better about and get right to work.

At the end of the day, what matters more is your dedication and hard work. So focus on that instead of wasting too much time trying to decide which DAT prep course to buy. Both of these programs are excellent, so do not sweat it and start your preparation.

Either way, do not forget to use our discount codes to save yourself some money by using these links:

Let me know in the comments about your experience with any of these programs, I would love to hear your thoughts.

FAQs

DAT Booster Or DAT Bootcamp? Which Is Better?

Booster has more representaive representative, up-to-date content, and is a particularly excellent resource for Biology and PAT sections. not to mention the mobile-friendly platform.

Bootcamp has well-organized video lessons, nicely-done answer explanations, and is particularly helpful for the Chemistry section.

So ultimately, your choice between DAT Booster and DAT Bootcamp will depend on a couple of individual factors informing what you are primarily looking for in a DAT test prep course. 

Is DAT Booster Harder Than DAT Bootcamp?

Yes, DAT Booster is slightly harder than DAT Bootcamp, but keep in mind that Booster is more representative of the real DAT.

Students who’ve taken the DAT recently have reported seeing certain questions word for word on the actual DAT as they appeared in Booster’s practice tests. 

Is DAT Easier Than DAT Booster?

Yes, the real DAT is slightly easier than Booster, which is actually a good thing.

Getting into a good dental school is very competitive, so it helps to over-prepared using challenging material rather than under-prepare using practice resources that are too easy and only provide you with a false sense of security. 

Categories DAT
John Reed
The chief editor of TestPrepPal.com. I am an alumni of the university of Pennsylvania and my goal with the website is to help future graduates with their tests.

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