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Chad's Prep for DAT: Are the Videos Worth It?
Short answer: yes, Chad's Videos are worth it for DAT chemistry — but they're not a full DAT prep plan. Chad's Prep is genuinely one of the better resources for learning general chemistry and organic chemistry concepts from scratch. It doesn't include PAT training or full-length practice exams, so treat it as a chemistry supplement, not your whole strategy.
We scored in the top 3% on the DAT (legacy-scale 25 AA with a 30 in organic chemistry, and 27 AA with a 29 TS) and now attend the #1 dental school in the world. We've looked at just about every prep resource students ask about, and Chad's Prep comes up constantly — usually with the same question attached: is it enough by itself? Here's our honest read.
What Chad's Prep actually covers
Chad's Prep is a video-based course built around an instructor teaching chemistry concepts step by step. The core strength is general chemistry and organic chemistry: reaction mechanisms, stoichiometry, thermodynamics, the kind of material that's easy to memorize wrong and hard to actually understand.
The teaching style is deliberately slow and explanatory. Instead of drilling shortcuts, the lessons walk through why a reaction happens the way it does. For students who never fully "got" organic chemistry in undergrad, that kind of ground-up explanation can fix a weakness other resources just assume you already have.
Some plans also touch on other science content, but the reputation and the reason people search for it is specifically the chemistry teaching. Course lineups and pricing change, so check chadsprep.com directly for exactly what's included in current plans.
Chad's Prep DAT review: where it genuinely delivers
- Concept clarity in gen chem and o-chem. This is the standout. If you're re-learning chemistry after years away from a textbook, the explanations are patient and build intuition rather than pattern-matching.
- Good for filling specific gaps. If you already have a full prep plan and just need one weak topic re-taught properly, short focused videos are efficient.
- Low commitment to start. Video lessons are easy to fit around a full-time semester, since you can watch a topic and move on without needing a huge block of dedicated study time.
What's missing: no PAT, no full-length exams
Here's the part that matters most when you're deciding whether it's "enough." The DAT isn't a chemistry test with some extra sections bolted on — it's five timed sections that together determine your Academic Average, plus a separately-scored Perceptual Ability Test that many dental schools weight heavily.
Chad's Prep, based on its own positioning and what students consistently report, is not built around full-length practice exams that mirror real DAT timing and difficulty, and it isn't a PAT-training platform. PAT specifically — keyholes, top-front-end, angle ranking, hole punching, cube counting, pattern folding — is a spatial-reasoning skill you build through repeated, timed practice, not through concept videos. No amount of understanding organic chemistry mechanisms will move your PAT score.
Full-length practice tests matter for a different reason: they build the stamina and pacing instincts you need for a roughly 5-hour Prometric appointment covering Survey of Natural Sciences (100 questions, 90 minutes), PAT (90 questions, 60 minutes), Reading Comprehension (50 questions, 60 minutes), and Quantitative Reasoning (40 questions, 45 minutes). You can know every concept cold and still blow the real thing if you've never practiced the clock.
Chad's Prep DAT reddit: what forum threads actually say
A pattern you'll see in forum threads is students recommending Chad's Prep as an add-on, not a standalone plan. The typical setup people describe is something like: a full-length practice test resource as the backbone of their schedule, plus Chad's Prep videos specifically when a chemistry topic isn't clicking. That combination shows up over and over because it plays to each resource's actual strength.
You'll rarely see someone say Chad's Prep alone got them a strong PAT score or that it replaced full-length testing in their schedule — because that's not what it's built for. That's not a knock on the product; it's just not trying to be a complete DAT system, and the students who use it well know that going in.
| What you need for the DAT | Chad's Prep | A full DAT system |
|---|---|---|
| Gen chem / o-chem concept teaching | Strong | Should also be strong |
| Biology content review | Limited focus | Full coverage |
| PAT training | Not the core focus | Dedicated timed practice |
| Full-length, timed practice exams | Not included | Multiple full exams mirroring real format |
| Question bank with explained answers | Not the core focus | Large bank, every choice explained |
| Score tracking / weak-area targeting | Not included | Built-in analytics |
How we'd pair Chad's Prep with a full DAT system
Obvious disclosure: we built DATPractice, so read this knowing where we stand. Here's our honest reasoning anyway, because it's the same logic we'd give a friend for free.
If organic chemistry mechanisms or gen chem fundamentals are genuinely shaky, watch the relevant Chad's Prep lessons first. Get the concept solid. Then immediately go apply it under real test conditions — timed questions, mixed with other topics, at DAT-level difficulty. Concept videos teach you the idea; full-length practice teaches you to use it fast, under pressure, mixed in with 99 other questions you didn't expect.
That's the whole idea behind DATPractice: 40 full-length practice tests that mirror the real DAT's format, timing, and difficulty; an 11,000+ question bank with hand-written solutions for every answer choice, including PAT; and an AI tutor that finds the exact concept behind every miss and re-teaches it to test-depth. If Chad's Prep is your chemistry-concept layer, we're built to be the practice, PAT, and full-exam layer underneath it.
Chemistry concepts down. Now build the score.
Understanding organic chemistry mechanisms is one thing — scoring consistently across all five sections under real timing is another. DATPractice gives you 40 full-length tests, an 11,000+ question bank, and an AI tutor that closes the exact gaps your misses reveal, PAT included.
Start the Formula →Score higher, guaranteed — see site for terms.
Is Chad's Videos worth it for DAT if you're on a tight budget?
If you can only afford one thing, prioritize whichever resource covers the most sections you're weak in with realistic, timed practice, since that's what most directly predicts your score. If chemistry is your one specific weak spot and you already have a source of full-length exams and PAT practice, Chad's Prep is a reasonable, targeted add-on. If you need everything — Biology, PAT, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning, full exams, and chemistry — look for a single system built to cover all of it so you're not stitching together five subscriptions. Current pricing for any resource, including ours, is best checked directly on the company's own site since it changes.
A quick word on Anki alongside video lessons
Videos teach the concept; spaced repetition is what makes it stick weeks later on test day. If you're using Chad's Prep for chemistry, pairing it with a solid Anki deck for the high-yield facts (reagents, name reactions, periodic trends) closes the gap between "I understood that when I watched it" and "I can recall it cold in week 9." We go deeper on which decks are actually worth your time in our best Anki deck for DAT breakdown.
The DAT rewards consistent, correct practice more than it rewards any single great explanation. Use Chad's Prep for what it's genuinely good at, then spend the bulk of your remaining hours on timed, full-length practice that mirrors the real exam. If you want a broader look at how to structure a complete plan without overpaying for overlapping resources, our DAT Bootcamp review walks through the same philosophy-of-approach comparison for a different popular platform.
FAQ: Chad's Prep for DAT
Is Chad's Videos worth it for DAT?
Yes, for what it actually is: a well-regarded set of video lessons for general chemistry and organic chemistry concepts. It's worth it as a supplement to strengthen your chemistry foundations, but it isn't a complete DAT prep system on its own since it doesn't include PAT training or full-length practice exams.
What does Chad's Prep DAT review feedback actually say about the content quality?
The consistent feedback is that the chemistry explanations are clear, patient, and good for building intuition rather than memorizing tricks. Most reviews focus specifically on the general chemistry and organic chemistry lessons, since that's where the instructor's teaching style is considered strongest.
Does Chad's Prep cover the PAT?
Chad's Prep is known primarily as a chemistry-focused resource, not a PAT-training platform. If PAT is your weak section, you'll want a dedicated PAT resource or a full system that includes timed PAT practice, since perceptual ability is a skill built through repetition, not concept videos.
What does Chad's Prep DAT reddit consensus look like?
A pattern you'll see in forum threads is students recommending Chad's Prep specifically for shoring up general chemistry and organic chemistry understanding, often alongside another resource for full-length practice tests and other sections. It's rarely described as someone's only prep resource.
Can I pass the DAT using only Chad's Prep?
You can build strong chemistry knowledge from it, but the DAT also tests Biology, PAT, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning, plus timed full-length exam stamina. Relying on chemistry videos alone leaves major gaps in sections that make up most of your Academic Average.
What should I pair with Chad's Prep for a complete DAT plan?
Pair it with a resource that supplies full-length practice tests mirroring real DAT timing and difficulty, a large question bank with explained answers, and PAT-specific practice. That combination covers the concept-learning Chad's Prep is good at plus the practice volume and exam simulation it doesn't provide.