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- Nov 19, 2011
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I was reading another thread and it made me think of these things that took me for surprise during my actual DAT. Note, I'm sure testing centers differ but this was my experience at the one at UGA.
01: Prior to taking the DAT, I read everywhere that you should set up your scrap paper during the tutorial. When I was checking in for my exam, I was told that I was not allowed to write on anything until my actual exam started. This also included my break. Therefore, I was not able to set up for PAT. For that reason, I would factor in a couple of extra minutes when doing your practice tests to account for this just in case your test center is like mine. You also were not able to erase anything from the sheets with your fingers as it would just smudge. The only way you could would be if you licked the paper (please don't do that). This mainly annoyed me during the hole punching section when I would accidentally make a mistake by drawing a circle in the wrong box.
02: Also, I heard that I would not be able to use the keyboard during the QR section. This was not the case, I was able to use it and it was SO much faster than clicking the numbers. I would still practice with clicking. However, when you go to actually take the test and get to the QR section, try out your number pad on your keyboard to see if it works.
03: For my GRE, I was given ear plugs that fit inside of your ear (think like iPod headphones). For the DAT, I was given these giant ones that fit over your ear. I stupidly wore earrings and the headphones caused them to push into my skin, which actually hurt. I didn't want to take my earrings off until my break because I didn't want to look like I was cheating (playing it safe, lol, you never know) so I had to sit through science and PAT feeling pretty uncomfortable. Honestly, this wasn't even something that I thought of prior to going.
04: If you go to a busy test center, give yourself plenty of time to check back in during your break. I somehow ended up taking a break the same time as three other people, and by the time I was finger printed and allowed back into the room, I only had about 30 seconds left on my break. You don't want to lose time on your exam by standing in line, especially with RC. You will need to sign your name, get finger printed, and get searched with a metal detector each time. On a similar note, I wore yoga pants and a tshirt... and there was this other guy in the testing center that wore those cargo pants with like 15 pockets who somehow ended up in front of me in line. Just because you dress smart, doesn't mean everyone else did.
01: Prior to taking the DAT, I read everywhere that you should set up your scrap paper during the tutorial. When I was checking in for my exam, I was told that I was not allowed to write on anything until my actual exam started. This also included my break. Therefore, I was not able to set up for PAT. For that reason, I would factor in a couple of extra minutes when doing your practice tests to account for this just in case your test center is like mine. You also were not able to erase anything from the sheets with your fingers as it would just smudge. The only way you could would be if you licked the paper (please don't do that). This mainly annoyed me during the hole punching section when I would accidentally make a mistake by drawing a circle in the wrong box.
02: Also, I heard that I would not be able to use the keyboard during the QR section. This was not the case, I was able to use it and it was SO much faster than clicking the numbers. I would still practice with clicking. However, when you go to actually take the test and get to the QR section, try out your number pad on your keyboard to see if it works.
03: For my GRE, I was given ear plugs that fit inside of your ear (think like iPod headphones). For the DAT, I was given these giant ones that fit over your ear. I stupidly wore earrings and the headphones caused them to push into my skin, which actually hurt. I didn't want to take my earrings off until my break because I didn't want to look like I was cheating (playing it safe, lol, you never know) so I had to sit through science and PAT feeling pretty uncomfortable. Honestly, this wasn't even something that I thought of prior to going.
04: If you go to a busy test center, give yourself plenty of time to check back in during your break. I somehow ended up taking a break the same time as three other people, and by the time I was finger printed and allowed back into the room, I only had about 30 seconds left on my break. You don't want to lose time on your exam by standing in line, especially with RC. You will need to sign your name, get finger printed, and get searched with a metal detector each time. On a similar note, I wore yoga pants and a tshirt... and there was this other guy in the testing center that wore those cargo pants with like 15 pockets who somehow ended up in front of me in line. Just because you dress smart, doesn't mean everyone else did.
