At some point, does the PAT section just "click"?

[vandelayindustries786]

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I've been trying to improve my PAT for more than a week now but I can't solve the TFE, keyhole and pattern folding questions. For the people who did well on the PAT section on the exam, did it suddenly click for you and then got much easier? I'm reading the explanations but it's still really hard for me to see it. And there's definitely no way I am able to finish the section on time.

 

[vandelayindustries786]

Also, if anyone has advice for keyholes, TFE and pattern folding that would be awesome. I already watched Ari's videos which helped but I'm having trouble applying his strategies because it's hard for me to think that way.

 

[zammyd]

Practice everyday, also practice using different strategies. I found I never became 100% good at PAT, but I did get better over time. I was getting 19s in BC, and ended up with a 20 on the real thing. I think BC is probably the most accurate representation.

 

[vandelayindustries786]

I'm honestly averaging like a 15 or less. I pretty much can't finish but even the ones I do for TFE/Patterns/Keyholes are basically all wrong. What strategies helped you if you don't mind me asking?

 

[zammyd]

If you're averaging that low, then you definitely need to practice as most likely you will end up around the same on the real thing. For me using the Bootcamp generators helped a lot. I used it for over a month. Ari's strategy videos on youtube were probably the most helpful and what I used on the real thing.

At first don't do it timed, just do the problems without a timer to build a basic understanding. After maybe 1-2 weeks of not doing it timed, then I would start timing.

 

[kobe4evr]

TFE clicked for me for one reason. I understood how to analyze the problems given. You have to practice and learn how the dashed and solid lines work with each other. Once you understand how that works youll be able to get all of them correct within the 10 minutes.

Angles: use Crack Dat and practice with 3-4 degree margins...and try different strategies

Keyholes: Envision and flatten one side of the object at a time, then go through the answer choices reflective of that side and determine if it works. With practice it will help.

Im not kidding I got 20's on every single bootcamp test i took (all 10) and mid 20's on Crack DAT
On the real thing I got a 24. Trust me it will get easier but you need to practice every day.

 

[Graffix]

Short answer? Yes.

One thing to remember about the PAT is to relax. Don't overthink it- You've been looking at 3D shapes all your life! Treat it more like a game instead of another section. And keep on practicing! You'll see similarities with previous questions. There are only so many features they can put on a single shape.

 

[Frank22]

@kid1992, @Graffix,
How long did you guys study for the PAT and how much per study session, on average? I studied for a few weeks on and off, but only managed a 17. I know if I would have started studying earlier I would have did better, but I'm just wondering how you two differed in your study habits.

I wish I had more money before I started studying; I couldn't afford to buy Bootcamp until a couple weeks before I took the exam, but oh well.

 

[kobe4evr]

@Frank22,

I studied daily for about a month doing at least an exams worth (10 minutes of all six sections) of simulations just for the PAT.

It was a lot of practice but in the end I was more than happy with a 24 so all the work payed off

 

[Graffix]

@Frank22 I did PAT practice every day for the 2.5 months that I studied. The amount per day varied because I didn't schedule to do PAT practice... I just did it for fun, but I would do at least 5 questions of each type. Some days i would finish PAT practice in 30 minutes or some days (like after a hard destroyer day) I would do maybe 2 hours of PAT practice. I would always play "the eyeball game" (google it!) for angle ranking practice. Also, I experimented with as many of the different strategies I could find on SDN and fine tuned the ones that worked for me. As I more accurate I would start using a time table to limit myself on each question so I would never not finish the entire section.

I think your issue is studying on and off. You really have to train your brain for the PAT questions and that takes time. I wouldn't consider PAT studying either, think of it as a game! Practice generators first because they're usually easier and then move to harder questions.

I did something unique for each type of PAT question so if you have any specific questions feel free to ask!