Bootcamp PAT - Question on Angles

[moose786]

Hey,

I noticed that in the first few exams for PAT , specifically for the Angle Ranking questions, the answer choices are not like the Generators, in that practically all the angle questions don't ask you to compare 2 extremes. However, towards the last few exams, I noticed that the options were more like the generators - hence, saving more time.

In regard to this, I wanted to ask: how is the actual DAT? I'm sure it's a mix of the two, but I wanted to know if the majority of them (say - 10 out of 15) were like the generators, while the rest are more "complicated," in that you have to compare more angles to finally get to your answer. Thank you for your time!

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[OnlyIfICouldTurnBackTime]

Sadly, most of them on the real test was mixed in order (hence 'complicated') in my experience. Only 2 or 3 questions had the similar format of the generator.

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[vvgp1216]

Hey,

I noticed that in the first few exams for PAT , specifically for the Angle Ranking questions, the answer choices are not like the Generators, in that practically all the angle questions don't ask you to compare 2 extremes. However, towards the last few exams, I noticed that the options were more like the generators - hence, saving more time.

In regard to this, I wanted to ask: how is the actual DAT? I'm sure it's a mix of the two, but I wanted to know if the majority of them (say - 10 out of 15) were like the generators, while the rest are more "complicated," in that you have to compare more angles to finally get to your answer. Thank you for your time!

Hi! Did you by any change find out anything else about the angles? The first few PAT practices tests are very frustration and I am also hoping that the angles are more like the generators. Please lmk. Thanks!

 

[DMikes]

Hi! Did you by any change find out anything else about the angles? The first few PAT practices tests are very frustration and I am also hoping that the angles are more like the generators. Please lmk. Thanks!

I don't recall the difficulty level of the generators compared to the PAT tests (I guess I never noticed). But I would say my angles on the DAT were slightly more difficult than I recall bootcamp being.

 

[Flemish]

Angle ranking is a mixed bag on the real thing. Absolutely be prepared for angles differing by only a couple degrees, and just make sure you're good at eliminating and narrowing down answer choices. Knowing which ones you need to compare to get to the answer is the key to saving time.


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[moose786]

Hi! Did you by any change find out anything else about the angles? The first few PAT practices tests are very frustration and I am also hoping that the angles are more like the generators. Please lmk. Thanks!

Hey! Sorry for the delay in response, but my DAT angle section was on the easier side of Bootcamp. My pacing was still trash when I took the exam, though, but do NOT give up in the middle. I had some points where I wanted to give up in the middle thinking I'd have to retake it - especially since I guessed on all my Keyholes due to lack of time. But still ended up with a 19. Do what countless others have said in the past - once you are done with a section, do NOT let it affect your vibes for the other sections. Keep yourself motivated and don't hesitate to give yourself small pep talks during the exam if you feel like giving up. It's normal and you might be pleasantly surprised when you see your exam results. Not sure if you took exam already, but ya lol.

ALSO, for angles - I would say don't be afraid to take more than 5 minutes. It may not be the best advice coming from me who had bad timing issue (but I also got fixated on this cube question for a good 5 minutes - this was one of the moments where I started to "stop caring" since I thought I bombed the Bio section and would have to retake exam no matter what)...But anyways, while doing Bootcamp, I found that if I used the various tricks for angle ranking in combination and if I took my time (like 10-12 minutes usually), then I would usually get at least 11 correct. My usual scores were 13 on average (got 14s and 15s here and there) when I took my time. Note that the actual exam will likely have easier angles for you - unless you get unlucky (and if you don't practice them every day). Seriously...I got pretty good at angles at a point and stopped doing them for a week - lost essentially all my skills. But anyway, if your actual exam is a lot easier, then it will likely take you 5-8 minutes to get through angles assuming you spent 10-12 minutes on it during Bootcamp.I was so trash at angles in the beginning but I went through the tedious task of spending sometimes 10 minutes on problems I would get wrong in angles - this would help me figure out what mental trick(s) to use to judge certain angles at certain orientations. But everyone works differently, and only practice will show you what works best for you. Just my two cents. Maybe you've taken it already and it's not relevant to you anymore! But hopefully it helps someone else who sees this in the future...

 

[flossit]

Angle ranking is a mixed bag on the real thing. Absolutely be prepared for angles differing by only a couple degrees, and just make sure you're good at eliminating and narrowing down answer choices. Knowing which ones you need to compare to get to the answer is the key to saving time.


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Hi, can you explain how do you see which ones to compare, meaning your thought process? Thank you!

 

[Flemish]

Hi, can you explain how do you see which ones to compare, meaning your thought process? Thank you!

So sorry for the late reply and I hope it is still of some use to you. What I meant is that when looking at the answer choices, you can sometimes figure out which ones need to be compared first to help you narrow down your choices. For instance:

A. 4-3-2-1
B. 1-2-3-4
C. 4-2-3-1
D. 1-3-2-4

Immediately, I know I need to compare 4 & 1 because knowing which is bigger will eliminate 2 answer choices. Say 4 is larger is 1. That means the answer must be B or D. Then I just have to compare 2 & 3. If I can't tell or I'm running out of time, I've at least eliminated two answers.

The answer choices aren't always this simple though. Sometimes you have to read into it, like if you see:

A. 1-3-2-4
B. 2-1-3-4
C. 3-4-2-1
D. 2-3-4-1

From this, I can see a few things. I know that 4 is larger than 3 in all the choices, so there's no need to compare those two. Then I see that 4 is only larger than 1 half the time, so there's the comparison that could give me a 50/50. I could also compare 3&2 or 3&1 if I don't like comparing 4&1.

While this may sound like a lot to do before you even approach the angles, I found that with practice, it quickly became second nature and made angles less painful.

Sorry again for the late response, the SDN app is funny with its notifications.


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[vvgp1216]

So sorry for the late reply and I hope it is still of some use to you. What I meant is that when looking at the answer choices, you can sometimes figure out which ones need to be compared first to help you narrow down your choices. For instance:

A. 4-3-2-1
B. 1-2-3-4
C. 4-2-3-1
D. 1-3-2-4

Immediately, I know I need to compare 4 & 1 because knowing which is bigger will eliminate 2 answer choices. Say 4 is larger is 1. That means the answer must be B or D. Then I just have to compare 2 & 3. If I can't tell or I'm running out of time, I've at least eliminated two answers.

The answer choices aren't always this simple though. Sometimes you have to read into it, like if you see:

A. 1-3-2-4
B. 2-1-3-4
C. 3-4-2-1
D. 2-3-4-1

From this, I can see a few things. I know that 4 is larger than 3 in all the choices, so there's no need to compare those two. Then I see that 4 is only larger than 1 half the time, so there's the comparison that could give me a 50/50. I could also compare 3&2 or 3&1 if I don't like comparing 4&1.

While this may sound like a lot to do before you even approach the angles, I found that with practice, it quickly became second nature and made angles less painful.

Sorry again for the late response, the SDN app is funny with its notifications.


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Hey Flemish, thanks for the insight that was very helpful. What should I use to practice angles: BC PAT practice tests, BC Angle Generators, or Genius Angle Generators?

 

[8_man]

Hey Flemish, thanks for the insight that was very helpful. What should I use to practice angles: BC PAT practice tests, BC Angle Generators, or Genius Angle Generators?

BC angle generators are only good for training your eyes. The answer choices on the generators are grossly simplistic in comparison to the full-length BC exams and the actual DAT; you'll rarely be able to eliminate 2 answers right off the bat on the real thing. @Flemish does a good job explaining this.

 

[flossit]

So sorry for the late reply and I hope it is still of some use to you. What I meant is that when looking at the answer choices, you can sometimes figure out which ones need to be compared first to help you narrow down your choices. For instance:

A. 4-3-2-1
B. 1-2-3-4
C. 4-2-3-1
D. 1-3-2-4

Immediately, I know I need to compare 4 & 1 because knowing which is bigger will eliminate 2 answer choices. Say 4 is larger is 1. That means the answer must be B or D. Then I just have to compare 2 & 3. If I can't tell or I'm running out of time, I've at least eliminated two answers.

The answer choices aren't always this simple though. Sometimes you have to read into it, like if you see:

A. 1-3-2-4
B. 2-1-3-4
C. 3-4-2-1
D. 2-3-4-1

From this, I can see a few things. I know that 4 is larger than 3 in all the choices, so there's no need to compare those two. Then I see that 4 is only larger than 1 half the time, so there's the comparison that could give me a 50/50. I could also compare 3&2 or 3&1 if I don't like comparing 4&1.

While this may sound like a lot to do before you even approach the angles, I found that with practice, it quickly became second nature and made angles less painful.

Sorry again for the late response, the SDN app is funny with its notifications.


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Thank you for explanation! One more question: When you see a new problem, do you start by looking at the answer choices first and from there you begin to compare angles in the picture. Or you first look the pictures find the biggest or the smallest and then look for clues of the answer choices.

 

[Flemish]

Thank you for explanation! One more question: When you see a new problem, do you start by looking at the answer choices first and from there you begin to compare angles in the picture. Or you first look the pictures find the biggest or the smallest and then look for clues of the answer choices.

I look at the numbers first and see if I can find that 50/50 I mentioned, or if any of the angles have consistent relationships (like 3 is always bigger than 1 in the choices so there's no point in comparing those two angles). However, some of the answer choices are designed such that you're just going to have to pick any pair of angles, judge which is bigger, and start eliminating answers from there.

This is why ultimately you're going to have to get good at judging the angles--looking at the choices first only serves to keep you from doing superfluous work, though sometimes it won't help you much at all.


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[dentalgirl77]

Dat boot camp really helped me. I wasn't doing so well on the practice exams (scoring 15-16 consistently) but I got a 20 on the actual test for the PAT section.


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