CDP Help!

[hova137]

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I have taken 4 CDP tests and am averaging about an 18! I want to break the 20 barrier but keep running out of time!! Any suggestions because I am really worried

 

[Nat426]

I was cutting it a little too close on timing and i found the biggest drain was on the cube counting. Making a chart for all the different cubes was taking a lot of time so i quit that and started just counting what they were asking for. Every time you see one with the correct #, put up a finger. I count each cube, but it goes really quick, at the end, check and see how many fingers you have up. I usually finish now with around 6-8 minutes extra and my Crack that PAT scores went from 19-20 up to 23-24. Hope this helps.

 

[LuckMC11]

I was cutting it a little too close on timing and i found the biggest drain was on the cube counting. Making a chart for all the different cubes was taking a lot of time so i quit that and started just counting what they were asking for. Every time you see one with the correct #, put up a finger. I count each cube, but it goes really quick, at the end, check and see how many fingers you have up. I usually finish now with around 6-8 minutes extra and my Crack that PAT scores went from 19-20 up to 23-24. Hope this helps.

lol what if you count more than 10 for a side?

 

[DatSlayer]

lol what if you count more than 10 for a side?

after all the fingers are gone there are toes.

 

[KittySquared]

You know what really pisses me off? Missing the cube count. That section should almost be a complete given. I keep on missing on the cube counts and it bugs me! I guess I can't count. What hell am I doing applying to dental school for?!

 

[yuhjah]

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[Spartan812]

Don't worry, I was averaging about there in the beginning and running out of time as well but my I scores have really improved and I have lots of time to go over and review problems! 🙂 It really is a matter of practice, so don't worry!! From what I've heard, the CDP hole punching is much harder than the DAT, and I think the pattern folding might be as well (I don't take my DAT til July 15). If you have the royal flush edition, really take advantage of those bonus problems!! They helped me tremendously in cube counting and hole punching. I'm a huge fan of the table method for the cube counting! For hole punching, I draw out a 4x4 grid on a white board and draw in the holes for each problem instead of sitting and trying to keep track of the holes in my head. With pattern folding, you MUST fold into the screen (i.e. down). Believe me, I was getting so many questions wrong because I was folding up! Also, the clues to the answer are in the shape of pattern (like the size of the angle or the length of a side). The cubes though are definetely the hardest, you get the hang of it after a while though. The trick is to determine which sides of the cube are always opposite to each other. You can easily discard an answer or two from that alone! I also like to jump around during the exam, especially with the TFE section, I just get really annoyed with it. Also, maybe try starting with the section that is giving you the most trouble, then you can easily spend more time trying to solve those problems. Hope this all helps and good luck!

 

[hova137]

umm i dont think 18 is bad in cdp~ i got 17s in the beginning~ to practice speed if you have to be able to do the easy sections really fast like angles...cube counting...and hole punching so you have time to do the other sections which requires more thinking and time.
in the beginning i took forever to do holepunching cause i just couldnt get it...so i then did just this section instead of doing the whole test and kept practicing on this section only...and soon enough...you just get it! and you can do it really fast!
same thing with cube counting...i scored really low in this section in the beginning b/c i would miscount...but i practice this section only several times and i can count the cubes like superfast now~
for angles...in cdp are HARD. i practically give up on this section b/c i never can score more than 10 in this -.- they're like 1 or 2 degrees apart...but on the real DAT the angles are much easier...but nevertheless you shouldnt spend more than 5 minutes on this section
for me...TFE, keyholes, and patternfolding takes the most time b/c i have to think and analyze~ but what worked for me is if getting through the other sections fast so i have plenty of time to do the harder sections~
figure out your weakest sections and practice and get better at it!
theres no other way i believe except practicing it and mastering it~
good luck! :]

Yea I suck at TFE and angles and need the most time for that as well. I read your breakdown for the DAT and was wondering if line counting helped you eliminate answers on every single question or whether it was a waste of time. Also, does the real DAT lag when you hit the "Next" button because I tend to leave TFE till the very end since that takes me the most time. Did you end up skipping around during the actual test? Thanks for all the advice!

 

[hova137]

Don't worry, I was averaging about there in the beginning and running out of time as well but my I scores have really improved and I have lots of time to go over and review problems! 🙂 It really is a matter of practice, so don't worry!! From what I've heard, the CDP hole punching is much harder than the DAT, and I think the pattern folding might be as well (I don't take my DAT til July 15). If you have the royal flush edition, really take advantage of those bonus problems!! They helped me tremendously in cube counting and hole punching. I'm a huge fan of the table method for the cube counting! For hole punching, I draw out a 4x4 grid on a white board and draw in the holes for each problem instead of sitting and trying to keep track of the holes in my head. With pattern folding, you MUST fold into the screen (i.e. down). Believe me, I was getting so many questions wrong because I was folding up! Also, the clues to the answer are in the shape of pattern (like the size of the angle or the length of a side). The cubes though are definetely the hardest, you get the hang of it after a while though. The trick is to determine which sides of the cube are always opposite to each other. You can easily discard an answer or two from that alone! I also like to jump around during the exam, especially with the TFE section, I just get really annoyed with it. Also, maybe try starting with the section that is giving you the most trouble, then you can easily spend more time trying to solve those problems. Hope this all helps and good luck!

Hey thanks for all the advice! My two weakest portions are TFE and Hole Punching (CDP hole punches are insane!) Do you have any advice for TFE?...For Hole Punching,I tried the 4x4 grid method but it takes me too much time to visualize how the holes will open up. Also I have found myself spending too much time on the angle section which is why I keep running out of time. I guess I'll just have to use my best guess and move on so I can spend time on other stuff..But thanks for explaining the different types of strategies!

 

[Spartan812]

Sorry, I don't really have any advice for TFE but maybe try looking at the amount of space between two lines? That usually helpes a little bit. Also, line counting helps sometimes, not always! With hole punching, look for lines of symmetry (diagonal, lenth, width). When you unfold, think of reflecting those holes across that line of symmetry. It might help! Yea angle ranking can be a real pain at times, but I try not to spend too much time on it. If you can see it, you can see it. If you can't, don't spend precious time there when you have other sections that you're struggling on or when you can get easy points somewhere else!

 

[vindicate]

Repetition: the more you practice the faster you become.

At first I was finishing on time with crack dat pat, and running out of time with achiever. Now I can finish CDP with 25 minutes left, and achiever with 5-10. Though achiever has a diabolical key hole problems that take way too much time.

You just need to train your brain.

 

[sweetdaises2000]

I've been having the same problems too with time. I feel like I either have 2 problems left, or finish right on time with the PAT. I have the 5 exams edition but I worry that maybe my scores are increasing simply because I'm seeing the problems over and over. I don't want to be shocked on test day since my brain will not recognize those figures u know?

 

[yuhjah]

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[hova137]

thanks for all the advice! definitely helped since I jumped from a 19 to a 21 on the last test!