dat format

[mg777]

for those who've taken the dat. i was wondering how easy is it to skip around within a section. do u have to click through a bunch of questions or can u make the menu come up and skip that way.

i prefer doing the SNS section in the order of bio, OC, then gc. I like to skip around in pat too, i do Angles, Cube counting, hole punching, pattern, top-bottom, keyhole. Is this do'able on test day? thx

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[Sprgrover]

First off, you have to take the DAT in the order that it is laid out - i.e. natural sciences, PAT, RC, and then math. Once you are done with a section you cannot return to it and there is no menu to choose from (so you can't get math out of the way first). You do have the option of marking a question and returning to it, though keep in mind there is a time limit. At the end of that time limit the computer will bump you to the next section whether or not you have completed the prior one. All unmarked questions are graded as wrong. For those reasons I would recommend that you select an answer if you are going to mark a question so you don't leave anything blank. Also, don't get carried away with the mark feature for the same reasons. I was nervous about running out of time so while I was doing practice exams I got in the habit of selecting an answer while I was starring at the question and only marking one if I felt I really had to as I did not want to fall victim to the time-trap.

 

[mg777]

ok i know u cant skip section to section. my question is, how feasible is it to skip within a section. In the nat;l science, i prefer to do bio and orgo first since those are my 2 best sections and i tend to get the fewest amount wrong in those 2 sections. GC is my weaker section and more time consuming for me. so im thinking of doing bio first, then skipping the 30 GC questions, doing the 30 OC questions, and then going back to GC questions. you follow? id probly end up losing a minute skipping through all the gc questions huh? what do u think??

 

[Sprgrover]

Exactly - you would have to click through all of the questions, then go back, and so on. It's not very efficient and increases the likelihood for error. I too knew general chemistry would take me longest of the three natural science sections to complete. You have 90 minutes to complete it. Unlike other test software, you don't have just 30 minutes for biology and so on. With this in mind I went into the exam with the goal of plowing through the organic chemistry portion at the end in 20 minutes (I did it in less than 15!) and around the same time for the biology section. That way I could have ~50 minutes to do the general chem portion. Those time limit goals that I set for myself are what worked for me. You may need more time on a section, or perhaps you could suprise yourself and get through one in less time - kudos! I think the latter strategy is better than trying to juggle three sections, out of order, and not get tripped up with the time limit. Try this approach next time you utilize Topscore or acethedat.com and see how it works out for you.

 

[blumnday99]

Would it be advantageous to skip around the PAT sections?

Kaplan says to do the cube counting, hole punching, and angle ranking sections first because they are the easiest and worth the same amount per question as the harder top-front-end, keyhole, and pattern folding questions.

If you're pressed for time don't you want to get the easy ones done first and run out of time (if you have to) on a harder question?

 

[mg777]

yea thats what im thinking. im going to try this method this week on some full length practice test.

 

[Sprgrover]

Would it be advantageous to skip around the PAT sections?

My advice is once again no. You would still have to click through a lot of questions. Besides, since their is a time limit, I think it best if you try to develop a strategy of answering a question and then moving on. Otherwise I fear you may spend too much time biting your nails on several questions and pay the price for it. Pick you battles - and it shouldn't be that hairy question that asks for the square root of the meaning of life multiplied by the tan of theta. Best of luck, all!

 

[blumnday99]

My advice is once again no. You would still have to click through a lot of questions. Besides, since their is a time limit, I think it best if you try to develop a strategy of answering a question and then moving on. Otherwise I fear you may spend too much time biting your nails on several questions and pay the price for it. Pick you battles - and it shouldn't be that hairy question that asks for the square root of the meaning of life multiplied by the tan of theta. Best of luck, all!

I guess I'll do it in order and try not to spend time on the harder questions and mark them to go back if I finish early.

 

[melonbobo]

yes it is. just the same as topscore

 

[accidental]

I did the bio section, marked all the gen chem, finished the o chem and then went back and finished gen chem. As far as time goes, that worked for me. However, I don't think I'd recommend it for the PAT b/c of the time limit - jumping around does take up time and you will be pressed for time even without skipping around.