DAT jitters...Help??

[ashman]

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So I have been reading up on the DAT advice some of you have to give. My problem with the test is I dont know if I am ready. I have been studying for a good three months, I have done all the KAPLAN homework and tests and averaged 20-22's on all the sciences, 19-20 PAT, and 19 math and verbal. I am aiming for above 20's all across. I took the TOPSCORE exams and averaged 20/20/20 on those test plus or minus a point in each section. My ??? for you all is my test is in 2 weeks, how did you guys know when you are ready or did you just take the test. I am friggin nervous that I will mess somethin up. I have the DAT achiever tests and am waiting a week before to do those tests (IT seems like you can only take those once and then it locks you out of the test for repeating it?)... So what do you guys think, I have some exams from the ADA, some Princeton/Hyperlearning exams that I am looking to do all 1 week before my exam (A total of 7 exams) then 3 days to review everything. AS YOU CAN SEE I am nervous and over wrote a simple ?. So what are your guys' experience before the test and overall if I am scoring these numbers is it complement to how I will do on the real test?????

 

[drengineer]

You know you are ready when you score 17-18 on Kaplan/topscore tests. In general, these tests are a little harder than the real DAT. From my experience, your real score go up by atleast 3 points on each section except for the PAT on the real thing. Usually on PAT, your real score remains the same or drops a bit as compared to these practice test.

Three months is a long time to prepare for this test. Just relax and know that you'll be fine. And don't forget to review as little as possible the day before your test to avoid burn out.

It worked for me. And i'm sure it will work for you too and future DAT takers.

 

[mac60]

Watch out for your PAT. Your score on this section can end up very low (16 may be) if you happen to be getting a difficult set of questions. I wouldn't wait till the last week to work on DAT Achiever. It has a lot more challenging stuffs than you can expect to get yourself more ready on the test day, not only for PAT, but rest of other sections like SNS, QRT, and part of RC too.

 

[miravyn]

You'll be more than fine for the science sections, RC, and QR. As for the PAT, I think scoring 19-20 is a little low for those Kaplan tests. I scored 22-23 on the Kaplan tests, but fortunately my score stayed the same on the real thing. As for the reading comprehension, it's pretty much the same on the real test. The questions are a bit harder but the passages are a lot easier to understand. When doing the Kaplan tests, I had to make those map things but on the real test, I basically looked for the answers in the passages. I think I scored around 21-22 on the practice tests and ended up a lot higher. The bottom line is if you can, work a little more on the PAT. But if you have been studying that long, you may have reached your saturation point.

 

[food4thots]

you should stay calm with relaxation techniques. first ground yourself by putting your feet on the floor, relax your shoulders so you are not so tense. and most importantly, breathe. you should also take your eyes of the the screen for a second to relax your eyes every now and then.

as corny as it sounds, it works, at least for me.

 

[drengineer]

I was very tensed during the PAT section, so i just did it without ever looking at the screen. It was quite relaxing and it worked just fine.

I'm KIDDING!

But yeah... try to relax while taking the test. Accept your fate and have faith in your prepartion.

 

[SunnyDay]

So I have been reading up on the DAT advice some of you have to give. My problem with the test is I dont know if I am ready. I have been studying for a good three months, I have done all the KAPLAN homework and tests and averaged 20-22's on all the sciences, 19-20 PAT, and 19 math and verbal. I am aiming for above 20's all across. I took the TOPSCORE exams and averaged 20/20/20 on those test plus or minus a point in each section. My ??? for you all is my test is in 2 weeks, how did you guys know when you are ready or did you just take the test. I am friggin nervous that I will mess somethin up. I have the DAT achiever tests and am waiting a week before to do those tests (IT seems like you can only take those once and then it locks you out of the test for repeating it?)... So what do you guys think, I have some exams from the ADA, some Princeton/Hyperlearning exams that I am looking to do all 1 week before my exam (A total of 7 exams) then 3 days to review everything. AS YOU CAN SEE I am nervous and over wrote a simple ?. So what are your guys' experience before the test and overall if I am scoring these numbers is it complement to how I will do on the real test?????

You will do fine. You are scoring almost exactly how I was. I got a 22AA/23TS/17PA on the real thing. I would only be concerned on how I scored on the PA with your practice test scores. You will probably get anywhere from a 17-19 in that section depending on the difficulty of your particular test and your test performance. A 17 won't kill you, I got into multiple schools, and I was complemented on my DAT at each interview I went to. You are in good shape. Just relax, and review the material you have already learned.