DAT Keyhole proportions (Bootcamp v. 2007/2009 v. Real DAT)

[caloc]

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Sorry, I know this has been asked a couple of times but I just wanted to try to get a clearer and more recent answer.

I'm doing TERRIBLE on keyholes on DAT Bootcamp. The proportions are totally throwing me off. They're such small details... And it's really, really discouraging. It's totally killing my confidence. And I'm really scared to go into the real DAT exam.

When I took the 2007 and 2009 DAT, PAT keyholes were a lot more straightforward and I did very well. It was easy to eliminate wrong answers and those practices did not seem to take proportion into consideration as much as Bootcamp. It was very easy in those exams to find a point of difference in the SHAPE. In Bootcamp, it seems as though for some questions, the size has to be EXACT. The shape would be similar but it would be a little too long or a little too short. It's very frustrating...

What can I expect for the real DAT? I'm planning on leaving keyholes for last because I don't want to hit it right away and get really discouraged and stress out for the remainder of the PAT. But if it's like the 2007/2009 DAT, I can definitely handle it.

 

[WaveRace]

The keyholes were the most difficult part of PAT for me. Bootcamp is definitely much more representative of the real DAT in terms of difficulty. I thought the keyholes were spot on. The keyholes that I got were very hard (IMO). They have been ramping up the difficulty of PAT over the years, so I don't think the 07/09 are very representative in terms of keyhole problems. That said, remember that you'll get a different version of the DAT than I had. You could get lucky or unlucky in that regard! The only advice I can give is to practice and do your best.

Your strategy of leaving them for last sounds like a good one. Make sure you get as many "easy" points as you can first!

 

[Likkriue]

The DAT will not have proportions has clean as those on bootcamp. It sucks so you have to be careful. I wouldnt spend too much time in this section.

 

[asdf99]

My shapes on my test wereen't complicated (ie: no weird rocks or anything), but for some reason I felt like despite the shapes being simple, it was super hard to find the answer because every option seemed a little wrong in terms of proportions lol... So although the shapes were themselves easier than bootcamp, I didn't find it any easier than bootcamp.


Keyholes and angles never really clicked for me (highest PAT score on bootcamp was like 19) so when I noticed myself struggling on the real deal I decided to just yolo the keyholes and angles and focus on the other stuff. Definitely not a good strategy if you are aiming for a 27, but if you are just trying to get the exam over with it's aight.

 

[Zesta]

The DAT will not have proportions has clean as those on bootcamp. It sucks so you have to be careful. I wouldnt spend too much time in this section.

I gotta agree with him^, the real DAT felt harder imo than bootcamp's especially keyholes. I think this just comes with practice tho

 

[caloc]

Hi, just wanted to give an update. Thanks for your replies, everyone!

I finally took the DAT and keyholes were definitely easier than Bootcamp but I still struggled with them. I agree with asdf99 above. I didn't have complicated figures like rocks but every option seemed like it could be wrong because the proportion was kind of off.

I did not end up skipping keyholes first. Just tried to get through them quickly and worked more carefully with things I knew I could get 100% on like hole punching and cubes. I never scored above an 18 on DAT Bootcamp and I got a 20 on the real thing.