DAT PAT last 2 weeks advice

[ThatoneKorean]

Hey guys my DAT in less than 2 weeks and want some tips regarding the PAT section. I have been practicing and recording the PAT generator for DAT bootcamp for the past 20 days and have been getting an average of 9-10/10 for cube counting/TFE/Hole Punching(these 3 sections were rather easy for me from the start too), but getting low scores for Pattern folding(6-7/10), Angle rank(5-8/10), and Key hole(4-6/10). Any advice on how to improve my score for the 3 sections of the PAT I am doing bad on? Thanks. Lastly, I have been using the Hill strategy and rapid eye movement for the angle ranking so any other strategy for it would be appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Don Kim]

For angle ranking, really take the time in the generators to try to figure out the best way to do each case. Acute, right angle, obtuse, parallel angles, opposite angles, arbitrarily positioned angles, angles with one long side and one short side etc... And practice the hell out of it! Keyhole is just practice. You just have to get used to noticing little details here and there so that you can eliminate answers. Pattern folding can be done by reasoning through which side will meet which side for sure, and which side the patterns will make contact with. Its also best done through process of elimination. Usually you can figure it out by looking for certain shapes that might not be present in other answer choices, looking for edges where certain patterns make contact. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to careful practice. Good luck!

 

[okiedokeartichoke]

Please don't bother with the TFE generators on Bootcamp. I was really beasting through the TFE generators (averaging 13/15), but when I started to take actual practice exams through Bootcamp, the TFE was so different and what was once my highest score, was now one of my lowest scores in the PAT section (along with keyhole, but keyhole was always a lost cause for me). The TFE generators were really deceiving to me because I had the perfect course of action to solve them, but it didn't translate well to the practice problems. Pattern folding was also pretty different. Just start diving into the practice BC PAT problems.

 

[Charles_Darwin]

Please don't bother with the TFE generators on Bootcamp. I was really beasting through the TFE generators (averaging 13/15), but when I started to take actual practice exams through Bootcamp, the TFE was so different and what was once my highest score, was now one of my lowest scores in the PAT section (along with keyhole, but keyhole was always a lost cause for me). The TFE generators were really deceiving to me because I had the perfect course of action to solve them, but it didn't translate well to the practice problems. Pattern folding was also pretty different. Just start diving into the practice BC PAT problems.

^^^

 

[Queen Beach]

Please don't bother with the TFE generators on Bootcamp. I was really beasting through the TFE generators (averaging 13/15), but when I started to take actual practice exams through Bootcamp, the TFE was so different and what was once my highest score, was now one of my lowest scores in the PAT section (along with keyhole, but keyhole was always a lost cause for me). The TFE generators were really deceiving to me because I had the perfect course of action to solve them, but it didn't translate well to the practice problems. Pattern folding was also pretty different. Just start diving into the practice BC PAT problems.

You know how many threads I read saying that when people started doing the PAT practice test on Bootcamp they were lost because they were doing the generators. That's like learning how to count then all of a sudden given multiplication problems (slap in the face.) Yes, I followed Ari's schedule until it said, "start practicing with the generators", then I thought to myself "Hell NO!" I got achiever and started doing their PAT lol. Holy crap it was hard, but now on bootcamp I kill their TFE. However, bootcamp seems to be great on the science & math. My friends tell me, Bootcamp math is really good too. (sigh) I take my test very soon.

 

[8_man]

The TFE questions on the actual DAT were poorly drawn in comparison to Bootcamp, which is why I had a harder time than usual. But I still think Bootcamp was great practice.

 

[jsdent]

For angle ranking I'd suggest using the generator a lot ! It's really just practice practice practice. I too was using the quick glance method but found that when I stared at the two for too long I was doing poorly. I ended up just looking back and forth about twice then I'd decide, seemed to work much better for me. Try and think which one is closer to 90 or closer to 180

Keyhole was tough for me as well, try looking at each answer piece by piece and narrow it down by finding out what is wrong with each wrong answer.

Pattern folding is tough at first I actually tried finishing all the others early so of have more time for this. First off try and find any faces that really stick out in the flat model and match it to an answer that has it. Next look at the connectivity , if you see that two black shaded pieces are touching each other, they shouldn't be separate in the answer!!

 

[asdf99]

Angle ranking and keyhole were two sections that I never really "got". I just yoloed on the exam and focused on my stronger sections.

For pattern folding, I never really folded the entire object. Instead, I used to process of elimination. I would go through choice by choice, identifying which ones were incorrect. Hard to explainn honestly, comes down to practice. The bootcamp solutions have some good explanations.

With regards to TFE visualizer, I see it get alot of hate. Personally, I think I got 15/15 on TFE on my real exam, and I thought the TFE visualizer was a fantastic tool. It's called a visualizer not a generator. Don't use it like the generators where you just speed through problems. Instead, use the visualizer to practice identifying unique characteristics of the object in question. Then when you think you have found everything that is possible, check the answer and compare the 3D solution to what you pictured in your mind.

If you use the TFE visualizer as a problem generator, I guarantee you will have a bad time.

This post will probably make no sense, and I apologize for that! It's just really hard to describe PAT, since it really comes down to your own strategy/practice.