DAT PAT question

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c.ata

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For all of those who have taken the DAT and have done well (18 and above) on the PAT portion of the exam, or are about to take the DAT - what are you doing to study for that portion? It seems to be me weakiest point on the practice tests. I am not enrolled in a Kaplan class, do not have the money to spend, and so I do not have access to their tips. I would be very grateful to anybody who can point me to the right direction on how to conquer the PAT. Are there any books, beside the Kaplan book you can buy at barnes and nobles, or computer programs, besides topscore, that can help?

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Kaplan doesn't really give that many tips out for the PAT section. Mostly you gotta practice a lot and learn to raotate 3-D figures in your head. I'll try to give you as much help as possible here:

Angle rankings: compare the angles to 90 and 45 degree angles. Look at the answer choices to know which ones to compare.

Cube counting: Count all of the cubes before answering questions. Make a grid for this and put in the appropriate number of slashes. I count each column one at a time and from back to front. This helps me keep track of which ones I've counted. Do what is easier for you.

Hole puching: Looking at the first folds you can eliminate some answers that are not symmetrical around that line. The one on the DAT is a lot trickier than Kaplan's because the DAT has a lot of weird folds.

TopFrontEnd : Remember that solid lines take precence over dashed ones.

Keyhole : Imagine what the three possible projections from the side, top, and front would look like before you look at the answers.

Pattern folding : This part is harder without Kaplan practice stuff because they help you with the possible shapes they put on the test. Use reference points on these to keep track of the pattern.

This section i much harder in the actual test than Kaplan's stuff so be prepared. Kaplan, however, is better than no practice at all and they help you with the speed part. (90 questions in only 60 minutes).
Hope this helps.
 
Thank You so much for your help Dental Caries. The PAT portion is driving me nuts. I will definitely put your tips to use. Good luck with everything.
 
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Thank You so much for your help Dental Caries. The PAT portion is driving me nuts. I will definitely put your tips to use. Good luck with everything.
 
no problem....I'm getting a lot of help and encouragement here so I just wanted to contribute.
 
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