having second thoughts about DAT retake

[Bis-GMA111]

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so i'm thinking of retaking the DAT for the 3rd time, solely for the PAT section (i got a 16).
i'm getting obliterated by the DAT achiever (can't crack a 16-17), and i know that achiever is supposed to be difficult, but my achiever score was indicative of how i did on the real thing for the last 2 times (both 16s). i know that i'm not going to be able to crack a 17 or 18 on the real thing, so is a retake worth it?

 

[grb2sos]

Have you used the Crack DAT PAT? I used that and thought it was great. My initial score on the first practice exam was 16 and by the 10th practice test I got a 23 (21 on the actual DAT though). I thought it was very helpful.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

yeah, i've used crack PAT before, and i scored 20-21 on that (last year) but i got a 16 on the real thing

 

[grb2sos]

Hmmm...I would just say retake the DAT and really try to blow it out of the water. A great DAT score can trump a lower gpa any day of the week. Even if you could just get your PAT up to an 18 or so and raise your TS and AA to a 21, I would say you could get in somewhere. Either way, you may have just had some bad luck the last couple times around and received a form of the test where the PAT section just didn't agree with you.

 

[omnipoDent]

so i'm thinking of retaking the DAT for the 3rd time, solely for the PAT section (i got a 16).
i'm getting obliterated by the DAT achiever (can't crack a 16-17), and i know that achiever is supposed to be difficult, but my achiever score was indicative of how i did on the real thing for the last 2 times (both 16s). i know that i'm not going to be able to crack a 17 or 18 on the real thing, so is a retake worth it?

I looked at your predents account. It says you have a oGPA of 3.3 and a sGPA of 3.2. I'm assuming the 20/20/16 is then your most recent DAT score. It seems to have only gotten you one interview this cycle and no acceptances, so that might be your answer right there. I'm not sure what to tell you with regards to improving the PAT. It seemed like one of those sections that just came naturally or it didn't. For instance, I didn't look at PAT the last 3 weeks before the DAT, but I still was able to hit a 21 or 22 (not sure). I know it's annoying when people say this, though. On the other hand, QR was something I struggled a lot with while some people just seemed to get it easily. Do you know which part of the PAT you struggle with the most?

 

[grb2sos]

I looked at your predents account. It says you have a oGPA of 3.3 and a sGPA of 3.2. I'm assuming the 20/20/16 is then your most recent DAT score. It seems to have only gotten you one interview this cycle and no acceptances, so that might be your answer right there. I'm not sure what to tell you with regards to improving the PAT. It seemed like one of those sections that just came naturally or it didn't. I know it's annoying when people say this, but the QR was something I struggled a lot with while some people just seemed to get it easily. For instance, I didn't like at PAT the last 3 weeks before the DAT, but I still was able to hit a 21 or 22 (not sure). Do you know which part of the PAT you struggle with the most?

3 weeks? That is impressive. I spent 3 weeks alone just getting used to the hole punches.

 

[omnipoDent]

3 weeks? That is impressive. I spent 3 weeks alone just getting used to the hole punches.

There was a guy in a few of my prerequisite classes that could completely dominate the rest of the test, but he just couldn't figure out the PAT part. He had a great AA and TS, but he got a 12 or 13 on PAT. He said he just couldn't visualize it.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

keyholes and TFE. i didn't think i was that bad at keyholes, but i guess achiever proved me wrong, as i can't even visualize as to why i got some of them wrong.

and yea, those are my stats. i'm currently upping my grades via a masters program

 

[grb2sos]

There was a guy in a few of my prerequisite classes that could completely dominate the rest of the test, but he just couldn't figure out the PAT part. He had a great AA and TS, but he got a 12 or 13 on PAT. He said he just couldn't visualize it.

What makes the PAT portion even harder is the pressure from the time limit. I remember staring at the time ticking away during that section (and even more so during the reading portion) and the increasing stress clouding my mind. It was really hard to visualize under the pressure.

 

[omnipoDent]

keyholes and TFE. i didn't think i was that bad at keyholes, but i guess achiever proved me wrong, as i can't even visualize as to why i got some of them wrong.

and yea, those are my stats. i'm currently upping my grades via a masters program

That's the issue with this section. Everyone's mind works differently, so it's hard to tell you how to look it as an approach. With keyholes, If you want, feel free to pm me with the approach you've been taking with it so far. I might be able to make some suggestions.

 

[ushaseos]

It is entirely possible that you just had some bad luck. I scored 17-19 PAT on Achiever and scored 23 on the real thing. If this is your third time, I am sure you have already done most of the tests, you might want to find some PAT practice tests from stuff you haven't used before (if possible).