Help for Piano Passage

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MTV132

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I am really worried about getting the Piano passage and would at least have peace of mind if I did some research on it beforehand. My biggest fear is once I see the passage, I am going to immediately freak and know I'm going to do poorly. Any insight would be appreciated.

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I am really worried about getting the Piano passage and would at least have peace of mind if I did some research on it beforehand. My biggest fear is once I see the passage, I am going to immediately freak and know I'm going to do poorly. Is the passage about the way the piano is made, the history of it, or just the piano in general? Any insight would be appreciated.

this is cheating..and i doubt ppl will give you details about the passage.
just don't panic and you should be fine
i had piano and got 20rc.
english is my second language so you should be fine.
good luck
 
I am really worried about getting the Piano passage and would at least have peace of mind if I did some research on it beforehand. My biggest fear is once I see the passage, I am going to immediately freak and know I'm going to do poorly. Is the passage about the way the piano is made, the history of it, or just the piano in general? Any insight would be appreciated.
Haha, it's not that bad. It flusters you a bit because there are about 5 answers that are truly difficult to find. But yea, I think the most information students can give you is what the passage is about, and that is pianos and keyboards. Those who are better at RC will not struggle as much with the passage.Those who use search & destroy will find themselves spending too much time on several questions.
 
If you're really worried about it then research the history of the piano! I'm taking the test soon so I have no info for you (and I wouldn't divulge anyway).

This seems like a great opportunity to learn something new!
 
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If you're really worried about it then research the history of the piano! I'm taking the test soon so I have no info for you (and I wouldn't divulge anyway).

This seems like a great opportunity to learn something new!

I think the hard questions have to do with the tone of the particular passage. I dunno if research pianos will help that much.
 
Don't waste your time researching about pianos. Just focus on your strategy and pacing for RC.
 
And maybe also trying to figure out strategies of how to work through tone problems when they come your way. That way if you get a difficult passage (whether or not it is about the piano) then you will know how to answer accordingly. :)
 
Dude I got piano'd

but I think there's NO WAY to prepare for it, even if you know a thing or two about pianos

so when it comes, do it at the end...mines came in the middle, so i had to click a million times to get to the last passage lol...seriously, it sucked!!
 
Dude I got piano'd

but I think there's NO WAY to prepare for it, even if you know a thing or two about pianos

so when it comes, do it at the end...mines came in the middle, so i had to click a million times to get to the last passage lol...seriously, it sucked!!
Yeah, I hate that. They seriously need to make the test more user-friendly so you can immediately go to any question without having to reach the end first.
 
The piano passage is not the monster SDN makes it out to be. I didn't find this site till after my DAT, so when I came across the piano passage it didn't phase me. I just started searching and skimming for answers. Like I said earlier, there are several tone questions and a couple of questions that were just really difficult to find, but it wasn't THAT bad. And I am not good at RC, never have been. Don't skip the passage, just skip questions that you can't get in under a minute. It's a group of questions in the piano passage that can break you, not the entire passage.
 
Yeah, I hate that. They seriously need to make the test more user-friendly so you can immediately go to any question without having to reach the end first.

Agreed.

Going into the test, I had a strategy for some of the sections, but because of the "clicking" required to get to certain questions, I just stuck to doing things in order...
 
I guess I got lucky and my Piano passage was last. I breezed through the first two passages and had plenty of time for the piano. You basically have to read the passage because the questions aren't easy enough to just search and destroy. Definitely takes more time, but just stay calm! It's only a passage!
 
Thanks for those of you who gave some encouraging words. My RC scores have ranged from 19-22 on all of my practice tests...I honestly wouldn't have posted this thread if there weren't so many ones out there about how TERRIBLE the piano passage is. I feel like every time I get on someone posts their DAT scores and they are all in the 20s except RC and it's like a 14 or something!!

The ADA should realize that it's probably not a fair passage based on the trends and remove it or at least alter the questions... I know from some of the RC tests I've taken, that if I know about the subject I can answer 40% of the questions without even referencing the passage. I thought in the long run it might be beneficial to read up on some piano stuff just in case, but I guess not. Just praying I don't get it!
 
I wouldn't get too worked up over this passage. I personally do not think it is the fabled monster everyone makes it out to be.

I mean the answers are all there you just have to figure it out. No thinking involved at least compared to other sections. :)

You should just pace yourself and if you get it you get it. Do what you done with the other passages you've practiced on. Worrying too much about 1 passage that you may not even get might end up hurting you. Such as psyching yourself out and miss out on a few easy points.
 
I am really worried about getting the Piano passage and would at least have peace of mind if I did some research on it beforehand. My biggest fear is once I see the passage, I am going to immediately freak and know I'm going to do poorly. Any insight would be appreciated.


Just work at your fundamentals, strategies and weak areas.
Sometimes, people who post low score on certain subject because they didn't take the time to work on that area. We all differ in strength and weakness in the different subjects, just know what your weaknesses are and improve on them. Others' fear and weakness may not be one of yours. Don't let your fear get the best of you. Running on exaggerated fear only waste energy and brain power you can use to improve your score. Everyone is afraid of the "uncertain" and it is always more scary than the real thing. Prepare the best you can and give your best on test day, the rest will take care of itself. Good luck.
 
I had the piano passage on my DAT and I admit I was one of those OMG THIS IS THE HARDEST PASSAGE EVER as shown by my huge drop from practice RC tests to the real thing. Looking back on it, it was purely frustration because like you said, if you have some background knowledge of the subject you can answer ~40% of it without even reading the passage. I definitely fell into this category as well.

I didn't know jack about pianos coming into the test so it was definitely a surprise reading it. The questions were definitely doable if you read the passage carefully. My advice is to approach it like as if it was a regular scientific passage (but in a science field you had no background in). I remember skimming the questions really quick first and just being really frustrated b/c I felt at a disadvantage to people who knew how to play piano (which amongst my friends are a vast majority). I immediately got flustered and then panic just set in with questions in my head of "oh my god, i have to learn how to play piano if I want to be a good dentist? this is completely unfair!" and more amongst those lines.

In summary, don't psych yourself out! Approach it using your normal techniques and you'll do fine!
 
Some people mention having a background on the topic might help. For those of you who have gotten the Piano passage, can you explain if it is more about the history of piano, how its played, or how it works..?
Also, how long was this passage? looks like a monster huh?
 
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