How did you stay calm for the DAT?

[UNCafDDS]

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Does everyone get test anxiety for the DAT?

I am getting really nervous for my exam in spite of studying hard and doing pretty well on practice tests.

I do not want my test anxiety to affect my scores.

Does anybody have proven advice to manage test anxiety?

Thanks!

 

[JrjDDS]

I am about tot take the DAT for the second time due to a bit of test anxiety the first time. My experience the first time I took the exam was a downhill event. I started out really positive and ready, but when i came across a few I didnt know I panicked, and would read and reread the question, putting myself in a bind timewise. This ultimately ended up messing up the entire exam for me. So going into this next one I have practiced my time management as well as triage to not let 1 or 2 questions ruin my test again. I feel much more ready now, and more calm. As long as you have put in the work, you just have to trust that it will get you through. This was just my personal experience and how I coped with it, we will find out how effective it is next week. You can do it!

 

[Star-Lord]

For me, I took 6 full length practice tests following all test-like conditions (wet erase marker, laminated sheets, no bathroom break in between sections, using earplugs, etc). Honestly I was terrified leading up to the test, but once I sat down and started, it felt like just another practice test. I ended up doing pretty well and feeling more focused than anything else during the exam. I hope that helps. Good luck! Hard work really does pay off!

 

[FeralisExtremum]

I think test anxiety can be minimized two ways:

1. Take full length practice tests completely under timed testing conditions, as @cduran24 mentioned above. This will ease you into the real test and it should feel more like a process you're already comfortable with rather than a high pressure, new situation.

2. If you encounter stuff you don't recognize, don't panic and don't spend too much time focusing on it. Mark it, move on to the stuff you do recognize and wrap those up, then go back to the more challenging questions with a clearer head. A lot of students I've spoken with tell me about how they will bomb a section they were otherwise prepared for because the first few questions were very challenging and completely threw them off. Remember that the DAT includes experimental questions not counted towards your score, so even if a question seems like it's completely out of nowhere, it's not necessarily going to be counted against you.

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Does everyone get test anxiety for the DAT?

I am getting really nervous for my exam in spite of studying hard and doing pretty well on practice tests.

I do not want my test anxiety to affect my scores.

Does anybody have proven advice to manage test anxiety?

Thanks!

Taking the test drive offered offered at the Prometric testing centers often relieves some of the test anxiety. I recommend taking the 2009 at least a week before the actual DAT and assess those scores for areas of weakness. The last week should be spent on wrapping it up and focusing on any weak areas. I find students that continue to take timed test up to the test day become anxious because scores are not always consistent leading to self doubt, etc.

Just my 2 cents..Nancy

Here is info on the test drive.

Test Drive Additionally, you can become familiar with the testing experience through Prometric's Test Drive on Test Drive. In 30 minutes, you will experience an overview of the testing experience you will encounter on the actual testing day. During the overview, you participate in: • The scheduling and registration process • The complete check-in process • Introduction to test center staff and surroundings • A 15-minute sample test (a generic test, not DAT specific) demonstrating the testing process • Full preparation for the real test Visit Prometric’s Test Drive on Prometric.com for further details

 

[DAT Destroyer]

I think test anxiety can be minimized two ways:

1. Take full length practice tests completely under timed testing conditions, as @cduran24 mentioned above. This will ease you into the real test and it should feel more like a process you're already comfortable with rather than a high pressure, new situation.

2. If you encounter stuff you don't recognize, don't panic and don't spend too much time focusing on it. Mark it, move on to the stuff you do recognize and wrap those up, then go back to the more challenging questions with a clearer head. A lot of students I've spoken with tell me about how they will bomb a section they were otherwise prepared for because the first few questions were very challenging and completely threw them off. Remember that the DAT includes experimental questions not counted towards your score, so even if a question seems like it's completely out of nowhere, it's not necessarily going to be counted against you.

Can you please confirm where you heard the DAT has experimental questions. Was that from the ADA directly? I am only aware of the QR section due to the new OC questions. Any light you could shed would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Can you please confirm where you heard the DAT has experimental questions. Was that from the ADA directly? I am only aware of the QR section due to the new OC questions. Any light you could shed would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

No problem, it's on the last paragraph of page 4 in the DAT FAQ:

"Each test includes certain questions that play a special role within the testing program. Some questions enable us to place different forms of the test on a common measurement scale, thereby adjusting the forms for any differences in form difficulty level. Because of these questions, examinee scores have the same meaning regardless of the particular test form that was administered. Other questions on the test are experimental and are not scored. The data collected on unscored questions is used in later test construction processes, to ensure that these questions are appropriate before they are included among the scored items."

 

[DAT Destroyer]

No problem, it's on the last paragraph of page 4 in the DAT FAQ:

"Each test includes certain questions that play a special role within the testing program. Some questions enable us to place different forms of the test on a common measurement scale, thereby adjusting the forms for any differences in form difficulty level. Because of these questions, examinee scores have the same meaning regardless of the particular test form that was administered. Other questions on the test are experimental and are not scored. The data collected on unscored questions is used in later test construction processes, to ensure that these questions are appropriate before they are included among the scored items."

Thanks! The complexity of the DAT scoring system...This was from 2015 and still has the break at 15 minutes, it's now 30 minutes, do you think they are still testing problems in the current 2017 DAT? I will contact the ada and see if they will respond .. Guess it doesn't really matter, you will never know what they are testing anyway.

Thanks for responding.

Nancy