How did you study for the PAT?

[Percocet]

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Hey-just a quick pregunta for everyone out there- How did you folks who kicked tail on the PAT study? I'm not planning on taking the DAT again, since I did fine academically, but my PAT was average. I studied the Kaplan book but this didn't seem to equate well to the real test. Dr. Kamali at UNLV said that it's all in the genes (ie, you either can do it or you cant), but I'm not sure I agree with that.
Anyhow, for those who got 20's or better, is it true that you either have it or you don't? Or can you study for it like the other sections. If so, how?
Just Curious

--Percocet--

 

[yosemitesam]

Of course you can learn to improve your perceptual ability but it's improbable that you'll be able to do it in time for the test. I think the thing that helped me the most is years of building cabinets and furniture with my dad. It's kind of like playing piano, almost anyone can learn but it takes years of practice. If you've never had much exposure to that type of thinking it's going to be very difficult

If you really need to improve, my best advice (not sure how much that's worth) would be to start a hobby like building models, sewing, or woodworking. All those things require the skills necessary to do well on the PAT; just don't expect to improve in a month's worth of cramming like you did for for the academic portion. Good Luck

 

[juan7677]

Hey Percocet,

I disagree w/ yosemitesam somwehat. You can definitely improve your perceptual ability in a short period of time. I did in a couple months. When I first took the PAT tests at Kaplan my scores usually ranged from 16-18. But near the end I was getting 20's consistently and received a score of 23 on the actual test. What worked for me was just taking alot of tests from various sources, Kaplan, Barons, etc... This helped me alot b/c I was able to improve on my speed on some sections so that I could spend more time on the sections that I had trouble in like the pattern folding. Also, with alot of practice I learned a few tricks that worked for me. But I do also agree that some people are just naturally better and are gifted with perceptual ability. Like my friend for instance. He only practiced the PAT portion a couple times and wound up getting a 28 on the actual test.

 

[s.mutans]

You can get better at the PAT. It is the repetition that really helps. The Top Score software really helped because it gave the realistic environment on the actual DAT. Going through 40 different tests through Kaplan and just correcting your mistakes gives you an advantage. I found this really helpful on the paper folding/holes section. Once you see the pattern over and over it just sinks in. So are you going to UNLV this school year? I will see you there!

 

[futuredds]

This is the most hardest portion for me on the DAT. I am not good at looking at this as 3D. I plan to retake the DAT, but I am scare of this part...