im getting nervous! issues with finishing on time

[dentistry2011]

whenever i take the dat acheiver pat sections, i always run out of time! i end up guessing on like one whole section (ie. almost 15 questions!) did other people have that problem??

and did anyone have any time problems when taking the actual dat?? on any of the sections?

thanks!!

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[dnguyen]

whenever i take the dat acheiver pat sections, i always run out of time! i end up guessing on like one whole section (ie. almost 15 questions!) did other people have that problem??

and did anyone have any time problems when taking the actual dat?? on any of the sections?

thanks!!

Practice, practice, practice. The time allotted, although it doesnt seem like it, is more than enough time to finish all the sections and perhaps even go recheck the answers.

 

[DMD to Be]

whenever i take the dat acheiver pat sections, i always run out of time! i end up guessing on like one whole section (ie. almost 15 questions!) did other people have that problem??

and did anyone have any time problems when taking the actual dat?? on any of the sections?

thanks!!

Oh yes! I had time problems for months. But finally, after PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE I have gotten where I can finish it all plus go over a few marked questions. Good luck to you!!

 

[bevzi]

I suggest that you spend no more than 40s per question. If you can not answer it, just pick and click on mark and return to it at the end.. This way, you have time to answer the questions that you know and do not have to rush through the remaining questions.

whenever i take the dat acheiver pat sections, i always run out of time! i end up guessing on like one whole section (ie. almost 15 questions!) did other people have that problem??

and did anyone have any time problems when taking the actual dat?? on any of the sections?

thanks!!

 

[SuperC]

When you take the practice tests Give your self LESS time. When you tke the real thing it will be a breeze.

When I took the DAT I finished the science secetion 30 minutes early.
-C

 

[mlle]

okay, i'm doing the chem subject tests, and it's taking me a good 40 mins for 30 q's. I'm doing 40 bio q's in 20 mins, don't know about orgo yet.

Can I afford to take 40 mins for chem only??? how long did you guys give yourselves when practicing?

I mean there are calculations to do....

 

[aranjuez]

okay, i'm doing the chem subject tests, and it's taking me a good 40 mins for 30 q's. I'm doing 40 bio q's in 20 mins, don't know about orgo yet.

Can I afford to take 40 mins for chem only??? how long did you guys give yourselves when practicing?

I mean there are calculations to do....

Kaplan subject tests, at least in my experience, are geared toward a specific topic. Each one focuses on a single concept in different ways so as to expose you to the different kinds of questions they can ask you given a certain topic. You're not going to have to compute 30 different questions on the real DAT (at least I hope not). Not all the questions are meant to be incredibly difficult.

Let's be realistic here, some of them are easy. I mean, if it asks you for some sort of nomenclature, then it's not going to take you a minute to do... more like 10 seconds. Don't stress about the subject tests. Just take them for what they're worth: guides. Do them, take your time, understand how to do them. You'll increase your speed, I'm sure, later on, but don't rate your speed based on the subject tests. Don't stress it. Take more full-length exams. They have a nice balance of questions: easy, medium, and difficult. Yah, some questions will take you 2 minutes to do... leave them towards the end. Get the ones that take 10-20 seconds out of the way. Problems involving anything to do with M1V1=M2V2 or NaVa=NbVb should take you no more than 30 seconds, in my opinion.

It's just practice. Take the full length ones. And (this goes for everyone), don't stress. I'm in the process of studying for this too, but I'm not stressed, and none of you should be either. It's just pressure. But it's absolutely possible. Practice, and you get better. Study, and you get better. It all helps.

And regardless of what the people on the forums say, with the studying 10 hours a day or whatever, let's be real here... some people do that when they study for finals and are great with it. Some don't. We've all been in school for 15+ years. We know what our own methods are. Some people have the ability to read something once and remember it for a long period of time, while some others need to constantly drill it in their heads. No one's better than the other. But don't dedicate 10 hours a day to studying if it's just not your style. Who knows, you might be hurting yourself by not relaxing for a good 2 or 3 hours in between. You know your study habits. Go with that. And best of luck to all of you. I know we're all in "competition" with one another for spots in the schools, but... really, best of luck to all of you.

aranjuez

 

[futurdent]

dentistry2011, I had the same problem that you did when I was taking the PAT practice exam. In addition to practicing, I would recommend learning a few PAT strategies (particularly in the cube counting and paper folding sections). The use of strategy really helped me with time on the exam.

Also, I agree with the poster who said don't freak out and feel that you have to study 10 hours a day. I didn't study 10 hours a day and I did just fine.

I wish you all the best.

 

[dnguyen]

Agreed. I never studied for more than 4-5 hours a day, just because my mind gets numb after that. That's just me, my study habits are probably different from yours. I cant ever study at home either, so I always leave to the library or the local cafe. The bed is too tempting when I'm at home. GL.