Inconsistent Test Materials Provided on Test Day?

[jbon9952]

I am hearing different experiences about 2 test materials provided by Prometric when you sit for the DAT.

1. QR Calculator Numpad: Some testers have reported being able to use the keyboard numpad, but others have reported that their numpad was disabled, and they had to use their mouse to click on the calculator.
2. PAT Graph vs Blank Paper: Some testers have reported that they were provided laminated graphing paper, while others have reported being provided laminated blank paper with no lines.

What have your experiences been? I am concerned about these 2 factors because they can make a difference in the pacing of the exam, and every second counts. Personally, I can use a numpad faster than a mouse, and I think graph paper is more useful for Hole-Punching than blank paper when you are drawing your grids accurately. I called the specific Prometric center I am testing at, but I got to the voicemail inbox and left a message. I will update here once I get a response and learn more!

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[jbon9952]

Here is what I learned from the phone calls with 2 different test administrators at my specific Prometric center as well as the next closest center.

1. The administrator at my specific center was unsure if the numpad was disabled or not. The second administrator from the other center informed me that the numpad was not disabled (other than by you manually disabling/enabling it with the "Num Lock" key), but was uncertain if it would work with the calculator provided on the QR section.
2. Both administrators at both centers said that the paper provided was completely blank with no lines, and differently colored depending on the day. The administrator at my specific center said that I may use my mouse pad or the keychain attached to my locker key as a straight edge to draw straight lines on the blank paper (as opposed to trying to draw a 4x4 grid free hand).

I plan on making a few more calls this week to better confirm this information.

 

[Chicago_predental]

I personally had the regular computer calculator, but no grid paper on the exam which I wasn't made aware of prior. I ended up with a 17 on PAT which is fine, but I definitely think it would have been higher with the grid paper. Good luck with your exam!

 

[jbon9952]

I personally had the regular computer calculator, but no grid paper on the exam which I wasn't made aware of prior. I ended up with a 17 on PAT which is fine, but I definitely think it would have been higher with the grid paper. Good luck with your exam!

Thanks for sharing your experience, this is important information that needs to be shared. I was provided grid/graphing paper the last time I took the DAT, and it definitely speeds up the Hole-Punching section significantly. I was informed by the second administrator that providing these new, non-laminated, blank papers is part of their COVID-19 protocol, and may change. My test date is not until the end of July, so I will be calling again closer to my date to confirm. Thanks for the well wishes!

 

[DAT Destroyer]

You would think all testing centers are the same but they aren't. That is why I always suggest students do the DAT Test Drive at their prometric testing site. At that time you can ask questions and sit at a computer you will be using the day of the test and take a mock test,(not DAT exam but you can navigate around and use the calculator and see the general set up.

Here is the link that will explain more.

Good luck on your DAT!

Nancy

Test Drive | Prometric

Getting familiar with the look, feel and experience of a test center in advance of an exam will minimize pre-test mistakes.

www.prometric.com

 

[JLT223]

Just curious, will that really make or break your exam?

 

[0Mik3cho]

Thanks for sharing your experience, this is important information that needs to be shared. I was provided grid/graphing paper the last time I took the DAT, and it definitely speeds up the Hole-Punching section significantly. I was informed by the second administrator that providing these new, non-laminated, blank papers is part of their COVID-19 protocol, and may change. My test date is not until the end of July, so I will be calling again closer to my date to confirm. Thanks for the well wishes!

For the benefit of future thread-readers, I recommend using the answer choices to keep track of where holes are possibly located; Cross out answers if they become invalid or bring them back if they seem plausible (such as when the pattern unfolds so as to move a hole to another location). I developed this strategy because I read that the marker quality and availability of grid paper was variable so relying on them was not a safe bet. For what it’s worth, I felt the paper only truly necessary only to keep track of cubes in each level during cube counting especially when reviewing my answers.

 

[chi_town7]

Just curious, will that really make or break your exam?

tbh i dont really think it will. While grid paper can be helpful, I have been taking DAT practice exams with blank paper and practice drawing grids for hole punching ( tbh if youre quick it should take around 30 seconds to draw enough grids that correspond to the qs). I think it would be worthwhile to practice it that way. Number pads can speed it up but not dramatically - i guess it would just be helpful whilst taking practice exams to avoid using it just in case it is disabled

 

[jbon9952]

Just curious, will that really make or break your exam?

Maybe not in the 18-24 score range, but in the 24+ range, the margins of error between scores can become increasingly small. A few seconds can make or break 1 or 2 questions, and 1 or 2 questions could be the difference between a 25 and a 28. Some students can be strong applicants with a lower score, some students may desire that high outlier score to compensate for a weakness. The latter may be trying to exhaust the tiniest of leverages to push them into a higher score.

 

[jbon9952]

For the benefit of future thread-readers, I recommend using the answer choices to keep track of where holes are possibly located; Cross out answers if they become invalid or bring them back if they seem plausible (such as when the pattern unfolds so as to move a hole to another location). I developed this strategy because I read that the marker quality and availability of grid paper was variable so relying on them was not a safe bet. For what it’s worth, I felt the paper only truly necessary only to keep track of cubes in each level during cube counting especially when reviewing my answers.

Thank you for the strategy recommendation, I will give this a try, maybe I won't have to use the scrap paper at all! Another advantage of your approach is that you do not have to look away from the screen. For cube counting, when I first tried using the "T-Table" technique, or any approach that would cause me to divert my eyes from the screen to my paper, I would sometimes lose my place on the figure and not recall which cube I counted last. So I switched to the "Direct Counting" technique and used my fingers to count.

 

[0Mik3cho]

Thank you for the strategy recommendation, I will give this a try, maybe I won't have to use the scrap paper at all! Another advantage of your approach is that you do not have to look away from the screen. For cube counting, when I first tried using the "T-Table" technique, or any approach that would cause me to divert my eyes from the screen to my paper, I would sometimes lose my place on the figure and not recall which cube I counted last. So I switched to the "Direct Counting" technique and used my fingers to count.

Yep! I didn’t think of this but you’re right that not needing to look away from the screen helps keep focus.