atlanta478 said:
I would love to see someone who scored high on PAT (23 or above) post his or her recommendations.
I've posted my suggestions before - a couple are a little unorthodox, but they worked for me. Here you go:
First suggestion I'll make, which may sound silly, is to play video games that are visually intensive, like Halo or whatever you like. In one of my wife's college psychology texts it specifically discussed studies which correlated playing video games with higher scores on the PAT section on the DAT. Also, consider this article from MSNBC, amongst other sources:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4685909/
One thing this article does not discuss is that video game players are actively using their visual/spatial intelligences, which is what you are using on the PAT.
Second suggestion, and this saved my butt bigtime (a friend gave me this method the day before the test), is to get a good system for the cube counting. DO NOT read the question before looking at the cubes. What I mean by this is that you shouldn't look at the question to see how many sides it wants, then randomly scan the cubes for how many three-sided cubes there are. You have to tally the entire structure first. The way I did it went something like this: before the test I practiced scanning the cubes in a methodical manner (e.g., furthest left column, then the one behind it, then behind it, etc.). Then, mark the number of sides for each cube. Example:
4
3 3 2
2 0 3 2
2 1 4 1
And so on. The first column is four cubes high, the next two are three cubes high, and the last one is two cubes high. After tallying the cubes like this, I could look at the question, and if it asked for twos, I'd put a slash through each two and count it as I went. This method allows for tons of speed and accuracy if you can work it out right - it let me rip through the cube counting.
Another suggestion, and I've made this comment on a few other threads, is to use visualization as much as you can. Turn the room upside down, imagine where the furniture would be, etc. What would a mirror image look like? While I was driving down to Vegas one time I practiced imagining what the landscape would look like if I turned it upside down, then sideways, then backwards (I almost got in a wreck at one point doing this, so be careful). I think that this correlates to the PAT because you're essentially doing the same thing in the real test: turning objects around in your mind.
For the pattern folding section, I'd suggest looking at the examples in the PAT tests you have and practice folding them over and over, then unfolding them over and over, then flipping them around in your head all over the place. Imagine what it would look like from every angle. It was a serious mental strain to do this sometimes, but I think it helped.
Besides this, you obviously need to take as many PAT practice tests as you can. In my opinion, absolutely anything you can do to improve your visual/spatial intelligence will help you score better on the PAT.
