PAT/RC tips

[manifesto]

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Hi all,

I feel I am comfortable with my scores with every section on the DAT except RC and PAT. I can't even finish the two sections and this often gets me flustered heading into the math section.

My first priority is to get tips on how to just finish the two sections.
Second, what would be good tips on how to excel? 19-20 for PAT and 20-21 on RC

I am currently using Bootcamp and Qvault. I also did some of Kaplan's stuff as an intro (not their practice tests, but their section tests).

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[UMDMD]

Hi!

For the PAT I suggest starting with your best 3 sections (personally, I like to start with hole punching, followed by cube counting, and pattern folding) and then head into the last 3 sections, this way, you won't feel pressured for time at the beginning and you can make sure that you ace your stronger sections. If time is still an issue make sure to leave angles to the end. These can usually be easily narrowed down to two answer choices, so if time's running out and you have to guess, you have the best chances of getting it right by guessing on angles.

I used Crack the DAT PAT and scored a 23 on my DAT.

Good luck!

 

[manifesto]

Wow that seems like a great idea! Can you give me logistics on how easy is it to flip through questions like that? Is there just a "previous" and "next" button or will there be a way for you to skip directly to a PAT section of choice if you know the number it starts on (ie. cube counting)?

 

[Soleus715]

It's important to narrow down the exact reason why you're not finishing on time for RC and PAT.

For RC, I realized that rather than skimming very quickly, I did better just reading it like a book and then answering all the questions. Maintaining composure and focus on the topic was crucial for me. A lot of threads here had people complaining that they got screwed trying to use S&D, so I avoided that chance altogether by actually doing the reading.

-After each paragraph, I wrote down few words pertaining to it so that I can quickly refer back to it when I'm answering questions.
- If I got confused, I would just read the next paragraph and try to understand the previous paragraph through context.
- Most importantly, have confidence in yourself and really believe that you can understand everything as you read.

For PAT, I struggled with timing issues a LOT. I honestly believe this is all about figuring out a step-by-step formula to go through each question. Find out the best method to approach each section in PAT and get it down to a perfection. I had to learn and practice all the strategies in this forum to really start finishing practice tests/ DAT on time.

-For Keyhole, TFE, and Pattern folding, I went about this in a very systematic way. I looked at the choices right away and crossed out obvious wrong choices. Then I tried to figure out which of the remaining choices contain anything that makes it different from the sample. These 3 sections really intimidated me at first. But going through them step-by-step made them a lot easier.

-LoS method for Hole punching (There's a link to the guide on glimmer's breakdown list)
-Umbrella method for angle ranking (which umbrella is more open? compare the shorter lines of each angle)
-Cube counting by making a table
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During the actual DAT, the sheer amount of practice really shined and I was able to get through it without losing it to my nerves. Make sure you practice until you can do PAT in your sleep. It'll really work wonders when the test day hits.

Wow that seems like a great idea! Can you give me logistics on how easy is it to flip through questions like that? Is there just a "previous" and "next" button or will there be a way for you to skip directly to a PAT section of choice if you know the number it starts on (ie. cube counting)?

Have you tried the prometric's DAT sample? It's exactly what you'll see on the real DAT.
https://www.prometric.com/ClientFiles/ada/DAT/index.htm


Good luck on your studies!

 

[UMDMD]

Wow that seems like a great idea! Can you give me logistics on how easy is it to flip through questions like that? Is there just a "previous" and "next" button or will there be a way for you to skip directly to a PAT section of choice if you know the number it starts on (ie. cube counting)?

I took the Canadian DAT, so I did my PAT on paper, but CDP is supposed to replicate the test software. If that's indeed the case, then there's a total of 4 buttons at the bottom: "back", "next", "mark", "review". If you press "review" you see the list of question numbers. So as soon as I started the PAT I pressed "review" and double clicked on question #46 to begin with the first hole punching question, the I'd keep pressing "next" all the way to #90 (the last question of the PAT which is in the patter folding section), then I'd click "review" again and start on question #1 (Apertures). So by time I was done, the last question I answered was #45, the last of the angle ranking questions. By the time I was done practicing I was ending up with 10 - 15 minutes to spare.

 

[manifesto]

Thanks Soleus!

 

[manifesto]

Oh wow I've just been practicing the LoS strategy for an hour and I think this is the key for me to actually finish on time. Do you recommend doing LoS on any problem though? Ive been getting them all correct with it, but maybe doing Kaplan's strategy is faster for some?

 

[canadawala]

practice practice practice, and keep practicing lol, i got a 27 PAT and thats what i did, RC was not my greatest and i got a 19

I would highly recommend 3T quest dat acheiver tests because they are sooooo hard and it really helped me **** my pants and study harder haha, i learned how to barely handle those hard tests which made other tests seem a bit easier, also i used them to study off of, i would get raped by the test then go back and study the topics i would get wrong then take the test again just to get my timing on point

for RC i cant really say much, im slow reader, i did the first cpl passages normally but then for the last 2 i would be running out of time and i would go straight to the questions ans pick out key words and look for them in the passage to find the answer, i did it for whole tests and it worked kinda for me lol,

best of luck!