in the 3/4 weeks leading up to your test, how often did you do a PAT practice test? every day, twice a week, 3 times a week...? i know it depends on how good you are at it but im just trying to get an idea to see how much other ppl practiced close to their dates. it would help me out. thanks!
PAT time management
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Lets see, I did the Kaplan practice problems and the Kaplan book test when I just started preparing for the DAT. Then about two months out I did the online practice DAT by the test makers. I always went back and reviewed problems I missed and tried to figure out why. Then with about two weeks left I did all three TopScore and the computer Kaplan test. I went from getting ~65 right per practice to ~80 on the the last 4, which correlated to 3 22's and a 23. On the actual test, I only ended up with a 20, but I left for break 5 minutes early because I drank too much coffee before...
As for the various sections, cube counting and hole-punch were my best sections in the practice, but the Top Score hole-punch aren't that difficult. The angle section was tough on the actual Dat, and I didn't put much time into that section in practice. Keyhole and top-front-end were a matter of familiarity. At the beginning I wasn't great on those sections, but once you do enough of them the answers start jumping out and you really know what to look for. For example, in the keyhole you start noticing the little differences between two seemingly correct answers. Finally, the folding was destroying me initially until I realized that painted sides had to fold such that they were on the outside of the figure. My basic strategy for that section was to draw the folded figure in the same orientation as the answers and then to draw the colors in myself from the flat image. Then I would see which answer matched. By the end of my studying, I was getting 14-15 right on these sections with that strategy.
The most important part of the PAT in my opinion is dealing with time. The first two sections took me about 10 minutes each, and if something was really stumping me I put an answer down and marked it. Then on angle, I just made the best judgement calls I could and really flew through the section. Hole punching came fairly naturally for me, so I was able to get through that section quickly as well. If you start with the last fold and work backwards you can get some really fast answers. I saved the most time in cube counting. I made a table of 0 1 2 3 4 5 and then on the total number of cubes for the figure. Then I counted each cube started in the front bottom row and working my way up level by level. Its important to work in an orderly fashion so you don't get lost and have to recount. Then i would make tally marks and make sure that the total cubes matched my initial total cube count. After that its just a matter of referencing your table for answers. The angle, hole punch, and cube counting typically took me 20-25 minutes, leaving me between 15 and 20 for the final, and most time consuming section as well as for reviewing marked questions. Other than the aforementioned advice on the folding, make sure on complex folds to check for shapes you see on the flat image. If the flat image has an L shaped portion, the L shape has to show up in the folded figure too. Having plenty of time allows you to draw the folded image and nail those tricky shaded side questions that are tough to visualize.
Overall, becoming familiar with the various tricks and nuances helps the most. There are only so many ways to ask those questions so you start to notice patterns and similarities. Definitely use more than one practice test type, since TopScore and Kaplan differ in difficulty. Also take advantage of the free online practice test for more repetition.
As for the various sections, cube counting and hole-punch were my best sections in the practice, but the Top Score hole-punch aren't that difficult. The angle section was tough on the actual Dat, and I didn't put much time into that section in practice. Keyhole and top-front-end were a matter of familiarity. At the beginning I wasn't great on those sections, but once you do enough of them the answers start jumping out and you really know what to look for. For example, in the keyhole you start noticing the little differences between two seemingly correct answers. Finally, the folding was destroying me initially until I realized that painted sides had to fold such that they were on the outside of the figure. My basic strategy for that section was to draw the folded figure in the same orientation as the answers and then to draw the colors in myself from the flat image. Then I would see which answer matched. By the end of my studying, I was getting 14-15 right on these sections with that strategy.
The most important part of the PAT in my opinion is dealing with time. The first two sections took me about 10 minutes each, and if something was really stumping me I put an answer down and marked it. Then on angle, I just made the best judgement calls I could and really flew through the section. Hole punching came fairly naturally for me, so I was able to get through that section quickly as well. If you start with the last fold and work backwards you can get some really fast answers. I saved the most time in cube counting. I made a table of 0 1 2 3 4 5 and then on the total number of cubes for the figure. Then I counted each cube started in the front bottom row and working my way up level by level. Its important to work in an orderly fashion so you don't get lost and have to recount. Then i would make tally marks and make sure that the total cubes matched my initial total cube count. After that its just a matter of referencing your table for answers. The angle, hole punch, and cube counting typically took me 20-25 minutes, leaving me between 15 and 20 for the final, and most time consuming section as well as for reviewing marked questions. Other than the aforementioned advice on the folding, make sure on complex folds to check for shapes you see on the flat image. If the flat image has an L shaped portion, the L shape has to show up in the folded figure too. Having plenty of time allows you to draw the folded image and nail those tricky shaded side questions that are tough to visualize.
Overall, becoming familiar with the various tricks and nuances helps the most. There are only so many ways to ask those questions so you start to notice patterns and similarities. Definitely use more than one practice test type, since TopScore and Kaplan differ in difficulty. Also take advantage of the free online practice test for more repetition.
thanks a lot!
i have about a month left and i did 2 crack dat pat tests so far and the pat stuff in the kaplan book. i havent even looked at the topscore or achiever yet and need to do lots more crack pat tests. i was just freaking out that im way behind schedule and i should have started doing pat regularly already. i dont know... i think ill start doing that this week. ive been focusing so much on the sciences and for sure not enough on reading, pat and math. im scared
i have about a month left and i did 2 crack dat pat tests so far and the pat stuff in the kaplan book. i havent even looked at the topscore or achiever yet and need to do lots more crack pat tests. i was just freaking out that im way behind schedule and i should have started doing pat regularly already. i dont know... i think ill start doing that this week. ive been focusing so much on the sciences and for sure not enough on reading, pat and math. im scared
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It's okay don't stress it! You still have plenty of time and just try to manage your time to the best you can. Try doing a PAT test a day or sections that your weak in and you'll be fine. When are you taking your test? Good luck!
as of now, my test is july 16 but i havent started math and im way behind in pat and reading so im thinking of making it a week later. so i say i have about a month bc i would have a month if i changed the date. but its 3 weeks till july 16. i dont think thatll be enough time but id rather take it earlier to get it over with and to get my scores in sooner. dont know what to do.
Don't worry about the PAT, just keep practicing it. I started off doing very poorly in about 4 of the sections but you can pick it up quickly. Just try to do practice sections regularly and go back and see why you missed questions. You can even do a section you've already seen again after a week or so to see if you learned the tricks.
I didn't spend very much time on reading at all...I did about 3 practice tests. I've heard that reading Wall Street Journal articles that you have no interest in a few times a week can be very beneficial to the reading section. Strategically, I just tried to build a good framework in my mind of the passage so I could reference it quickly.
I didn't spend very much time on reading at all...I did about 3 practice tests. I've heard that reading Wall Street Journal articles that you have no interest in a few times a week can be very beneficial to the reading section. Strategically, I just tried to build a good framework in my mind of the passage so I could reference it quickly.
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there comes a point where extra PAT practice doesn't help your scores anymore... try to get to that point.
As for time management during the actual exam, you can use 10 min for each section, but it really doesnt break down like that. I work it out so that the first 2 sections take up at MOST 25 minutes, then then i make up the lost time in the next 3, angles, folding, and cubes. This should leave roughly 10-15 minutes for the last section, which is by far the hardest. Not hardest becuase its impossible to do, that would be angles. hardest becuase it takes the longest time to visualize in my head, for me at least. This time breakdown enables me to get 80+ questions right consistantly.
As for time management during the actual exam, you can use 10 min for each section, but it really doesnt break down like that. I work it out so that the first 2 sections take up at MOST 25 minutes, then then i make up the lost time in the next 3, angles, folding, and cubes. This should leave roughly 10-15 minutes for the last section, which is by far the hardest. Not hardest becuase its impossible to do, that would be angles. hardest becuase it takes the longest time to visualize in my head, for me at least. This time breakdown enables me to get 80+ questions right consistantly.
