QR section time constraint

[matty675]

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I have completed 8 Math Destroyer tests and have re-done several of them to ensure that I now understand any of the topics that I missed. On some tests I may even get 38/40 correct, but this is all untimed.

I tried to dive right into the DAT bootcamp QR test and the time constraint just seemed overwhelming and even impossible. Any advice?

 

[Daneosaurus]

Nope. Same problems here. I think the strategy is recognize what the problem is asking for quickly and being able to strategize the solution quickly. This comes with practice (at least, I hope so!).

 

[matty675]

I think you're exactly right. I think exposing myself to as many problems as I can will be the key.

I was under the impression that I would need get around 38/40 correct on the QR section to score well, but I am beginning to think that you can miss quite a few more and still hit 20. I'm not sure how representative DAT bootcamp QR is of the real thing, but I scored a 20 on test 1, so I am feeling a little better about the time issues.

 

[Daneosaurus]

Awesome job on the math. I did Bootcamp test 1 bio and orgo today. I got a 30 on bio and a 19 on orgo. I missed 5 on orgo, but 2 of which I simply accidentally selected answers I didn't mean to select because I'm doing it from my phone.

 

[matty675]

30 on bio is impressive

Practice, practice and more practice (at least that's what I keep telling myself). I have yet to start orgo. Primarily because I think I know the material pretty well and I just finished up Organic II and scored a 64 on the ACS. I'm hoping the DAT orgo will be similar. It's taken me quite a while to get through GC and QR as those are my weakest subjects (or rather subjects that I haven't seen in quite some time).

 

[Daneosaurus]

GC had taken me forever for this very reason. I still have a few weeks.

 

[Ari Rezaei]

The QR is tough and meant to pressure you to build up endurance. QR is the last section of the DAT and you'll be exhausted by then. Best way to train for it is to do harder problems, so when you get to the real thing you'll breeze through it and be one of those people who says they had 5 minutes at the end of the test.

Go through the QR section in multiple runs. On your first run, answer the easiest questions, the ones that you immediately know how to solve. If you don't immediately know what you have to do, guess an answer, mark it, and move on to the next question. After you get all the easy questions answered, start working on the harder ones. First work with the questions where you just needed some time to figure it out, then on the last run do the questions you think are impossibly hard. This way you'll at least get all the easy points, and won't be forced to guess quickly on the last 5-10 questions (which could've been super simple).

 

[youngy]

I too had the same problem when I was preparing for the test, because I did it untimed and got about 32~34 out of 40 questions on average I'd say.
I probably took a lot more than the allotted time and I thought there was no point in trying to finish it on time if the only way to finish on time is by guessing the last 10 or so questions.

Just try as many problems as you possibly can and like many people and myself have realized, there is a pattern of problems they give you.

On the real test, the math problems aren't as complicated as they are on the destroyer or on the bootcamp, so it's likely that you will be pleasantly surprised.


I really dreaded QR section because I took calc 1 and 2 about 10 years ago and algebra and geometry probably 15 years ago, but I trudged through the destroyer math book and ended up getting 23, even after guessing for about 3~4 problems at the end because of time restraint.



Oh BTW, if you see a problem that you cannot immediately answer, SKIP it and come back. (this may sound like a cliche now that it's mentioned everywhere, but this is really important because you cannot use more than a minute for any question on there and if you are stuck on one problem for 5 minutes, then 20+ score is a bye-bye)