strategy on PAT

[ALI]

I have been using Top Pro CD rom to practice PAT. I heard that it is a lot easier than real PAT and I strongly agree with that. I usually can finish it in 40 min with at least 15 min to spare, but my score is in 20-22 range. I know people who get 25 on top pro and get 18 on real PAT. Is real PAT that much harder?what is so difficult about the real PAT?? On the real PAT should I slow down to focus OR the difficulty of the probelm would slow me down eventually? Anyone who feels the same way and have taken the test please help. thanks

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[ddasung]

What?

If what you said is true, I am in trouble. I definitely want to hear a second opinion from anyone who's taken DAT already. Can someone verify this? Is it far more difficult than the CD ? How? I am about to cry....

 

[DesiDentist]

I'm there with ya ddasung,

I haven't been able to hit over 20, i've taken like 3 computerized exams and 20 is what i am getting. I've heard from over 5+ friends who have recently taken the DAT that the PAT is nothing like kaplans material. The angles are much more trickier, the hole punching has problems with half-holes and 2 or three holes punched into them. I think this year they made the PAT much more difficult. My friends who where getting 19-22's got below 20 on the PAT. But I guess, unless you really desperately want to go to Ivy League, UOP, or U.Washington then the PAT isn't a huge factor. Good Luck. Sorry if I scared you, I scared myself too.

Yikes!!!

DesiDentist

 

[vixen]

I remember when I took the DAT two years ago, I thought that PAT was a bit harder on the real thing than Kaplan.

I just did a practice DAT section from Kaplan, and I got an 18....not too great.....

one thing thats kinda funny is that on the score thing it tells you which questions took the longest and which ones took the shortest.....the ones I took the longest I got wrong...the ones I took the shortest time I got right...go figure....

the angle ranking, cubes, pattern folding are ok....

hole punching is so-so

top-front-end sucks....its really hard to see that stuff...i gotta practice more w/that and keyholes are kinda tough too.....errr

kind of a weird question, but for those of you who wear contacts....are you (or did you) wear contacts or glasses for the exam?

 

[vixen]

glasses or contacts on the exam? Im worried if my eyes will hurt staring at the screen for 4hrs...although my contacts are stronger prescription than my glasses....sorry for the somewhat frivilous question

 

[bres]

Wear what you've been usually wearing while studying.

Since the prescriptions of lens and glasses are different, sudden change might give you fuzzy sight.

If you really want to try what you don't usually wear during study, wear those at least three days before testing and get used to it.

by the way, i prefer wearing glasses, since my eyes easily get dry during 4:15min long DAT.

good luck

wish me a luck too.. DAT tommorrow.

 

[vixen]

wow, good luck bres!!!!!!

 

[ohgee]

PAT for the actual test is a lot harder than Topscore, Kaplan, and Barron's.

For me, the angle and cube counting part are all right...they are similar to these study aids. Folding is okay too.

My mistake is that since they made the top-front-end and key hole a lot harder, it takes more time for me to do them..and i didn't want to give up. So I have a lot less time to do the rest. Just don't make the same mistake as me. Pace your self.

Also, Keyhole is a lot more detail oriented than the practice. you need to pay attention to the size difference and the small tiny shape difference...if i will do the test again, i will speed through these two sections, finish the rest and go back to them



good luck guys.

 

[Doggie]

I was always good with the 3D stuff so the PAT wasnt too difficult for me. I've always thought that I was gonna be some sort or engineer or architect ever since high school, so I forced myself to take drafting classes..........dang were they helpful for the PAT! I got familiarized with all sorts of 3D structures......cuz part of being an engineer is to have to be able to visualize a 2D drawing into a 3D object........ Anyways....here's a trick that I kinda made up....I dont think this is considered cheating....cuz I used it during my Dat's and no one said anything.

Rip the corner of the scratch paper....now you have a 90 degree edge! Next, fold it in half so you get 45 degrees........keep on folding to get smaller angles, etc...... Basically, what you do is take that and put it against the computer monitor to compare the angles......

Happy PAT'ing

 

[ItsGavinC]

I suppose it depends on the location of your exam. My proctor specifically told me that I couldn't touch the screen, nor hold anything up to the screen.

PAT wasn't too hard when I took it, although I scored far below what I had anticipated. Hole-punching was easy and only took 4-5 minutes. Angles weren't too bad, although far harder than anything I had practiced. Keyholes gave me quite the hassle, but I had plenty of time to work on them because of the time I saved on the hole-punching and cube-counting (which was way simple).

 

[Doggie]

that's very strange.....

I made all these markings and diagrams on my computer monitor....hahaha. Of course I erased everything when i was done...