TFE on DAT

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ef1553

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From what I have been reading on peoples breakdown, they all say line counting does not work on the real DAT and you have to visualize the image. Is Line counting the same principle as looking at the solids and dashed lines?
 
From what I have been reading on peoples breakdown, they all say line counting does not work on the real DAT and you have to visualize the image. Is Line counting the same principle as looking at the solids and dashed lines?

From CDP, the line counting is just #horizontal lines TOP = #vert. lines END, etc. I hope it works, because first 2 tests on CDP practicing TFE sections, I only missed a combined 3 questions from those 2 tests (and that was my 1st time doing TFE). I just gotta work on my timing!

I would love to hear any advice/tips the veterans have.
 
i wouldn't recommend counting lines. won't work on the real DAT. just practice it.
TFE wasn't bad and is around the ballpark to CDP. keyhole, different story. i felt the keyhole was harder compared to CDP but that was just my test...
 
i wouldn't recommend counting lines. won't work on the real DAT. just practice it.
TFE wasn't bad and is around the ballpark to CDP. keyhole, different story. i felt the keyhole was harder compared to CDP but that was just my test...

Completely disagree. TFE is only harder because CDP is NOT a good representation of the actual DAT.

This is how it is becoming:
1) Line counting only works to an extent (you can eliminate 1 or 2 choices at most)
2) The remaining choices are nitty-gritty things. For example, one view might have dotted lines in one area and the other view has solid lines in that same area. Another example, the "holes" in the shape might be square or diamond like... It's hard to explain without an actual problem.
3) Therefore, you are FORCED to actually understand the shape/visualize.

In conclusion: CDP has its place as a beginner's tool, but sadly it is becoming outdated due to newer and harder problems out there. Achiever is still a bit too hard though (it is TOO nitty-gritty. proportions on the real DAT are at least rather discernible).
 
So from what I'm reading, looking at solids and dashed lines are useless now? You have to visualize the image?
 
IMO count lines to eliminate then decide if dashed or not. Then use your "perceptual ability. For example, if your figuring out the end view, and the front view shows a circle in the middle and the top view shows dashed lines in the middle for that circle, the end view will obviously have dashed lines for the circle as well. Another way to think about it is dashed lines are if you have see-through vision.
 
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