Timing on Practice Exams?

[fb0301]

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I'm starting to take Bootcamp section tests... holy cow. I am running out of time SO FAST and I have to pause the timer to complete each section. Each section took me an extra 30 minutes to complete. I just did section tests for QR, PAT, and RC.
How can I improve speed? Any tips?

 

[zToothinator]

I'd continue practicing the generators for PAT. With continued practice, you'll learn to get faster. I'd also do the sections you know that you can get through quickly. For me, I did angle ranking, then cube counting, TFE, folding, and then keyhole. Another great technique I used was the process of elimination by spotting one feature that differed between 2 answer choices and then saw which one was actually correct.

For RC, I was very slow at first but after doing lots of practice tests (like 6) I started getting faster and completing everything within the time limit. As I took full tests, my time continued to improve.

For QR, it's also mainly lots of practice. As you encounter a question that stumps you, I'd recommend doing more of that specific type of question (find some via Google) since the QR questions are very repetitive and of the same type.

 

[knewstance]

I always had trouble making time with QR. In bootcamp I was having to guess on the last like 5 every time. What worked for me was really just rationing my time in the early part of the section. If I spent more than like 30 seconds on a question, I would guess, mark it, and move on. If I had time I would come back and give it a little more time. Also learning the different methods of estimating were a huge help!

 

[fb0301]

I'd continue practicing the generators for PAT. With continued practice, you'll learn to get faster. I'd also do the sections you know that you can get through quickly. For me, I did angle ranking, then cube counting, TFE, folding, and then keyhole. Another great technique I used was the process of elimination by spotting one feature that differed between 2 answer choices and then saw which one was actually correct.

For RC, I was very slow at first but after doing lots of practice tests (like 6) I started getting faster and completing everything within the time limit. As I took full tests, my time continued to improve.

For QR, it's also mainly lots of practice. As you encounter a question that stumps you, I'd recommend doing more of that specific type of question (find some via Google) since the QR questions are very repetitive and of the same type.

This is some great advice; thank you for sharing! I truly do appreciate it. I took another PAT test and my timing definitely improved. Keyholes and TFE definitely take me the longest! For QR, I don't have toooooo much time to go through Destroyer like everyone recommends but I'm averaging 19-20 on my QR tests.
Your scores are amazing by the way! 🙂 Congrats on all your acceptances!

 

[fb0301]

I always had trouble making time with QR. In bootcamp I was having to guess on the last like 5 every time. What worked for me was really just rationing my time in the early part of the section. If I spent more than like 30 seconds on a question, I would guess, mark it, and move on. If I had time I would come back and give it a little more time. Also learning the different methods of estimating were a huge help!

Thank you for the helpful advice! What do you mean by different methods of estimating?
Did you happen to run out of time on the real thing?
I had a friend who was never finishing her BC exams but had leftover time during her actual DAT.

 

[knewstance]

On the real DAT, I got lucky and my QR was quite a bit easier than Bootcamp. I answered the final question with a couple seconds to spare. No time to look over answers, but it turned out okay.

By estimating methods, I used Chad's videos for math (course saver). He talked a lot about rounding and different methods to get a general answer to the question which is sufficient for most multiple choice exams. I don't remember all of the methods, but they were very helpful by allowing me to answer some questions in just a few seconds rather than needing to actually calculate the exact answer and spend more than 1 minute on a single question.

I wouldn't be surprised if bootcamp also has a similar resource now. I've been successful blocking out the horrible memories, sorry for the lack of exactness in my advice.