what is reading comprehension passages like?

[dayexday]

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I have a couple of questions. Tried the search function but couldnt find an answer.

In different books, the passages seem kind of different so I want to know what real test is like.

I know its 3 passages, 50 questions, 60 minutes.

1. are all passages related to dentistry? are they all scientific? any history passages or something like that?
2. are the questions more information oriented questions (go back and find answer) or read between the lines/inference questions?
3. i read on another thread that they are starting to ask tone questions more. does that mean that they are going away from science passages? Most science passages i've read have an objective/informative tone. what other type of tone could a science passage have?

thanks.

 

[tinman831]

I have a couple of questions. Tried the search function but couldnt find an answer.

In different books, the passages seem kind of different so I want to know what real test is like.

I know its 3 passages, 50 questions, 60 minutes.

1. are all passages related to dentistry? are they all scientific? any history passages or something like that?
2. are the questions more information oriented questions (go back and find answer) or read between the lines/inference questions?
3. i read on another thread that they are starting to ask tone questions more. does that mean that they are going away from science passages? Most science passages i've read have an objective/informative tone. what other type of tone could a science passage have?

thanks.

Just a reminder that discussion of specific exam questions is not allowed. Having said that... to answer your questions:

1) passages don't necessarily have to relate to dentistry. It can pretty much be about anything.
2) passages will ask you to recall facts as well as infer from the opinions stated
3) they can present you with any subject matter in the passages. since no one here actually creates the DAT exams themselves, it's hard to say definitively that they are moving away from scientific passages. The tone of any paper can be subjective, objective, informative, argumentative. You name it.

 

[PreDent2009]

Is there 50 Questions in 60 minutes, or 50 questions in 50 Minutes. In Kaplan and some other review books, they alott 50 minutes?

 

[hoss19]

50 questions, 60 minutes. not sure what kaplan is getting at....

 

[Flipper405]

My RC passages were all written in a general science magazine style rather than a peer-reviewed journal if that makes sense, but they were all somewhat science related (based on what I've heard, not representative of everyone's tests)

 

[Aiyah]

I have a couple of questions. Tried the search function but couldnt find an answer.

In different books, the passages seem kind of different so I want to know what real test is like.

I know its 3 passages, 50 questions, 60 minutes.

1. are all passages related to dentistry? are they all scientific? any history passages or something like that?
2. are the questions more information oriented questions (go back and find answer) or read between the lines/inference questions?
3. i read on another thread that they are starting to ask tone questions more. does that mean that they are going away from science passages? Most science passages i've read have an objective/informative tone. what other type of tone could a science passage have?

thanks.

1. They are definitely not all dentistry related. It's pretty random.
2. Most of the questions are info although it'll be hard to go back and find given the time limit. There are some read between the lines, but not a lot.

 

[dayexday]

thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate your very helpful responses.

I've also been wondering
How does the reading comprehension part look on the computer? When I took the GRE, the screen was divided into parts, the left side being the passage and the right side being the questions which if i remember correctly I could only see and submit one at a time. Also on the GRE, they didnt let me go back and check/change answers.

So how does the DAT compare?
To make clear what I'm asking, i'll list out the questions:
1. Is screen divided into 2, one side being passage, other being questions? Or is it a different format?
2. How many questions can you see at the same time? Do you have to answer/submit them one at a time?
3. Can you go back and check/change answers?

Thanks again guys, you are great.

 

[Flipper405]

thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate your very helpful responses.

I've also been wondering
How does the reading comprehension part look on the computer? When I took the GRE, the screen was divided into parts, the left side being the passage and the right side being the questions which if i remember correctly I could only see and submit one at a time. Also on the GRE, they didnt let me go back and check/change answers.

So how does the DAT compare?
To make clear what I'm asking, i'll list out the questions:
1. Is screen divided into 2, one side being passage, other being questions? Or is it a different format?
2. How many questions can you see at the same time? Do you have to answer/submit them one at a time?
3. Can you go back and check/change answers?

Thanks again guys, you are great.

1.Yes, the top half has the questions, the bottom half has the passage you can scroll through.
2. one question at a time - you can mark questions to come back to easily at the end of the section if you want - there's a review marked button
3. yes, see above

look around the RC threads here, some guy put up a link of ada i think that has a demo of exactly what you will see on the computer