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Keyhole proportion trick?


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I've been doing really bad at the keyhole section on the DAT because I can't seem to figure out whether the proportions in the options match that of the actual diagram (I'm having trouble figuring out if the options are too long/short, etc). Do you guys have any tricks for this? I'm always able to narrow down the options but size throws me off.

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Key hole was probably my weakest section. I think I saved it for last on my real DAT. What helped was to first *dont* look for the correct answer out of the 5(?) options. Use process of elimination to just get rid of the shapes that are totally off. At least this will give you a better chance when you have to make a guess. I then moved on to see which part of the shape is the most "unique". These are usually features that are unique to the options presented to you and you can further use process of elimination. I think so far you can narrow things down to at least two options at this point. The hardest part of the real test was exactly what you're talking about, some lines need to be the exact same scale and size as the real figure. At this point I just looked and made a choice that I felt worked best (most of the time I was confident). I think the hardest part of this section is to first realize that the scales of the lines can differ even tho the shape is quiet literally the same, so being conscious of these discrepancies will help you to avoid falling into traps (you're already thinking of the right things). I'd also look at the different lines within each figure option. Usually one line stands out being too short or too long. Dont look at the whole figure as being too big or small, I think it makes it more confusing this way. 

 

But another skill of PAT is to not waste so much time on one question. If you cant get it after a few seconds just mark it down, skip it, and go back to it later. Cuz theres another 5 questions out there you can bang off easily and you dont want to be hard pressed for time on those easy points. Best of luck 

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The practise PAT tests I found threw a lot of those in compared to the actual DAT. Despite this, when I found that I couldn’t tell the difference between lengths, look for another defining feature. Sometimes there’s a part of the image that’s reversed, which gives it away. Regardless just use your best judgement and DONT overthink it. I got way better at keyholes when I picked the first one I thought matched. 

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First, practice tests are usually way harder than the real DAT.  Don't worry if you are having trouble now with the practice tests, just do a couple everyday for a few months to build up skills for 1) timing 2)judgement.

1) timing is very important in that you MOVE ON when you feel stuck, because the time is so constraint, if you feel you are not confident or having trouble picking one out of two answers, just pick one and come back later. If keyhole is your weakest, leave it for the last

2) "I'm having trouble figuring out if the options are too long/short". What I found helpful is to find a reference line, and try to compare the relative position/length of the line to that reference line. For example, if you have a letter "F" and you can't figure out if the second horizontal line of F is too short or too long, try to pick the first horizontal line of F as a reference point, or even the vertical line to see if the second line is positioned correctly.. 

3) usually with those practice tests, you would have a 3D structure they made to help you visualize the object. Not sure if yours have that but you can rotate around and play with the 3D structure to help you visualize and understand.

4)keyhole like all PAT sections takes much patience when it comes to practice. It is truly a skill you have to develop overtime. You are starting now meaning it is very early. As long as you do some every day you should be fine! 

Good luck!

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Keyhole was also my weakest section in PAT.

the way I improved was devoting at least 20 min of every hour of my DAT study in it.

No area in PAT will magically improve after like 2-3 hours of focused work.

do little by little until your eyes get used to the type of answers they want 

do like 3 generators (45 q)/day for a month and you will start acing it. It will just magically come to you.

 

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