DAT PAT Timing Help

[dds2T7]

Hello everyone. I am taking the Canadian DAT soon and I did my first PAT practice test (from DAT Bootcamp). It was an extreme time crunch and I ended up not being able to answer 10 TFE questions and 3 cube counting questions on time.

My strategy was to start from cube counting as that is one of my strongest sections then I moved through to pattern folding. Then back to angles and hole punching before finally returning to keyholes.

The estimated score I received was a 20. I would really appreciate any comments/feedback on how to improve my timing on this section. I have been practicing individual questions for a while trying to build a personalized approach but I am still unable to answer at a rate that would allow me to go through this section completely.

[Hokage777]

When is your DAT? To be honest, you're in a tough situation if your exam is coming up. I've taken it a few times and scored 25AA this summer with the new exam format so I'm telling you this from experience. With being said I'll do my best to help out. Here are a few tips:

1. You have the right strategy where you are attempting to complete the sections that are the easiest first (cube counting, angle ranking, holepunching etc), however, I would try finishing these 3 easier sections in 20-minutes and then dedicate the rest of the 40-minutes on the more challenging ones for last like pattern folding, keyholes and TFE.

2. There is a 2-3 second delay between questions on the real exam. I'm also in the Canadian DAT study group and everyone else who took the exam this summer has confirmed this. DATCrusher has a feature that lets you add this 2-3 second delay in their practice. I believe bootcamp may also have this but not sure.

3. Practice the PAT daily using the right resources. I'm not sure what you're using right now but I would recommend DATCrusher for the cDAT since it's always been the most representative of the real exam each time I've taken it and has the best PAT materials. You can use bootcamp as well but know it's not the most representative and it doesn't cover Canadian DAT strategies. I would practice at least 20-30 minutes each day using the generators and then take a practice test every few days. While practicing, try treating the PAT section like a game and it'll really help out. If you're stuck, move on to another question and don't spend more than 40 seconds on any questions. 

Best of luck! DM me if you have any questions

[ammeijsa]

Section Strategy: Starting with the easier sections and leaving the more challenging ones for later is generally a good strategy. Managing your time wisely is crucial, so dedicating more time to the difficult sections makes sense. However, it's essential to strike a balance, so you're not rushed in the easier sections and end up making mistakes due to time pressure.

Question Timing: Understanding that there might be a delay between questions on the real exam is helpful for pacing yourself accurately. This is valuable advice as it helps in better simulating the real testing environment during your practice. Also don't forget that there is always an alternative in the form of online casinos, for example here is information  https://casinosanalyzer.com/online-casinos/taka-bdt on one of them. Practice and Resources: Consistent practice is key, and it's recommended to use reliable resources. You've suggested DATCrusher as a representative source for practice materials. It's great to know that the practice material you're using aligns well with the real exam. You've also mentioned treating the PAT section like a game, which can be a useful mindset to reduce stress and improve performance.

[lrngrc]

As someone who struggled a lot with PAT timing too, my best advice is that if you're struggling with a question and genuinely have no idea, guess and MOVE ON. It's way better to get a couple of questions wrong but be able to finish all the questions than to dwell on tough questions and not be able to answer the last 5-10 questions of the exam that you might have gotten right otherwise. This gives you the best chance of gaining points elsewhere that will make up for the handful of harder questions that you had to guess. It takes practice mentally to allow yourself to essentially "give up" on a question, but for me it made a huge difference in my practice scores (haven't received official one yet).