Are earplugs allowed? And Other Materials To Bring..

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Longcatislong

Longcatislong

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Are earplugs allowed during DAT sitting?

Also, what other materials should one bring to the examination? Food, water, pencils/pens, I heard a white board and dry erase markers are needed?
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they provide you with everything except food. Usually headphones are given, dry erase sheets with markers are supplied. you can bring food that you can keep in a locker with your belongings outside the testing area.
 
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I brought my own ear plugs, like the REAL kind that actually block out the noise. Just call your testing center and ask them, Im sure they'll be ok with it.
 
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My testing center was nice and the head phones worked well but they press against your ears kind of hard, I had to take them off a few times because they started to really hurt. I'd get earplugs and take practice test with them in if you plan to use them during the real thing.
 
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I brought my own ear plugs. They just ask that you take them out of the rapper prior to entering the room.
 
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Yeah definitely bring ear plugs. My testing center made me take them out and squish them, I presume to make sure there was nothing electronic inside them.

The headphones really are uncomfortable, butI used both earplugs and headphones when I could stand it.
 
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shootingstar7 said:
Yeah definitely bring ear plugs. My testing center made me take them out and squish them, I presume to make sure there was nothing electronic inside them.

The headphones really are uncomfortable, butI used both earplugs and headphones when I could stand it.
Click to expand...

That is crazy! They didn't make me squish my own ear plugs. To the OP I also suggest bringing a sandwich and drink with you for the 15 min break.
 
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I also brought my own and they did make me squish them as well. The people at my testing center were very nice though.
I would also suggest wearing sweatpants because they make inside out all of your pockets each time you go into the testing room. Not a big deal but every minute counts when you come back from your 15 min break.
 
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Longcatislong said:
Are earplugs allowed during DAT sitting?

Also, what other materials should one bring to the examination? Food, water, pencils/pens, I heard a white board and dry erase markers are needed?
Click to expand...

The test center staff allowed me my own set of earplugs (after they visually inspected them). All these things might depend on which particular testing center you end up at. Sure :cool::rolleyes: they are going to all have the same corporate standards but we all know in reality each test center is going to differ in the minutia. I think someone before mentioned you should call them and ask the specific center any particular questions you might have. I agree.

The center supplied me with non-erase laminated sheets and a felt tipped marker (black, not exactly fine tipped but not crayola marker large, either). I think I was given 2 sheets at a time and I had to turn them in and get new ones when I filled them up. Some of the laminated sheets were gridded off like graph paper. Found the gridded ones very distracting esp for RC and PAT. I had practiced PAT by making my own grids and at the spur of the moment it was not practical to use the given grids.

I brought some high sugar gatoraide to drink and some granola bars to munch on during the 15 minute break. You should probably use the break time to allow your mind to rest. I did and I am glad I did. My mind started to run out of steam halfway through QR and I remember thinking how glad I was I slowed down near the end. Without the break I may have run out of steam halfway through RC and bombed QR entirely.
 
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Bobby Fischer said:
The test center staff allowed me my own set of earplugs (after they visually inspected them). All these things might depend on which particular testing center you end up at. Sure :cool::rolleyes: they are going to all have the same corporate standards but we all know in reality each test center is going to differ in the minutia. I think someone before mentioned you should call them and ask the specific center any particular questions you might have. I agree.

The center supplied me with non-erase laminated sheets and a felt tipped marker (black, not exactly fine tipped but not crayola marker large, either). I think I was given 2 sheets at a time and I had to turn them in and get new ones when I filled them up. Some of the laminated sheets were gridded off like graph paper. Found the gridded ones very distracting esp for RC and PAT. I had practiced PAT by making my own grids and at the spur of the moment it was not practical to use the given grids.

I brought some high sugar gatoraide to drink and some granola bars to munch on during the 15 minute break. You should probably use the break time to allow your mind to rest. I did and I am glad I did. My mind started to run out of steam halfway through QR and I remember thinking how glad I was I slowed down near the end. Without the break I may have run out of steam halfway through RC and bombed QR entirely.
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So, if you ran out of room on your sheets in the middle of the math section let's say, could you pause the test and go get new sheets? Or did you just have to suck it up and run to get new sheets while the test timer kept going. That's a little weird, I've heard some places provide you with erasers for your dry erase board/laminated sheets...
 
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Longcatislong said:
So, if you ran out of room on your sheets in the middle of the math section let's say, could you pause the test and go get new sheets? Or did you just have to suck it up and run to get new sheets while the test timer kept going. That's a little weird, I've heard some places provide you with erasers for your dry erase board/laminated sheets...
Click to expand...

You would have to "suck it up and run to get new sheets while the test timer kept going." But, the test has many problems that don't require work in QR. I did not get a an eraser. I think most sites are eliminating the erasers.
 
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They will provide u with noise canceling earplugs. If you want to take your own, make sure they are unopened.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
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magriva said:
They will provide u with noise canceling earplugs. If you want to take your own, make sure they are unopened.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
Click to expand...

The headphones hurt my head. I brought in little pink earplugs I had bought beforehand. They weren't unopened; I just pulled them out of my pocket and showed them to them. Different testing centers seem to follow different guidelines, though, so maybe it would be safer to have them in unopened packaging.
 
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CDP advises to make grids during the 15 minute tutorial period. I've heard that now you're not allowed to make grids anymore or do any writing during the 15 minute period. For those who've taken the DAT recently, is this true?
 
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I used ear plugs when I took the DAT and it helped a lot. I only wished I had brought a nose plug because my testing center had a rancid smell.:barf:
 
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Longcatislong said:
CDP advises to make grids during the 15 minute tutorial period. I've heard that now you're not allowed to make grids anymore or do any writing during the 15 minute period. For those who've taken the DAT recently, is this true?
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Yes. I asked the lady at the test center over the phone and she said they had updated the testing rules. The lady that actually administered my test told me she thought I could, so she let me start then went and checked, she came right back and took it away. So definitely a no-no.

You can bring your own earplugs. I knew I wouldn't want to wear the big ear protectors that they had there, I'm taking a test not mowing my lawn.

I ordered a nice pair of earplugs and got used to wearing them, I would suggest doing that. The lady just put them in a tissue and hit them with a hammer :laugh:. This of course foiled me because I had a com link in my earplugs to my FBI-style van outside which has a direct satellite uplink to the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain command base, where I had gathered the brilliant minds of the 21st century. Luckily I wasn't forced to take the cyanide pill that I had placed inside one of my teeth. And also luckily I don't think anybody noticed the 2 F18's circling above.

The test center was pretty quiet and I took them in and out as I went through the test.


Rant:
Regardless, I think the procedures at the center are idiotic. They wouldn't even let me take my coat off if I wore it when I started taking the test. The proctor told me I would have to raise my hand and come out of the room. :confused::confused::confused: wtf
 
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Seahawk said:
Yes. I asked the lady at the test center over the phone and she said they had updated the testing rules. The lady that actually administered my test told me she thought I could, so she let me start then went and checked, she came right back and took it away. So definitely a no-no.

You can bring your own earplugs. I knew I wouldn't want to wear the big ear protectors that they had there, I'm taking a test not mowing my lawn.

I ordered a nice pair of earplugs and got used to wearing them, I would suggest doing that. The lady just put them in a tissue and hit them with a hammer :laugh:. This of course foiled me because I had a com link in my earplugs to my FBI-style van outside which has a direct satellite uplink to the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain command base, where I had gathered the brilliant minds of the 21st century. Luckily I wasn't forced to take the cyanide pill that I had placed inside one of my teeth. And also luckily I don't think anybody noticed the 2 F18's circling above.

The test center was pretty quiet and I took them in and out as I went through the test.


Rant:
Regardless, I think the procedures at the center are idiotic. They wouldn't even let me take my coat off if I wore it when I started taking the test. The proctor told me I would have to raise my hand and come out of the room. :confused::confused::confused: wtf
Click to expand...
]

jees. so much ridiculousness.

So in summary:

-only allowed 2 sheets of laminated paper (front and back). better not need more as i'll lose test taking time to get more sheets. (can I get more sheets at the break???)
-cannot erase marks made on laminated paper
-cannot make grids or write during tutorial
-cannot take off my sweatshirt or coat of i get too hot (??)
-be prepared for my earplugs to get smashed with a hammer (LOL!)
-wear pants w/out pockets, or if i must wear pants with pockets, make sure they're loose so my pockets can easily be inverted.
-cannot bring water into testing area. only allowed water and food at break.

When is the break? After what section of the exam?

Thank you!
 
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Longcatislong said:
]

jees. so much ridiculousness.

So in summary:

-only allowed 2 sheets of laminated paper (front and back). better not need more as i'll lose test taking time to get more sheets. (can I get more sheets at the break???)
-cannot erase marks made on laminated paper
-cannot make grids or write during tutorial
-cannot take off my sweatshirt or coat of i get too hot (??)
-be prepared for my earplugs to get smashed with a hammer (LOL!)
-wear pants w/out pockets, or if i must wear pants with pockets, make sure they're loose so my pockets can easily be inverted.
-cannot bring water into testing area. only allowed water and food at break.

When is the break? After what section of the exam?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Yes, all of that is correct. I don't know why you would need more than 2 sheets, but you can get them at the break if you want. The market they give you is very fine point and I really didn't have that much to write.

It goes: Sciences --> PAT --> Break --> RC --> QR.
 
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