Took the AT-SAT today. Overall I think I did pretty well, though I'm not super impressed with myself. I think I could have done better on some parts, so by no means am I expecting a perfect score.
To anyone who hasn't gone yet, its very important that you have 2 forms of ID, and that they be signed by yourself. They test guys were giving people a hard time about this. I couldn't hear exactly what the problem was, but I heard the guy in charge say clearly, "The email says 2 forms of ID, one government and both with signatures" Then I heard more grumbling from both parties and eventually the character left the room, angry.
I don't know, just be prepared. Personally I brought every piece of ID that I've ever had, just because I didn't want to be that guy slugging out of the room and looking like a tool.
So after the initial check in, we were told to wait outside and they would come get us.
At 8:22, they came out and told us to enter the room. We already knew what computer we would be at, as we picked numbers off the table when we checked in. (randomly)
Basically every account of the test from this forum is correct.
Heres my rundown of each section in order. (Because everyone else got to make one
)
Dials- Personally, I think the dials part was a little harder than on the cd. The reason for this is that on the cd, the answers were usually so far apart you couldn't possibly get it wrong. On the real test the answers were usually very close, so you need to really pay attention to where the dial is pointing and what each mark on the dial is worth. Also, there is a new type of dial that was not on the cd, and one of the dials you know and love from the cd has a gas and oil dial within itself. (cant remember which one it was)
Math- Everything was in knots. At the beginning its explained that you should calculate everything just like regular miles. So don't sweat that.
If you have been studying the cd, you know by know that there are a few different variations of questions that you have to answer.
My suggestion to you is this. Make sure you are fully prepared for the questions that deal with what time an aircraft leaves an airport, how far or fast it travels, and what time it will arrive. These are abundant, and were probably my downfall.
Angles- The answers are again, very similar to each other rather than on the cd when there is alway 1 obvious answer. Not too bad though, just make sure to look closely before you pick the answer.
Scan- WAY easier than the cd. the data blocks don't move around like theres a hurricane coming through, and the range doesn't change all that often. slows down occasionally too.
Letter Factory: Also way easier than the cd. The practice and directions part goes on for hours. Days even. I was sick of the letter factory before I even started the real test. If your like me and had trouble with the mouse on the cd, you will be happy to know that its 100 percent easier to select and move pieces. Tip-Don't forget to reorder boxes every time a color gets down to 1 box left. Not all 3 boxes have to be low, only 1.
I did the best on this part. No missed letters at all, or errors with quality control or ordering. I hope this section has a lot of weight on the score!!!
AT-scenarios- It had 3 different sessions, all progressively harder. The first two weren't too bad. The 3rd one slammed me with a thousand planes at once all needing to go the same airport and all appearing within 3 miles of each other. It was madness. I felt like ATLTRACON.
Plus, you get introduced to the concept of hand offs. The planes don't just appear on their own like the cd. You need to notice and click on every new plane that enters the screen. It enters as a white block and doesn't do anything until you have clicked on it. You are scored on how fast you notice and click the white blocks. I didn't crash any planes into one another, but I had a few get dangerously close. (This counts as an error even if it doesn't crash). I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to fly planes over the airport, so I lost 1 that way.
Analogies- I am pretty good with this type of stuff so I didn't have a problem with it. But I can see how most people will not appreciate the analogies part. MOST of the problems are not about the definitions of the words. They are mostly about the similarities in spelling and in pronunciation. Don't waste to much time trying to figure out what words mean. Chances are thats not what you need to know.
Questionnaire- There are 135 questions about you. Its the same question, worded 135 different ways. Make sure you are honest with each answer you give. They are tying to get you to give different answers to the same questions by doing that.
Good luck everyone. Hope you come out feeling more confident than I did. Ill just have to wait and see....
:
