Done with the OAT's (8/12/2008)

[BobDoleX]

wow so i just took the OAT's today and got the results. I have to say i'm pleased with my results.


QR: 380
RC: 360
BIO: 400
G.CHEM: 370
O.CHEM: 380
PHYS: 370
TS: 390 (98.3)
AA: 380 (99.5)

I was hoping to get 370+ so i was really happy with what i got. if you have any questions i'll be more than happy to answer them

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[sportsdude00]

congrats on your awesome scores!
how did you study?
where are you applying to?

 

[optstud]

Congradulations!!

What was your approach for QR?

 

[BobDoleX]

Thanks

i think what contributed to my success was rescheduling my exam a couple times. I had originally planned to take it in June, then July and then finally in August. Unintentionally, i think this gave me a sense of urgency each time so i would study a lot coming up to a couple days before the test date and then I would push it off. It's hard for me to focus my entire attention for a test that's 3 months away, so if you feel like its soon, i think it makes you study more

During the three months i studied, it wasn't even a regular thing. I'm sure out of those 3 months i only studied about a month and that was possibly about an hour during the beginning and up to 8 during the last few days.

I'm not exactly sure on where i want to apply, but i'm considering ICO,PCO,SCO,UC-Berkley, perhaps SUNY.

For QR, i made sure to do all the Kaplan workshops. Theres quite a lot of them so i think its useful. I think the hardest part for me in QR was the time constraint and i was actually suprised i did so well.

 

[optstud]

My apologizes, I meant reading comprehension. Did you just go straight to the questions first and look back for the answers?

 

[BobDoleX]

it was a little different than the kaplan course's format so i was a little suprised with it. it initially had the entire passage in the beginning and then you click next to get to the questions + the passage in a smaller scrollable box. it also didn't have numbered paragraphs.

i used the kaplan method of taking down key points for each paragraph. however, i dont think it was as useful as it could have been since i wasn't accustomed to using the sharpie they provided so it was difficult to re-read them. initially, i would just read the first question and just read until i got to the answer for that. then i would answer and continue reading + jolting down main ideas until i got to the next question. of course they're not all in order but this insured that i did well on the first few questions at least. i would also recomend not reading everything thouroughly but just having a decent idea of what the main topics are so you can get to them later. after i have read everything, i just use the main ideas thing i made to help me answer the rest of the questions. i wasn't very hard pressed for time with this method.

i'm sure there's room for improvment on my method as RC has typically been one of my weaker points and it was my lowest score on the test.

 

[despaill]

Hi,
I am having a really troublesome time with physics,
What did you find the most helpful for studying?
Was the test more like the opted test or the Kaplan material?
Thanks in advance!
Congrats on the awesome scores!

 

[homie]

How were you doing when you practiced the rc section in Kaplan? Did they have online workshops for rc?

 

[BobDoleX]

i've always found physics to be really hard to study for, both during my physics I/II classes and also for the OAT section. I made sure to do all the kaplan online resources for it and i read the 1200 page book's section on physics about four times. i also tried to answer questions and of course, just understand why i got certain problems wrong. i think thats one of the big keys to this test; just understanding why you got a question wrong. I felt like the Physics section was, like most sections, easier than the kaplan. I actually didn't take the Opted test (mostly cause i couldn't find it for some reason) so i can't compare with that. I did however have a really good background in my physics classes (mostly cause we had formula sheets) and i had just taken Physics I/II last year so it was still fresh in my mind.

for QR: in all honesty, i didn't study for that at all. i followed the kaplan strategy for reading (taking notes on each paragraph) but it didn't really help during the actaul test cause of the lack of numbers on paragraphs and the gynourmous sharpie they gave me. For actual practice, i took a total of 5 practice exams and those were the only experience i had in actual practice. I did think QR on the OAt seemed easier than the Kaplan course. The readings were a lot simpler.

 

[blysssful]

for QR: in all honesty, i didn't study for that at all. i followed the kaplan strategy for reading (taking notes on each paragraph) but it didn't really help during the actaul test cause of the lack of numbers on paragraphs and the gynourmous sharpie they gave me. For actual practice, i took a total of 5 practice exams and those were the only experience i had in actual practice. I did think QR on the OAt seemed easier than the Kaplan course. The readings were a lot simpler.

The paragraphs on the real test aren't numbered? Ugh, why would Kaplan tell us they are?! Good to know. I've heard so much about how bad the dry erase markers are... I think I might go buy my own (really skinny ones, if I can find them). Has anyone done this/been told they can't do this?

The "roadmap" strategy wasn't all that helpful then? Is there any other strategy you'd suggest, after having taken the exam?

 

[Wheeeler]

The paragraphs on the real test aren't numbered? Ugh, why would Kaplan tell us they are?! Good to know. I've heard so much about how bad the dry erase markers are... I think I might go buy my own (really skinny ones, if I can find them). Has anyone done this/been told they can't do this?

The "roadmap" strategy wasn't all that helpful then? Is there any other strategy you'd suggest, after having taken the exam?

I thought about using my own dry erase markers, but ended up just using theirs. It is true, the markers are really bad. But I found if you keep alternating between the markers (they give you more than one, and I even requested a third) you can keep them working pretty well.

 

[blysssful]

I thought about using my own dry erase markers, but ended up just using theirs. It is true, the markers are really bad. But I found if you keep alternating between the markers (they give you more than one, and I even requested a third) you can keep them working pretty well.

I actually just called my center, to see what they'd say about bringing my own markers. The guy I spoke to basically said that it's a judgment call for whoever happens to be proctoring the exams that day. Technically they're not supposed to let you bring any personal items. He said it wouldn't hurt to ask on the day of, and basically just test your luck.

Honestly, I don't really understand the issue with just letting us use pencil and paper. Is this some "going green" effort or something? Or is there a legitimate concern of cheating? IMO, it's pretty dumb.

Haha... what if I claim some sort of fatal allergy to dry erase?

 

[BobDoleX]

i was also reading that some people actually got a book of scratch paper instead of the dry erase, which frankly i feel, gives them an advantage. it would have been nice to keep everything consistent.

yeah, because of the lack of numbers + the huge dry erase markers, its best to change your strategy. i felt it hard to write a lot of stuff, so i would recomend cutting down what you write in your roadmap, and also to try to write as clearly as possible while not sacrificing time.

i felt that the reading wasn't that hard to comprehend and there wasn't many deep thinking questions (however, that could be just my test) and the reading was fairly easy to comprehend. i feel like if i didn't have the roadmap, i probably would've done just as well.