I post the first OAT discussion EVER! (on SDN)

[cheapdate]

how did you study for the OAT? did you take any courses? Did your score changed significantly from when you started to study to the day that you take the test?

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[ppa93]

how did you study for the OAT? did you take any courses? Did your score changed significantly from when you started to study to the day that you take the test?

Well, best advice: Do not study, relax, and u will be fine. I think you have some kind of knowledge to be able to score good in OAT since u took a lot of classes. Just relax, and do not worry. U will be fine.
I didnt study and i did just fine

 

[xmattODx]

Well, best advice: Do not study, relax, and u will be fine. I think you have some kind of knowledge to be able to score good in OAT since u took a lot of classes. Just relax, and do not worry. U will be fine.
I didnt study and i did just fine

Worst advice ever.

 

[cpw]

wow, I go out all day and lookee what happens

 

[ppa93]

Worst advice ever.

I beg your pardon? I am serious about it. The only reason why people do bad on OAT is because they study too much. Thats why they get confused and do bad.

 

[I-Ball]

I beg your pardon? I am serious about it. The only reason why people do bad on OAT is because they study too much. Thats why they get confused and do bad.

In one of my psych classes they told us "over studying" was impossible. I think a lot of studying leads to a lot of tension leads to a lot of stress leads to doing poorly.

Study hard, stay organized AND stay relaxed.

Just my 2 cents,

I-Ball

 

[ppa93]

In one of my psych classes they told us "over studying" was impossible. I think a lot of studying leads to a lot of tension leads to a lot of stress leads to doing poorly.

Study hard, stay organized AND stay relaxed.

Just my 2 cents,

I-Ball

That isnt true according to my theory. I support my theory by doing such things for myself. I didnt study at all before I took the OAT. I did just fine. Studying makes u more confused and u do bad on OAT. DOnt ever study for any standardized tests.

 

[J.opt]

That isnt true according to my theory. I support my theory by doing such things for myself. I didnt study at all before I took the OAT. I did just fine. Studying makes u more confused and u do bad on OAT. DOnt ever study for any standardized tests.

I tried that "not studying" thing, and my scores didn't turn out too well . I would definitely advise people to study as much as possible.

 

[polkadot]

That isnt true according to my theory. I support my theory by doing such things for myself. I didnt study at all before I took the OAT. I did just fine. Studying makes u more confused and u do bad on OAT. DOnt ever study for any standardized tests.

I think that those who think they didn't do well because they studied too much actually didn't study enough. "Just enough to be dangerous," as my OAT tutor told me. I don't think the OAT is one of those exams where most people can just wing it. If you have a great foundation already in all the sciences, fine, you'll probably do okay. But I was not willing to leave that to chance.

I don't know what score "just fine" is, but you seem happy enough with it, so that's great for you.

I spent probably about 20 hours/week beginning in Jan until Oct OAT studying/doing practice exams. Maybe this was excessive, but it had been 10 years since I took OChem and started all the subjects essentially from scratch. I ended up with a 380AA/390TS. Some folks (like ppa93) will not have to work as hard outside of class as I did because he already built his foundation through classwork, but I was not such a diligent undergrad. My score is a direct reflection of time invested toward the OAT and not of inherent ability/preexisting knowledge.

If you don't know how to gauge your current aptitude for the OAT, consider taking the TopScore CD or blue OAT book practice exam and see where you fall. At least it will let you know if you need to improve anything.

-p.dot

 

[eyesonwx]

I think that those who think they didn't do well because they studied too much actually didn't study enough. "Just enough to be dangerous," as my OAT tutor told me. I don't think the OAT is one of those exams where most people can just wing it. If you have a great foundation already in all the sciences, fine, you'll probably do okay. But I was not willing to leave that to chance.

I don't know what score "just fine" is, but you seem happy enough with it, so that's great for you.

I spent probably about 20 hours/week beginning in Jan until Oct OAT studying/doing practice exams. Maybe this was excessive, but it had been 10 years since I took OChem and started all the subjects essentially from scratch. I ended up with a 380AA/390TS. Some folks (like ppa93) will not have to work as hard outside of class as I did because he already built his foundation through classwork, but I was not such a diligent undergrad. My score is a direct reflection of time invested toward the OAT and not of inherent ability/preexisting knowledge.

If you don't know how to gauge your current aptitude for the OAT, consider taking the TopScore CD or blue OAT book practice exam and see where you fall. At least it will let you know if you need to improve anything.

-p.dot

What materials did you use to study? Did you use anything such as Kaplan, Topscore, old textbooks, etc? It will not be too long before I start studying, and would like to hear any suggestions to improve what and how I need to study. Thanks.

eyesonwx

 

[ppa93]

I think that those who think they didn't do well because they studied too much actually didn't study enough. "Just enough to be dangerous," as my OAT tutor told me. I don't think the OAT is one of those exams where most people can just wing it. If you have a great foundation already in all the sciences, fine, you'll probably do okay. But I was not willing to leave that to chance.

I don't know what score "just fine" is, but you seem happy enough with it, so that's great for you.

I spent probably about 20 hours/week beginning in Jan until Oct OAT studying/doing practice exams. Maybe this was excessive, but it had been 10 years since I took OChem and started all the subjects essentially from scratch. I ended up with a 380AA/390TS. Some folks (like ppa93) will not have to work as hard outside of class as I did because he already built his foundation through classwork, but I was not such a diligent undergrad. My score is a direct reflection of time invested toward the OAT and not of inherent ability/preexisting knowledge.

If you don't know how to gauge your current aptitude for the OAT, consider taking the TopScore CD or blue OAT book practice exam and see where you fall. At least it will let you know if you need to improve anything.

-p.dot

Guess what people? I dont believe p.dot studid 20 hours a week for nine months. it is not possible. No one can study for that long. Studying four hours a week is pretty bad enough for me. He must be lying. There is no way people can do that . If you say u study 20 hours per week for two or three months, then it is possible. To me the only reason why u did so well is because u are old and u have a lot of experience at taking tests. I am not saying u dont know the materials, but knowing materials alone cannot help u get good scores. You also need to take the test smart. you must be damn good at guessing.

 

[Badger150]

That isnt true according to my theory. I support my theory by doing such things for myself. I didnt study at all before I took the OAT. I did just fine. Studying makes u more confused and u do bad on OAT. DOnt ever study for any standardized tests.

I reccomend that you don''t study, in fact let your dog take the test for you.

Seriously, this one time I took a practice test on my computer, and I answered based on what the dog did when I read him the question. Here is how to interpret his motions...

A=bark
B=cocked his head
C=yawned
D=ignored me
E=defecated (he was a new puppy and not housebroken!!)

End result was a 380 on the test, and I never saw the dog study at all!!!



Get real, studying does help on tests IF you need to learn/relearn the material, OR if you want to become familiar with the testing style.

Kaplan is good, but very pricey. I have heard good things about the TopScore CD.

As an aside to ppa93 about studying 20hrs per week for nine months, just because "Studying four hours a week is pretty bad enough for me", doesn't mean it can't be done. I taught MCAT prep for Kaplan in a previous life, and I had many students that were studying in the center for at least 20 hours per week. Not just the week or month before the MCAT, but starting in May of the year before they were going to take the April MCAT.

It can be done, so pdot is not a liar by default. Especially if pdot is a nontraditional applicant, often (not always) in my experience nontrads have the best work ethic because they have other responsibilities so they need to do well and get in the first time they apply.

(I know the OAT is not the same as the MCAT, but for some people it is just as big of a hurdle.)

 

[polkadot]

First off, ppa93, I think it's offensive that you think I am lying about the numbers of hours I spent studying. It also offends me that you believe my success is based on some kind of intuition (i.e., being "damn good at guessing") and not just plain old HARD WORK. Secondly, the last standardized test I took before the Oct 04 OAT was the SAT in 1992, so I wouldn't say that I have "a lot of experience taking tests". Thirdly, I am not old. Fourthly, I am a woman, so please refrain from referring to me as "he" (or "u" for that matter).

eyesonwx - these are the materials I used:
KAPLAN book, workshops, subject tests, practice exams - the most helpful tool for the paper exam, especially subject tests and practice exams (I didn't take the course)
TopScore CD - very helpful, maybe even more so for the new computerized version
OAT blue book (I don't know the proper title) - pretty mediocre, only 1 practice exam and it is shortened. I've seen this at the public library, too, so you can always just check it out for free.
I also had a basic science tutor who really gave me good coverage of those topics.

Herewith, a detailed summary (to the best of my recollection) of my study methods (sorry so long):
Since the chem sections were my weakest, I covered about 4 chapters a week of the Kaplan GChem then OChem book beginning in January. This included all the study questions from the chapters and a separate list of study questions that my tutor gave me. Sometimes we slowed down a bit because I was still working full-time and taking a couple pre-reqs at night. And I think I took a couple one-week vacations in there as well. I also cut back in July, when I had a lot of other stuff going on. Mostly my weekends were dedicated entirely to the OAT, and I spent maybe 1-2 hours per weeknight and met with my tutor every Tuesday for about 3 hours. I finished the first run-through of the basic sciences around April or May (I can't really remember anymore). I did the Physics on my own and really only worked QR/RC for speed and shortcuts. I then read through all the chapters again.

I went through all the Kaplan OChem/GChem subject tests about 4 times apiece. For the other topics, I did the tests only a couple times. During the last 2 months or so, I would dedicate 1-2 days for each subject, taking the entire subject test battery for one topic (5 exams) and reviewing first what I got wrong and then what I got right, just to make sure I knew why it was right. In addition, beginning in June (?) I would take either a Kaplan or TopScore practice exam every month, then bumped it up to every week in August/beginning of September (I stopped working at the end of July), and then to every 3-4 days for a couple weeks. I used the same method I used with the subject tests; I would take the exam one day and then spend the next 1-2 days reviewing all the answers. I also sometimes would do "focused" practice exams, where I only did the science portions. I took the last week before the OAT off completely.

Granted, I probably could have gotten by with less. But that doesn't really make any difference at this point, does it? I knew this year was my one shot at getting into a school, and my GPA wasn't anything spectacular. If I hadn't done well I would be hauling my resume' around town trying to get a job right now instead of looking for housing in Berkeley. I know how lucky I am to have a shot at doing something about which I feel passionate, so I didn't want to blow it or leave it to chance.

-p.dot

 

[ppa93]

I reccomend that you don''t study, in fact let your dog take the test for you.

Seriously, this one time I took a practice test on my computer, and I answered based on what the dog did when I read him the question. Here is how to interpret his motions...

A=bark
B=cocked his head
C=yawned
D=ignored me
E=defecated (he was a new puppy and not housebroken!!)

End result was a 380 on the test, and I never saw the dog study at all!!!



Get real, studying does help on tests IF you need to learn/relearn the material, OR if you want to become familiar with the testing style.

Kaplan is good, but very pricey. I have heard good things about the TopScore CD.

As an aside to ppa93 about studying 20hrs per week for nine months, just because "Studying four hours a week is pretty bad enough for me", doesn't mean it can't be done. I taught MCAT prep for Kaplan in a previous life, and I had many students that were studying in the center for at least 20 hours per week. Not just the week or month before the MCAT, but starting in May of the year before they were going to take the April MCAT.

It can be done, so pdot is not a liar by default. Especially if pdot is a nontraditional applicant, often (not always) in my experience nontrads have the best work ethic because they have other responsibilities so they need to do well and get in the first time they apply.

(I know the OAT is not the same as the MCAT, but for some people it is just as big of a hurdle.)

stop mocking. What I am trying to say is that u should know the stuffs since u already took the class. People who took the class and got bad score on OAT are people who cheated to pass the class.
Thats why they have to restudy for OAT>

 

[ppa93]

First off, ppa93, I think it's offensive that you think I am lying about the numbers of hours I spent studying. It also offends me that you believe my success is based on some kind of intuition (i.e., being "damn good at guessing") and not just plain old HARD WORK. Secondly, the last standardized test I took before the Oct 04 OAT was the SAT in 1992, so I wouldn't say that I have "a lot of experience taking tests". Thirdly, I am not old. Fourthly, I am a woman, so please refrain from referring to me as "he" (or "u" for that matter).

-p.dot

I am really sorry if I offended u. I am just telling people about possibilities why u did so good. no offend

 

[Badger150]

stop mocking. What I am trying to say is that u should know the stuffs since u already took the class. People who took the class and got bad score on OAT are people who cheated to pass the class.
Thats why they have to restudy for OAT>

Wow, liars and cheaters, any other wild accusations you care to make???

Just because someone does poorly on the OAT does not mean that they cheated their way through college. I know there are several posters on this forum that would probably not appreciate this sort of an insinuation. Just because you and I don't need to study for tests like the OAT doesn't mean that everyone shouldn't.

Usually, people need a minimum of 2-3 exposures to a topic to learn it well. Many of the topics on the OAT are covered once if you are lucky in many undergraduate courses, and so are forgotten as quickly as they are "learned".

And I was using hyperbole in the previous post to make a point about being prepared for a test. By obviously exaggerating a dog's ability on the OAT I was showing how silly someone would be to take the OAT without knowing/remembering the material on it. You can't expect to run well in a marathon if you are out of shape, and you can't expect to do well on the OAT unless you remember the background material.

 

[ppa93]

Wow, liars and cheaters, any other wild accusations you care to make???

Just because someone does poorly on the OAT does not mean that they cheated their way through college. I know there are several posters on this forum that would probably not appreciate this sort of an insinuation. Just because you and I don't need to study for tests like the OAT doesn't mean that everyone shouldn't.

Usually, people need a minimum of 2-3 exposures to a topic to learn it well. Many of the topics on the OAT are covered once if you are lucky in many undergraduate courses, and so are forgotten as quickly as they are "learned".

And I was using hyperbole in the previous post to make a point about being prepared for a test. By obviously exaggerating a dog's ability on the OAT I was showing how silly someone would be to take the OAT without knowing/remembering the material on it. You can't expect to run well in a marathon if you are out of shape, and you can't expect to do well on the OAT unless you remember the background material.

THen how did i do pretty good without studying? Well, I am pretty sure that some people cheated their way through college. I have seen it. Dont tell me it doesnt happen

 

[ppa93]

Sorry guys. I was just pissed yesterday. didnt mean to offend anyone.
Take care

 

[jav316]

wow, ppa, you should think before you write something on this board. how are you going to talk to your patients if you blurt out someone 'is old'? There are a lot of different people on this board and making such comments are rude, ignorant and will be offensive.

 

[ppa93]

wow, ppa, you should think before you write something on this board. how are you going to talk to your patients if you blurt out someone 'is old'? There are a lot of different people on this board and making such comments are rude, ignorant and will be offensive.

Oh well, you learn by making mistakes.

 

[nmu preopt]

Well, I just finished reading all of the posts in this thread and I must say polkadot you kind of inspired me. I too dont have the greatest gpa, but you showed that with hard work you can do well and get into a great school. Best of success I hope to be where you are in two years.

nmu preopt

 

[Tasteestuff]

Do you want to do well in OAT?? Read this carefully.

This is purely coming from personal experience.
My OAT scores were 390. My lowest score was in VR section which was 370.

I have taken DAT and scored 29 overall (99.3 percentile) and because I did so well in DAT and OAT, I was asked to be an instructor for Kaplan. I did that for 6 months.

What is the secret? STUDY LIKE YOU ARE STUDYING FOR MCAT.

I studied strictly with MCAT study guides. Kaplan and other MCAT guides. I did take MCAT and scored 37 but my essay was 'O'

OAT study guides are so lame and difficulty level is really not up to par with the actual examination.

Math section is easy but you will run out of time. So learn to pace yourself well.

Again, my advice to the future optometrists is "Study with MCAT guides and prepare yourself for MCAT" You will breeze through OAT

 

[polkadot]

nmu_preopt - you make me blush!