Hi! I utilized SDN / Reddit A LOT when studying for my OAT and locating potential resources, so I thought I would do the same! Plus, I kinda want to get out of Biochem studying for now.
Alright, so I took the OAT back in August.
A little bit about me:
I would also say, most threads I have seen consider for the actual OAT to be easier than the Kaplan practice tests. However, I am not sure if I was one of the unlucky ones but my actual OAT was basically a version of Kaplan's practice tests: I found it equally as challenging and I think I even started crying at one point. However, please take all this with a grain of salt because it is possible I was just one of the unlucky ones.
Studying:
Prior to lockdown / COVID-19, I was overwhelmed because I was planning on taking the OAT in June 2020 to secure a spot in optometry school. However, the pandemic happened and I found myself as a full-time student staring out of the bedroom window quite too often. Thus, to distract myself from my bedroom view, I began studying late-April, early-May. I started off by going over the study guide and highlighting topics that either looked foreign or strange. Then, I bought the Kaplan Review book from Amazon, which came with a few practice tests as well!
To be honest, I did not like this book; it was lowkey disorganized (sorry Kaplan). I also felt like it wasn't detailed enough, so I began googling random terms to see what else I could obtain to help me on this process. That is when I came across Khan's MCAT prep, Princeton books, and other well-known resources.
I made an excel spreadsheet to keep myself on track, listing down topics I needed to work more on, etc. I also went over the same topic multiple times if I did need help (physics lol) and also made flashcards to keep my brain going.
Lastly, I also took practice tests: these were a bit hard to find (for me at least). I felt as if online, there were not enough resources catered to practice problems for the OAT specifically. Nonetheless, I made it work by locating DAT and MCAT books.
If there is anything I would do differently, I would utilize YT videos (or anything visual) earlier in my journey. This is because I found it so much easier learning biology and Ochem visually, further connecting the dots (of each concept) in my head as I watched someone else do so on the screen.
Physics:
I am very weak in Physics: I can't stand it, never had a good experience. Thus, knowing this, I turned my weakness into strength by teaching myself physics (all the way from the beginning) around December 2019. I knew I was going to struggle with this subject, so I figured I would give it my upmost attention.
To do so, I utilized Khan Academy's MCAT Prep, Chad's Videos, the Ochem Tutor on YT, and Kaplan and Princeton Review books.
In my opinion, Princeton's Review of the OAT was the most in-depth, providing problems for each subject and an immense amount of examples. Chad's videos were alright, but I felt as if they were too basic compared to what the OAT was asking for. Nonetheless, his videos are great for refreshing your memory and learning from scratch. However, I did like using Chad's OAT Prep (free!!), the questions were great practice.
My actual physics section of the OAT was a mess, I saw no pattern whatsoever regarding the problems.
Chemistry:
I really enjoyed chemistry as an undergrad, but once again, it was lost in the back of my mind. For this subject as well, I used Khan Academy's MCAT Prep, Chad's Videos, the Ochem Tutor on YT, and Kaplan and Princeton's DAT Review. Remember, the DAT and OAT are designed by the same organization, so they will be testing the same concepts (for the most part).
I also utilized random Chem MCAT books I found online - they did the job, and I learned something new every time I practiced. I also did like using Chad's OAT Prep (free!!), the questions were challenging.
I know the OAT does love gas laws, so I would keep that in mind.
Biology:
Biology was slightly intimidating, since the subject is so broad. For this one in particular, I highly recommend Khan's Academy MCAT review. His videos were detailed, and they also came with practice problems at the end of every "set" (for the lack of a better word).
I can't advise to study anything in particular, since it is a bit unpredictable.
Quantitative Reasoning:
I am one of those weirdos that genuinely likes algebra and was a Kumon tutor, so I did not struggle too much. However, I do struggle with statistics and had never come across a single Data Sufficiency question in my life, so that was a learning curve. In order to polish upon those two areas, I used the Ochem Tutor on YT; he is SUCH a genius! God bless him lol.
On the actual test, I personally did not encounter anything trig-related, but it would not hurt to brush up on the subject. It seemed more-Algebra based. I also have read other posts mentioning that the last ~4 problems are the easier ones, so I approached this section by doing all the easy ones first and then switching over to the harder ones.
OCHEM:
Ochem was way more easier than it was during my undergrad; I utilized YT videos and my old exams I had to refresh the concept. I recommend knowing your SN1/SN2/E1/E2 along with nomenclature. There were no trick questions, as long as you know your concepts you should be fine.
Reading Comprehension:
Well, this was one aspect that I did not expect struggling in; the timer would stress me out, and I was not used to taking reading comprehension exams on the computer. Thus, for this section, I advise for you to find your ~groove~. I personally found the "search and destroy" method to be useful; whenever I found myself trying to read the passage, I would get overwhelmed and would freeze. As I said before, this is more of a personal situation, so I would advise for as much practice as one can do.
Scores: Bio/Chem/Ochem/Ph/RC/QR/TS/AA
You will do great!
Alright, so I took the OAT back in August.
A little bit about me:
- 3.86 GPA / 3.75 Science
- Optometric Assistant
- Honors Student
I would also say, most threads I have seen consider for the actual OAT to be easier than the Kaplan practice tests. However, I am not sure if I was one of the unlucky ones but my actual OAT was basically a version of Kaplan's practice tests: I found it equally as challenging and I think I even started crying at one point. However, please take all this with a grain of salt because it is possible I was just one of the unlucky ones.
Studying:
Prior to lockdown / COVID-19, I was overwhelmed because I was planning on taking the OAT in June 2020 to secure a spot in optometry school. However, the pandemic happened and I found myself as a full-time student staring out of the bedroom window quite too often. Thus, to distract myself from my bedroom view, I began studying late-April, early-May. I started off by going over the study guide and highlighting topics that either looked foreign or strange. Then, I bought the Kaplan Review book from Amazon, which came with a few practice tests as well!
To be honest, I did not like this book; it was lowkey disorganized (sorry Kaplan). I also felt like it wasn't detailed enough, so I began googling random terms to see what else I could obtain to help me on this process. That is when I came across Khan's MCAT prep, Princeton books, and other well-known resources.
I made an excel spreadsheet to keep myself on track, listing down topics I needed to work more on, etc. I also went over the same topic multiple times if I did need help (physics lol) and also made flashcards to keep my brain going.
Lastly, I also took practice tests: these were a bit hard to find (for me at least). I felt as if online, there were not enough resources catered to practice problems for the OAT specifically. Nonetheless, I made it work by locating DAT and MCAT books.
If there is anything I would do differently, I would utilize YT videos (or anything visual) earlier in my journey. This is because I found it so much easier learning biology and Ochem visually, further connecting the dots (of each concept) in my head as I watched someone else do so on the screen.
Physics:
I am very weak in Physics: I can't stand it, never had a good experience. Thus, knowing this, I turned my weakness into strength by teaching myself physics (all the way from the beginning) around December 2019. I knew I was going to struggle with this subject, so I figured I would give it my upmost attention.
To do so, I utilized Khan Academy's MCAT Prep, Chad's Videos, the Ochem Tutor on YT, and Kaplan and Princeton Review books.
In my opinion, Princeton's Review of the OAT was the most in-depth, providing problems for each subject and an immense amount of examples. Chad's videos were alright, but I felt as if they were too basic compared to what the OAT was asking for. Nonetheless, his videos are great for refreshing your memory and learning from scratch. However, I did like using Chad's OAT Prep (free!!), the questions were great practice.
My actual physics section of the OAT was a mess, I saw no pattern whatsoever regarding the problems.
Chemistry:
I really enjoyed chemistry as an undergrad, but once again, it was lost in the back of my mind. For this subject as well, I used Khan Academy's MCAT Prep, Chad's Videos, the Ochem Tutor on YT, and Kaplan and Princeton's DAT Review. Remember, the DAT and OAT are designed by the same organization, so they will be testing the same concepts (for the most part).
I also utilized random Chem MCAT books I found online - they did the job, and I learned something new every time I practiced. I also did like using Chad's OAT Prep (free!!), the questions were challenging.
I know the OAT does love gas laws, so I would keep that in mind.
Biology:
Biology was slightly intimidating, since the subject is so broad. For this one in particular, I highly recommend Khan's Academy MCAT review. His videos were detailed, and they also came with practice problems at the end of every "set" (for the lack of a better word).
I can't advise to study anything in particular, since it is a bit unpredictable.
Quantitative Reasoning:
I am one of those weirdos that genuinely likes algebra and was a Kumon tutor, so I did not struggle too much. However, I do struggle with statistics and had never come across a single Data Sufficiency question in my life, so that was a learning curve. In order to polish upon those two areas, I used the Ochem Tutor on YT; he is SUCH a genius! God bless him lol.
On the actual test, I personally did not encounter anything trig-related, but it would not hurt to brush up on the subject. It seemed more-Algebra based. I also have read other posts mentioning that the last ~4 problems are the easier ones, so I approached this section by doing all the easy ones first and then switching over to the harder ones.
OCHEM:
Ochem was way more easier than it was during my undergrad; I utilized YT videos and my old exams I had to refresh the concept. I recommend knowing your SN1/SN2/E1/E2 along with nomenclature. There were no trick questions, as long as you know your concepts you should be fine.
Reading Comprehension:
Well, this was one aspect that I did not expect struggling in; the timer would stress me out, and I was not used to taking reading comprehension exams on the computer. Thus, for this section, I advise for you to find your ~groove~. I personally found the "search and destroy" method to be useful; whenever I found myself trying to read the passage, I would get overwhelmed and would freeze. As I said before, this is more of a personal situation, so I would advise for as much practice as one can do.
Scores: Bio/Chem/Ochem/Ph/RC/QR/TS/AA
Kaplan #1 (07/16/20): 330/310/320/200/210/360/280/290
Kaplan #2 (07/20/20): 310/310/360/320/300/300/330/320
Kaplan #3 (07/28/20): 380/320/330/270/360/340/330/330
Kaplan #4 (08/12/20): 350/360/320/280/360/360/330/340
ADA OAT (08/05/20): 360/370/400/360/360/400/370/380
Princeton Oat #1 (08/09/20): 400/380/390/400/380/400/390/390
Princeton Oat #2 (08/10/20): 400/380/390/400/380/400/390/390
Actual OAT (08/16/20): 370/340/340/300/380/390/340/350
Lastly, I would also like to mention that I only bought my Kaplan Review book for the tests that came with it. All my other resources were free and accessible: turns out, libraries have a huge variety of DAT, OAT, and MCAT books, some which may also come with free practice tests! I highly advise doing the Kaplan tests, looking over what you got wrong, and polishing up on those subjects.You will do great!
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