OAT practice test scores - explain

[wizzleg]

I am 2 weeks away from taking my OAT. I have been using chad's videos and OAT destroyer. I took a practice OAT test using TOP SCORE to see where I stand.

my results: BIO 260/ OCHEM 350/ GCHEM 320/ RC 320/ PHY 250 / QR 300

I did poorly in the bio and physics section. I am trying to understand how the scoring works and how to improve from this. I know that each question is weighted differently on the test but as I was reviewing my answers and I got 20/40 question correct in the physics section, however, got a 250??

In GCHEM, I only scored 17/30 correct and received a 320. I am kind of frustrated about this. I am not sure how to improve when I don't understand how the test is graded.

Any words of advice how I can improve my weaknesses?

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[monica__t_]

that scale seems a little off - i wouldn't worry about exact scores the practice tests are giving you, just more about understanding the concepts and problems you're working through. aim for higher than half of the questions correct in each section and you'll be in good shape. but i was linked to this scale when i asked a similar question a year or two ago, not sure if it's still relevant

 

[Stirling]

The OAT score scale is based off percentiles, not raw score. Scores range from 200-400, with 300 marking off the 50th percentile group.

I’ve seen in multiple forums that practice test companies can score their tests somewhat low, and it’s not on purpose. It’s just due to the sheer number of tests that people have taken; it tends to narrow the bell curve. So if you score 310 on a section, that could translate to about 330 on the real exam.

As for improving your sections, are you viewing Chad’s Videos through Coursesaver.com? I used that and got the OAT subscription for a couple months. I would take the practice quizzes to find which concepts you understand the least and start from there. Biology can cover a lot of different concepts, and it’s not like physics where you keep building upon what you’ve learned previously. That can be a tough subject, but there’s a TON of Biology lecture videos on that website. Just keep practicing and studying those sections.


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[JAB1215]

that scale seems a little off - i wouldn't worry about exact scores the practice tests are giving you, just more about understanding the concepts and problems you're working through. aim for higher than half of the questions correct in each section and you'll be in good shape. but i was linked to this scale when i asked a similar question a year or two ago, not sure if it's still relevant

Does anyone know if this is how the actual OAT is scored? I've read multiple posts about how Kaplan scores their tests lower than the real thing, and to expect about 20-30 points higher on the real OAT as compared to Kaplan practice exams. Comparing this score conversation chart with the number of questions I've gotten right on Kaplan exams confirms this conversion chart is about 20 points higher, so I was wondering if this conversion chart posted is actually how the OAT is scored. Thanks!