Taking OAT in 3 days - last prep?

[optometrykid]

Hi guys,

I'm taking the exam in 3 days but was wondering what I should be doing for the last final days. I was considering taking a full length practice exam today with Kaplan, but I've taken it 3 times already and have been scoring around 270 AA - which is not near my goal score at all.

I've been reviewing more after those exams so thought I should give it a shot today, but I've heard the Kaplan exams are much harder than the actual thing - and I don't want to take it and do terrible again --> leading to 100% discouraged, 0% confidence in these last days.

Is there a practice exam to take that is more like the actual OAT than Kaplan?
Any suggestions as to how to prep these last few days?


Either way, thanks and goodluck everyone.

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[tastyshuffles]

For me, on my last final days all I did was just review a lot of the main concepts of each subject along with info I thought was most relevant/going to be tested. Reviewed a lot of equations that were applicable and made sure I understood what they were and how to use them under specific contexts.

I at least took two different kaplan tests prior to my exam date just for experience and stamina build for the exam. Whatever questions I got wrong I went over and tried my best to fix what I did not understand for each subject (besides reading). In comparison to the kaplan practice tests with the real OAT, I thought the OAT was just a little bit easier. Biology was pretty representative. Chemistry seemed accurate also but felt more straight forward. O-chem on the OAT was really straightforward for me for my test version. Quantitative reasoning maybe a hair easier if I recall? Physics on the other hand was nothing compared to kaplan. Physics on the real OAT was much more straight forward if you understand your concepts and equations. Honestly didn't have to do multiple equation steps like kaplan tested. But to be honest, kaplan testing difficulty for the physics section over prepared me, so that's a plus!

Best advice I can give you is practice problems. Also, go over any concept for each section that you do not understand because there are different versions of the OAT for each test taker so it's better to be over prepared. If you are able to understand the concepts, recall it without using much brain power, and are able to apply it by just looking at a test question then you know you are ready. Being over prepared will indeed help you answer the questions logically, guaranteeing the best score possible.

I recently took the OAT not too long ago in December so it's kinda fresh in my mind!

 

[futuredopeOD]

For me, on my last final days all I did was just review a lot of the main concepts of each subject along with info I thought was most relevant/going to be tested. Reviewed a lot of equations that were applicable and made sure I understood what they were and how to use them under specific contexts.

I at least took two different kaplan tests prior to my exam date just for experience and stamina build for the exam. Whatever questions I got wrong I went over and tried my best to fix what I did not understand for each subject (besides reading). In comparison to the kaplan practice tests with the real OAT, I thought the OAT was just a little bit easier. Biology was pretty representative. Chemistry seemed accurate also but felt more straight forward. O-chem on the OAT was really straightforward for me for my test version. Quantitative reasoning maybe a hair easier if I recall? Physics on the other hand was nothing compared to kaplan. Physics on the real OAT was much more straight forward if you understand your concepts and equations. Honestly didn't have to do multiple equation steps like kaplan tested. But to be honest, kaplan testing difficulty for the physics section over prepared me, so that's a plus!

Best advice I can give you is practice problems. Also, go over any concept for each section that you do not understand because there are different versions of the OAT for each test taker so it's better to be over prepared. If you are able to understand the concepts, recall it without using much brain power, and are able to apply it by just looking at a test question then you know you are ready. Being over prepared will indeed help you answer the questions logically, guaranteeing the best score possible.

I recently took the OAT not too long ago in December so it's kinda fresh in my mind!

Thank you for the advice. Would you mind PM'ing me your stats. Like what you would post in the C/O 2023 thread.

 

[optometrykid]

For me, on my last final days all I did was just review a lot of the main concepts of each subject along with info I thought was most relevant/going to be tested. Reviewed a lot of equations that were applicable and made sure I understood what they were and how to use them under specific contexts.

I at least took two different kaplan tests prior to my exam date just for experience and stamina build for the exam. Whatever questions I got wrong I went over and tried my best to fix what I did not understand for each subject (besides reading). In comparison to the kaplan practice tests with the real OAT, I thought the OAT was just a little bit easier. Biology was pretty representative. Chemistry seemed accurate also but felt more straight forward. O-chem on the OAT was really straightforward for me for my test version. Quantitative reasoning maybe a hair easier if I recall? Physics on the other hand was nothing compared to kaplan. Physics on the real OAT was much more straight forward if you understand your concepts and equations. Honestly didn't have to do multiple equation steps like kaplan tested. But to be honest, kaplan testing difficulty for the physics section over prepared me, so that's a plus!

Best advice I can give you is practice problems. Also, go over any concept for each section that you do not understand because there are different versions of the OAT for each test taker so it's better to be over prepared. If you are able to understand the concepts, recall it without using much brain power, and are able to apply it by just looking at a test question then you know you are ready. Being over prepared will indeed help you answer the questions logically, guaranteeing the best score possible.

I recently took the OAT not too long ago in December so it's kinda fresh in my mind!

Thank you so much for your response!!!! I did do just that. I just keep practicing and practicing ! But seriously, thank you for taking the time out of your day to help out. Greatly appreciated, cheers.

 

[tastyshuffles]

Thank you so much for your response!!!! I did do just that. I just keep practicing and practicing ! But seriously, thank you for taking the time out of your day to help out. Greatly appreciated, cheers.

No problem. And good luck!