Here is a complete (AKA long) outline of the OAT:
Check-In
You cannot take anything into the test center. No watch, no water bottle, no pens or pencils, nothing. They will give you some laminated paper and markers, and tissues if you ask for them. You will have to show 2 forms of ID and you will be fingerprinted. You get a cubicle to yourself. There were about 20 other people taking other tests at the same time, so there was plenty of keyboard clicking and other general test-taking noises, but nothing loud or distracting. Earphones were provided. You can start early. I arrived about 30 minutes early and allowed other people to check in and get started while I ate a sandwich in the waiting room.
Tutorial
Use these fifteen minutes to calm your nerves. You already know how to use a computer, but it can't hurt to read the instructions anyway, and then after you read them you'll still have about 12 minutes to breathe and force yourself to relax. There is a countdown timer on screen at all times. A popup comes up when you have 15 minutes and 5 minutes left. You have to click each one TWICE (I don't know why) to make them go away, and the timer keeps going while you're clicking.
Biology
It was a random smattering of questions. I can't pinpoint any area of focus. Know the reproductive stages of plants, basic anatomy of mammals, classification of various organisms, ATP synthesis, and pretty much everything else in your bio classes. Know the basic concepts of transcription, translation, and signal transduction like the back of your hand (no need to memorize every single transcription factor, but know the basics of each process). Bio majors that do well in their classes shouldn't need to spend a lot of time studying, but for non-bio buffs, I recommend doing lots and lots of sample problems to prepare for the vast array of material that will be tested here.
I was very surprised to see a popup to tell you that you are transitioning from Biology to General Chemistry. Really, it's just one more thing you have to click (twice) while the timer keeps ticking.
General Chemistry
Nothing really stood out here. Be able to draw Lewis structures and understand what they mean in terms of molecular geometry, know the trends of the periodic table, know redox reactions really well, know how to calculate rate constants, and how to calculate molarity/molality/normality. Pretty standard stuff, any gen chem review book should leave you well prepared.
Another popup to transition to Organic. Apparently we are being tested on how fast we can click OK for meaningless popups.
Organic Chemistry
Lots and lots of reactions (a lot like organic chemistry class!). I didn't know most of them, but did my best to figure them out. You need to not only know how the reactions work, but also the names of the reactions. Of course SN1, SN2, E1, and E2 will probably all show up, but don't forget about Grignard, Clemmensen, Diels-Alder, ozonolysis, hydrogenation, etc. Understand how protic/aprotic solvents impact reactions and understand how HNMR works.
When you finish Question 100, you can review all of the Natural Science questions. When the time is up, there is a popup to tell you the Reading Comprehension part is next. It doesn't start until you click OK.
Reading Comprehension
It was fair. I didn't think the third passage was any more difficult than the first two, contrary to others' experiences. I am a big fan of the search-and-destroy method, so I knocked out all the easy questions first, and marked the big-picture type questions for later. Like someone else posted, there were a few questions where there was a statement "XXX because YYY," and you had to decide whether the statement and/or the reason was true. I thought these questions were poorly worded and open to interpretation, but oh well, I guess the exam tests comprehension of the questions as well as the passage.
Now you get a popup to tell you about the break, which you can end anytime you want. I agree with a previous poster that you could make the break as long as you want, since the Physics section doesn't start until you click OK, but I didn't want to risk it. I wrote out the three kinematics formulas during the break (it helps me to see them in front of me).
Physics
This was pretty much as I expected. There were quite a few calculations, but I think most of the questions were conceptual. Lots of questions gave extraneous information, so make sure you know how to extract the numbers you need and ignore the ones you don't. I was glad I wrote out the kinematics formulas; if you're shaky on any formulas, I highly advise writing them down when you're relaxed so you can see them when you're stressed. Count on an acceleration-weight (what does the scale read when the elevator accelerates at XX rate) type question, understand centripetal force, know the relationships among distance, time, velocity, acceleration, kinetic energy, spring constant, etc. I've heard optometry schools weigh your physics score more than the other sections, so definitely be prepared for this one.
Another popup tells you when the section is over; when you click OK, Quantitative Reasoning begins.
Quantitative Reasoning
By some miracle, I didn't run out of time like I did on every practice test ever. It was triangle after triangle after triangle. You'll need to have all the trig identities down pat (or write them out during the break) to survive this one. Of course there were some "plane leaves Point A at at X speed, when will it be at point B" type questions, and lots of systems of equations. The key here is to know when to abandon an impossible question and move on. Somehow I ended up with an extra 10 minutes to go back and tackle the hard ones. To prepare for this, just practice, practice, practice and work as fast as you can. There is an on-screen calculator very similar to the basic Windows calculator.
Survey
There's a brief survey at the end, mostly about the Prometric center where you took your test. I was very happy with my test conditions (except the sick woman coughing behind me the whole time... there were earphones that I chose not to wear). Then a few nerveracking seconds after the survey, the scores appear.
Here are my scores: OAT / ADA Online / Kaplan Test 2 / Kaplan Test 1
Biology: 360 / 360 / 320 / 310
Chemistry: 380 / 340 / 310 / 300
O-Chem: 350 / 350 / 340 / 320
Reading Comp: 390 / 400 / 390 / 320
Physics: 380 / 360 / 280 / 240
Quant: 400 / 370 / 350 / 340
TS: 380 (not calculated for practice tests)
AA: 380 / 370 / 330 / 310
These are listed in the reverse order of when I took them, with Test 1 happening 5 weeks before the actual test. Practice pays off! I thought the ADA online sample test was easier than the real thing and the Kaplan tests seemed pretty close.
Suggested Materials
First the not-so-useful materials. I bought two different editions of the Kaplan OAT book (2005 and 2009-10), and found they were EXACTLY the same. Waste of $4.97 on EBay. I borrowed two MCAT sample test books from the library, but they just made me feel stressed. I also tried looking through my old notebooks from classes, but there was just too much information and I got overwhelmed.
Here's what was helpful: One Kaplan OAT book. This was my primary resource. The Kaplan MCAT Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences review books cover a broad range of Physics, Chem, Bio, and O-Chem. I also bought a Kaplan Organic Chemistry MCAT review book for a more targeted analysis of only the necessary O-Chem subjects. For Physics, I borrowed Barron's "Let's Review: Physics" from the library. The questions were WAY too easy (it is meant for a high school physics final), but it was a fantastic review of everything. I went to freelance-teacher.com/videos for help with specific topics, and decided I could have learned more by watching his YouTube videos instead of going to class. I will definitely be making a donation to this guy; I only wish I had found his videos earlier. I probably spent a grand total of $40 on all study materials by buying them used on EBay and Amazon, and borrowing from the library whenever possible.
Hope this is helpful! Good luck to all. See you in optometry school!
Check-In
You cannot take anything into the test center. No watch, no water bottle, no pens or pencils, nothing. They will give you some laminated paper and markers, and tissues if you ask for them. You will have to show 2 forms of ID and you will be fingerprinted. You get a cubicle to yourself. There were about 20 other people taking other tests at the same time, so there was plenty of keyboard clicking and other general test-taking noises, but nothing loud or distracting. Earphones were provided. You can start early. I arrived about 30 minutes early and allowed other people to check in and get started while I ate a sandwich in the waiting room.
Tutorial
Use these fifteen minutes to calm your nerves. You already know how to use a computer, but it can't hurt to read the instructions anyway, and then after you read them you'll still have about 12 minutes to breathe and force yourself to relax. There is a countdown timer on screen at all times. A popup comes up when you have 15 minutes and 5 minutes left. You have to click each one TWICE (I don't know why) to make them go away, and the timer keeps going while you're clicking.
Biology
It was a random smattering of questions. I can't pinpoint any area of focus. Know the reproductive stages of plants, basic anatomy of mammals, classification of various organisms, ATP synthesis, and pretty much everything else in your bio classes. Know the basic concepts of transcription, translation, and signal transduction like the back of your hand (no need to memorize every single transcription factor, but know the basics of each process). Bio majors that do well in their classes shouldn't need to spend a lot of time studying, but for non-bio buffs, I recommend doing lots and lots of sample problems to prepare for the vast array of material that will be tested here.
I was very surprised to see a popup to tell you that you are transitioning from Biology to General Chemistry. Really, it's just one more thing you have to click (twice) while the timer keeps ticking.
General Chemistry
Nothing really stood out here. Be able to draw Lewis structures and understand what they mean in terms of molecular geometry, know the trends of the periodic table, know redox reactions really well, know how to calculate rate constants, and how to calculate molarity/molality/normality. Pretty standard stuff, any gen chem review book should leave you well prepared.
Another popup to transition to Organic. Apparently we are being tested on how fast we can click OK for meaningless popups.
Organic Chemistry
Lots and lots of reactions (a lot like organic chemistry class!). I didn't know most of them, but did my best to figure them out. You need to not only know how the reactions work, but also the names of the reactions. Of course SN1, SN2, E1, and E2 will probably all show up, but don't forget about Grignard, Clemmensen, Diels-Alder, ozonolysis, hydrogenation, etc. Understand how protic/aprotic solvents impact reactions and understand how HNMR works.
When you finish Question 100, you can review all of the Natural Science questions. When the time is up, there is a popup to tell you the Reading Comprehension part is next. It doesn't start until you click OK.
Reading Comprehension
It was fair. I didn't think the third passage was any more difficult than the first two, contrary to others' experiences. I am a big fan of the search-and-destroy method, so I knocked out all the easy questions first, and marked the big-picture type questions for later. Like someone else posted, there were a few questions where there was a statement "XXX because YYY," and you had to decide whether the statement and/or the reason was true. I thought these questions were poorly worded and open to interpretation, but oh well, I guess the exam tests comprehension of the questions as well as the passage.
Now you get a popup to tell you about the break, which you can end anytime you want. I agree with a previous poster that you could make the break as long as you want, since the Physics section doesn't start until you click OK, but I didn't want to risk it. I wrote out the three kinematics formulas during the break (it helps me to see them in front of me).
Physics
This was pretty much as I expected. There were quite a few calculations, but I think most of the questions were conceptual. Lots of questions gave extraneous information, so make sure you know how to extract the numbers you need and ignore the ones you don't. I was glad I wrote out the kinematics formulas; if you're shaky on any formulas, I highly advise writing them down when you're relaxed so you can see them when you're stressed. Count on an acceleration-weight (what does the scale read when the elevator accelerates at XX rate) type question, understand centripetal force, know the relationships among distance, time, velocity, acceleration, kinetic energy, spring constant, etc. I've heard optometry schools weigh your physics score more than the other sections, so definitely be prepared for this one.
Another popup tells you when the section is over; when you click OK, Quantitative Reasoning begins.
Quantitative Reasoning
By some miracle, I didn't run out of time like I did on every practice test ever. It was triangle after triangle after triangle. You'll need to have all the trig identities down pat (or write them out during the break) to survive this one. Of course there were some "plane leaves Point A at at X speed, when will it be at point B" type questions, and lots of systems of equations. The key here is to know when to abandon an impossible question and move on. Somehow I ended up with an extra 10 minutes to go back and tackle the hard ones. To prepare for this, just practice, practice, practice and work as fast as you can. There is an on-screen calculator very similar to the basic Windows calculator.
Survey
There's a brief survey at the end, mostly about the Prometric center where you took your test. I was very happy with my test conditions (except the sick woman coughing behind me the whole time... there were earphones that I chose not to wear). Then a few nerveracking seconds after the survey, the scores appear.
Here are my scores: OAT / ADA Online / Kaplan Test 2 / Kaplan Test 1
Biology: 360 / 360 / 320 / 310
Chemistry: 380 / 340 / 310 / 300
O-Chem: 350 / 350 / 340 / 320
Reading Comp: 390 / 400 / 390 / 320
Physics: 380 / 360 / 280 / 240
Quant: 400 / 370 / 350 / 340
TS: 380 (not calculated for practice tests)
AA: 380 / 370 / 330 / 310
These are listed in the reverse order of when I took them, with Test 1 happening 5 weeks before the actual test. Practice pays off! I thought the ADA online sample test was easier than the real thing and the Kaplan tests seemed pretty close.
Suggested Materials
First the not-so-useful materials. I bought two different editions of the Kaplan OAT book (2005 and 2009-10), and found they were EXACTLY the same. Waste of $4.97 on EBay. I borrowed two MCAT sample test books from the library, but they just made me feel stressed. I also tried looking through my old notebooks from classes, but there was just too much information and I got overwhelmed.
Here's what was helpful: One Kaplan OAT book. This was my primary resource. The Kaplan MCAT Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences review books cover a broad range of Physics, Chem, Bio, and O-Chem. I also bought a Kaplan Organic Chemistry MCAT review book for a more targeted analysis of only the necessary O-Chem subjects. For Physics, I borrowed Barron's "Let's Review: Physics" from the library. The questions were WAY too easy (it is meant for a high school physics final), but it was a fantastic review of everything. I went to freelance-teacher.com/videos for help with specific topics, and decided I could have learned more by watching his YouTube videos instead of going to class. I will definitely be making a donation to this guy; I only wish I had found his videos earlier. I probably spent a grand total of $40 on all study materials by buying them used on EBay and Amazon, and borrowing from the library whenever possible.
Hope this is helpful! Good luck to all. See you in optometry school!