The most important section

[Rusunn]

My Kaplan teacher told me that the most important section of the OAT is the reading comprehension. This is what the schools look most heavy upon. Is this true?

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[PreOptMegs]

I heard there are 2 main subjects they look at .... reading and general chemistry

 

[Hines302]

I took the OAT yesterday and did well.... I scored at 360 Total Sciences and a 340 Overall. Top 5% according to Prometric Testing. (I killed orgo with a score of 400)

However, my reading scores are only a 310! (and QR scores are low too at a 300) Im not very good at reading REALLY fast like your suppose too. I just dont see how reading 3 scientific articles as fast as you can and answering timed qestions is relevant to the profession (or life for that matter). Anyways, do you think my other scores would compensate for this lower score? I really dont want to retake it if i dont have to.

My Scores are as follows:
Total Science -- 360
Overall -- 340
Orgo -- 400
Bio -- 360
Chem -- 330
Phys -- 330
Reading -- 310
QR -- 300

 

[PreOptMegs]

You will be accepted faster than lightening. Your scores are wonderful and any optometry school would be lucky to get you. You will not have to retake it. Trust me.

 

[polkadot]

Your scores are very respectable, and your 400 OChem is really awesome. Don't stress too much.
-p.dot

 

[Canadian26]

Diffently not to wry about your scores. QR IMO was the hardest section on the OAT just because of time restraints, so dont wry about it... I personally dont think that the average score for QR will be a big determing factor (I dont expect the average for that section to be very high either).

 

[rkl_OD2be]

I'm currently applying to Optometry schools (UMSL & SCO), and I'm wondering how my OAT score compares:

AA: 340
Qual: 380
Reading: 350
Physics: 320
Bio: 330
Chem: 340
Organic: 300
Total Sci: 330

Would the 300 Organic score (I took the OAT 6 weeks into Organic I) drag down an otherwise good score?

 

[PreOptMegs]

you will be fine

 

[leelee]

My Kaplan teacher told me that the most important section of the OAT is the reading comprehension. This is what the schools look most heavy upon. Is this true?

What????!! Reading the most important part?! I don't understand that at all. Especially since the rest of the test is science and math based. Focus on the other sections of the test!! Obviously you'll get a better score that way. In an interview last year, they told me they give special consideration to the Total Science score--that makes a lot of sense to me. If I were on an acceptance committee, I wouldn't say "Well... his sciences and QR aren't that great... but WOW check out that great reading score!!!" It's the other way around. Don't go into the OAT thinking a great reading score is what's gonna give you the edge. Better science scores will impress schools.

 

[still_confused]

well reading is VERY important, here is why. Graduate work involves lots (and i mean LOTS ) of intensive papers , the textbook in the words of my mentor "is useless" pretty much papers rule all. you need to understand heavy research papers to do well at the graduate level. reading is something that you cannot study for (you can practice). All standardized test (SAT,GRE, MCAT, GMAT, OAT etc) has reading, its that important ^^

science on the OAT tests what you learned (unlike the MCAT which tests more analyzing) so it is somewhat bias. People taking o chem in one school might not cover certain section as heavily and may be at a disadvantage or advantage depending on what the OAT happens to test on that given day. i happen to be very lucky on my OAT to have questions that were similar to what i had on my midterms in college.

also, science is easy to coach. my kaplan class taught me every topic i needed to know (for chem, o chem, physics, bio) there were no suprises. however, teaching the reading is almost impossible (other then just practice).

i really dont know wtf QR is on there ^^

i guess what i am saying is sciences are important (dont get me wrong) but i can SEE why people might say reading is most important. reading test to a certain extent inherent ability and while we may have tricks to get around it , it isnt as easy to coach as science.

special consideration for TS is pretty much saying they just want to make sure you know enough science for a foundation, while reading is good to see how well you can learn new material. at least thats how i feel

i happen to do very well in science and QR but horribly in reading
so <crosses fingers>

 

[3eb4me]

The best section for me was reading, 390. Everything else was okay. The articles I read were interesting, and I actually learned stuff from my OAT exam.

 

[ODGuy2005]

well reading is VERY important, here is why. Graduate work involves lots (and i mean LOTS ) of intensive papers , the textbook in the words of my mentor "is useless" pretty much papers rule all. you need to understand heavy research papers to do well at the graduate level. reading is something that you cannot study for (you can practice). All standardized test (SAT,GRE, MCAT, GMAT, OAT etc) has reading, its that important ^^

science on the OAT tests what you learned (unlike the MCAT which tests more analyzing) so it is somewhat bias. People taking o chem in one school might not cover certain section as heavily and may be at a disadvantage or advantage depending on what the OAT happens to test on that given day. i happen to be very lucky on my OAT to have questions that were similar to what i had on my midterms in college.

also, science is easy to coach. my kaplan class taught me every topic i needed to know (for chem, o chem, physics, bio) there were no suprises. however, teaching the reading is almost impossible (other then just practice).

i really dont know wtf QR is on there ^^

i guess what i am saying is sciences are important (dont get me wrong) but i can SEE why people might say reading is most important. reading test to a certain extent inherent ability and while we may have tricks to get around it , it isnt as easy to coach as science.

special consideration for TS is pretty much saying they just want to make sure you know enough science for a foundation, while reading is good to see how well you can learn new material. at least thats how i feel

i happen to do very well in science and QR but horribly in reading
so <crosses fingers>

Having been in graduate school before (yes, I am old lol) I can tell you that reading is very important (to sound cheesy, it's FUNdamental). But because the optometry discipline is very science-oriented, science scores should naturally count for a lot. If I were on an admissions committee I would likely place most weight on the sciences scores and look at the reading comp. as simply a sort of guide. For example, if a student does exceptionally well on the science sections, say 360+ and I see a lower score, say 300 or lower, on the reading, I might wonder whether or not the student might have some problem reading and understanding course material. You are correct in saying that in a graduate program you have to read a lot. Believe me, if you feel that you had to read a lot of material as an undergrad, grad school is on a whole other level. But then again it matters what you're reading, too. I believe that the reading and math scores should be 'OK', but they do not ruin a candidate's chances unless the scores are very low and, moreover, if the other sections look weak as well.

As a side note, I personally do not understand why exams like the GRE and the SAT have moved into heavy reading/writing-based sections at the expense of the old analytical type sections. Unless you plan on majoring in a field where reading and writing are key (e.g. History, Political Science, English, Sociology, etc). one can usually learn how to read in grad school (they even offer clinics) and if you are in a sciences discipline you really need math, logic, and analytical skills. The new GRE adds a very subjective component (well, they CLAIM it is psychometrically valid but who knows) which essentially removes a quantifiable, reliable component and leaves essentially just the math to go by for many sciences disciplines. Maybe all undergrads should just do a thesis instead. It teaches you how to write analytically. Once you have that down pat, you needn't worry about keeping pace in grad school.

 

[name_here]

No! Sorry for pulling up an old thread, but when I took my exam, I only got a 280 on reading! My passages were difficult but it was my fault - I did the scanning thing and didn't read at all. I should have wrote down key words which I didn't. I just started panicking. I'm disappointed because my practice test scores for RC were 350 - 360.

My TS is 350 and AA was lower because of RC at 330. My overall GPA is 3.7 and I go to a school that's in the top 40 universities of America. BUT I'm applying to both CA optmetry schools. I'm worried about Berkeley now because their standards are so high.

I do NOT want to take this over again. Will the more competitive schools overlook the 280? I really do hope RC isn't the most important thing.

 

[yvipine]

No! Sorry for pulling up an old thread, but when I took my exam, I only got a 280 on reading! My passages were difficult but it was my fault - I did the scanning thing and didn't read at all. I should have wrote down key words which I didn't. I just started panicking. I'm disappointed because my practice test scores for RC were 350 - 360.

My TS is 350 and AA was lower because of RC at 330. My overall GPA is 3.7 and I go to a school that's in the top 40 universities of America. BUT I'm applying to both CA optmetry schools. I'm worried about Berkeley now because their standards are so high.

I do NOT want to take this over again. Will the more competitive schools overlook the 280? I really do hope RC isn't the most important thing.

i know how u feel. i toook the OAT a couple weeks ago and i did poorly on the RC also. i emailed the schools and asked for their advice and whether i think i should retake, and berke did suggest that i do. (i got a 270, so we're on the same page). I'm retaking it tomorrow, soooo.. wish me luck!! it's up to you where you want to retake or not. best wishes!

 

[eye2eye]

i know how u feel. i toook the OAT a couple weeks ago and i did poorly on the RC also. i emailed the schools and asked for their advice and whether i think i should retake, and berke did suggest that i do. (i got a 270, so we're on the same page). I'm retaking it tomorrow, soooo.. wish me luck!! it's up to you where you want to retake or not. best wishes!

how are you allowed to retake it? you said that you took the previous one only a couple weeks ago...

NEVERMIND...I didn't read who the post was from... =)