What OAT preparation materials should I use?

[cmathieu]

Hi there!

I am planning on taking the OAT at the end of July if the quarantine is done by then. The quarantine has caused me to have all of May off of work during and school and I figured it would be the best time to start my test preparations. Although, I am wondering what are some good prep materials and whether the materials I currently have a considered to be good.

The material that I am currently planning on using:
-the OAT destroyer
-feralis biology notes
-coursesaver videos
-OAT achiever
-Kaplan book

Are these good materials to use? Also are there any good sources of practice tests that would be useful to use?

I would appreciate any feedback!

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[tnacolada]

I would recommend subscriptions to DAT Bootcamp and Chad's videos. Both are amazing resources for studying for the OAT. DAT Bootcamp can run a bit expensive if you are not splitting the account with your friends, but it is entirely worth it. It has tons of practice tests that are fairly similar in difficulty to the actual OAT. Additionally, there are video lessons and quizzes with video solutions. I found this to be the most helpful, because it broke down the material in a way that was easy to digest. Chad's videos is also great, because it is budget-friendly and has video lessons and practice quizzes. Furthermore, it has a more comprehensive Physics section. DAT Bootcamp included practice quizzes for physics but no videos.

I mainly studied via DAT Bootcamp and used Chad's videos to consolidate the learning material and practice more. While I also used Kaplan and OAT Destroyer, they were not my favorite prep books. They covered material that was way beyond the complexity of the OAT. The questions on the OAT were far more simpler and comparable to that of DAT Bootcamp.

For the record, I got a 360 AA/380 TS. I had to relearn everything, because I didn't retain anything from undergrad lmao. The test may seem like a beast, but it is definitely do-able if you work consistently. Good luck!

 

[cmathieu]

I would recommend subscriptions to DAT Bootcamp and Chad's videos. Both are amazing resources for studying for the OAT. DAT Bootcamp can run a bit expensive if you are not splitting the account with your friends, but it is entirely worth it. It has tons of practice tests that are fairly similar in difficulty to the actual OAT. Additionally, there are video lessons and quizzes with video solutions. I found this to be the most helpful, because it broke down the material in a way that was easy to digest. Chad's videos is also great, because it is budget-friendly and has video lessons and practice quizzes. Furthermore, it has a more comprehensive Physics section. DAT Bootcamp included practice quizzes for physics but no videos.

I mainly studied via DAT Bootcamp and used Chad's videos to consolidate the learning material and practice more. While I also used Kaplan and OAT Destroyer, they were not my favorite prep books. They covered material that was way beyond the complexity of the OAT. The questions on the OAT were far more simpler and comparable to that of DAT Bootcamp.

For the record, I got a 360 AA/380 TS. I had to relearn everything, because I didn't retain anything from undergrad lmao. The test may seem like a beast, but it is definitely do-able if you work consistently. Good luck!

Thank you for the reply! I definitely was considering DAT bootcamp I am just not too sure about the price it's a little steep. Although, I will keep it in mind. When you say Chad's videos are you talking about the videos Chad provides on coursesaver? Congratulations on the great scores!

 

[Optometrydude]

Hey there, I used those 5 resources in addition to Princeton's Crack the OAT (it has thermodynamics info that I was tested on!). If I were you, I would only use Kaplans book for the practice questions (i.e. not read all of the theory in it) and ditch the OAT achiever all together (WAY to hard). Finally, I recommend you go through Orgoman Math Destroyer series on Youtube for QR (the type of questions they go over were so similar to questions that show up on the actual OAT). If you have any questions let me know!

 

[optostudent_]

Hi! I would definitely recommend the Kaplan OAT book and Chad's videos. The Kaplan book was a really good resource to study the material. Also, the practice tests offered through Kaplan are way harder than the actual OAT so don't stress too much over your scores! Chad's videos are seriously the best thing ever to exist, it's what helped me get a pretty solid score on the physics section.
Just to let you know, if you go on Chad's website, he's currently offering free OAT practice exams by section. I think there's currently five tests offered for biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and quantitative reasoning. I would recommend doing those problems for extra practice!
Good luck on studying for the OAT!

 

[cmathieu]

Hey there, I used those 5 resources in addition to Princeton's Crack the OAT (it has thermodynamics info that I was tested on!). If I were you, I would only use Kaplans book for the practice questions (i.e. not read all of the theory in it) and ditch the OAT achiever all together (WAY to hard). Finally, I recommend you go through Orgoman Math Destroyer series on Youtube for QR (the type of questions they go over were so similar to questions that show up on the actual OAT). If you have any questions let me know!

Thank you for the reply! I will definitely look into the Orgoman Math Destroyer. If I have any questions I will take you up on that offer!

 

[cmathieu]

Hi! I would definitely recommend the Kaplan OAT book and Chad's videos. The Kaplan book was a really good resource to study the material. Also, the practice tests offered through Kaplan are way harder than the actual OAT so don't stress too much over your scores! Chad's videos are seriously the best thing ever to exist, it's what helped me get a pretty solid score on the physics section.
Just to let you know, if you go on Chad's website, he's currently offering free OAT practice exams by section. I think there's currently five tests offered for biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and quantitative reasoning. I would recommend doing those problems for extra practice!
Good luck on studying for the OAT!

Thank you for the reply! I did see that Chad was offering those practice tests and I will for sure go through those. Thanks for the help

 

[nguyee4]

Something I found helpful was going to my public library (if they open up before you end up taking the exam) and looking at the DAT practice books there. I found practice questions helpful so I would just sit in the library with a book on a subject I struggle with and go through practice questions.

 

[cmathieu]

Something I found helpful was going to my public library (if they open up before you end up taking the exam) and looking at the DAT practice books there. I found practice questions helpful so I would just sit in the library with a book on a subject I struggle with and go through practice questions.

That was the plan! Hopefully everything will open up by then. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Go against the current]

I bought the big old thick kaplan book and didn't even borther to use it. If you took enough science classes most questions will be just common sense. I applied one test just to see how everything works in the testong center, and ended up got a good enough score lol. Don't panic on it, go when you're ready, focus, and you should be fine