Jeffrey Yang
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2023
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
I recently took the OAT in August 2023 and I want to share about the resources that helped me achieve my scores.
Study Materials:
OATBooster - 10/10: OATBooster was my go-to resource. The practice tests closely resembled the actual OAT, and the videos and notes covered much of what I encountered on the exam. One minor wish I had was for more solution videos for the practice questions, but overall, this was an invaluable tool.
Kaplan Book - 6/10: Initially, I started with the Kaplan Book, but its broad depth covered too many topics, making it hard to focus on the likely topics tested. I found OATBooster more concise and focused, making them my preferred choices.
Preparation:
I began my OAT journey in July 2023, reading through the Kaplan book. Spending 5-6 hours a day on content review, I read through the book after 1.5 months. I then used OATBooster for the practice questions for repetition. The last week leading to the exam was dedicated to taking timed practice tests and memorizing chemistry and physics formulas and organic chemistry reactions. I practiced finishing the practice questions comfortably with enough time before the time limit.
Section Breakdown:
Biology (Scored: 400): The biology section covered a wide array of topics. From hormones to structures, lab questions to taxonomy and biomes, the content was diverse. The additional practice questions on OATBooster proved helpful to my success here. A few of the questions on my actual OAT overlapped with the questions I practiced here.
Chemistry (Scored: 400): Chemistry was calculation-heavy, but OATBooster’s formula sheet prepared me well. I memorized the commonly tested formulas and I navigated through the questions, scoring well. Understanding overarching principles here was key.
Organic Chemistry (Scored: 380): Organic chemistry is all memorization. I focused on reactions, especially substitution, elimination, diels alder. I also focused on memorizing common reagents. The practice questions were helpful for memorizing, kind of like flashcards.
Physics (Scored: 390): Physics, though not my strong subject in college, surprised me with straightforward questions. Common themes, like momentum, simple harmonic motion, thermodynamics, andforces, made up the section. Familiarity with free body diagrams is helpful.
Reading Comprehension (Scored: 380): The most important thing to remember is to highlight words that seem important and answer easy passage search questions quickly. The real OAT had more search and answer questions than the practice tests on OATBooster did, so making sure to answer these question correctly is the best strategy.
Quantitative Reasoning (Scored: 400): Quantitative Reasoning was my best section since before I started studying. Make sure the calculations are correct.
Final Thoughts:
The OAT is definitely a long, tedious test. Don’t panic on the sections and there will possibly be an easy way to answer the question. Make sure you do enough practice problems to practice question answering strategies, such as eliminating wrong answers. Best of luck to each and every one of you on your OAT journey!
Study Materials:
OATBooster - 10/10: OATBooster was my go-to resource. The practice tests closely resembled the actual OAT, and the videos and notes covered much of what I encountered on the exam. One minor wish I had was for more solution videos for the practice questions, but overall, this was an invaluable tool.
Kaplan Book - 6/10: Initially, I started with the Kaplan Book, but its broad depth covered too many topics, making it hard to focus on the likely topics tested. I found OATBooster more concise and focused, making them my preferred choices.
Preparation:
I began my OAT journey in July 2023, reading through the Kaplan book. Spending 5-6 hours a day on content review, I read through the book after 1.5 months. I then used OATBooster for the practice questions for repetition. The last week leading to the exam was dedicated to taking timed practice tests and memorizing chemistry and physics formulas and organic chemistry reactions. I practiced finishing the practice questions comfortably with enough time before the time limit.
Section Breakdown:
Biology (Scored: 400): The biology section covered a wide array of topics. From hormones to structures, lab questions to taxonomy and biomes, the content was diverse. The additional practice questions on OATBooster proved helpful to my success here. A few of the questions on my actual OAT overlapped with the questions I practiced here.
Chemistry (Scored: 400): Chemistry was calculation-heavy, but OATBooster’s formula sheet prepared me well. I memorized the commonly tested formulas and I navigated through the questions, scoring well. Understanding overarching principles here was key.
Organic Chemistry (Scored: 380): Organic chemistry is all memorization. I focused on reactions, especially substitution, elimination, diels alder. I also focused on memorizing common reagents. The practice questions were helpful for memorizing, kind of like flashcards.
Physics (Scored: 390): Physics, though not my strong subject in college, surprised me with straightforward questions. Common themes, like momentum, simple harmonic motion, thermodynamics, andforces, made up the section. Familiarity with free body diagrams is helpful.
Reading Comprehension (Scored: 380): The most important thing to remember is to highlight words that seem important and answer easy passage search questions quickly. The real OAT had more search and answer questions than the practice tests on OATBooster did, so making sure to answer these question correctly is the best strategy.
Quantitative Reasoning (Scored: 400): Quantitative Reasoning was my best section since before I started studying. Make sure the calculations are correct.
Final Thoughts:
The OAT is definitely a long, tedious test. Don’t panic on the sections and there will possibly be an easy way to answer the question. Make sure you do enough practice problems to practice question answering strategies, such as eliminating wrong answers. Best of luck to each and every one of you on your OAT journey!