Applying for Fall 2007 and Losing Confidence :(

[rani82]

Hi Everyone,

I am taking the OAT in about a week and am applying for Fall 2007 admission. I just took my 1st Achiever Test today and can't seem to get past these scores:

Bio: 330
Chem: 300
Orgo: 300
Physics: 300
RC: 350
QR: 300
TS: 310
AA: 310

These scores will definitely not get me into SUNY and will probably not even get me into ICO or NOVA I have taken a couple of Kaplan's tests as well but have scored about the same or lower!

I have been studying at least 8-10 hours a day for the past 5 weeks and my scores have gone up but not significantly. I am looking to get into ICO or NOVA and have already interviewed at SUNY and ICO. I am afraid that the nerves will get the best of me on test day and since I am on the cusp of getting an AA below 300 I can't afford to make ANY mistakes...I have been reviewing my incorrect answers but it doesn't seem like anything is sticking.

I have a 3.7 postbacc science GPA and a 3.5 undergrad GPA but can not score well on this test for some reason! Anyone with words of wisdom??

Thanks to all of you on this forum - and if you read this thread please reply with any pieces of advice and similar experiences - I'll take anything at this point!

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[JeffChou]

What have you been using as a guide for your review?
I found that the Kaplan OAT book was a helpful outline/review with all the relevant topics. Maybe you can start practicing with some of the problems out of the gchem ochem and physics books. They should be harder and more time consuming but it is a good test to see whether or not you can really understand the topic (if you don't cheat and look at the answers. I used to spend up to 20 minutes on a single problem until I figured it out.)

If you're having trouble getting information to stay in that brain, you might be getting a little burnt out perhaps. Try to take some 15 minute breaks at least every 2 hours and switch the subjects around maybe. Make sure you get sufficient sleep and also eat your meals! Studying is pretty physically draining and after 5 weeks of sustained studying, you really need be sure to keep yourself alive!
Also, try to keep track of what you've been studying. You gotta go back and review to make sure things stay in your brain. I would suggest going over material you covered 2-3 days prior to help your brain retain information. They (psychologists) say, you retain only about 50% of what you learned the day before and that retention drops significantly if the information is not exercised (I dont know if my numbers are correct, but you get the idea). I know that I can usually understand/remember what the teacher talked about from a few days before, but it's like learning fresh material when the midterm comes around because I don't continue to review it.

You gotta be confident! remember that some practice tests might be harder than others (my scores with kaplan varied) and most are usually harder than the real OAT.


Good luck, think positively, and get some rest.
-Jeff

 

[pienfoo]

the scores u got in the science sections will result in at least a 340- 360 (or higher) on the real thing. It is very impressive that u have a 330 in achiever's bio section, so don't worry. keep studyinnng!

 

[diams]

I think you should not be nervous at this point, your GPA and stuff looks good and yeah though i didn't practice with achiever but people in this forum suggest that the Achiever is way harder than the real test ...so a 310 might be a 330 or higher on the real test...don't give up.

 

[rani82]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your advice - you are all right...I definitely need to keep reviewing the information and hopefully I will be ready by next week! If not, I may push it to the end of February which is the absolute latest that I can take the OAT.

Sometimes I feel Kaplan and Achiever put me at a disadvantage because the solutions are available and I end up working the problem WITH the solution by my side and then I think "OH, now I get it!" But in reality I don't really understand the concept OR how to do the problem...Guess the solution manual will have to be hidden for a while...

Thank you so much for all of the encouraging words - I will keep you all posted. If anyone has any other helpful hints please feel free to pass them along!

 

[100895]

rani-
i feel exactly the same way you do and i have about 2 weeks left!! goodluck to you im sure you'll do great! let us know how it goes.

 

[drsax]

I just wanted to say good luck to you too rani! I have about 3 weeks until my test and I can truly feel what you are going through. Hang in there.