I just took my OAT yesterday, so I thought I'd share my practice test scores compared to my real scores.
I'm pretty sure that I read every single thread on this page from the last 5 years of people's test experiences leading up to mine, so I figured I should pay it forward if I can help someone out!
I took the ADA test after I finished Chad's videos (about three weeks before my test) and then took the Achiever tests leading up to the real thing.
ADA, Achiever 1, 2, 3, OAT
QR 370, 330, 310, 360, 360
RC 360, 240, 310, n/a, 370
Bio 320, 310, 280, 300, 330
GC 320, 31o, 330, 330, 370
OC 300, 310, 300, 300, 330
Phy 280, 300, 300, n/a, 330
TS 310, 310, 300, n/a, 350
AA 330, 300, 310, n/a, 350
Study resources: Chad's videos, 2015 Kaplan OAT book, flashcards that I made for material I wasn't comfortable with
(For anyone who feels discouraged, I took the free Kaplan test at my school last November without any studying or preparation and got a 240 total science (lol). I can't believe I was able to improve that as much as I did!)
I made a study plan for 6 weeks to prepare for the OAT. I spent the first three weeks just watching Chad's videos and making notes for each section, as well as doing the quizzes after every video. Those were really long days and it wasn't fun, but I absolutely recommend his videos; they really cleared up a lot of conceptual stuff I didn't understand during my courses in school. After the videos, I read through the Kaplan book and did some of the practice problems in each section. After that, I spent all my time reading over my notes, retaking quizzes that I did poorly on, and doing practice tests. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Don't be afraid to take a practice test because you are scared that you will score poorly. How you do on a practice exam does not define how you will do on the real thing, but it WILL show you what areas you are weak in. This is so important!
I also kept a separate notebook from the rest of my notes that I used to write down the problems that I missed during any practice exam. This helped me go over the material that I wasn't as familiar with and forced me to deal with the problems that I wasn't comfortable doing. I would definitely recommend doing that! I was constantly writing in my notebook and read through the problems I missed probably every day leading up to the test.
I made flashcards for random tidbits of information that I thought could be important enough to memorize. I had a stack of flashcards for Organic reactions that I didn't know, all of the otho/para/meta directors (SO IMPORTANT), mirrors and lenses, strong acids/bases, aprotic solvents, characteristics of SN2/SN1 and E2/E1, s0lubility rules, the electromagnetic spectrum, all of IR peaks for functional groups, hormones and where they come from/do, as well as what develops from the mesoderm, ectoderm, and endoderm.
Also, during my test I finished the Natural Sciences section with about 15 minutes left. Instead of starting RC, I used that time to write down every physics equation that I'd memorized and could remember. I read that a few people weren't allowed to write during their break so I didn't want to risk that happening. This helped keep me calm when it was time to start Physics.
I was actually surprised that I didn't run out of time on any sections during the real thing. The RC section is always close for me, but I was able to get through it without having to blindly guess on any questions.
I was so stressed out the day before my test but forced myself not to study and tried to relax. I was anxious the whole morning of the test and actually pretty freaked out during the test as well. I was sure that I hadn't done as well as I needed to and that I was going to have to repeat this entire horrible process over again. I was so pleasantly surprised when my scores came up! Moral of the story is, don't doubt yourself! If you have studied hard and prepared yourself to the best of your ability, you WILL do well!
My dad always told me that hope is not a plan for success. I can't stress how true that is! Make a study plan and stick to it! You can do it!! 🙂
I'm pretty sure that I read every single thread on this page from the last 5 years of people's test experiences leading up to mine, so I figured I should pay it forward if I can help someone out!
I took the ADA test after I finished Chad's videos (about three weeks before my test) and then took the Achiever tests leading up to the real thing.
ADA, Achiever 1, 2, 3, OAT
QR 370, 330, 310, 360, 360
RC 360, 240, 310, n/a, 370
Bio 320, 310, 280, 300, 330
GC 320, 31o, 330, 330, 370
OC 300, 310, 300, 300, 330
Phy 280, 300, 300, n/a, 330
TS 310, 310, 300, n/a, 350
AA 330, 300, 310, n/a, 350
Study resources: Chad's videos, 2015 Kaplan OAT book, flashcards that I made for material I wasn't comfortable with
(For anyone who feels discouraged, I took the free Kaplan test at my school last November without any studying or preparation and got a 240 total science (lol). I can't believe I was able to improve that as much as I did!)
I made a study plan for 6 weeks to prepare for the OAT. I spent the first three weeks just watching Chad's videos and making notes for each section, as well as doing the quizzes after every video. Those were really long days and it wasn't fun, but I absolutely recommend his videos; they really cleared up a lot of conceptual stuff I didn't understand during my courses in school. After the videos, I read through the Kaplan book and did some of the practice problems in each section. After that, I spent all my time reading over my notes, retaking quizzes that I did poorly on, and doing practice tests. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Don't be afraid to take a practice test because you are scared that you will score poorly. How you do on a practice exam does not define how you will do on the real thing, but it WILL show you what areas you are weak in. This is so important!
I also kept a separate notebook from the rest of my notes that I used to write down the problems that I missed during any practice exam. This helped me go over the material that I wasn't as familiar with and forced me to deal with the problems that I wasn't comfortable doing. I would definitely recommend doing that! I was constantly writing in my notebook and read through the problems I missed probably every day leading up to the test.
I made flashcards for random tidbits of information that I thought could be important enough to memorize. I had a stack of flashcards for Organic reactions that I didn't know, all of the otho/para/meta directors (SO IMPORTANT), mirrors and lenses, strong acids/bases, aprotic solvents, characteristics of SN2/SN1 and E2/E1, s0lubility rules, the electromagnetic spectrum, all of IR peaks for functional groups, hormones and where they come from/do, as well as what develops from the mesoderm, ectoderm, and endoderm.
Also, during my test I finished the Natural Sciences section with about 15 minutes left. Instead of starting RC, I used that time to write down every physics equation that I'd memorized and could remember. I read that a few people weren't allowed to write during their break so I didn't want to risk that happening. This helped keep me calm when it was time to start Physics.
I was actually surprised that I didn't run out of time on any sections during the real thing. The RC section is always close for me, but I was able to get through it without having to blindly guess on any questions.
I was so stressed out the day before my test but forced myself not to study and tried to relax. I was anxious the whole morning of the test and actually pretty freaked out during the test as well. I was sure that I hadn't done as well as I needed to and that I was going to have to repeat this entire horrible process over again. I was so pleasantly surprised when my scores came up! Moral of the story is, don't doubt yourself! If you have studied hard and prepared yourself to the best of your ability, you WILL do well!
My dad always told me that hope is not a plan for success. I can't stress how true that is! Make a study plan and stick to it! You can do it!! 🙂
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