I just took my OAT, and I’d like to share my experience, so hopefully anyone anxious about the test can gain some insight on ways to tackle it!
This was the one and only OAT I’ve ever taken. I remembered NOTHING from gen chem/organic chem which I took 2-3 years ago. I do have a bio background as it is one of my majors. I studied for around 7 weeks total though I owe most of my score to the latter half when I got to studying smarter instead of harder.
My resources:
2017 Kaplan Book— I started off with this super thick textbook that I bought as a hand-me-down off eBay thinking that the OAT probably wouldn’t have changed since 2017 (later found out I was wrong). This is great for anyone that learns well by reading as the entire book was content review with some practice questions at the end of each section. NOT a good resource for practice and was very tedious to read through. I knew I would have to consult outside resources other than this. If I could do it all over again, I personally would not purchase the Kaplan book.
OAT Booster— I could’ve done all my studying with Booster, but I didn’t know it existed until halfway through my study period. I LOVE the cheat sheets, extra practice questions for every section, and the detailed explanations for every question. They also have a breakdown of topics in each subject practice test, so I knew that I was strong in topics like energy/momentum, but weak in fluids/buoyancy for physics. I also admired how up-to-date Booster was with the exam, already having study notes for new 2022 bio content added to the OAT.
Khan Academy videos (MCAT playlist)/Professor Dave Explains YouTube videos— Khan Academy does a great job in summarizing everything you need to know for bio without going into unnecessary detail. I used Professor Dave for organic chemistry, which he explains very well with examples. I’ve heard of Chad’s videos for chemistry/physics, but I did not have the chance to check them out.
How I studied:
For the first 3 weeks studying, I only had my Kaplan book and would do content review and the practice questions at the end of each section for 3-4 hours a day. By the end of those three weeks, I began to regret using the Kaplan book as I realized that the passive style I was using made me forget topics I had just learned a few days ago. That’s when I found the r/preoptometry subreddit where everyone was talking about OAT Booster. I started using Booster and was better able to focus on topics I had trouble with while encountering a practice question now and then on topics I was already an expert on.
Biology (scored 400):
I assessed my status with Booster practice tests, wrote down the topics I was confused about, watched Khan Academy videos on the topic while taking notes/drawing structures, then repeated. I studied mostly anatomy, but my OAT test was more so heavy in molecular biology (DNA, RNA, bacteria).
General Chemistry (scored 360):
I made my own equation sheet using the Booster equation sheet and added extra equations I encountered doing Booster practice problems. I also made an extra study sheet with important trends (e.g. atom size, electronegativity). My actual exam was mostly conceptual compared to Booster when I was writing down calculations for almost every problem.
Organic Chemistry (scored 340):
This is the only section for which I read all the Booster study notes. The sheer amount of reaction memorizing was the most stressful aspect of all my studying. I made a reaction sheet with all the reactions on the Booster study notes and the reactions I encountered in Booster practice problems. I only used Professor Dave videos for SN/elimination/enolate chemistry.
Reading (scored 370):
This section I found Booster to be the most similar to the actual OAT exam. Highlight unique terms, dates, and names. Get comfortable with the question types (e.g. “X has all these things EXCEPT…?”). Skip questions asking about the overall article (e.g. author tone) for the end and start with questions that can be answered in specific sentences.
Physics (scored 400):
Booster definitely over prepared me for this section, but I would rather be over prepared than underprepared. Most tips I’ve heard about this section say to just get as much practice as possible. While I agree with that, doing 50 practice questions while reflecting on/redoing trouble topics is 10x more effective than doing 200 practice problems straight.
Quantitative Reasoning (scored 400):
Like for physics, smart practice reflecting on trouble topics while getting exposure to lots of practice is key. I also think it would be helpful to write your own equation sheet for this (include standard deviation equation, permutations, etc).
TL;DR— Study smarter not harder by reflecting on trouble topics, consulting resources, and redoing problems you got incorrect rather than hitting yourself with 1000 practice questions with
out review. If you have time, making your own summary sheets and equation sheets works better than just reading.
This was the one and only OAT I’ve ever taken. I remembered NOTHING from gen chem/organic chem which I took 2-3 years ago. I do have a bio background as it is one of my majors. I studied for around 7 weeks total though I owe most of my score to the latter half when I got to studying smarter instead of harder.
My resources:
2017 Kaplan Book— I started off with this super thick textbook that I bought as a hand-me-down off eBay thinking that the OAT probably wouldn’t have changed since 2017 (later found out I was wrong). This is great for anyone that learns well by reading as the entire book was content review with some practice questions at the end of each section. NOT a good resource for practice and was very tedious to read through. I knew I would have to consult outside resources other than this. If I could do it all over again, I personally would not purchase the Kaplan book.
OAT Booster— I could’ve done all my studying with Booster, but I didn’t know it existed until halfway through my study period. I LOVE the cheat sheets, extra practice questions for every section, and the detailed explanations for every question. They also have a breakdown of topics in each subject practice test, so I knew that I was strong in topics like energy/momentum, but weak in fluids/buoyancy for physics. I also admired how up-to-date Booster was with the exam, already having study notes for new 2022 bio content added to the OAT.
Khan Academy videos (MCAT playlist)/Professor Dave Explains YouTube videos— Khan Academy does a great job in summarizing everything you need to know for bio without going into unnecessary detail. I used Professor Dave for organic chemistry, which he explains very well with examples. I’ve heard of Chad’s videos for chemistry/physics, but I did not have the chance to check them out.
How I studied:
For the first 3 weeks studying, I only had my Kaplan book and would do content review and the practice questions at the end of each section for 3-4 hours a day. By the end of those three weeks, I began to regret using the Kaplan book as I realized that the passive style I was using made me forget topics I had just learned a few days ago. That’s when I found the r/preoptometry subreddit where everyone was talking about OAT Booster. I started using Booster and was better able to focus on topics I had trouble with while encountering a practice question now and then on topics I was already an expert on.
Biology (scored 400):
I assessed my status with Booster practice tests, wrote down the topics I was confused about, watched Khan Academy videos on the topic while taking notes/drawing structures, then repeated. I studied mostly anatomy, but my OAT test was more so heavy in molecular biology (DNA, RNA, bacteria).
General Chemistry (scored 360):
I made my own equation sheet using the Booster equation sheet and added extra equations I encountered doing Booster practice problems. I also made an extra study sheet with important trends (e.g. atom size, electronegativity). My actual exam was mostly conceptual compared to Booster when I was writing down calculations for almost every problem.
Organic Chemistry (scored 340):
This is the only section for which I read all the Booster study notes. The sheer amount of reaction memorizing was the most stressful aspect of all my studying. I made a reaction sheet with all the reactions on the Booster study notes and the reactions I encountered in Booster practice problems. I only used Professor Dave videos for SN/elimination/enolate chemistry.
Reading (scored 370):
This section I found Booster to be the most similar to the actual OAT exam. Highlight unique terms, dates, and names. Get comfortable with the question types (e.g. “X has all these things EXCEPT…?”). Skip questions asking about the overall article (e.g. author tone) for the end and start with questions that can be answered in specific sentences.
Physics (scored 400):
Booster definitely over prepared me for this section, but I would rather be over prepared than underprepared. Most tips I’ve heard about this section say to just get as much practice as possible. While I agree with that, doing 50 practice questions while reflecting on/redoing trouble topics is 10x more effective than doing 200 practice problems straight.
Quantitative Reasoning (scored 400):
Like for physics, smart practice reflecting on trouble topics while getting exposure to lots of practice is key. I also think it would be helpful to write your own equation sheet for this (include standard deviation equation, permutations, etc).
TL;DR— Study smarter not harder by reflecting on trouble topics, consulting resources, and redoing problems you got incorrect rather than hitting yourself with 1000 practice questions with
