Chances.....

[nc2tarheels]

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I took the oat today and it didn't go as well as planned. I had been scoring 300-320's on all sections in the practice tests, however, I didn't do so hot on the real thing.

3.4 GPA
9 years of full time optical experience at multiple settings and TONS of extracurriculars
QR 270
RC 300
Bio 260 (this is the one that is the biggest shocker...WOW)
Chem 280
Organic 270
Physics 280

TS 270
AA 280

I know these SUCK, and I'm going to raise them....but I can't take it for 3 months and by that time, it'll be 2 weeks til the app deadline. What's your thoughts?

Applied to
SUNY
PCO
SCO
NOVA
UAB

 

[mshea413]

Your experience with the profession seems good and your GPA seems to be on par with the schools that you applied to, but your OAT is pretty low. I would say that SUNY is out of the picture (sorry) just because is seem like they put a lot of emphasis on OAT scores. Hopefully you can get interviews at the other schools you applied to. I also wouldn't suggest retaking the OAT in 3 months unless you are absolutely prepared.Good Luck!

I would also suggest maybe applying to one of the new schools just because they may be less strict when it comes to OAT scores.

 

[Arctic]

That's unfortunate that the OAT didn't go too well for you. You should obviously, unless you are accepted somewhere in the interim, plan on taking it again, and I'd bet that if you work hard enough you can raise your scores. Most people do better on the second attempt, anyway. And if worst comes to worst, you can always apply again next cycle if it ended up being too late? It's really not that big of a deal if it does come to that.

Section breakdown:

RC: 300 is fine, especially considering how poorly some students have done on this section (I've seen a number of people on here who have gotten in the very low 200's).
QR: Difficult to study for, at least in the short term.
Bio: I'm sure you now know what we all mean by how random it is.....
Gen Chem: I think this is one of the easiest sections to study for, simply because there isn't the same variety of question types, or range of material, as in the other sections. So that section shouldn't be overly difficult for you to improve on.
Organic Chem: More difficult to study for than Gen. Chem I think, because there are so many different reactions/ reagents.
Physics: I'm hopeful your experience of what the actual OAT is like can help you to study more effectively for this section on any future attempts, simply because, as I've said many times, I don't feel as though the practice material is all that great for this section. It seems (and I've explained why in the OAT forums) that the practice material is geared more towards how the MCAT is instead.

If you can raise that Biology score (which will likely take a lot of effort), can do significantly better in Gen. Chem (which I think is quite doable), and can improve a bit in both Physics and Organic Chem, then your OAT would be good enough, I think, to give you a definite shot at a number of schools.
Good luck, and remember: I know of a number of students on here who have been accepted after multiple OAT attempts, assuming again that it does come to that.

 

[KHE]

I took the oat today and it didn't go as well as planned. I had been scoring 300-320's on all sections in the practice tests, however, I didn't do so hot on the real thing.

3.4 GPA
9 years of full time optical experience at multiple settings and TONS of extracurriculars
QR 270
RC 300
Bio 260 (this is the one that is the biggest shocker...WOW)
Chem 280
Organic 270
Physics 280

TS 270
AA 280

Your OAT score is really just far too low for admission to any of those schools. If you already have all other aspects of the application completed then I would take it and send it in and hope for the best.

Do you have a sense as to why you did poorly? Most people who do poorly on the OAT do so for a couple of reasons:

1) Didn't finish the test. ie: took too long on too many questions.
2) Second guessed themselves too much and changed correct answers to incorrect

Most people don't seem to do poorly from a lack of knowledge. They almost seem to beat themselves.

 

[nc2tarheels]

Question, I read online today about how the OAT scores have been scaled back 30-40 points to have a mean that is now 300. When I compare my scores to the schools that I want, I see averages of 330 or 340 on the OAT. Does this mean that I would have scored, roughly, a 300 or so on the old test? I'm trying to justify why my kaplan, opted, etc scores were all around 310 and that seems to be the only justification.

As for the RC, I did run out of time, but that was because the story of the bridges screwed me up. lol. I think I did very well on the final two passages. It showed that I was in the 60th percentile on that section. At the end of the RC section, I felt as if my score would be around a 320.

QR- I was surprised. I'm very good at algebra, so I went through and did all those first. This is how I did it on the practice tests. Then I come back and work myself through the word problems. I like my strategy, but it seemed as if I got quite of few inequalities that threw me off since I didn't study much of them on the kaplan material. Overall, I think I did slightly worse then the kaplan study that I used but not much. I felt as if my score would be around a 300 for this section.

Physics-I think this was much easier then what I had studied for. HOWEVER, I think because Kaplan put so much emphasis on more complex problems, it threw me off because it made me over-analyze things. I thought I would have scored a 300 on this at the end of the section.

Bio-As I took this, I truly understood how random this section can be. I thought I was well prepared for this, but this kicked my rear. I knew I did bad when I took it, I figured probably around a 280.

Chem- Chem I felt alright about. I truly thought I got around a 310 on it, but I guess I missed some that I thought were sure fire answers. I know I can improve this score with little effort.

OChem-I'm not completely through with Organic (taking it now), however, I was scoring 300's, (scored a 320 before bed last night). Not really sure what happened.

 

[Arctic]

Yes, the change in the scoring system hurt you. I'd guess you'd have gotten right around 300 for most of your sections on the old scale, but it's REALLY hard for me to say that with much precision, because we don't honestly know exactly how the scoring scale was adjusted.

It seems to me like your estimates of what you should have gotten were QUITE accurate, based on your practice test experience (which is from the old scoring system).

Now for me to respond to the sections:

RC: Try practicing some passages (use DAT material if you have to) that are NOT at all interesting to you. That's the best way to increase your speed on the 'awful' passages; 300 is still fine though, so don't feel bad about that score.

QR: Speed is everything, really. Lots of factors hurt people's speed on this section. First of all, shortcuts are NOT taught by Kaplan, which is a BIG mistake in my opinion. Shortcuts won't solve you every problem, but every one they do help you with, saves you time to help you with the rest! The problem is, unless you really understand the shortcuts (and how/when to apply them) i.e. really practice them, then they may hurt your score by causing you to get problems wrong by incorrectly applying them. Another factor that hurts speed for some people is fatigue, although you don't sound like you experienced that, which is good.

Physics: Join the club! The practice material out there SUCKS for Physics, as they are almost all geared towards MCAT-style Physics. Maybe my own Physics review articles (when they get posted) will make a difference????

Gen. Chem: Again, it shouldn't be too hard to improve that score.

Organic Chem: Finishing the class should help. Not too much else I can say here, as there is a fair amount of material to cover for this section.

Biology: Yep, it sucks. It's insanely random. The best prep by far for me was just what I remembered from undergrad (which, thankfully, was almost all of it). Other than that, it is quite difficult to study for.

 

[cloud99]

Arctic-

With all of your research into the OAT exam, do you know if the opted practice test has also scaled back it's scores? If not, I think people who take the practice tests (including those taken from older Kaplan books, etc...) need to be prepared to adjust their scores down by 20-30 points to get a better estimate of how they will score on the real OAT.

 

[Arctic]

I can say with virtual certainty that the opted practice test uses the OLD scoring scale. I can also say that it is nearly worthless for RC, and that it seems quite good for all the other sections.

Here is the best evidence I have: I had a Kaplan practice exam book from 2006 (before the scoring scale was changed) and, when I compared that book's scale for converting the number of answers correct (in percent) to the numbered score (200-400) it matched up almost perfectly with the scale that the opted (current) practice test uses.

It's REALLY tough for me to say if the scoring subtraction of 20-30 points gives a more accurate picture, simply because, the further a score is away from 300, the less this rule will hold true. However, I agree that if your score is within maybe 30 or so points of 300, this is probably a reasonable estimate.

 

[OptMS]

I just want to say GO FOR IT! My GPA is 3.45. I work as an optometric tech (only 4 months), and I made a 290 on my OAT in October. I have 2 INTERVIEWS already at UAB and IU! With all of that experience, I think that you will have a great opportunity to get in!

 

[nc2tarheels]

THANKS ALOT! I'm awaiting my responses from the schools. I just called PCO and SCO and straight up told them that I am disappointed in myself. I know that I can do better. They are calling me back tomorrow. Hopefully I hear something good. I'm really hoping my EC's and Experience count for a lot.

 

[nc2tarheels]

Update:

I heard back from SCO and they advised me that I'd have to have higher scores.

PCO sent me a letter saying to retake the OAT but felt great after speaking with their admissions department.

SUNY hasn't sent me anything.

I called UAB and although I haven't heard anything, a student in their office said that I should retake it. I may try and contact them back to get someone that could help me a little more.

Nova hasn't sent me anything either.

 

[jharpsie]

Don't stress. Just retake the OAT and you will be fine. I had to retake mine the other day and did better. I emailed my new scores to the three schools I had applied to and two of them immediately emailed me back with interview appointments. Just keep studying and you will do better next time.

 

[cloud99]

Don't stress. Just retake the OAT and you will be fine. I had to retake mine the other day and did better. I emailed my new scores to the three schools I had applied to and two of them immediately emailed me back with interview appointments. Just keep studying and you will do better next time.

Would you mind elaborating on your first vs. second oat scores and which schools invited you to interview?

 

[jharpsie]

Would you mind elaborating on your first vs. second oat scores and which schools invited you to interview?

Yeah, sure. First attempt/Second
QR 260 300
RC 300 390
BI 280 280
GC 300 340
OC 310 350
PH 310 340
TS 300 330
AA 290 330

I have interviews set up with SCO and UMSL. I have not heard back yet from UHCO. Both times I used Kaplan material to study with. The second time I also used OAT achiever. I think the biggest difference though was just my state of mind. I was really stressed the first time. Everyone I knew was aware I was taking it(like family, friends, doctors at my work). I think that I just didn't have a clear mind taking the test. The second time I didn't tell anyone I was taking it and really just relaxed and read the questions and kept a clear mind (even though biology still got the best of me 🙂).

 

[yyk]

It really work doesn't it! I kept my test date secret from everyone, no exception. Had to keep my mind clear of any possible expectations from others, I wasn't prepared to tell them if I screwed up. I wish you luck on your retake 🙂 I found OAT Destroyer really helpful in case you're looking into other resources.

 

[Arctic]

Excellent improvement 👍

 

[cloud99]

jharpsie -
Do you think the oat achiever helped? How long did you wait between retakes and did you change your study habits for the second test?

 

[jharpsie]

jharpsie -
Do you think the oat achiever helped? How long did you wait between retakes and did you change your study habits for the second test?

My situation seemed a little different than what most people say on these posts. I took the Kaplan course before taking the first test. My Kaplan scores were 290, then 280, then 310. After scoring the 310 on the last one I thought I would be fine for the real thing. As I said before, I was really stressed going into the real thing, and the test seemed harder than the Kaplan tests which everyone said would not be the case. I was very disappointed when I got the 290. So then came the preparation for test number two. I reviewed all of my Kaplan info and used OAT Achiever. I think the Achiever halped some in the fact that just taking more full lenght tests gave me a better understanding of where I needed to improve the most. Also there were a few questions on the real test that were very similar to ones from achiever. I took the first test at the end of July and the second one the first week of December. I actually studied less for the second one because I was balancing school work as well. But I really did study hard for the first one even though my score didn't reflect that. So while studying for the second one I kinda felt like I was just going over the same stuff. But when I took the second test I really was more calm. I didn't tell anyone so I had no expectations on my shoulders. If I didn't do well again, no one had to know🙂. I never scored over a 310 on the Achiever, but I just went in knowing that I had worked hard and prepared as well as I could have. I really felt the second test was much easier. I think it had to do with the fact that I was relaxed and focused. It also helped that the reading passages were much easier for me. The first time i took it, I ran out of time on the reading and didn't even get to answer all the questions. The second time I had about 10 minutes to spare and I think it was just because I was more familiar with the material in the passages. None of the passages were the same as the first time I took it but they happened to be on topics that I knew a little better.

 

[cloud99]

Good luck on your interviews! When are they?

 

[jharpsie]

Thanks! SCO is Jan 8th and UMSL is Jan 29th.