GPA vs OAT

[deleted833661]

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Who would you rather pick:

Applicant A: 4.0 GPA 300 OAT
Applicant B: 3.0 GPA 400 OAT

Edit- I added a poll so it would be easier. 👍

 

[Brisks]

Who would you rather pick:

Applicant A: 4.0 GPA 300 OAT
Applicant B: 3.0 GPA 400 OAT

Applicant A must not be a good OAT taker. Applicant B is a great OAT taker and studied a lot for this test to enhance his chances (brushed up on a lot material). Both may or may not do well in optometry school. Maybe applicant B put a lot of emphasis on working, shadowing, and experience whereas applicant A put a lot of emphasis on their studies.

I know I didn't pick one, but I guess I'm not fit to be on admissions or this scenario was very vague since a lot more goes into applicants than just GPA and OAT. Hopefully others can add on and/or pick one.

 

[Brisks]

.

 

[riridelrey97]

Applicant A. GPA's are harder to maintain and a GPA is indicative of so many things over the course of so many years. OAT is a test thats taken for 5 hours max. you could have a good day and studied very little and done good. You could have had a bad day and studied a lot and done bad. OAT is really flukey.

 

[Purkinja]

Student B all day long.Undergrad has many many factors such as rigor,major,adjunct classes and a myriad of other extenuating circumstances that impact a GPA. OAT is just a single data point but all others things are equal.Sure,you will have some that had a migraine on test day or others that had the hot hand guessing at answers but a 400 is sharp and gifted.

Plus I would think a good OAT taker will also be a great NBEO taker as well and that is the ultimate end game.

 

[evorage]

Applicant A. GPA's are harder to maintain and a GPA is indicative of so many things over the course of so many years. OAT is a test thats taken for 5 hours max. you could have a good day and studied very little and done good. You could have had a bad day and studied a lot and done bad. OAT is really flukey.

If the OAT was flukey it would not be used as an admissions test. The OAT is statistically backed up and I’m sure it’s watched very closely.
I don’t think very many people could study very little and hit a 400.
A 4.0 gpa with a 300 OAT could mean they went to an easier under grad or they didn’t study hard enough for the OAT. They could have also gone to a hard undergrad but the OAT score should reflect that. Either way it is probably a red flag.
A 3.0 gpa with a 400 OAT could mean they went to a hard school or had a rough start in under grad. It shows that they are driven to succeed and more than likely a better candidate.

It’s hard for anyone here to say, we are not on the admissions committees.

 

[Iwantobe0D]

I would say statistically, they are equivalent, it'd probably depend on the school and each applicants experiences.

 

[Iwantobe0D]

While its true that GPAs are hard to maintain, it is also the case that at some schools GPA is easier to maintain than the others. Therefore, I feel like an standardized test really tests study skills and knowledge. It's not really that easy to get a 400 without having study skills and good background knowledge.