How hard is the OAT compared to MCATS?

[samwY]

Has anyone taken both?

I plan on studying hardcore for at least 3 months to prepare for the OAT.
How hard is the OAT compared to MCATS?
Are they similar in difficulty in the categories they share?
Or are MCAT questions more difficult?

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[jefguth]

I don't know if the questions are that much more difficult (although the passage approach makes it more difficult), but the competition is certainly much more fierce, and since both are standardized test that compare your performance to everyone else, this makes it harder to get a score that will be acceptable.

 

[xpothosx]

the mcat is more of an applied test, oat is just straight forward asking questions

 

[jjmcentee@hotma]

I took both.
It certainly depends on your strengths, OAT had alot of quant. reasoning and Org. Chem and those two subjects are pretty easy for me so I did well. OAT's are also seperated into clear cut sections, where the MCAT's are mixed a little bit. One question on the MCAT's may have Bio, org. chem and gen chem all mized into the same question.

To me MCAT's were the hardest standardized test I have ever taken, much harder than the OAT's.

But I think studying three months for the OAT's then transferring that preperation to the MCAT's sound like a good plan.

 

[Potato!]

I also took both tests. Everything that jjmcentee said above is true. They are very different tests. For the OAT, you can memorize a whole bunch of stuff, and you'll be pretty set, but with the MCAT that strategy doesn't really work. Most MCAT questions are based on a passage, and you have to think your way through the problem. On the OAT, most questions are stand alone and based on memory (except obviously for quantitative reasoning and physics types of problems).

For me, I thought the OAT was an easier test to write. It could simply be because the competition of the folks writing the MCAT is extremely fierce. Also, the MCAT takes longer to write, than the OAT, so it is a bit of a marathon. I did better on the OAT, but not by that much. I wrote the OAT first, and then a year later I wrote the MCAT. Everything I had studied for the OAT was transferable to the MCAT. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me, or just post it here. Good luck

 

[Kwerg]

I took the MCAT and then the OAT a few months later. The MCAT is harder in that it's passage based. You have to weed through a bunch of info in the passage before you can even begin to answer most questions. On the OAT, it's basically a question asked, and you either know it (as in most bio/chem questions) or you can figure it out (as in math and physics). This is much less draining on the brain (or at least felt that way when I was taking the OAT).
The timing of the OAT is waaaay better. You still have a Saturday left after the test (I went to a day football game after mine). I was at the MCAT facility from about 7am to 6pm, which SUCKED!
The atmosphere of the OAT is way more laid back. Everybody seems relaxed and nice and happy. With the MCAT, you could almost cut the tension in the air with a scalpel. 😉
So, if you can avoid the MCAT, I would. Make sure you know your reasons for opto vs. med school. I'm going to med school next fall but I still wonder about optometry (better hours/lifestyle, etc?). What are your thoughts? Why are you taking both exams?

 

[al-majhul]

For me, I thought the OAT was an easier test to write. It could simply be because the competition of the folks writing the MCAT is extremely fierce. Also, the MCAT takes longer to write, than the OAT, so it is a bit of a marathon. I did better on the OAT, but not by that much. I wrote the OAT first, and then a year later I wrote the MCAT.

I'd just like for everyone to take a second out of their busy posting schedule and appreciate the diversity of culture we have on this board. I could tell Potato! was from Canada here by the use of the verb "write" in reference to the exams -- whereas Americans would say "take" an exam, in Canada they say "write" an exam. Sorry, I just thought that was pretty cool. Plus I think this may help clarify Potato!'s post for any Americans who were confused - as I myself was before I thought about it 🙂

 

[h6ppygirl]

I took the MCAT and then the OAT a few months later. The MCAT is harder in that it's passage based. You have to weed through a bunch of info in the passage before you can even begin to answer most questions. On the OAT, it's basically a question asked, and you either know it (as in most bio/chem questions) or you can figure it out (as in math and physics). This is much less draining on the brain (or at least felt that way when I was taking the OAT).
The timing of the OAT is waaaay better. You still have a Saturday left after the test (I went to a day football game after mine). I was at the MCAT facility from about 7am to 6pm, which SUCKED!
The atmosphere of the OAT is way more laid back. Everybody seems relaxed and nice and happy. With the MCAT, you could almost cut the tension in the air with a scalpel. 😉
So, if you can avoid the MCAT, I would. Make sure you know your reasons for opto vs. med school. I'm going to med school next fall but I still wonder about optometry (better hours/lifestyle, etc?). What are your thoughts? Why are you taking both exams?

It was not so laid back for me when i took the OAT at USC on October 2004. I went there like 15 minutes early. Soon as I walked in through those two doors...Dang, I felt the stifling environment of tension and anxiety . Almost everyone was looking at their study notes or staring straight at a blank wall or the ceiling. I was regreting so bad that I didn't bring something to study that that day. There were like little below or over 100 students, I think that day... Gosh, i never knew that there were that many people taking the OAT. Overall, that day sucked because there was a PRE-FOOTBALL game festival that day or something... the proctor had to scream several times outside of our testing site to tell the people to quite down. I think the proctor screaming was more annoying while taking the test than the loud people... OTHER THAN THAT THE TEST WENT GREAT....Oh except for the time the proctor past out an exam in wrong order and had to collect it all back, which wasted our time even longer...not to mention the added annoyance....

 

[MDF614]

I also took both. The MCAT was extremely difficult...long, tedious, and exhausting. After surviving the MCAT, the OAT was a walk in the park. As for the material on the test, just listen to everyone who posted before me. To give you an idea, I made an average score (literally, in the 55th percentile) on the MCAT, but I was in around the 80th percentile on the OAT. But, like someone else said, the two tests are completely different in styles, so it depends on which is best for you. MCAT is more critical thinking and OAT more straightforward. Good luck!

 

[MDF614]

I also took both. The MCAT was extremely difficult...long, tedious, and exhausting. After surviving the MCAT, the OAT was a walk in the park. As for the material on the test, just listen to everyone who posted before me. To give you an idea, I made an average score (literally, in the 55th percentile) on the MCAT, but I was in around the 80th percentile on the OAT. But, like someone else said, the two tests are completely different in styles, so it depends on which is best for you. MCAT is more critical thinking and OAT more straightforward. Good luck!

 

[polkadot]

I'd just like for everyone to take a second out of their busy posting schedule and appreciate the diversity of culture we have on this board. I could tell Potato! was from Canada here by the use of the verb "write" in reference to the exams -- whereas Americans would say "take" an exam, in Canada they say "write" an exam. Sorry, I just thought that was pretty cool. Plus I think this may help clarify Potato!'s post for any Americans who were confused - as I myself was before I thought about it 🙂

It wasn't until this thread that I understood that "write" meant "take". I've been reading posts for the last several months, thinking all these people were the ACTUAL exam writers. I am such a goon!

-p.dot

 

[Chr147]

I've been reading posts for the last several months, thinking all these people were the ACTUAL exam writers.
-p.dot

ditto that

 

[Phillygirl98]

I took both tests as well back when I didn't know what to do with myself career wise. I studied about 3 months for the MCAT...ended up doing pretty bad on it...too bad to even mention. I took the OAT about 2 months after and like an earlier poster said..it was a walk in the park in comparison...I didnt even study really for the OAT and did pretty well...320...so if you prepared a ton for the MCAT you should be fine for the OAT as well..minus the quantitative but it really isnt that bad. good luck! 🙂

 

[ppa93]

Has anyone taken both?

I plan on studying hardcore for at least 3 months to prepare for the OAT.
How hard is the OAT compared to MCATS?
Are they similar in difficulty in the categories they share?
Or are MCAT questions more difficult?

OAT is way easier than MCAT. I will not take MCAT cos it is the pain in the ass.

 

[Badger150]

Hey all, major lurker here, first time posting 🙂 !!!

I took the MCAT last April, and the computerized OAT early this month,(Change in career plans! 🙄 !), so here's my $.02.

Both tests have their moments, for me on the OAT it was when I realized I was down to the last 30 sec on the QR section and still had 8 more problems to do. I also found the Biology section to be tricky, because you either know it or you don't. On the MCAT sometimes things in the passage will jog your memory on a topic.

That being said, I would still say the MCAT is more difficult, because you need to know the background material, how to APPLY the material to a situation, and how to interpret figures and data. Also, the length of the MCAT is brutal, as many previous posters have mentioned. The computerized option for the OAT was so nice, and I have my scores already instead of 2.5 months later for the MCAT!

I did very well on both tests (370 and 34P respectively), but I studied for the MCAT, and only decided to take the OAT 2 weeks before I did so I didn't study at all. I found that all of the background material I learned for the MCAT was (mostly) still there, so studying for one will cover most of the other test as well.

I also taught the MCAT course for Kaplan, and the most important(and most overlooked) prep you can do for the MCAT specifically is... TAKE PRACTICE TESTS. Once you know the background stuff that you need for the OAT or the MCAT, the best thing you can do is get comfortable with the test so that you finish as much as possible as well as possible on test day. (btw, I am not trying to say go take the Kaplan course 😉 I think you can prep without paying $1600 if you are dedicated, just get some practice tests and take them like the real deal.)

Basically if you feel confident about the MCAT the OAT is no problem, but not the other way around!

Good Luck!!

Just my $.02

 

[stevec]

I made a 27 on the MCAT. Took it once.
I made a 340 (academic avg) on the OAT. Also took it once.

I studied for the MCAT using Kaplan and then applied that to the OAT for the most part. I took some practice OATs and read up on it, and that's it.

 

[Jdrizzleeee]

I took both tests as well back when I didn't know what to do with myself career wise. I studied about 3 months for the MCAT...ended up doing pretty bad on it...too bad to even mention. I took the OAT about 2 months after and like an earlier poster said..it was a walk in the park in comparison...I didnt even study really for the OAT and did pretty well...320...so if you prepared a ton for the MCAT you should be fine for the OAT as well..minus the quantitative but it really isnt that bad. good luck! 🙂

I just failed the mcat, but i want to take the OAT in december. i studied for 3 months over summer for the mcat, and that new mcat is just a beast. think i should take the test in december if i start studying now? or just wait tip summer?

 

[fittycent]

This post is over 10 years old. Just saying.

It's hard to say if you should take it now or wait until the summer. It depends on how much you need to study and how much time you can put towards studying.

 

[blackwolf2000]

haha.