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- Apr 26, 2017
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Hey all,
So I took my OAT today and just wanted to shed a little light on the subject for those of you still preparing for your exam. I signed up for the Kaplan self-paced OAT prep course, and solely relied on that for the bulk of my studying. I did use Chad's videos as well in the beginning of preparation but felt that I needed something more. I only got through about the first 10 or so chapters of Chad's gen chem videos before I switched over. I definitely think Chad's videos are useful for those of you that are not wanting to spend a fortune on prep materials. However, if you are willing and able to use the Kaplan course I strongly recommend it, and here is why.
First, when you start the Kaplan course they have you take a diagnostic exam which is a little bit shorter than the actual OAT. This diagnostic exam will simulate what you would potentially score on the OAT. From there you are able to map out the best way to prepare for the big day. For example, on my diagnostic exam my lowest section score was in Biology. So I focused on the biology material before I went on to the other topics like Orgo and Physics which I had just taken this past semester. In doing this, I was able to bring my biology section score up DRASTICALLY.
Additionally, through the Kaplan course, the video tutors provide many insightful tips that can be of use on test day. They offered insightful ways to tackle tough questions when you can't exactly pin point with certainty the correct answer, creative mnemonics to solidify tricky topics in your memory, and other tricks that made the actual OAT much more bearable. On top of all of that Kaplan has many additional resources such as workshops and quizzes for extra practice on those topics that need it. For me I think I did every additional resource available on Kaplan for simple harmonic motion to increase my physics section score.
Now, that that is out of the way lets talk about the respective tests. YIKES. Believe (most) of what you have read out there on the world wide web about the Kaplan exams. They are difficult! But, that isn't all bad right? I know for myself, I prefer when my practice is much more difficult than the real thing, because when you get to what you have been practicing for you can just breeze through it. Now, I am not saying that the OAT is an easy test. However, I am also not saying that is too difficult to overcome. I believe that with sufficient preparation it can be less daunting. All this is to say that if you do choose to go the Kaplan route, and that if by chance your diagnostic exam and your practice exam scores are lower than what you are aiming for do not get discouraged. Keep going, review your exams, that is one of the good parts about Kaplan, note down the topic areas that you are consistently getting wrong and go back through them.
So if you made it this far, I guess it is worth noting that I know there are other prep materials out there for the OAT, albeit limited in comparison to tests like the MCAT. I know that the Kaplan course is expensive and that not everyone is able to use it. I do believe that other materials can also prepare you sufficiently for the OAT. I only wrote about the Kaplan course because that is what I used to prepare for the OAT and it paid off in my opinion. My scores were as follows:
Diagnostic / Practice Test 1 / Practice Test 2 / OAT
Bio: 270 / 340 / 320 / 380
Gen Chem: 280 / 290 / 340 / 400
Orgo: 360 / 320 / 360 / 390
RC: 350 / 380 / 390 / 350
Physics: 340 / 270 / 280 / 350
QR: 310 / 290 / 330 / 360
TS: 310 / 310 / 330 / 400
AA: 320 / 320 / 340 / 370
So I took my OAT today and just wanted to shed a little light on the subject for those of you still preparing for your exam. I signed up for the Kaplan self-paced OAT prep course, and solely relied on that for the bulk of my studying. I did use Chad's videos as well in the beginning of preparation but felt that I needed something more. I only got through about the first 10 or so chapters of Chad's gen chem videos before I switched over. I definitely think Chad's videos are useful for those of you that are not wanting to spend a fortune on prep materials. However, if you are willing and able to use the Kaplan course I strongly recommend it, and here is why.
First, when you start the Kaplan course they have you take a diagnostic exam which is a little bit shorter than the actual OAT. This diagnostic exam will simulate what you would potentially score on the OAT. From there you are able to map out the best way to prepare for the big day. For example, on my diagnostic exam my lowest section score was in Biology. So I focused on the biology material before I went on to the other topics like Orgo and Physics which I had just taken this past semester. In doing this, I was able to bring my biology section score up DRASTICALLY.
Additionally, through the Kaplan course, the video tutors provide many insightful tips that can be of use on test day. They offered insightful ways to tackle tough questions when you can't exactly pin point with certainty the correct answer, creative mnemonics to solidify tricky topics in your memory, and other tricks that made the actual OAT much more bearable. On top of all of that Kaplan has many additional resources such as workshops and quizzes for extra practice on those topics that need it. For me I think I did every additional resource available on Kaplan for simple harmonic motion to increase my physics section score.
Now, that that is out of the way lets talk about the respective tests. YIKES. Believe (most) of what you have read out there on the world wide web about the Kaplan exams. They are difficult! But, that isn't all bad right? I know for myself, I prefer when my practice is much more difficult than the real thing, because when you get to what you have been practicing for you can just breeze through it. Now, I am not saying that the OAT is an easy test. However, I am also not saying that is too difficult to overcome. I believe that with sufficient preparation it can be less daunting. All this is to say that if you do choose to go the Kaplan route, and that if by chance your diagnostic exam and your practice exam scores are lower than what you are aiming for do not get discouraged. Keep going, review your exams, that is one of the good parts about Kaplan, note down the topic areas that you are consistently getting wrong and go back through them.
So if you made it this far, I guess it is worth noting that I know there are other prep materials out there for the OAT, albeit limited in comparison to tests like the MCAT. I know that the Kaplan course is expensive and that not everyone is able to use it. I do believe that other materials can also prepare you sufficiently for the OAT. I only wrote about the Kaplan course because that is what I used to prepare for the OAT and it paid off in my opinion. My scores were as follows:
Diagnostic / Practice Test 1 / Practice Test 2 / OAT
Bio: 270 / 340 / 320 / 380
Gen Chem: 280 / 290 / 340 / 400
Orgo: 360 / 320 / 360 / 390
RC: 350 / 380 / 390 / 350
Physics: 340 / 270 / 280 / 350
QR: 310 / 290 / 330 / 360
TS: 310 / 310 / 330 / 400
AA: 320 / 320 / 340 / 370
