Looking for some advice

[ehara1]

So after an intense summer of studying, I took the OAT and ended up scoring a 290.

Not the best score.

I took a Kaplan on site class, ordered the OAT Destroyer books, as well as Chad's videos. I ordered the Destroyer and Chads videos maybe halfway through my studies, and I wish I ordered them a lot sooner because they were way more helpful for me than Kaplan.

Anyway, I'm signed up to take a Kaplan course again because they offer a retake for free and I figure it won't hurt to have access to their supplemental videos and quizzes for help, but the only problem is I have seen all of their practice exams and taken them, so retaking it and doing them all for the second time won't accurately reflect where I am because I have seen all of it before and I won't be getting a true score on those tests.

My question for you guys is, what other sources do you recommend for me to use for this second time of studying. I am planning to retake the exam in about 10 weeks, and the material is still fresh in my head and I want to re-enforce what I know so that I could know the material more in depth. I felt the practice exams on Kaplan were not an accurate reflection of the real OAT, because the Bio and Math sections on Kaplan's tests were so much easier than the real exam. Chad's and the Destroyer were helpful, and Kaplan's class will be somewhat helpful as well, but what else do you guys think I should do?

I want to make sure I do this second time right and don't want to repeat everything I did before cause if I do what I did over the summer my score will never change.

Any advice would be great. Thanks so much for taking the time to read.

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[EyEnStein 07]

Dont bother with the kaplan videos again. Just use the practice material. Its true, youve seen it before, but you also got things incorrect before. Make sure you are getting much higher scores than you did the first time around.

Maybe take really good notes during chads videos. Review those notes every morning or everyday you are studying. What helped me when studying was breaking up the days I would do subjects (though dont follow this exact model since i only had a few weeks to study). Lets say I was doing quizzes for Orgo, Chem and Physics on a monday. That morning, or before i would take quizzes/exams, i would review ALLL of the notes. Just keep rereading them, even though it will be boring and you'll feel like i know this. Just do it. Then take your quizzes and tests later on in the day.

Take 2 full length practice tests a week in testing conditions. I always made sure to take one on the day and time I had my actual OAT scheduled.

Make sure to set days where all you do is destroyer problems. Theyre pretty good, though harder than the OAT. You have everything you need really, no use of spending more money. I heard good things about topscore and achiever but i really think you have enough to get a 350+ already. Best of luck! PM me if you want to know more specifics to my study schedule or compare it to yours.

 

[thunderfan]

Im in the same boat as you, I don't feel like the Kaplan tests fully prepared me for the actual OAT. The Biology and Physics were where I noticed the biggest difference. This second time im using kaplan along with destroyer as well. How much do Chad's videos cost, I keep hearing people talk about how much they help. What is the format of his lectures?

 

[ehara1]

They're really not expensive. I think around $100 for 3 months access to them. Thats including all notes, quizzes, and videos. If you go on google and try to look for coupon codes too, I think there might some small discounts here and there. Its definitely worth it and I will certainly be using it again.

 

[ehara1]

And thank you for the advice EyEnStein. You're right about the Kaplan material. Its still useful regardless of whether I've seen it or not. The only thing that worries me is having access to more full length practice exams. I agree with you that taking 2 a week for the next 9-10 weeks will absolutely have me more than prepared, but at the same time I just don't know if the Kaplan exams will be as useful because I literally studied them inside and out after I had completed each one, so I'm not sure where else to get more practice tests. I even took the ADA one and still remember a good chunk of the answers off the top of my head from reviewing it so much.

But Chads and Destroyer are more than helpful and I think I will be utilizing them a lot more this time around for my studies.

Do you know where I could get access to more practice OAT exams which you feel accurately represent the actual test?

 

[EyEnStein 07]

And thank you for the advice EyEnStein. You're right about the Kaplan material. Its still useful regardless of whether I've seen it or not. The only thing that worries me is having access to more full length practice exams. I agree with you that taking 2 a week for the next 9-10 weeks will absolutely have me more than prepared, but at the same time I just don't know if the Kaplan exams will be as useful because I literally studied them inside and out after I had completed each one, so I'm not sure where else to get more practice tests. I even took the ADA one and still remember a good chunk of the answers off the top of my head from reviewing it so much.

But Chads and Destroyer are more than helpful and I think I will be utilizing them a lot more this time around for my studies.

Do you know where I could get access to more practice OAT exams which you feel accurately represent the actual test?

Yeah definitely focus on Chads quizzes and Destroyer. So im not exactly sure about more practice tests. If youre willing to spend the money i know OAT Achiever and OAT topscore offer practice exams. So does a company called the Gold Standard. They recently made a forum post about a free practice exam. Good luck!