Hi, I found it really helpful during my studies to read these forums, so I thought I would give back to other students that may be in the position I was.
I just took the OAT yesterday, July 27th. First off, I definitely recommend an afternoon exam (12 pm and after.) I took mine at 1 pm and it really helped me to stay calm and relaxed. I think having the morning to myself to do some final review and take my time eating breakfast and relaxing helped.
I also used the OAT waiver and only had to pay for 50% of the exam. It is only for first-time takers sadly but if anyone happens to read this and hasn't signed up for it yet, then I definitely recommend it:
OAT Fee Waiver Information
Learn more about applying for the Optometry Admission Test fee waiver
www.ada.org
Study Material
I bought the 2018 Kaplan OAT book, used the free DAT Bootcamp practice questions, and did the ADA DAT and OAT practice exams online. Currently, Chad's Videos is offering free practice questions which I think normally you have to pay for. All I did was sign up with my email and I had access to more practice questions. For the A&P section of Biology, I highly recommend Crash Course on Youtube. I learned all the systems through those videos. The only money I spent was $50 for the Kaplan book. I think there are great free resources and you don't have to break the bank if you don't want to.
Study Timeframe
I studied, realistically, for about 2 weeks before my exam (6-8 hours a day for 5 days since I work).
I started my studying back in May and I would spend 2-3 hours studying. I spent about a week going through each major section: Biology, Chem, Orgo, Physics. I only did a brief review and did not spend too much time memorizing. In conjunction with the Kaplan book, I would use Youtube; Crash Course for Biology and Organic Chemistry Tutor for Orgo, Chem, Physics, and QR.
Once I finished my general overview, I took the ADA DAT/OAT exam to get a general feeling for my weak areas. Once I pinpointed my weakest topics, I focused on those areas the most.
I used the free DAT Bootcamp modules for additional practice. Once I finished a module, I would go back and review what questions I got wrong. Then in a couple of days, I would re-do those modules to see if I retained what I learned. I also went back to the ADA exams and I would re-do the weak sections.
I did 2 Kaplan exams that came with my book and personally, I did like them one bit. I thought they were extremely hard and discouraging. The software also crashed on me multiple times, leading to inaccurate scores because I would have to close out the test and re-open it and lose time.
I believe Chad's videos are normally a paid-for subscription but I think he's having a limited time offer where his exams are free as long as you sign up with an email. Here is the link I used:
Chad's OAT Practice Exams
In the end, these were my scores:
ADA OAT/ Kaplan 1/ Kaplan 2/ Actual OAT
Bio 360/320/330/350
Chem 320/290/310/370
Orgo 330/300/340/360
RC 360/330/360/370
Phys 300/250/290/370
QR 350/300/330/350
Actual OAT: 370 TS; 360 AA
As for my overall OAT test experience, I found the exam to be a lot easier than anything I used to practice with. The questions were very general and I didn't have to do any long, heavy calculations as I did before. I did find QR to be the hardest section though. For some reason, it ended up being more complicated than what I had done to practice but still nothing terrible. That was where I found myself in a time crunch.
I think the best thing to keep in mind is that you can't possibly learn EVERYTHING. Don't go ripping your hair out trying to remember every formula, every constant, every species, etc. I definitely recommend using Kaplan's breakdown as a guide to what to really focus on. They break down each chapter by the percentage on the exam. Don't spend too much time on a topic that is barely covered!
If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask! Be confident and believe in yourself
I just took the OAT yesterday, July 27th. First off, I definitely recommend an afternoon exam (12 pm and after.) I took mine at 1 pm and it really helped me to stay calm and relaxed. I think having the morning to myself to do some final review and take my time eating breakfast and relaxing helped.
I also used the OAT waiver and only had to pay for 50% of the exam. It is only for first-time takers sadly but if anyone happens to read this and hasn't signed up for it yet, then I definitely recommend it:
OAT Fee Waiver Information
Learn more about applying for the Optometry Admission Test fee waiver
Study Material
I bought the 2018 Kaplan OAT book, used the free DAT Bootcamp practice questions, and did the ADA DAT and OAT practice exams online. Currently, Chad's Videos is offering free practice questions which I think normally you have to pay for. All I did was sign up with my email and I had access to more practice questions. For the A&P section of Biology, I highly recommend Crash Course on Youtube. I learned all the systems through those videos. The only money I spent was $50 for the Kaplan book. I think there are great free resources and you don't have to break the bank if you don't want to.
Study Timeframe
I studied, realistically, for about 2 weeks before my exam (6-8 hours a day for 5 days since I work).
I started my studying back in May and I would spend 2-3 hours studying. I spent about a week going through each major section: Biology, Chem, Orgo, Physics. I only did a brief review and did not spend too much time memorizing. In conjunction with the Kaplan book, I would use Youtube; Crash Course for Biology and Organic Chemistry Tutor for Orgo, Chem, Physics, and QR.
Once I finished my general overview, I took the ADA DAT/OAT exam to get a general feeling for my weak areas. Once I pinpointed my weakest topics, I focused on those areas the most.
I used the free DAT Bootcamp modules for additional practice. Once I finished a module, I would go back and review what questions I got wrong. Then in a couple of days, I would re-do those modules to see if I retained what I learned. I also went back to the ADA exams and I would re-do the weak sections.
I did 2 Kaplan exams that came with my book and personally, I did like them one bit. I thought they were extremely hard and discouraging. The software also crashed on me multiple times, leading to inaccurate scores because I would have to close out the test and re-open it and lose time.
I believe Chad's videos are normally a paid-for subscription but I think he's having a limited time offer where his exams are free as long as you sign up with an email. Here is the link I used:
Chad's OAT Practice Exams
In the end, these were my scores:
ADA OAT/ Kaplan 1/ Kaplan 2/ Actual OAT
Bio 360/320/330/350
Chem 320/290/310/370
Orgo 330/300/340/360
RC 360/330/360/370
Phys 300/250/290/370
QR 350/300/330/350
Actual OAT: 370 TS; 360 AA
As for my overall OAT test experience, I found the exam to be a lot easier than anything I used to practice with. The questions were very general and I didn't have to do any long, heavy calculations as I did before. I did find QR to be the hardest section though. For some reason, it ended up being more complicated than what I had done to practice but still nothing terrible. That was where I found myself in a time crunch.
I think the best thing to keep in mind is that you can't possibly learn EVERYTHING. Don't go ripping your hair out trying to remember every formula, every constant, every species, etc. I definitely recommend using Kaplan's breakdown as a guide to what to really focus on. They break down each chapter by the percentage on the exam. Don't spend too much time on a topic that is barely covered!
If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask! Be confident and believe in yourself
