My OAT 2019 Experience

[97thaik]

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:

(his ad for the free courses)
Chad's OAT Practice Exams (where i signed up)

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

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[lanaeyedoc2020]

Hi! Did you find Chad's free practice exams helpful? I want to do more practice exams and wanted someone else's input on his exams. Thank you in advance! Congrats on the score!

 

[97thaik]

Hi! Did you find Chad's free practice exams helpful? I want to do more practice exams and wanted someone else's input on his exams. Thank you in advance! Congrats on the score!

Unfortunately for me, I really only used Chad's practice for about two days since I found it so last minute in my studying time. But from what I did end up doing, I think they were really helpful. I find it most helpful to just bang out lots of practice questions to get exposure to topics I still may be unsure of. Chad's questions were very diverse and didn't spend too much time on one single topic which I found helpful in showing what I may still need to work on. He scores it the way the OAT does for each section (or close enough) that it gives you a good idea on how you may be doing. If they're still free, there's no hurt in doing them! Even if they're not, I heard they're pretty affordable and I think it's worth it!

 

[hymp07]

Hi! Did you think Chad's practice exams for OAT were similar to the real? Thanks and congrats!!

 

[97thaik]

Hi! Did you think Chad's practice exams for OAT were similar to the real? Thanks and congrats!!

Like I said in my reply to another member, I didn't get to use Chad's practice for very long. But I do think they're helpful and that the style is more similar than Kaplan is compared to the OAT. You can read the reply above to get a bit more detail! Thank you

 

[Tiff-of-knee]

Thanks for all the info! I'm looking for the fee waiver right now but can't find it. Can you please tell me how you got it and how/when/where/what you needed to submit it? thx

 

[97thaik]

Thanks for all the info! I'm looking for the fee waiver right now but can't find it. Can you please tell me how you got it and how/when/where/what you needed to submit it? thx

Hi! Here's the link to the fee waiver: OAT Fee Waiver Information . All the ones for 2019 have been awarded. If you are planning to take the OAT in 2020, I recommend you keep checking back to this link every day in December, since they're releasing the 2020 application some time this month.

Last year, Dec 2018, I kept an eye out for the 2019 round of fee waivers from the link I attached. When I saw the application was open, there was a registration posted right on that link. It'll update accordingly. There is no specific date that it comes out. You just have to keep checking back every day to see if it'll open. According to my fee waiver application from last year, I submitted it 12/28/18, so it came out towards the end of December last year.

For what you need to submit, you need to submit either a financial aid reward letter from your undergraduate institution OR a tax return (1040.) It'll also ask for a small written portion stating your need. Also, you SHOULD NOT REGISTER FOR THE OAT before being approved/denied for a fee waiver because i believe once you register, they cannot reimburse you, so if you have already registered for the OAT, then you cannot use the fee waiver.

Hope this helps

 

[Tiff-of-knee]

Hi! Here's the link to the fee waiver: OAT Fee Waiver Information . All the ones for 2019 have been awarded. If you are planning to take the OAT in 2020, I recommend you keep checking back to this link every day in December, since they're releasing the 2020 application some time this month.

Last year, Dec 2018, I kept an eye out for the 2019 round of fee waivers from the link I attached. When I saw the application was open, there was a registration posted right on that link. It'll update accordingly. There is no specific date that it comes out. You just have to keep checking back every day to see if it'll open. According to my fee waiver application from last year, I submitted it 12/28/18, so it came out towards the end of December last year.

For what you need to submit, you need to submit either a financial aid reward letter from your undergraduate institution OR a tax return (1040.) It'll also ask for a small written portion stating your need. Also, you SHOULD NOT REGISTER FOR THE OAT before being approved/denied for a fee waiver because i believe once you register, they cannot reimburse you, so if you have already registered for the OAT, then you cannot use the fee waiver.

Hope this helps

Tysm! If I want to take the OAT in Jan, is that a problem? Like how long does it take the ADA people to process the fee waiver, and later the application, before u can schedule an appointment w prometric?

 

[97thaik]

Tysm! If I want to take the OAT in Jan, is that a problem? Like how long does it take the ADA people to process the fee waiver, and later the application, before u can schedule an appointment w prometric?

I am not too sure. Looking at my records, I submitted 12/28/18 and received an approval on 1/24/19 which took about one month. I did have some error with my application initially because I didn't put my OAT PIN number correctly, so that might have contributed to my later processing. When you sign up for the OAT, it does take a couple of days to be approved/verified and ready to sign up for a date. I believe you can register on the ADA website to get your OAT account without scheduling. Once that's approved, they give you 6 months to sign up for a test date. I can imagine some people would want to use the OAT waiver for January so maybe try and contact them and see if you can get a set date on when to apply so you can have it processed quicker in time for January.

Department of Testing Services
Phone: 1-800-232-1694

Just have everything all set so you can submit immediately. You'll need everything I mentioned above as well as your OAT pin which you can get on the ADA website when you sign up.