NEW OAT concerns

[fsu1988]

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I just took the newly scaled OAT on June 1st, 2009, and I was rather distraught with my scores.

QR:270
RC:280
Bio:320
GC:330
OC:300
Phy:290
total science:310
AA:300

I have a 3.37 gpa and have good work experience in the field. I am applying to PCO, Houston, the new one in San Antonio, Nova, and SCO. Anybody have any honest opinions on my odds of getting accepted anywhere? I really don't feel like I'll be going anywhere after my OAT...

 

[cloud99]

what were your percentiles?

 

[fsu1988]

QR:270 25.2
RC:280 39.1
Bio:320 61.7
GC:330 76.3
OC:300 52.8
Phy:290 45.8
Total Sci: 310 59.3
AA:300 51.8

Those are my percentiles, but since they just redid it, and so few people have taken it, I don't see how they already have percentiles like that. Do you think I could get an interview anywhere?

 

[cloud99]

I have a few questions. fsu1988's TS percentile was 59.3%, so he did better than 59.3% of test takers in terms of TS. Did he do better than 59.3% of test takers who took the oat on that day only or better than 59.3% of test takers for that specific oat exam? How often is the same exact OAT given? How many versions of the oat do they administer each cycle?

 

[blysssful]

I have a few questions. fsu1988's TS percentile was 59.3%, so he did better than 59.3% of test takers in terms of TS. Did he do better than 59.3% of test takers who took the oat on that day only or better than 59.3% of test takers for that specific oat exam? How often is the same exact OAT given? How many versions of the oat do they administer each cycle?

From the way Kaplan explained the process, they don't use "versions" of the exam in the way you're thinking. They use a bank of questions and each test is somewhat randomly assigned questions using the bank of questions.

So, the easiest example is using the RC section. If you search previous threads about this, it becomes apparent that many people had the same exact passages on the test. That doesn't mean that they had to answer the same exact questions on the passages though.

I believe each question is given some sort of quantitative value for difficulty (even though they are all WORTH the same amount), and the percentiles are based on people who took the exams with the same level of difficulty (which should be roughly everyone).

 

[cloud99]

Thank you for answering, Blysssful. Good info. to have. It's funny, when I was typing in the questions, I said to myself, " I bet Blysssful will be able to answer these."

 

[blysssful]

Thank you for answering, Blysssful. Good info. to have. It's funny, when I was typing in the questions, I said to myself, " I bet Blysssful will be able to answer these."

Happy to pass the info along. I had similar questions when I was taking the Kaplan class last summer, so I can understand the concern.

 

[fsu1988]

Does anyone know if the above stats have any chance of getting an interview anywhere?

 

[JMU07]

Does anyone know if the above stats have any chance of getting an interview anywhere?

I'd really contact the schools and ask admissions counselors. I know for SCO and probably a couple of others a 3.3 is a little below average, so you should probably gear up to re-take the OAT just in case. Of course, your EC's and the rest of your application are also important, so it's hard to tell without knowing everything. Your best bet is to call each school and ask them specifically. 👍

 

[fsu1988]

ok, thanks for the response