livelovelaugh06
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QR: 400
RC: 390
Bio: 380
GC: 400
OC: 380
Physics: 360
Hi!! Here is another OAT breakdown post lol! I studied from mid May until Aug 21. Aside from shadowing and working part time my main focus was studying for the OAT. Hopefully this can help anyone else who is studying!!
I mainly used OAT Booster to study and used there three month schedule. In the last phase of the study schedule I started doing more of my own prep based on where I felt weakest. I also used a lot of my notes from previous classes.
Actual AA: 390
Practice AA: 360-370
Quantitative Reasoning: (avg practice: 390 / actual: 400)
I went through all of the practice questions and gained a good understanding of the equations on the formula sheet. Rather than doing the game challenges over the last few weeks I redid all of the QR questions to see which ones I was still getting wrong so I could address that.
Reading Comp: (avg practice: 370 / actual: 390) I used all of the practice passages, which I think is the best way to study for this section. To build stamina it is helpful to do 3 of the smaller passages back to back. I felt like the booster passages were much more difficult than the OAT. I used the strategy of reading until I found the answer to the first question and then seeing how many more questions I could answer. The OAT itself followed a more chronological order and did not exceed 14 paragraphs.
Biology: (avg practice: 350 / actual: 380) From the beginning I felt bio would be my worst section due to the sheer amount of content and memorization that was needed. I took the time to make an Anki deck based on the cheat sheets which I found to be very helpful. Reviewing the cheat sheets in the last 1-2 weeks was also very helpful at keeping things fresh in my memory. I also thought it was very helpful to mark questions I got wrong or was confused on from the very beginning and go through these in the last few weeks of studying. Making stories/mnemonics/etc. no matter how ridiculous they are was also very helpful in this section.
General Chemistry: (avg practice: 360 / actual: 400) I felt like the question banks and formula sheets were very helpful for GC. Feel comfortable with acids and bases and know your units and formulas!
Organic Chemistry: (avg practice: 360 / actual: 380) The cheat sheets for OC were very thorough and covered the most important info for the exam. I went through these cheat sheets and tried to write my own condensed version which I found very useful. I also would recommend using the reaction Q banks. As with Bio, I found going through my marked Qs very very helpful. Be aware of which reagents are used for each reaction and what aids in SN2/EI/SN1 reactions. Take notes during the videos, they were most useful in this section. I will say on the actual OAT there were much fewer reaction questions than in practice. Also, be very comfortable with IR, NMR, and unsaturation.
Physics: (avg practice: 360 / actual: 360) I had a very strong base in physics from classes I have taken in undergrad. Understanding the formulas is a must!! I would also be very familiar with the units for different constants and for each aspect of the formula so you can figure out the different possible units for any given question There are not as many practice questions as I would have liked for physics but I supplemented this with question sheets I found online as well as redoing the booster banks. Optics, kinematics, and unit questions were the most high yield on my OAT.
Good luck to everyone who is studying! You got this! I will say that while the practice exams are similar to the exam the scores on practice exams will not necessarily represent your actual score. Focus on questions that confused you/you got wrong the first time. Take notes of your mistakes and the concepts that you are confusing all together. Prioritize your weaknesses and keep practicing a little every day whether it be queståion banks, flash cards, or reviewing equations. I also found it to be useful to start getting up early and taking practice exams at the same time or earlier than my OAT so I would not be tired on the day of. Get rest and go into the test with the best mindset, no matter how nervous you are. I am happy to answer any questions!
RC: 390
Bio: 380
GC: 400
OC: 380
Physics: 360
Hi!! Here is another OAT breakdown post lol! I studied from mid May until Aug 21. Aside from shadowing and working part time my main focus was studying for the OAT. Hopefully this can help anyone else who is studying!!
I mainly used OAT Booster to study and used there three month schedule. In the last phase of the study schedule I started doing more of my own prep based on where I felt weakest. I also used a lot of my notes from previous classes.
Actual AA: 390
Practice AA: 360-370
Quantitative Reasoning: (avg practice: 390 / actual: 400)
I went through all of the practice questions and gained a good understanding of the equations on the formula sheet. Rather than doing the game challenges over the last few weeks I redid all of the QR questions to see which ones I was still getting wrong so I could address that.
Reading Comp: (avg practice: 370 / actual: 390) I used all of the practice passages, which I think is the best way to study for this section. To build stamina it is helpful to do 3 of the smaller passages back to back. I felt like the booster passages were much more difficult than the OAT. I used the strategy of reading until I found the answer to the first question and then seeing how many more questions I could answer. The OAT itself followed a more chronological order and did not exceed 14 paragraphs.
Biology: (avg practice: 350 / actual: 380) From the beginning I felt bio would be my worst section due to the sheer amount of content and memorization that was needed. I took the time to make an Anki deck based on the cheat sheets which I found to be very helpful. Reviewing the cheat sheets in the last 1-2 weeks was also very helpful at keeping things fresh in my memory. I also thought it was very helpful to mark questions I got wrong or was confused on from the very beginning and go through these in the last few weeks of studying. Making stories/mnemonics/etc. no matter how ridiculous they are was also very helpful in this section.
General Chemistry: (avg practice: 360 / actual: 400) I felt like the question banks and formula sheets were very helpful for GC. Feel comfortable with acids and bases and know your units and formulas!
Organic Chemistry: (avg practice: 360 / actual: 380) The cheat sheets for OC were very thorough and covered the most important info for the exam. I went through these cheat sheets and tried to write my own condensed version which I found very useful. I also would recommend using the reaction Q banks. As with Bio, I found going through my marked Qs very very helpful. Be aware of which reagents are used for each reaction and what aids in SN2/EI/SN1 reactions. Take notes during the videos, they were most useful in this section. I will say on the actual OAT there were much fewer reaction questions than in practice. Also, be very comfortable with IR, NMR, and unsaturation.
Physics: (avg practice: 360 / actual: 360) I had a very strong base in physics from classes I have taken in undergrad. Understanding the formulas is a must!! I would also be very familiar with the units for different constants and for each aspect of the formula so you can figure out the different possible units for any given question There are not as many practice questions as I would have liked for physics but I supplemented this with question sheets I found online as well as redoing the booster banks. Optics, kinematics, and unit questions were the most high yield on my OAT.
Good luck to everyone who is studying! You got this! I will say that while the practice exams are similar to the exam the scores on practice exams will not necessarily represent your actual score. Focus on questions that confused you/you got wrong the first time. Take notes of your mistakes and the concepts that you are confusing all together. Prioritize your weaknesses and keep practicing a little every day whether it be queståion banks, flash cards, or reviewing equations. I also found it to be useful to start getting up early and taking practice exams at the same time or earlier than my OAT so I would not be tired on the day of. Get rest and go into the test with the best mindset, no matter how nervous you are. I am happy to answer any questions!
