OAT: Disappointing Outcome

[insight92]

Hey guys! I took my OAT today and I was disappointed to say the least. I have been studying for about 3 months now and I thought I was progressing and I was confident in my abilities. However, while taking the OAT I came across many questions in the Chemistry portion that I had no idea how to do. Now Chem is normally a strong point for me so I don't know what else I can do to improve for when I retake my OAT. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because I'm super nervous now! I really want to go to optometry school and I know that I have the capability to do well in all of these subjects, but test taking has always been a weakness for me.

To prepare I took the Kaplan Course during the summer and then for the last two months I bought Crack the OAT (online software)so I could have lots of practice questions to go over. I also watched all of Chad's videos and did his quizzes. I was really understanding the material and my practice scores were decent.

Actual OAT/ ADA/ Averages of Crack the OAT
QR 370 / 380 / 370
RC 300 / 350 / 360 - I actually thought the OAT passages were straightforward so I can't believe I only got a 300
BIO 310 / 370 / 350 - Really random questions that didn't cover most of anything I had studied
CHEM 250 / 360 / 320 - I don't even know where to begin with this...
OCHEM 290 / 330 / 300
PHY 290 / 300 / Physics isn't a part of Crack the OAT software unfortunately
Total Science 280
Academic Average 300

As you can all see that CHEM score really hurt me even though the OCHEM and PHY weren't great either, but I have never scored below a 280 on even my first OAT diagnostic test so this just crushed my hopes of getting into schools this year. My overall GPA is 3.21, but my science GPA is lower at a 2.7. I know that's awful, but I went to a rigorous science university and it took me a while to get adjusted to the level of material and I've never been the greatest test taker. I do have lots of extracurriculars (like being the President of our pre-optometry club), volunteering, and shadowing experience which I'm hoping will offset some of my GPA.

If anyone can give me a little advice or their opinion I would really appreciate it. Please do not just look at my GPA and think that I am incapable of knowing my material. I have always been the one who other students and friends come to when they need help with a class, but somehow my scores don't always reflect my knowledge

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[insight92]

Also, during my 15 minute tutorial the example questions I was given were the EXACT questions from the ADA exam. Was that the case for anyone else?

 

[nnessa]

Hi! I just applied to a few schools and have a low science GPA (3.0) as well. I think what helped me receive an interview was that my OAT score offset my GPA so if you're planning to retake, I just want to lyk that having a strong score will give you a great boost. I did bad in chemistry (got a D in gchem) but ended scoring 390 on gchem and ochem so I think that was a factor in "forgiving" my grades. For me, I thought Chad's videos were enough to get me through the questions. I also printed the outlines for each section (there are about 6-7 outlines that can be downloaded) and kind of wrote my own little notes when watching his videos. For me, I found it helpful to have a bigger picture of the section so that when I saw a problem on the OAT, I can quickly think "oh okay, this is a thermodynamics problem" and I can picture where on the outline told me how to solve the problem (like i can use hess's law, or bond dissociation energies, etc). Sounds obvious but yeah that helped me breeze through the problems . Hope that helps!

As for practice, I think using Kaplan practice tests are helpful. They are harder than the actual OAT but taking those exams really prepped me since they have detailed explanations telling why an answer choice is wrong (which helped me eliminate quickly).

Msg if you have any questions!

 

[insight92]

Hi! I just applied to a few schools and have a low science GPA (3.0) as well. I think what helped me receive an interview was that my OAT score offset my GPA so if you're planning to retake, I just want to lyk that having a strong score will give you a great boost. I did bad in chemistry (got a D in gchem) but ended scoring 390 on gchem and ochem so I think that was a factor in "forgiving" my grades. For me, I thought Chad's videos were enough to get me through the questions. I also printed the outlines for each section (there are about 6-7 outlines that can be downloaded) and kind of wrote my own little notes when watching his videos. For me, I found it helpful to have a bigger picture of the section so that when I saw a problem on the OAT, I can quickly think "oh okay, this is a thermodynamics problem" and I can picture where on the outline told me how to solve the problem (like i can use hess's law, or bond dissociation energies, etc). Sounds obvious but yeah that helped me breeze through the problems . Hope that helps!

As for practice, I think using Kaplan practice tests are helpful. They are harder than the actual OAT but taking those exams really prepped me since they have detailed explanations telling why an answer choice is wrong (which helped me eliminate quickly).

Msg if you have any questions!

Thank you so much for your advice! I'll definitely repurchase Chad's videos and watch them again hopefully that helps me. A 390 on CHEM and OCHEM is awesome! Congratulations on your interview as well

 

[bovishadopt]

Hey guys! I took my OAT today and I was disappointed to say the least. I have been studying for about 3 months now and I thought I was progressing and I was confident in my abilities. However, while taking the OAT I came across many questions in the Chemistry portion that I had no idea how to do. Now Chem is normally a strong point for me so I don't know what else I can do to improve for when I retake my OAT. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because I'm super nervous now! I really want to go to optometry school and I know that I have the capability to do well in all of these subjects, but test taking has always been a weakness for me.

To prepare I took the Kaplan Course during the summer and then for the last two months I bought Crack the OAT (online software)so I could have lots of practice questions to go over. I also watched all of Chad's videos and did his quizzes. I was really understanding the material and my practice scores were decent.

Actual OAT/ ADA/ Averages of Crack the OAT
QR 370 / 380 / 370
RC 300 / 350 / 360 - I actually thought the OAT passages were straightforward so I can't believe I only got a 300
BIO 310 / 370 / 350 - Really random questions that didn't cover most of anything I had studied
CHEM 250 / 360 / 320 - I don't even know where to begin with this...
OCHEM 290 / 330 / 300
PHY 290 / 300 / Physics isn't a part of Crack the OAT software unfortunately
Total Science 280
Academic Average 300

As you can all see that CHEM score really hurt me even though the OCHEM and PHY weren't great either, but I have never scored below a 280 on even my first OAT diagnostic test so this just crushed my hopes of getting into schools this year. My overall GPA is 3.21, but my science GPA is lower at a 2.7. I know that's awful, but I went to a rigorous science university and it took me a while to get adjusted to the level of material and I've never been the greatest test taker. I do have lots of extracurriculars (like being the President of our pre-optometry club), volunteering, and shadowing experience which I'm hoping will offset some of my GPA.

If anyone can give me a little advice or their opinion I would really appreciate it. Please do not just look at my GPA and think that I am incapable of knowing my material. I have always been the one who other students and friends come to when they need help with a class, but somehow my scores don't always reflect my knowledge

I am in the same exact boat as you. We also have very similar gpa's. I decided to retake the oat and put that on my application that i plan to retake. Don't feel like you're alone in this because one thing I learned is that this process is going to be super LONG but it will be worth it.

Try to spend winter break studying hard and do great next time Good luck!!

 

[insight92]

I am in the same exact boat as you. We also have very similar gpa's. I decided to retake the oat and put that on my application that i plan to retake. Don't feel like you're alone in this because one thing I learned is that this process is going to be super LONG but it will be worth it.

Try to spend winter break studying hard and do great next time Good luck!!

Thank you for your response! It's encouraging to know that others are in the same situation. I'm definitely not going to be giving up because I know I can do this and I'm sure you can too! I've contacted all of my schools with my unofficial score report and asked for their advice on what I should do next so hopefully I receive some positive feedback.

 

[ucbsowarrior]

I took the oat 18 months after hs and more than 1/2 the stuff is high school level material.

If you know your basics 370-380 across the board shouldn't be difficult with little to no studying. It depends on strong your knowledge is the first time you took the courses. If you study hard, you should be able to crack 390 across the board.

The math and physics I found to be grade 11 level.

 

[thisguy88]

I took the oat 18 months after hs and more than 1/2 the stuff is high school level material.

If you know your basics 370-380 across the board shouldn't be difficult with little to no studying. It depends on strong your knowledge is the first time you took the courses. If you study hard, you should be able to crack 390 across the board.

The math and physics I found to be grade 11 level.

Lol what? You're probably a genius.
To everyone else - please do not take the OATs 18 months after high school.

 

[thisguy88]

I took the oat 18 months after hs and more than 1/2 the stuff is high school level material.

If you know your basics 370-380 across the board shouldn't be difficult with little to no studying. It depends on strong your knowledge is the first time you took the courses. If you study hard, you should be able to crack 390 across the board.

The math and physics I found to be grade 11 level.

Lol what? You're probably a genius.
To everyone else - please do not take the OATs 18 months after high school.

 

[insight92]

Thank you for your reply ucbsowarrior and congratulations on your results! I'm going to go ahead and assume you are in the minority of students who are able to achieve such great scores 18 months after high school. But I'll be sure to study hard and hopefully I will improve in my scores!

 

[insight92]

Hey guys! So just a little update, I am still planning on retaking my OAT in February and have been preparing. However, I received an interview invite! I am excited, but super nervous. Does anyone have any advice for interviews?

 

[Optom4018]

http://schools.studentdoctor.net/school/uiw-opt/survey/26#survey-result

Definitely check this out

Click the schools name. Interview feed back, then click "view results" to see some of the questions other students were asked.

Good luck!

 

[insight92]

Thanks so much Optom4018! I'll definitely use that as a source to help prepare!

 

[fifa518]

You should still apply. I had a 250 in reading comprehension and was never even questioned about it and I got into schools, your other scores seem great so if you did well in your chemistry courses in undergrad they might not even mention it. Don't sweat too much, apply first and then take it from there . I was never told to retake it!..


Also I went to a science intensive undergrad too so my science GPa was only a 3.0. They take everything into consideration. So the scores you received In a hard science undergrad course are weighed more than an OAT score. At least this is what happened for me ! Best of luck

 

[Winggirl2]

Thanks so much Optom4018! I'll definitely use that as a source to help prepare!

hey did you ever get into any school?