Should I postpone my OAT?

SteinEye

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Hello! I am taking my OAT test in 10 days. However, my practice test scores so far were pretty low, and I wanted to get some advice whether or not I should postpone my test. Here are my current scores in the following order: Kaplan 1/Kaplan 2/Achiever 1:

Biology: 320/320/270
GChem: 290/300/330
OChem: 250/270/330
Physics: 200/240/260
RC: 330/330/250
QR: 290/340/340
TS: 280/300/300

I plan on finishing two more Achiever tests and then the ADA test. If any of you were getting these scores with about 1-2 weeks left before your OAT exam, how did you eventually score on the real OAT?

Some factors to keep in mind are that I am currently working full time at an eye clinic, so I can only study after work and on weekends. Another factor to consider, is that postponing my exam would mean taking it on the last week of August. Since I'm applying this cycle, some schools may not proceed with my application until they receive my OAT scores, even though my application is finished.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

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I would take a week off from work if I were you.
This is your future, you need to make some sacrifices in order to improve your scores.
Also, take the test when you are ready.

Try to focus on your physics as they appear to be the lowest here.
tackle your weakness and strengthen it.
 
Hello, Faefly! I truly appreciate the feedback. However, my OAT was earlier today, so it was too late to re-schedule.
Below is the breakdown of my practice test scores and actual OAT scores. I hope that it can be helpful to some of you who are debating about postponing your exam or are struggling in your practice tests.


Kaplan Diagnostic/Kaplan 1/Kaplan 2/Achiever 1/Achiever 2/ADA/OAT
Bio: 290 320 320 270 310 350 340
GChem: 300 290 300 330 310 340 400
OChem: 290 250 270 330 280 340 340
Physics: 260 200 240 260 270 330 320
RC: 260 330 330 250 300 360 350
QR: 270 290 340 340 310 350 370
TS: (No TS for Kaplan) 300 290 350 350
AA: 280 280 300 300 300 350 350

So, to those who are still studying and STRUGGLING, just keep going and trust the process. Based on my experience, preparing for the OAT is unlike previous standardized tests I have taken. While you might see a gradual upward trajectory in your scores when preparing for other tests, this might not be the case for the OAT. At least from my experience, my practice test scores were not improving. But this does not mean you are not getting better.

For those who are thinking of postponing the exam, I suggest taking the ADA test. In my opinion, the ADA practice test was most representative of the actual OAT, as reflected by my scores above. So, make your decision based from your ADA test score.

TLDR: Kaplan and Achiever are a lot harder than the real OAT. The ADA practice test is most similar to the OAT. Use the latter to judge your readiness for the exam, and schedule/re-schedule your exam accordingly.
 
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Hello, Faefly! I truly appreciate the feedback. However, my OAT was earlier today, so it was too late to re-schedule.
Below is the breakdown of my practice test scores and actual OAT scores. I hope that it can be helpful to some of you who are debating about postponing your exam or are struggling in your practice tests.


Kaplan Diagnostic/Kaplan 1/Kaplan 2/Achiever 1/Achiever 2/ADA/OAT
Bio: 290 320 320 270 310 350 340
GChem: 300 290 300 330 310 340 400
OChem: 290 250 270 330 280 340 340
Physics: 260 200 240 260 270 330 320
RC: 260 330 330 250 300 360 350
QR: 270 290 340 340 310 350 370
TS: 300 290 350 350
AA: 280 280 300 300 300 350 350

So, to those who are still studying and STRUGGLING, just keep going and trust the process. Based on my experience, preparing for the OAT is unlike previous standardized tests I have taken. While you might see a gradual upward trajectory in your scores when preparing for other tests, this might not be the case for the OAT. At least from my experience, my practice test scores were not improving. But this does not mean you are not getting better.

For those who are thinking of postponing the exam, I suggest taking the ADA test. In my opinion, the ADA practice test was most representative of the actual OAT, as reflected by my scores above. So, make your decision based from your ADA test score.

TLDR: Kaplan and Achiever are a lot harder than the real OAT. The ADA practice test is most similar to the OAT. Use the latter to judge your readiness for the exam, and schedule/re-schedule your exam accordingly.

Congrats! Did you use chads videos by any chance or did you solely use Kaplan and the achiever?


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Hello, Faefly! I truly appreciate the feedback. However, my OAT was earlier today, so it was too late to re-schedule.
Below is the breakdown of my practice test scores and actual OAT scores. I hope that it can be helpful to some of you who are debating about postponing your exam or are struggling in your practice tests.


Kaplan Diagnostic/Kaplan 1/Kaplan 2/Achiever 1/Achiever 2/ADA/OAT
Bio: 290 320 320 270 310 350 340
GChem: 300 290 300 330 310 340 400
OChem: 290 250 270 330 280 340 340
Physics: 260 200 240 260 270 330 320
RC: 260 330 330 250 300 360 350
QR: 270 290 340 340 310 350 370
TS: 300 290 350 350
AA: 280 280 300 300 300 350 350

So, to those who are still studying and STRUGGLING, just keep going and trust the process. Based on my experience, preparing for the OAT is unlike previous standardized tests I have taken. While you might see a gradual upward trajectory in your scores when preparing for other tests, this might not be the case for the OAT. At least from my experience, my practice test scores were not improving. But this does not mean you are not getting better.

For those who are thinking of postponing the exam, I suggest taking the ADA test. In my opinion, the ADA practice test was most representative of the actual OAT, as reflected by my scores above. So, make your decision based from your ADA test score.

TLDR: Kaplan and Achiever are a lot harder than the real OAT. The ADA practice test is most similar to the OAT. Use the latter to judge your readiness for the exam, and schedule/re-schedule your exam accordingly.

Congrats ! Did you see any geometry & trig on your exam or was it the new quantitative reasoning questions ?
 
Namushkee: I used Chad's videos to learn the concepts then Kaplan and Achiever for practice tests.

Deedee7519: I don't recall trig on my exam.
 
Hello, Faefly! I truly appreciate the feedback. However, my OAT was earlier today, so it was too late to re-schedule.
Below is the breakdown of my practice test scores and actual OAT scores. I hope that it can be helpful to some of you who are debating about postponing your exam or are struggling in your practice tests.


Kaplan Diagnostic/Kaplan 1/Kaplan 2/Achiever 1/Achiever 2/ADA/OAT
Bio: 290 320 320 270 310 350 340
GChem: 300 290 300 330 310 340 400
OChem: 290 250 270 330 280 340 340
Physics: 260 200 240 260 270 330 320
RC: 260 330 330 250 300 360 350
QR: 270 290 340 340 310 350 370
TS: (No TS for Kaplan) 300 290 350 350
AA: 280 280 300 300 300 350 350

So, to those who are still studying and STRUGGLING, just keep going and trust the process. Based on my experience, preparing for the OAT is unlike previous standardized tests I have taken. While you might see a gradual upward trajectory in your scores when preparing for other tests, this might not be the case for the OAT. At least from my experience, my practice test scores were not improving. But this does not mean you are not getting better.

For those who are thinking of postponing the exam, I suggest taking the ADA test. In my opinion, the ADA practice test was most representative of the actual OAT, as reflected by my scores above. So, make your decision based from your ADA test score.

TLDR: Kaplan and Achiever are a lot harder than the real OAT. The ADA practice test is most similar to the OAT. Use the latter to judge your readiness for the exam, and schedule/re-schedule your exam accordingly.

First off, WOW! Congrats on the great OAT scores! Thank you for sharing this- it goes to show that one shouldn't give up when things in life aren't going as planned. Let me know which schools you get an interview at. Good luck! :)
 
First off, WOW! Congrats on the great OAT scores! Thank you for sharing this- it goes to show that one shouldn't give up when things in life aren't going as planned. Let me know which schools you get an interview at. Good luck! :)

Thank you! Perseverance, positive-thinking, and prayers were crucial.
 
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Thank you for posting this!! I'm taking my OAT in two week, and am not seeing an improvement in my scores. I was considering rescheduling until I read your post. I'm going to keep pushing through and hope for the best!
 
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