Taking the OAT on Thurs!

[319671]

Any tips?

What should I bring?
Am I allowed to use a calc? If so what type?
Should I take scratch paper or water/snacks? (it IS five hours...)
How many breaks do I get?

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[dawnfirenight]

All you need to bring is two pieces of identification. You will not be allowed to bring anything into the exam room with you, so don't bother with scratch paper - they give you two sheets of laminated paper, a marker, and an eraser. They want to ensure you aren't cheating by bringing in anything you could have written on. An on-screen calculator is provided, the same one that is available on a PC - no scientific or graphing functions are available.

You will get one break of about fifteen minutes between the RC and Physics sections. Bring water and snacks for sure, but you won't be able to eat them during the exam, so use your break wisely to eat and use the bathroom. You can take unscheduled breaks during the exam, but the timer keeps going while you do, so I wouldn't recommend it.

This information is all on the website for the OAT and should have been in that ridiculously long document they make you read before registering for the exam, so I would also check that again.

 

[319671]

I read all that a while ago lol so i dont remember, but I will read it the night before and make sure I have everything prepared....

btw what order is the sections given in?
I heard since it is CBT you know your score as soon a you press submit...

is this true?

any other stress relieving tips! i cant help but going into this thinking that this test determines my life

 

[OptomHope]

I read all that a while ago lol so i dont remember, but I will read it the night before and make sure I have everything prepared....

btw what order is the sections given in?
I heard since it is CBT you know your score as soon a you press submit...

is this true?

any other stress relieving tips! i cant help but going into this thinking that this test determines my life

Yup!! as soon as you are finished the QR section it will first ask you to fill out some silly survey as they calculate your score.... i literally just pressed random answers for the survey bc i couldn't concentrate on anything knowing i would get my score in less than a minute! and then it literally just pops up on the screen. I'd say to just get a lot of sleep the night before and eat well. Go into the exam confident and be smart when taking the test. What i mean by this is to not focus too much time/energy on the stuff u don't know. if you don't know an answer, identify that quickly, mark it and move on. Remember that each question is worth the same amount of points so in the end its not worth wasting time on things you don't know. For the reading comp... sit back, relax, and really try to absorb the info from the text. This works wayyy better than looking through the text for answers one at a time, the testers set it up in such a way that they expect people to just skim through it and think they know the right answer when they really don't. If u can just really try to relax and stay calm you can for sure nail it! Remember, it is not so much a knowledge test as it is a strategy test

 

[319671]

say I come to a question where I am deciding between two answers. with one being the straightforward one and one where you think you found a trick and solved it...which one should I pick? i mean some tests in my lecture classes the profs tend to trick you so I was wondering what about the OAT?

What order are the subjects given in?

 

[OptomHope]

say I come to a question where I am deciding between two answers. with one being the straightforward one and one where you think you found a trick and solved it...which one should I pick? i mean some tests in my lecture classes the profs tend to trick you so I was wondering what about the OAT?

What order are the subjects given in?

take this at your own risk....but in my experience, the straightforward one was usually the right answer. The order is: bio, general chem, organic chem, reading comp, physics, QR. Good luck!

 

[Bioflare]

Sleep well, most important tip!

Also if you find yourself not knowing a question, don't spend too much time on it. Use the MARK feature, best guess and mark it then move on.

Reading Comp... this varies from people to people. I zipped through RC by literally just searching for the answers without reading the whole thing through. But my tip is actually read the first/second sentence of each paragraph so you can get an idea of what is contained in the paragraph. Its easier to find the answers when you know which paragraph to read

RELAX, don't panick, it isn't as bad as it seems. The second time I took the test I felt I did worse than my first time, but I improved my overall TS and AA by 30 points.

 

[EyeTunes]

Eat well tonight and tomorrow morning, no joke, and get good sleep. Wake up early to make sure you have all your stuff in order and bring snacks and drinks.
Have confidence in the prep you've done and don't be too nervous (though it's impossible not to be a little nervous)
For the reading, what worked for me was reading everything through quickly and organizing in my head what information is in what paragraph, usually indicated mainly by the first sentence in the paragraph.

 

[319671]

so with the mark feature you can mark a question you are not sure about and then go back to it (before you finish that section)?

and im assuming most people take it 2 times? I was hoping for once just because i really dont wanna sit thru a 5 hour test twice...and pay $213 for it.. hahaha

how well do avg ppl do the first time?

 

[shannon804]

I read all that a while ago lol so i dont remember, but I will read it the night before and make sure I have everything prepared....

btw what order is the sections given in?
I heard since it is CBT you know your score as soon a you press submit...

is this true?

any other stress relieving tips! i cant help but going into this thinking that this test determines my life

The night before the exam, I made a playlist of a mix of music to pump me up (for the drive over) and relazing music (for the wait before the test started). It helped boost my confidence.

 

[schak7]

Very good advices here! Easy on the fluids before the exam. Last thing you need is an emergency RR break. My test is next week too. Good luck and keep POSITIVE!

 

[EyeTunes]

and im assuming most people take it 2 times? I was hoping for once just because i really dont wanna sit thru a 5 hour test twice...and pay $213 for it.. hahaha

Not everyone has to take it twice, and some people take it more than twice.
The question is, how well did you prep?

 

[319671]

Not everyone has to take it twice, and some people take it more than twice.
The question is, how well did you prep?

idk how well, i mean i guess ill see on thurs at 445pm. eek!

thanks everyone for the advice

 

[nbwkobe8]

3 words.

FIVE
HOUR
ENERGY