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So I found that posts like these really helped me calm down and understand what to expect going into test day.
So everybody, here's the full story of OAT test day. (At least how it happened for me)
Check in:
So you show up to the check in about 30-45 minutes early. (They suggest this, and it really helps to take the time to calm your nerves.) You tell them that you're there and you hand them your ID.
Eventually, they'll call your name and you get to go in to a sort of holding area. They hand you a key to a locker, where you put all of your belongings. After you turn out your pockets, they then check you for any weapons using one of those security wands that beep if you have any metal on you. After that, you sign into a book with the exact time your checking in, and normally the testing center worker will ask you for a second form of identification.
Now, this whole process takes about 3-5 minutes, but with the nerves you'll feel pretty frazzled going into the test, because it will have felt like the process took at least a half hour.
This is where my first piece of advice comes in: once you get seated at your computer, and you have the test screen in front of you, TAKE THE WHOLE TIME FOR THE TUTORIAL!
I know it might be a little annoying to think about wasting 15 minutes of your time getting through this 20 page tutorial, but it's totally worth it. Going into the tutorial I was a nervous wreck about taking the test, but if you take this time to calm your nerves, and just relax, you will be able to get a level head for the Survey of Natural Sciences section (which is the longest section.)
The Test and Aftermath:
What I said before about relaxing really comes in handy when you're taking the test. If you've taken practice exams (which I HIGHLY recommend) you should be familiar with the length of the test and have an idea about how much time you have for each question. Triage your questions, if you have no idea how to do the question in the first 10 seconds, mark it and move on to the next. And overall, after you've made it through the section for the first time, just take a couple seconds to collect yourself and prepare to review your marked answers.
After my experience, I can say that taking the practice exams is the best way to prepare for the actual test. I know there are mixed reviews on the Kaplan blue book study guide, but I'd have to say that studying that book for about 2 months prior to the exam was more than enough preparation in my case.
I took the first practice exam exactly a month before the OAT, and the second one about two weeks before. They were a GREAT diagnostic tool for figuring out what I had to work on. Without them I wouldn't have known what specific sections to hone.
Also, something that I noticed: I did a LOT worse on the Kaplan blue book online tests than I did on the OAT itself! So if you're someone (like me) taking the Kaplan practice tests and freaking out, (like I was) it seems that they are a bit tougher than the actual exam. So don't fret, just keep on keepin' on!!
Overall, I hope this is helpful to anybody who is wondering what the experience is like. If anybody has any questions, ask away!
So everybody, here's the full story of OAT test day. (At least how it happened for me)
Check in:
So you show up to the check in about 30-45 minutes early. (They suggest this, and it really helps to take the time to calm your nerves.) You tell them that you're there and you hand them your ID.
Eventually, they'll call your name and you get to go in to a sort of holding area. They hand you a key to a locker, where you put all of your belongings. After you turn out your pockets, they then check you for any weapons using one of those security wands that beep if you have any metal on you. After that, you sign into a book with the exact time your checking in, and normally the testing center worker will ask you for a second form of identification.
Now, this whole process takes about 3-5 minutes, but with the nerves you'll feel pretty frazzled going into the test, because it will have felt like the process took at least a half hour.
This is where my first piece of advice comes in: once you get seated at your computer, and you have the test screen in front of you, TAKE THE WHOLE TIME FOR THE TUTORIAL!
I know it might be a little annoying to think about wasting 15 minutes of your time getting through this 20 page tutorial, but it's totally worth it. Going into the tutorial I was a nervous wreck about taking the test, but if you take this time to calm your nerves, and just relax, you will be able to get a level head for the Survey of Natural Sciences section (which is the longest section.)
The Test and Aftermath:
What I said before about relaxing really comes in handy when you're taking the test. If you've taken practice exams (which I HIGHLY recommend) you should be familiar with the length of the test and have an idea about how much time you have for each question. Triage your questions, if you have no idea how to do the question in the first 10 seconds, mark it and move on to the next. And overall, after you've made it through the section for the first time, just take a couple seconds to collect yourself and prepare to review your marked answers.
After my experience, I can say that taking the practice exams is the best way to prepare for the actual test. I know there are mixed reviews on the Kaplan blue book study guide, but I'd have to say that studying that book for about 2 months prior to the exam was more than enough preparation in my case.
I took the first practice exam exactly a month before the OAT, and the second one about two weeks before. They were a GREAT diagnostic tool for figuring out what I had to work on. Without them I wouldn't have known what specific sections to hone.
Also, something that I noticed: I did a LOT worse on the Kaplan blue book online tests than I did on the OAT itself! So if you're someone (like me) taking the Kaplan practice tests and freaking out, (like I was) it seems that they are a bit tougher than the actual exam. So don't fret, just keep on keepin' on!!
Overall, I hope this is helpful to anybody who is wondering what the experience is like. If anybody has any questions, ask away!
