Time Management OAT

[OATAcer]

I know that Optometry is what I want to do for the rest of my life. However, with my low marks, I have to put in hardwork and lots of determination.

Current Overall GPA - 2.75
Current Overal Science - 2.20

I have 4 pre-requisites to complete: O-Chem, Human Anatomy & physiology 1, human anatomy & physiology 2, and biochemistry.

This semester I am enrolled for O-chem & Human Anatomy & Physiology 1. Human Anatomy & physiology 1 will consume my whole life.

I want to study for the OAT this semester and take it in January and apply for admissions to Fall 2011.

The problem is that, how can I manage to study for O-Chem, human anatomy & physiology and study for the OAT at the same time?

Any advise from those that excelled in a load of science courses and were studying for their OAT's?

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[quackquack]

Any chance you can take it over the summer? Not saying it can't be done (studying during school year) but it's a challenge. I mean you don't want to be studying 24/7 even if it's the OAT. I guess your only consolation is that what you are studying in school will overlap with several topics on the test. (But I'm almost certain that what you will learn in school will go more in dept than what you need for the OAT.) I guess that means you can't apply this year though...

And please don't take offense when I say this... I personally would take it in the summer because by the looks of your GPA, you may want more time put towards your school subjects to get that GPA up.

 

[raleighzia]

I echo what Quack Quack said. I am struggling as well PM me for more info.

 

[jc328]

I was taking micro bio and anatomy while working part time when I was studying for my OAT, it is difficult but doable. In your case, you might want to emphasize on getting GREAT GPA for your last few pre-req classes to prove to the school that you can handle the science course load. (also shows them that you have a uprising GPA curve)

I'd pay close attention to the ochem class if you didn't take any ochem classes before because I find ochem to be the hardest subject to review for. The anatomy/physio are like partial review for your bio section, so study hard for that class as well. The big blue Kaplan OAT review book has a good summary for all subjects, it's a good place to start if you didn't have a strong science foundation. I'd plan out a good studying schedule dedicating 2~3 hrs of OAT study time everyday (on top of your other studies). Review each subjects one by one starting with the weakest subject and end with the strongest one. That's just in case if you ran out of studying time near the test date, you will not do poorly in your weakest subject. The key is PERSISTENCE, make sure to follow the schedule and don't slack off during your studies. It is very easy to get distracted and become reluctant about studying.

OAT itself is not very hard, but it covers a wide variety of subjects with large amount of info. I personally don't think there's a shortcut to success in this type of test other than spending time for a good systemic review. Good luck studying!

 

[kiwi5frog]

Hmm, how do i say this non-offensively...

Essentially yes, you can do it through a combination of 2 things. 1, like jc said, you have to study hard. the 2nd thing is you need to take an honest look at capacity to hold large amounts of information at a given time. aka....are you smart enough to do it? (maybe even a 3rd factor, existing science foundation)

but in all honesty, i think it's an overall bad idea to time your OAT in conjunction with a heavy school schedule, ESPECIALLY when you have a poor GPA. Neither one is allowed to go badly and it seems that one will eventually get sacrificed for the other. Because you want to apply for the 2011 admission, it looks like you can't delay your OAT much. You might want to consider going for 2012. you'll have a much stronger GPA, and likely stronger OAT scores with a schedule that is less crunched. not to mention the extra time to get a lot of shadowing done to make yourself out to be a steller EARLY applicant when july 15 rolls around.

and lastly, as an alternative OAT study method, I like jumping from topic to topic repeatedly. when i studied, on any given day I would study a different topic, if not 2 to 3 different OAT topics. This helped me retain a lot of information through repetitive testing over time instead of knocking one subject out then moving to the next. Usually that left me forgetting what i had learned first. some people like the one by one method, i like going in rounds. ^_^ either way, sprinkling a few practice tests along the way helps you gauge which is your strong suit and which isn't

 

[quackquack]

Great advice kiwi5frog ... I love the rounds method. It keeps me from *sleeping.

 

[OATAcer]

Hey thanks guys!

It's not about being intelligent, it is all time management. You can do anything in life, as long as you have the drive towards it.

I agree with all of you guys and feel that I should slow it down, and focus on 1 thing: Boosting my GPA and then focusing on the OAT.

This forum has given me hope and calmed down my stress. Thanks guys!

 

[al074755]

Just to add my two cents... I originally applied for the 2010 cycle last june. I had 4 pre-req that I needed to complete and I took the OAT in January. I was pretty much in the same boat except that I had 3.5 science gpa. With this said, I rushed my application, I did not receive the IDEAL scores on the OAT and rejected. By doing this I drove myself crazy, stressed myself to the max and wasted a lot of money.

Moral of my story: Yea it can be done, but if you are going to do something do it right. Don't rush. I'm in a much better frame of mind now during this application process. Hope this helps!

 

[kiwi5frog]

smarts does not have to be a limiting factor, you can absolutely do most things in life by drive and hard work alone, but it sure as hell makes multitasking easier.

my smart buddy studied 2 weeks for the OAT. I studied 2 months. same 400 perfect score between us. and no, i couldn't have done it in the 2 weeks she did. all the info just clicks with her very easily. me? i gotta drill baby drill.

 

[quackquack]

It takes some mad iron-clad work ethic to study, maintain school grades, and well to maintain social life also. Good luck OATAcer no matter what you decide to do!

 

[OATAcer]

Thanks quackquack, keep us posted on your admission status!