I been studying for the OATs since 12/22/07 and I'm finally taking them on Monday (3/31/08). I'm going to take my final OAT achiever on Friday after taking the first two on Monday and Wednesday of this week. Since I'm spending so much time on the OAT achiever, I'm missing out on real studying like going over flashcards, and going over Review Notes. Anyway, I feel like going over my review notes on Sunday before the exam, but I know it might burn me out even more. What did you guys do the day before your OATs?
What did you do the day before taking the OATs
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Dont Study.
If you dont know it then, you wont know it.
I called a gym and said i was perhaps interested in joining, then i asked if I could come free for a day. They always say yes. I went swimming, light lifting and a bit of a jog.
I ate sushi twice that day (my favorite food), then had my Mom make my favorite meal.
Relax, get some rest, but dont sit around all day or you wont be able to fall asleep early enough.
If you dont know it then, you wont know it.
I called a gym and said i was perhaps interested in joining, then i asked if I could come free for a day. They always say yes. I went swimming, light lifting and a bit of a jog.
I ate sushi twice that day (my favorite food), then had my Mom make my favorite meal.
Relax, get some rest, but dont sit around all day or you wont be able to fall asleep early enough.
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Yes, keep yourself busy but not by studying...get your directions printed out and make sure you have a good sense of them. Pick out an outfit, pack your lunch, drink a glass of wine and have a good nights sleep!
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well... let me tell you.... i studied up until 3 hrs before the exam. seriously i was CRAMMINGGGG....
about 7 days before the exam, i decided i wanted to reschedule to a later date.. (2 months)... and i just didn't study those days. but then 3 days before i decided i would just take it and i CRAMMEDDDDDD.
i made a mistake in playing too much during my winter break (when my OAT was) because it was soooooo hard to be surrounded by kids who aren't studying because the semester had just ended. I didn't do the quality studying during the 2-3 weeks before the exam... but then did an AWESOME job the last 3 days. In the end... I got a TS350 and AA340 and am heading to opt school this fall.
I know i REALLY needed the time even the day of exam.... so it's really up to you. I literally was relearning stuff for organic chem up until the last 2 hours of studying. I didnt even get a chance to look at a single passage for RC practice. I hardly studied for physics and QR but did the best in those. 360 and 380. It really depends on the kind of study habit you're used to. (but just exceed it a bit since it's the OAT!).
it's always best to be fully prepared well in advance and relax on the last day. seriously. I HATE CRAMMING! AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS.
I celebrated with champagne after the exam because it was FINALLY DONE!!!!!
about 7 days before the exam, i decided i wanted to reschedule to a later date.. (2 months)... and i just didn't study those days. but then 3 days before i decided i would just take it and i CRAMMEDDDDDD.
i made a mistake in playing too much during my winter break (when my OAT was) because it was soooooo hard to be surrounded by kids who aren't studying because the semester had just ended. I didn't do the quality studying during the 2-3 weeks before the exam... but then did an AWESOME job the last 3 days. In the end... I got a TS350 and AA340 and am heading to opt school this fall.
I know i REALLY needed the time even the day of exam.... so it's really up to you. I literally was relearning stuff for organic chem up until the last 2 hours of studying. I didnt even get a chance to look at a single passage for RC practice. I hardly studied for physics and QR but did the best in those. 360 and 380. It really depends on the kind of study habit you're used to. (but just exceed it a bit since it's the OAT!).
it's always best to be fully prepared well in advance and relax on the last day. seriously. I HATE CRAMMING! AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS.
I celebrated with champagne after the exam because it was FINALLY DONE!!!!!
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I also recommend studying on the last day. But it kind of depends on who you are. Me, I need to review my notes no matter how much I've studied beforehand. So the day before the OAT I reviewed all the math, physics and chem formulas. My Kaplan MCAT book explained common sample questions in the review sections so I read those over again for chem and physics. Reviewed a bit of biology and organic chem - but just the questions that had tripped me up in past OAT sample tests. Did one practice math test as a last ditch attempt to try and help my speed. The only thing I didn't bother with was reading comp b/c I had really good sample scores in it. My AA and TS were both 340 and I got in.
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I just went over cheat sheets I had made and flashcards. I also went over some notes of concepts or questions I had gotten wrong off of my kaplan practice tests and the practice test at opted.org which I had re-written. Other then that I took it pretty easy... I probably only studied 3 hours that day, and on the morning before the test I looked at flashcards with one letter words only...just to get me thinking before I wrote it.
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Not that its the sushi and lack of work that did it for me, but I scored a 390.
I studied for two months at about 3 days a week (a little bit every day actually, see below).
My trick (i think): Study before bed, every night (only like 30-45 mins). Your brain is much more likely to remember stuff you read before bed.
I really advise not studying the night before. In my opinion you have adequate time to take the OAT, and being relaxed and able to think through the questions is more important than little tidbits of info you MIGHT retain from the day before.
I studied for two months at about 3 days a week (a little bit every day actually, see below).
My trick (i think): Study before bed, every night (only like 30-45 mins). Your brain is much more likely to remember stuff you read before bed.
I really advise not studying the night before. In my opinion you have adequate time to take the OAT, and being relaxed and able to think through the questions is more important than little tidbits of info you MIGHT retain from the day before.
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Yea, its not that I didnt study completely the night before because I was freaking out but I knew if I started cramming I would never get to bed and just over think everything...anyway I went over the questions that i knew would trip me up the night before and when I got there (since i got there about an hr before I needed to but if u go into the center early u can take it early if there is a comp open), just to make sure I didnt make the same mistakes on the test. But if you just keep cramming and don't get a good nights sleep, on top of whether or not u have to drive far to the test center, its going to overwork u and u won't have the concentration u need. But honestly if you know how u study best then do that...just get as much sleep as you can!
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go over your physics equations (the important ones). and maybe do one section of QR. then relax, listen to your fav music, think positive thoughts- like how lucky you are to have all the things you have. let us know how u do : ) g'luck!
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People fascinate me.
Title of the thread: "What did you do the day before taking the OATs"
The question asked of the OP: "What did you guys do the day before your OATs?"
My Preface: This is in no way intended to be a personal attack or anything of that nature.
The majority of responses to this question goes something like, "Don't do....", or "You should...", "Make sure to do this...". This is a very minor detail, and these responses reflect our culture no doubt, but the OP did not ask everyone to tell him what to do (although everyone seems to imply this) but rather what other people did.
What I did: The night before the test I had a glass of wine, and watched a movie to relax and get my mind off of the test. My test was at 2 PM so that morning, I read over more of the Biology section (my weakest section) to get my mind into "science mode". I personally wouldn't change anything I did leading up to the test.
The OP has since taken the test and faired very well. What did you end up doing the day before?
Title of the thread: "What did you do the day before taking the OATs"
The question asked of the OP: "What did you guys do the day before your OATs?"
My Preface: This is in no way intended to be a personal attack or anything of that nature.
The majority of responses to this question goes something like, "Don't do....", or "You should...", "Make sure to do this...". This is a very minor detail, and these responses reflect our culture no doubt, but the OP did not ask everyone to tell him what to do (although everyone seems to imply this) but rather what other people did.
What I did: The night before the test I had a glass of wine, and watched a movie to relax and get my mind off of the test. My test was at 2 PM so that morning, I read over more of the Biology section (my weakest section) to get my mind into "science mode". I personally wouldn't change anything I did leading up to the test.
The OP has since taken the test and faired very well. What did you end up doing the day before?
Somnief is right in the fact I fully intended this to be a cute thread on what people did on their days before the OATs. But since it was the week before my actual OATs, I didn't mind the advice given to me 🙂.
What I did the day before:
Woke up and stared at all the OAT study materials that were lying neatly on my desk and laughed. I literally pointed at it and laughed like a crazy person who has been studying too much, and happily said out loud, "I don't have to study anymore!" Then I quickly realized that I probably have to study 2 times as much in optometry school then quickly shut up, but still was feeling pretty grateful.
I drove to the testing center to scout out how I was going to park, bought a Kashi food bar at the local CVS, and then proceeded to drive to meet my friends to play some Basketball. It was a really nice day so I ended up playing for 4 hours.
I got home really tired and felt like I was going to get sick, so I took a hot shower and went to PHO32 a restaraunt that serves Vietnamese Raw Beef PHO. It was damn good. I still ended up getting sick and then went to sleep early. I woke up with a fever, took a tynenol, and then took my test. I did very well. I just wished I answered all my Reading Comprehension questions. I still scored above a 300 in that section though.
My advice: DON'T PLAY BASKETBALL OUTSIDE FOR 4 HOURS BEFORE YOUR EXAM; unless you live somewhere really warm. If you want to exercise, go running outside for half an hour 🙂. I admit I was pretty high strung that day, and I had a hard time relaxing because of the 10 hours a day studying I was doing for 1.5 weeks. But try not to get sick! 🙂
What I did the day before:
Woke up and stared at all the OAT study materials that were lying neatly on my desk and laughed. I literally pointed at it and laughed like a crazy person who has been studying too much, and happily said out loud, "I don't have to study anymore!" Then I quickly realized that I probably have to study 2 times as much in optometry school then quickly shut up, but still was feeling pretty grateful.
I drove to the testing center to scout out how I was going to park, bought a Kashi food bar at the local CVS, and then proceeded to drive to meet my friends to play some Basketball. It was a really nice day so I ended up playing for 4 hours.
I got home really tired and felt like I was going to get sick, so I took a hot shower and went to PHO32 a restaraunt that serves Vietnamese Raw Beef PHO. It was damn good. I still ended up getting sick and then went to sleep early. I woke up with a fever, took a tynenol, and then took my test. I did very well. I just wished I answered all my Reading Comprehension questions. I still scored above a 300 in that section though.
My advice: DON'T PLAY BASKETBALL OUTSIDE FOR 4 HOURS BEFORE YOUR EXAM; unless you live somewhere really warm. If you want to exercise, go running outside for half an hour 🙂. I admit I was pretty high strung that day, and I had a hard time relaxing because of the 10 hours a day studying I was doing for 1.5 weeks. But try not to get sick! 🙂
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Yeah, I would definitely not study the few hours before the exam, and perhaps even not the day before......
I would (speaking from my own experience) just relax....workout, hang out with the girlfriend (or your boyfriend), go out for dinner, watch a movie, and go to bed early......
Good luck 👍
I would (speaking from my own experience) just relax....workout, hang out with the girlfriend (or your boyfriend), go out for dinner, watch a movie, and go to bed early......
Good luck 👍
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It has been many years since I took the OAT, so take this suggestion with a grain of salt.
The day before, I reviewed basic chemistry, physics and math equations and formulas for about 15 minutes. That's it.
You should not attempt to study more, or cram because the chances that you will confuse yourself, or at the very least start doubting the things you have already studied is going to go way waaaaaay up. Try not to think about, get a good nights sleep, and take the exam.
I recall taking mine in February in the middle of a Canadian blizzard. The building where the test was given was incredibly cold because the custodians forgot to leave the heat on so the building was set on "weekend mode." I think the temperature was like 48 degrees.
After taking the exam, I picked up a large Domino's Pizza with extra pepperoni, and a big pail of iced tea. I went home, ate and drank the whole thing while watching hockey games and took a wonderful nap.
It was a good day.
