why is this so impossible? blahhh.

[broncos24]

WHY do i feel there is soooo much information that I probably won't need to know for the OAT? I know they try to overprepare you so that you can pass with flying colors..... but I am getting SUPER stressed from studying.

I have the 2003 version of the big Kaplan OAT book... chapter 8 in the organic chem section.... and there are so many reactions to remember. How do I an easier way to remember how these reactions work? Even when I feel I understand the CONCEPT... I just get the answers wrong.

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[blobs]

procedure:

eat at least 2g of fish oil (1 fillet salmon per 2 days or 2-3 fish oil pills) per day

do breathing exercises for 15 minutes prior to and after studying. breathing exercise is: inhale, taking 20 seconds, retention, taking 10 seconds, exhale, taking 20 seconds. count how many breaths you take during each 15 minute session. sit in japanese "seiza" if possible or standing works too if your legs are inflexible. spine straight.

eat less grain and milk and more vegetables

drink water upon waking up, and begin breathing exercise + studying first thing in the morning. wake up at 6am or before. run for 1 hour each day outside and not on a treadmill.

study using kaplan MCAT book and practice using kaplan's thin OAT book. in sessions of 2 hours or shorter.

 

[EyeGuy2k4]

procedure:

eat at least 2g of fish oil (1 fillet salmon per 2 days or 2-3 fish oil pills) per day

do breathing exercises for 15 minutes prior to and after studying. breathing exercise is: inhale, taking 20 seconds, retention, taking 10 seconds, exhale, taking 20 seconds. count how many breaths you take during each 15 minute session. sit in japanese "seiza" if possible or standing works too if your legs are inflexible. spine straight.

eat less grain and milk and more vegetables

drink water upon waking up, and begin breathing exercise + studying first thing in the morning. wake up at 6am or before. run for 1 hour each day outside and not on a treadmill.

study using kaplan MCAT book and practice using kaplan's thin OAT book. in sessions of 2 hours or shorter.

Dude that response was awesome!

 

[hfpepperbean47]

Spend less time worrying/stressing and more time learning.

 

[pienfoo]

Even when I feel I understand the CONCEPT... I just get the answers wrong.

maybe you just have really really bad luck

anyway, the kaplan book actually underprepares you for the organic chem section on the OATs. The best way to gain confidence on the ochem section is by going over all the major reactions (know how they work in various conditions) in your good old textbook. You only need to know the first half (or maybe 3/5). A really good review book is Schaum's Ochem outline. it's veery detailed but it gets right to the point. Also, typical problems that you see in textbooks are only a small portion of what you'll see on the OATs, so you'll need to do lots of OAT-type questions (from achiever, destroyer, kaplan, etc) in order to score high. In my opinion, the ochem section is the easiest section on the OAT because there's only so much you need to know, unlike bio or RC. you can try using the following combinations to prepare you for the OAT; you should be able to get over 350s if you put in the time. just my suggestion.

- Kaplan MCAT comprehensive review + Kaplan OAT question book + Examcracker on the sections where you know the material but need more practice w/ different types of problems + Schaumm's outline to learn the material that you don't have a good grasp on.
or
- Destroyer + Kaplan MCAT comprehensive review + Kaplan OAT question book.

g'luck

 

[Monkey007]

ok I know that all of us have been there at one pt, and we understand exactly what you're going throught. Also rememeber it's been done!! Def. know ALL of the bio. As for organic know the gist of it. I didn't review at all for the orgo b.c I was like this is way to much and I could strengthen other sections so I went to sparknotes, and reviewed organic on there. Also on the test I chose my answer on what is the most stable C if that makes sense to you, and I scored a 310 which I was happy about b.c I HATE organic. physics I bought the sparknotes. I really just used the Kaplan DAT book for bio, gen chem, and RC, and QR. Another thing i did was I read a chapter in a subject, read it again and highlighted, then I made my own notes on it so it was sweet and short the point. Then I reviewed that the week before the OAT, and did practice exams. I studied for 3 weeks 6-8 hour days and nothign on the wknd. So I basically read the whole Kaplan book in 2 weeks and memorized it, and reviewed and took practice test the 3rd week. Sorry the message is a little scattered. If you have ?'s e-mail me! Good luck kiddo. Have a little faith.

 

[broncos24]

thanks for all the help everyone!

there are 16 chapters of organic in this version... so I stopped on chapter 10 temporarily bc i was stressed... and moved onto bio. SOOOO much easier. wowwww. and just like that...no more stress! lol.

I've been making my own notes, but the organic chem notes are getting lengthy. (maybe bc i strongly dislike it as well and decided to put down everything thinking i was actually enjoying the process). I have about 2.5 weeks left!!! YIKES! *crossing fingers*

let me tell you though... it is SO hard to study when it's the holiday season.

 

[mtrlOATgal]

i totally understand what you mean about organic- how about this?

draw some of the reactions and their names out- there are only about 20 or so... make it look nice and tape it all over your room and just stare at it and read it and marvel over it....it iwill stick orrrr if you live alone, you could stick it in the bathroom mirror and stare at it while you brush your teeth....

 

[eyestrain]

procedure:

eat at least 2g of fish oil (1 fillet salmon per 2 days or 2-3 fish oil pills) per day

do breathing exercises for 15 minutes prior to and after studying. breathing exercise is: inhale, taking 20 seconds, retention, taking 10 seconds, exhale, taking 20 seconds. count how many breaths you take during each 15 minute session. sit in japanese "seiza" if possible or standing works too if your legs are inflexible. spine straight.

eat less grain and milk and more vegetables

drink water upon waking up, and begin breathing exercise + studying first thing in the morning. wake up at 6am or before. run for 1 hour each day outside and not on a treadmill.

study using kaplan MCAT book and practice using kaplan's thin OAT book. in sessions of 2 hours or shorter.

Are you effing kidding me? Here's what you need to do:

Grab your prep books, study for maybe half an hour, drink a bunch of beer and go to sleep.

Repeat this for at least two days and you'll be set.

You are welcome.

 

[RegularGuy]

Make sure you know how to do certain things like determine R and S configurations down cold. IMHO, those are "freebie" points.

And don't try to memorize every single equation. Focus on the most common/important ones. (There's still a lot of them, though...) Then write them on note cards. Every day, before you sleep, run through your cards.

And oh-- Right before your test, go through your note cards. Your brain will have a higher chance of recalling info if it's been primed a bit.

Good luck!

 

[broncos24]

WOWWWW....
finally completed my applications now with my OAT scores on their way!

350.. eh. It works for me! Thanks for the encouraging words everyone!!!!

NOw..... TIME TO HEAR FROM ICO!!! they've been waiting for this!!!!