chinchillafluff
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2022 OAT Breakdown (390 AA / 400 TS)
I recently took the OAT on 8/12 and was very happy with my scores, so I thought I’d make a detailed post in case it helps any of you since I found them helpful when I was studying.
I kept the summer before my senior year relatively free so that I could focus on studying for the OAT. I studied for around 11 weeks on and off, with the last 9 weeks and especially 3 weeks being much more focused (going to the library almost every day, deleting distracting apps on my phone, etc).
Study Materials
OAT Booster (10/10)
Primary material I used and if I had to do it over again, I would have started using it earlier as my only resource. I got it around 9 weeks before my exam and generally followed their 8-week schedule. Extremely helpful, so many detailed practice tests that helped me feel over-prepared for my exam, and overall, I just really loved having so many great resources organized all in one place. Highly recommend.
YouTube (10/10)
Not really an official resource, but I had to mention it because it was such a vital tool in supplementing my studying. Just looking up videos for concepts I was confused about was so helpful and I learned a lot from review videos the week leading up to my exam too. One channel I especially recommend for General and Organic Chemistry is The Organic Chemistry Tutor.
Chad’s Physics Videos (9.5/10) & OAT Prep Program (8/10)
Chad is a phenomenal teacher. I started off with his OAT Prep Program and thought it was pretty good, but I could not stay focused without a structured schedule and felt like there were sections where I wished there was more material (like Biology, and there was no Reading Comprehension at all). If all you need are some videos and practice questions to stay focused on studying though, it could be good for you! Also, I watched some of his free physics videos after my OAT subscription expired and they were extremely helpful, highly recommend.
Kaplan Book (6/10)
Had originally started studying with this because I was gifted it by an optometrist I had interned for. Nice resource, but I quickly found that I struggled to learn from just reading and needed more structure and videos to help my learning. I don’t think I gave it a fair shot since it didn’t quite work for me and I didn’t get very far into it, but if you like using books, maybe check out an old version from a library to see if it would work for you.
Studying:
As I said above, I didn’t have the most consistent study habits, but I think I was fortunate in that my strong foundation in some of the subjects (as a neuro and bio major) allowed me some leeway. You know yourself best, so allocate as much time as you need to study, but don’t be afraid to take breaks when you need them too!
I generally followed OAT Booster’s 8-week schedule, but I changed the last few weeks to better fit my studying style. I only did practice tests 1-6 and then practice test 10 three days before my exam, so that I could have more time reviewing the questions and focusing on concepts I struggled with. Also, as a tip, I did the last few practice tests as full-length tests in one sitting and would try to take them around the time of my actual exam (8am).
Biology (390):
Mostly general questions fortunately, a handful of more specific ones but I felt like I had learned them from OAT Booster’s practice questions. OAT Booster felt sufficient for this, though I found OAT Bootcamp’s free high-yield Biology notes extremely helpful for review.
General Chemistry (390):
Felt a lot like OAT Booster’s questions, though the calculations were simpler, and any complex ones were left unsimplified as answers. Doing lots of practice questions was especially helpful for me here.
Organic Chemistry (370):
Again, practice questions were key here, especially going through the answers and fully understanding them. The Organic Chemistry Tutor on YouTube was extremely helpful too. Try to get familiar with reactions and recognize patterns in what products are formed. While it’s best to get a good grasp of the concepts, I found that for more difficult reactions, just trying to memorize examples of products could help in narrowing down answer choices too.
Physics (400):
I scored higher on almost all of the sections on my actual exam than during practice, but my highest score jump was in Physics. OAT Booster’s questions were much more difficult and calculation-focused than the actual exam, but I found that going through their questions did help my understanding a lot. I would recommend getting familiar with formulas, their units, and how to manipulate them so that you can tackle any conceptual and general questions you may find here.
Reading Comprehension (400):
I was fortunately quite comfortable with this section early on into studying, but I think that this is one section that will depend on what method you find works best for you. I would personally read approximately half of the passage before beginning to answer questions, and I essentially only highlighted a key phrase per paragraph to make it easier to navigate when answering questions.
Quantitative Reasoning (400):
Another section I was quite comfortable with, and I found the exam questions to be generally easier than OAT Booster’s (I think I could say that generally across the board, so I am very grateful to have felt so prepared). I think lots of practice questions are great here and just generally understanding which formulas to use when and how to begin tackling questions. YouTube videos can be good here too for any concepts you especially struggle with.
Overall:
OAT Booster helped me feel well-prepared for the exam, the actual exam was generally easier for me than Booster’s practices (though I would still recommend studying hard in case you get an especially difficult section!), and YouTube is your friend in understanding anything that you need more help with. Figure out what studying style and environment works best for you (I had to go to libraries to get very focused and found that I learned best from videos and practice questions (and as hard as I tried, I could not consistently study with flashcards haha, but I think they’re great if they work for you)). Take breaks and be kind to yourself, it’s a challenging and stressful exam, so please take care so that you don’t burn out, can perform at your best, and just generally be able to go through this process while also not sacrificing your well-being (good sleep and healthy eating go a long way). Good luck, you’ve got this!
I recently took the OAT on 8/12 and was very happy with my scores, so I thought I’d make a detailed post in case it helps any of you since I found them helpful when I was studying.
I kept the summer before my senior year relatively free so that I could focus on studying for the OAT. I studied for around 11 weeks on and off, with the last 9 weeks and especially 3 weeks being much more focused (going to the library almost every day, deleting distracting apps on my phone, etc).
Study Materials
OAT Booster (10/10)
Primary material I used and if I had to do it over again, I would have started using it earlier as my only resource. I got it around 9 weeks before my exam and generally followed their 8-week schedule. Extremely helpful, so many detailed practice tests that helped me feel over-prepared for my exam, and overall, I just really loved having so many great resources organized all in one place. Highly recommend.
YouTube (10/10)
Not really an official resource, but I had to mention it because it was such a vital tool in supplementing my studying. Just looking up videos for concepts I was confused about was so helpful and I learned a lot from review videos the week leading up to my exam too. One channel I especially recommend for General and Organic Chemistry is The Organic Chemistry Tutor.
Chad’s Physics Videos (9.5/10) & OAT Prep Program (8/10)
Chad is a phenomenal teacher. I started off with his OAT Prep Program and thought it was pretty good, but I could not stay focused without a structured schedule and felt like there were sections where I wished there was more material (like Biology, and there was no Reading Comprehension at all). If all you need are some videos and practice questions to stay focused on studying though, it could be good for you! Also, I watched some of his free physics videos after my OAT subscription expired and they were extremely helpful, highly recommend.
Kaplan Book (6/10)
Had originally started studying with this because I was gifted it by an optometrist I had interned for. Nice resource, but I quickly found that I struggled to learn from just reading and needed more structure and videos to help my learning. I don’t think I gave it a fair shot since it didn’t quite work for me and I didn’t get very far into it, but if you like using books, maybe check out an old version from a library to see if it would work for you.
Studying:
As I said above, I didn’t have the most consistent study habits, but I think I was fortunate in that my strong foundation in some of the subjects (as a neuro and bio major) allowed me some leeway. You know yourself best, so allocate as much time as you need to study, but don’t be afraid to take breaks when you need them too!
I generally followed OAT Booster’s 8-week schedule, but I changed the last few weeks to better fit my studying style. I only did practice tests 1-6 and then practice test 10 three days before my exam, so that I could have more time reviewing the questions and focusing on concepts I struggled with. Also, as a tip, I did the last few practice tests as full-length tests in one sitting and would try to take them around the time of my actual exam (8am).
Biology (390):
Mostly general questions fortunately, a handful of more specific ones but I felt like I had learned them from OAT Booster’s practice questions. OAT Booster felt sufficient for this, though I found OAT Bootcamp’s free high-yield Biology notes extremely helpful for review.
General Chemistry (390):
Felt a lot like OAT Booster’s questions, though the calculations were simpler, and any complex ones were left unsimplified as answers. Doing lots of practice questions was especially helpful for me here.
Organic Chemistry (370):
Again, practice questions were key here, especially going through the answers and fully understanding them. The Organic Chemistry Tutor on YouTube was extremely helpful too. Try to get familiar with reactions and recognize patterns in what products are formed. While it’s best to get a good grasp of the concepts, I found that for more difficult reactions, just trying to memorize examples of products could help in narrowing down answer choices too.
Physics (400):
I scored higher on almost all of the sections on my actual exam than during practice, but my highest score jump was in Physics. OAT Booster’s questions were much more difficult and calculation-focused than the actual exam, but I found that going through their questions did help my understanding a lot. I would recommend getting familiar with formulas, their units, and how to manipulate them so that you can tackle any conceptual and general questions you may find here.
Reading Comprehension (400):
I was fortunately quite comfortable with this section early on into studying, but I think that this is one section that will depend on what method you find works best for you. I would personally read approximately half of the passage before beginning to answer questions, and I essentially only highlighted a key phrase per paragraph to make it easier to navigate when answering questions.
Quantitative Reasoning (400):
Another section I was quite comfortable with, and I found the exam questions to be generally easier than OAT Booster’s (I think I could say that generally across the board, so I am very grateful to have felt so prepared). I think lots of practice questions are great here and just generally understanding which formulas to use when and how to begin tackling questions. YouTube videos can be good here too for any concepts you especially struggle with.
Overall:
OAT Booster helped me feel well-prepared for the exam, the actual exam was generally easier for me than Booster’s practices (though I would still recommend studying hard in case you get an especially difficult section!), and YouTube is your friend in understanding anything that you need more help with. Figure out what studying style and environment works best for you (I had to go to libraries to get very focused and found that I learned best from videos and practice questions (and as hard as I tried, I could not consistently study with flashcards haha, but I think they’re great if they work for you)). Take breaks and be kind to yourself, it’s a challenging and stressful exam, so please take care so that you don’t burn out, can perform at your best, and just generally be able to go through this process while also not sacrificing your well-being (good sleep and healthy eating go a long way). Good luck, you’ve got this!
| Subject | Booster 1 (6/18) | ADA (8/6) | Booster 10 (8/9) | Actual (8/12) |
| Bio | 300 | 370 | 350 | 390 |
| GC | 360 | 400 | 360 | 390 |
| OC | 300 | 330 | 360 | 370 |
| RC | 370 | 390 | 380 | 400 |
| Phys | 300 | 340 | 320 | 400 |
| QR | 380 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| AA | 340 | 370 | 360 | 390 |
| TS | 320 | 360 | 350 | 400 |
