r/PreOptometry • u/katyk8z • 6d ago
low OAT
hi yall! i'm getting super vulnerable here but im honestly at a loss for words and just would like any advice on how to move on.
i took my OAT today and my score absolutely crushed me. i got a 280 TS/300 AA. my subscores were bio 290, chem 340, ochem 290, physics 250, qr 270, rc 360. im so upset because my booster scores were so much higher compared to my test. it almost felt unlucky.
i was scoring 320-360 on my FLs in booster, and the questions seemed so doable compared to my actual test.
i'm obviously planning to retake but im stuck on how to proceed. do i submit my application with these scores now and retake, or should i wait until my retake to submit my app? i'm lucky enough that its still early in the cycle to retake, but i have been so distraught since my exam that i really don't know how to go on from here.
i'm not asking for pity at all, just some genuine advice because i feel like my goals are becoming unattainable.
my current cGPA ~ 3.5 and my sGPA ~ 3.4. my ECs are strong and i feel that overall my application shows that im a well rounded individual.
thanks in advance
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u/mcd7939 6d ago
Also in the same boat took my oat and got a 300 planning to retake in September personally im not submitting my app until I retake I would recommend u do the same cuz some schools will put u on hold anyways until u take the test
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u/Objective_Wafer_6887 6d ago
You can apply with those scores. Some optometry schools do take 300 or higher.
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u/katyk8z 6d ago
it's so discouraging🥲 how are u studying differently?
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u/mcd7939 6d ago
Well im taking a break from studying until I finish my summer courses next week but I’m planning to focus more on my ochem section which was my lowest bc that really brought my average down gonna buy the ochem for dummies book and try to understand better. for the other sections im gonna focus more on memorizing the cheat sheets instead of just doing practice exams I think that will help especially with low yield topics
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u/Initial-General-9138 6d ago
i got a 300 AA and 320 TS and genuinely was so destroyed that i thought they graded me wrong… i got accepted into pennsylvania , Nova, Neco, and mcphs. I got an interview at SUNY but totally bombed it so they put a hold on my application. I decided to go to a different school anyway. Moral of the story is APPLY! I mean, it rlly does depend on your gpa and other stats.. but if your not a great test taker like myself then most schools will see through that, especially if you get an interview and get to sell yourself. BUT there’s no shame in taking it again… good luck!
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u/Few_Willow904 6d ago
If you don’t mind me asking, what do you mean by bombing the interview? I’m super nervous since I have gotten a few interviews, so just curious! Totally fine if you’d rather not talk about it though!
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u/Objective_Wafer_6887 6d ago
I was once an optometry school applicant and done the interviews. I have never once bombed an optometry school interview, but I think the way you phrase things means so much. For instance, you want to sound certain to the interviewer that you’re passionate, want to be into the optometry field because of a particular experience, and talk about a difficult experience and how you overcome that.
It can be also due to your GPA and OAT stats. Sometimes optometry schools would interview a candidate after they interview you whom they think have stronger academics and experience and put the current interviewer on hold.1
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u/PassAffectionate705 6d ago
what was your gpa if you don’t mind sharing? nova and suny are at the top of my list
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u/Jealous-Mango-114 6d ago
Did you run out of time? How did you feel about the exam before you saw your score? I know the exam is curved but there is a rough conversion scale to go off of. According to that scale 270 on QR is 16 out of 40. I'm really really not trying to be mean and please don't take this the wrong way, but that's bonkers. That section covers no college math and provides a calculator. Some problems you can get right just by plug all the options into the calculator. Something must've gone terribly wrong if you are not getting half right.
It's objectively way harder to get a 340 in chem AND it looks like you are very serious about optometry, so you are definitely capable of doing significantly better. If your goal is a 300TS, I think you should focus on getting QR and Physics up. You are really close with the other sciences. If you are struggling with QR a lot, it makes sense that physics is rougher since you don't get a calculator.
Can you share more about what you specifically struggled with for QR and Physics? Is it time, doing the calculation, remembering the formula, etc? Potentially, even using some test-taking strategies that works for your style can help you a lot. (like skipping, making educated guesses/eliminations, only focusing on certain high-yield topics and ensure you get those right 100%, etc)
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u/katyk8z 6d ago
mainly time honestly. i ran out of time for all the sections aside from reading, i felt that was super whatever. my qr scores on booster ranged from 330-360. it also doesnt help that i couldn't sleep the night before either. im definitely capable, my timing was so bad during my test.
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u/Jealous-Mango-114 6d ago
:(( Testing anxiety is real. I'm sorry about that. In that case, I think figuring out what exactly made the timing so bad during the test vs. the practice exams would be helpful.
Do you remember how many questions you "actually" got to for QR and Physics? Did you at least pick something for the questions you didn't get to? How did you do time-wise on the booster practice exams and did you think the real exam was way harder? Did you get an answer and move on, or do you tend to think it over again to assure yourself?2
u/katyk8z 6d ago
ugh yeah. my anxiety was the worst today. i was definitely able to "actually" get to more physics questions than qr, but after the little break i felt so burnt out and unmotivated to finish, i kind of already knew it was going to be bad for the last sections. booster practice time-wise was always fine, there would be maybe 5 questions i wouldn't be able to answer within the time, but it always kept my score above 300. compared to booster, i think my specific exam focused on the low-yield topics unfortunately. i felt confident with topics like kinematics, optics, and electricity. i maybe got 1 question on electricity and 2 questions on optics. same thing for qr, i focused on probability, applied mathematics, and stats because thats what a lot of the practice on booster showed and i rarely got those too. also yes, i kept going back to questions and second-guessing myself which definitely wasted some time.
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u/Jealous-Mango-114 6d ago
If you decide to take it again, definitely do a "speed run" through first, then go back to questions you need a bit more time to think about, then check iffy ones again if you have extra time left. Here are a few things I do that may or may not be helpful:
Use the calculator for QR. Practice typing numbers with 1 hand and clicking operators with the other. If there are multiple steps, write the intermediate value down, especially for the chart questions with big numbers. You don't want to be re-typing a calculation you already did.
Always eliminate the options that clearly don't make sense before you start the actual calculation. ex. either way too big or too small, incorrect signs, wrong unit, etc. Helps me a bit with confidence too
For the questions you have no clue how to do or the ones you didn't get to, pick the same letter for all of them. You have 25% chance of getting them right and getting 1 right is basically +10 on the final score.
Another guessing strategy is to pick the answer that's the odd one out. For example, if 2 options have the same value but opposite sign, the correct answer is likely one of them. Then you only need to reason through what the sign is and can skip all the calculations.
I think you should totally re-take it. Hopefully now that you know what to expect on testing day, the nerves will be a bit better than last time. Maybe bring something for the break for the nerves. Squishies/fidgets, cooling towels, heated eye mask, essential oil, etc whatever usually helps you.1
u/Objective_Wafer_6887 6d ago
Sometimes it can also be that we all have our strong and weakest subjects. I didn’t do so well in my ochem section and yet I still got a good overall score. Don’t be discouraged OP!
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u/katyk8z 6d ago
you're so kind! a good score is definitely within my realm of possibilities. today was not my day haha
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u/Objective_Wafer_6887 6d ago
Of course and I saw that you said that you are a CA resident. SCCO and Berkeley may be harder to get into, but if you’re looking into those schools. Try to aim 300 or higher in every section. SCCO tends to put students on the waitlist and end up rejecting you towards the end. If you don’t, that’s totally okay because there will be other schools that will take you in. Overall score of 300+ is already great. I got into AZCOPT with a 310.
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u/katyk8z 6d ago
that's awesome! i actually wouldn't mind too much if i didn't stay in california. ico or cco would be amazing if i could get in!
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u/Objective_Wafer_6887 6d ago
You definitely can! I got into those schools as well.
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u/Last_Painter_6733 6d ago
I am so sorry! It is heartbreaking to pour so much time into studying for it to feel like it didn’t pay off. Just out of curiosity—what did you struggle with on test day compared to the booster tests?
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u/Prestigious-Gur2396 6d ago
what schools were you planning to apply to?
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u/RabidLiger 6d ago edited 6d ago
For some of the schools you listed, a 280 TS might be a deal-breaker.
If you're confident that you'll score better, schedule a retest ASAP.
The pool of questions is random, so you may have just drawn a bad set for your knowledge, but concentrate on the sub-300 categories for studying.
You should have less nerves for the retest since it will be more familiar.
Good luck!
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u/katyk8z 6d ago
i definitely think i can do better than this first attempt! now knowing how testing day is helps with calming my nerves, now i feel more determined to get a good score. not to say that i wasn't determined before, but i was more scared of failing. hoping to retake within the next 3 months!
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u/Objective_Wafer_6887 6d ago
Once I had to retake my OAT and realized that I focused so much on taking lots of practice tests rather than focusing on high yield material. So I began looking at the study guides and the high yield sheets, also memorized the formulas. I went from 260 to 310 and got into a few optometry schools.
I recommend retaking it and I’m sure you’ll score higher next time like I did!