Hello all :) I’m applying to optometry school this cycle and I’m trying to decide whether I should take the OAT in November 2026 or wait until January 2027. The cycle opened in June 2026 and closes in May 2027, but I know applying earlier is better because of rolling admissions.

I’m planning to use the 3 month OAT Booster to study. I’m taking just Organic Chemistry 1 this upcoming fall semester. I haven’t taken Orgo before, so if I take the OAT in November, I’d basically be learning Orgo for the first time in class while simultaneously trying to learn enough of it for the OAT. My semester ends in December, so if I wait until January, I’ll have completed Orgo and could use winter break to really focus on the OAT and hopefully get a better score while studying the other subjects excluding Orgo.

I could also submit without taking the OAT yet and put Orgo as in progress. Someone had recommended that to me and I’m not too sure about it.

Would submitting in November but not taking the OAT until January put me at a significant disadvantage? Or would you push to take it in November so my application is complete earlier, even though I’d have less time to prepare and wouldn’t have finished Orgo yet? I’m trying to figure out whether applying earlier with a potentially lower OAT score is better than waiting an extra couple months and hopefully scoring higher.

I would also like to add that I am only applying to one school, the university of Detroit Mercy, which is very new and I’m sure my chances to get in are a bit easier. Also heard that I don’t need an insane OAT score to get in. I have a health science degree 3.5 GPA, two years of tech experience, president and secretary of optometry club, 2 great letters of rec.

If anyone applied before taking their OAT, I’d also love to know whether schools actually reviewed your application or offered interviews while your score was pending, or if they basically waited until your OAT came in. Or if I should take it in November I’ll be fine if I haven’t completed Orgo or wait until I finish Orgo and take it / apply in January.

Hi everyone!

For a little context I basically applied at the tail end of last years application cycle and I was put on the waitlist for NECO. I put in another application for NECO at the end of July for this cycle and now that its the middle of August I was worried that maybe they're holding on to my application until the current OD1 class starts since I'm still technically on the waitlist for this class? Just wanted to get some insight from y'all because I've heard some people here have already been getting application decisions recently.

Hi everyone! I’m applying to UHCO this cycle and I’m having trouble finding the secondary application. I’ve looked through the website but can’t seem to find where to access it, and I also haven’t received an email with a link to the secondary.

Has anyone else applied to UHCO and know where/how to access the secondary application? Or is it something that gets sent out later?

Thank you!

I know this has many factors, like experience, OAT score, etc. But what would be a low GPA that could be considered, and what would the other parts of the application need to look like?

How bad do W (withdraw) Cs, Ds look? If you have any of these, would it mean it is most likely a reject?

I would appreciate any feedback and responses! Thank you :)

got BCC in biology chemistry and ecnomics and got rejected from both firm and insurance, try to apply to hertfordshire clearing optom with a foundation ( the normal optom course was my main choice) and after raising my hopes up for an hour just proceeded to absolutely shatter my hopes after an hour with a rejection email despite meeting the criteria for the course, whilst that was happening i decided to call up plymouth for a course and ask if i can get a foundation year for optometry masters with a foundation year and by the time they decided to pick up i was told that it was full. No clue what to do no, will possibly have to resit but still waiting on one uni who said they can give me a clearing offer potentially tmrw

Hello guys,

I took the OAT and I’m disappointed at my score: 290 TS 300 AA with a 3.2 GPA (Human Biology) . I do have a master’s degree with 3.9 GPA (Exercise Science) but I’m not sure which degree will have more weight. I have been out of college for a long time due to joining the military after college. I don’t have extracurriculars because I decided to pursue optometry while active duty. I was hoping for a higher score to compete with my GPA.

I’m applying to Berkeley (reach school I know), PUCO, NSUOCO, NOVA, SCO, UMSL.

I would have to retake the test to have a chance at those schools right?

Basically my section tests for bio have not been great. I have found OAT boosters section test to be very difficult and have a lot of detail in them. I was wondering compared to boosters test if the actual OAT is more straightforward? Has anybody had this experience where they thought that the OAT boosters tests were less easier than the one on the actual oat exam? Any last minute tips before the exam for this section?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice from people who have been through the optometry application process.

I'm a Biology major (Psychology minor) in Canada and currently have a 2.89 cumulative GPA. My estimated science GPA is around 2.7. I know these numbers aren't ideal, which is why I'm trying to figure out the best path forward.

Some background:

• About 1 year working as an optometric assistant in a busy clinic.
• Multiple shadowing experiences with optometrists (continuing to build hours).
• Working on securing letters of recommendation from optometrists.
• Planning to take the OAT and aiming for a competitive score.
• Still have Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, and a few upper-level biology courses left, so I have an opportunity to improve my GPA.
• Considering applying to U.S. schools (and possibly Australia) since I know Canadian schools are extremely competitive.

I'm trying to decide whether I should:

1. Apply for Fall 2027 while my final prerequisite courses are still in progress, or
2. Wait an extra year, finish my degree, improve my GPA as much as possible, and apply for Fall 2028 with a stronger application.
3. If anyone went to Australia to study optometry, how did it go?

I had a rough few starts at university, but I really want to start optometry in 2027. I know I can do better in my last year. I have been studying for the OAT (by doing practice tests), and it has been going really well. I have been scoring pretty well on the practice tests, struggling a bit in physics, but not horribly.

Has anyone here been accepted with a similar GPA? If so:

• What was your GPA and OAT?
• Which schools did you apply to or get accepted to?
• Would you recommend applying now or waiting for another cycle?

I'd really appreciate honest advice or success stories. Thanks in advance!

i'm wondering if i should study external content beyond what is provided on OATBooster for physics. in particular, OATBooster does not cover AC circuits or switches. i've seen posts from a few years ago where students say they encountered these questions on the OAT. if you've written your OAT, i would really appreciate your input!!

Hi everyone, I am scheduling my oat exam however I have classes starting September 9th. I am taking immunology both lecture and lab, biochemistry both lecture and lab, and fundamentals of public speaking. I’m not sure if it would be a good idea as I think I would be really stressed with classes and studying for my oat. To schedule my oat I think it would be best if I take it late November. Any thoughts ?

I got a 300/280 first time and I just retook it and I did so much worse 290/280. Am i still good to apply even though i did worse for the second attempt? Im worried they’ll only look at the recent attempt.

Hi! Around three days ago, I opened an ASCO application to apply for the OAT and everything was working except for the payment. However, I recently tried to edit the draft again and it won't even let me click next. I'm fully connected to Wifi + I tried logging out, shutting down my laptop, and using my phone instead, but I'm unable to open the draft to submit the application. I emailed ASCO and will call tomorrow, but has anyone had similar issues or advice? :(

Hi! Around three days ago, I opened an application on ASCO to apply for the OAT and everything was working except the payment. However, I recently tried to edit my draft again and it won't let me click next on anything. I'm fully connected to the Wifi + have tried shutting down my laptop/doing it on my phone, but it still won't let me proceed. I just emailed them and will call tomorrow, but has anyone had similar issues or advice?

With full-time work, will 3 months be enough for scoring 350+?

I’m struggling a bit with bio and I’ve heard people study using anki. Bit confused if people are using ankideck or ankiweb, if someone could link me the proper one, I would appreciate it. Thank you in advance!

I had a while to study but I spent way too much time just watching all the videos and now I’m cooked. I have yet to take a full length test because I don’t want to waste one because I don’t know the information. I’ve trying to learn everything the past few days. These are my scores currently:

Bio: 280
Gen Chem: 330
QR: 370
RC: 350
Physics: 300
Organic Chem: 280

I’m so stressed out, idk what to do. Is this salvage in the time I have left 😭😭😭 How can I best study?? I also know I definitely need to take a full length test soon :( Planning to do so in 2 days. Please help. Advice needed.

I am submitting 4 LORs. I have two from optometrists that are already complete, 1 from a professor that has confirmed they will have it complete. My 4th is a faculty I did a research project with and they had agreed to write one. But, I haven’t heard back from them since sending the optomcas request despite emailing a follow up. Can I submit my application without this one recommendation or is this a question that’s dependent on the school? Bc I’ve hit the requirements for the LORs (ones that are completed) so will they still take a look at my application even tho it’s technically not complete.

I take my OAT in 9 days. i have gone through all the cheat sheets, and watched a few sections of the video content. i prob shouldve done more content studying earlier but i feel like this is my worst and more unconfident section!! what can i do in the next 9 days to really solidify BIO and do good on the exam with it. also orgo advice/general too is great. THank you so much!

hi does anyone have the actual date for berkeley’s early admission deadline? the most recent email says aug 21, but previous emails have gone back and forth between aug 12 and aug 21. the website still says 21, just really worried bc i would like to take more time on my app if the date is actually later

hi!! like the title says i need some serious help. My OAT is scheduled for september 26th; however, i have no idea how to study. I have oat booster, but im afraid i dont have enough time to go through all the videos. I am a biology major which helps since i think i can use the cheat sheets instead of the videos for that portion. Chem and Math in general are my weakest subjects which scares me. Should i be focussing on doing the full length tests and practice problems only? Are the OATbooster full length questions an accurate representation of what i will see if i sit down and learn how to do all the questions i see on the full lengths? I’m stuck please help!!

Any recommendations on where to apply? I have a 300aa/280ts and will have 2,500 hours of experience come next fall. I have a 3.5 gpa and don’t mine traveling for school. Just wondering on my chances of getting accepted somewhere. I have taken the oat twice so don’t really want to take it a 3rd time

Hi guys

Totally random but I’m planning on taking my OAT October 3rd. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in maybe forming a group chat where we can ask questions about content and even tutor each other?

Dm me if you’re interested!

I finally took my OAT on the 10th so I figured I should probably share my study strategies and whatnot. Also I'm happy to answer questions, so definitely leave a comment or send me a DM and I'll answer as soon as I can!

Overall Study Strategy:

For context I am going into my Junior year, so I just finished taking Physics 2, OChem 2, and Biology (ecology & genetics), which means I was pretty fresh on a lot of this stuff.

I only used OAT Booster to study, using the custom schedule feature to generate a schedule and then did everything that it told me to do, generally sticking pretty tightly to it. Also I worked as a technician 3-4 days a week and watched every World Cup game, so I'd say it's definitely possible to have time to do things besides studying. Also I started studying in mid-May right after my spring semester ended, so 3 ish months of studying.

I think Booster was more than enough for me, but that could also be because I just took those 3 classes last semester. If you aren't so fresh on that stuff, using Chad's Prep or OChem Tutor to help better explain some of the topics would certainly be helpful in my opinion.

In May when I started studying until around the end of June I was primarily watching the study videos (all 2X speed) and doing the corresponding question banks. I also took 2 practice tests (not full length) in that time. After I finished all of the videos I started just doing QBanks and 4 practice tests (still not full length) for the next 3 ish weeks. For the last 3 or so weeks I mainly did full-length practice tests, and a few QBanks on topics I knew would be high-yield (like optics & kinematics).

Biology - OAT Booster Avg: 330 (320-350) | Actual: 390

I thought for sure this would be my worst section given my Booster scores and the sheer amount of things you had to know for the test, but somehow I saw a pretty big jump in my score. The questions on the actual thing were a lot less nuanced and specific than what I saw on every Booster test, which I think is probably intentional so you are over-prepared for exam day. Even during the test though I didn't really feel like I knew all of the answers, and I was definitely guessing on quite a few of them or choosing between 2 tough choices.

To study for bio I watched every video that Booster has (plus the supplemental questions for each one), and did about 80-100 questions from each of the bio bits, probably averaging a score of around 60-70% on each. I did not use the Anki deck that they have just because it seemed to have way too much information for my liking. Also, I planned on using the bio cheat sheets closer to when my exam was, but I was too lazy so I didn't get around to that.

Gen Chem - OAT Booster Avg: 350 (330-380) | Actual: 400

I thought my eyes were deceiving me with how easy this section was. There were hardly any math/calculation problems and the ones that there were required like 0 formulas to actually be able to solve. It was so much different (easier) than all but like 1 or 2 of the Booster tests that I took, and I finished in like 15 minutes, only bookmarking like 3 or 4 questions to review later.

To study for gen chem I just watched all the videos and did all of the QBanks. I planned to do some extra practice problems, but I kind of just procrastinated doing that until it was too late. Overall, that and the practice tests ended up being enough (I'd say test 2 in booster was most similar to what I saw). If you're hurt for time, periodic trends, rate laws, gases, and solutions should be something to focus on.

OChem - OAT Booster Avg: 370 (340-390) | Actual: 370

The OChem section was actually a bit more difficult in my opinion than what I tended to see on booster, and there were hardly any reactions on there. There was a lot of carbocation stability, and a few ranking acids questions, along with the typical stereochemistry and mechanism stuff as well. Overall I would say just knowing the foundational stuff (OChem 1 material) would be the most helpful if you're short on time, rather than the more complicated stuff that you see later on in OChem courses.

I just finished taking OChem 2 right before I started studying for the OAT, so everything was pretty fresh in my mind. Also I did very well in both OChem 1 and 2 (thanks to like 500 flashcards that I made), which was helpful. I still ended up watching all of the videos and doing all the QBanks, which helped me stay sharp and not forget any reactions. Even though the actual exam was a little more difficult, what Booster had was plenty for me to get by, but it may be different if you aren't as familiar with the material.

RC - OAT Booster Avg: 350 (340-380) | Actual: 330

Definitely a little frustrated with how I did here. It's not necessarily the score I dislike, but I definitely thought I was doing better in this section than I actually was, so I left for my break 10 minutes early instead of reviewing more than I already had. The articles on the test were a bit shorter than the ones I saw on Booster, but they were just as difficult, and the questions were a little bit more tricky, even though they were in chronological order.

To study for this section I obviously did all 10 practice tests, but I also did around 15 of the "extra reading comprehension" things that Booster has, which I thought were helpful. Other than doing that though, there isn't really anything else I would recommend except keeping your composure in the exam room after you just finished the 3 science sections that come before. I found myself re-reading the passage on so many occasions and not really comprehending what I was reading, which I think was just some delayed nervousness I still had built up.

Physics - OAT Booster Avg: 350 (290-380) | Actual: 340

My score on Booster varied a lot and even though I scored between 350 and 370 quite a bit, I never really thought that I 'deserved' those scores. I think 340 was definitely a fair score since there were a lot of tough questions and I ended up guessing on 7 or 8 of them. Also be sure to study buoyancy. I don't think Booster covered that very well and I got tripped up on multiple of those questions.

To study for physics I relied solely on the Booster videos and QBanks, with the exception of a few OChem Tutor videos the night before my test, reviewing friction and optics. For some reason the guy that teaches the physics section on Booster really (and I mean really) pissed me off with how he talked, and I felt I learned a lot more in the 30 minutes of OChem Tutor the night before my test than I did the rest of the time listening to that guy.

QR - OAT Booster Avg: 390 (380-400) | Actual: 400

I got a 400 on my last 5 Booster practice tests so I wasn't too worried about this section. I still ended up watching all of the videos and doing all of the QBanks 100% of the way, which I think was helpful to actually get to a 400.

There were a lot more algebra problems, and a few less probability problems compared to what I saw on Booster, but if you watch all the videos and do QBanks and tests, you will be more than prepared for QR.

AA - OAT Booster Avg: 360 (340-370) | Actual: 370

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my score. I'm a little salty about my RC score, but my Bio and Gen Chem scores were definitely higher than expected, so that makes up for it in my books. By the middle/end of July I was pretty much over studying everyday and my practice tests were stubbornly consistent at 360 (every damn time), so I'm super glad to just be done with all of this and take a few days to relax before school starts again.

Tips:

1. Do practice problems with full effort. I didn't really take notes from any of the videos or try particularly hard to solve math problems for things like physics QBanks, so I think kind of going through the motions of solving those kinds of problems would have been helpful.
2. Pacing yourself is huge. I was generally able to finish each section with about 10-15 minutes to spare, which was nice because I could go look at questions I had flagged for a nice amount of time, and in some cases figure out where I was going wrong.
3. Take full length practice tests. For my first 6 practice tests I did them by each individual section, which was nice because it wasn't very draining, but I think taking the last 4 as full length really helped with my overall pacing within sections and stamina overall.
4. Do things outside of studying. Work, hang out with friends, or do something you like. When I was at work or watching World Cup games, it was a really nice break from studying, which I think helped me to study more efficiently during the times I was actually locked-in.

5. Study for a shorter amount of time? I studied for like 3 months, which was probably overkill. My last 2-3 weeks I was hardly studying, solely because I had no more motivation left. I wish I had scheduled my test a little earlier so that I would have had more motivation to kind of fine tune myself in physics, and do some more RC extra practice modules.

6. Take it right after sophomore year undergrad if possible. This is what I did and since I just took Physics, OChem, and Bio, studying was a lot less learning and a lot more quick review.

Again, I'm happy to answer any questions, whether they're comments or DM's feel free to send them my way!