Studying for the Optometry Admission Test is different for everyone, but practicing is an essential first step when trying to gain admission into your dream optometry school.
Of course, many students use varying strategies, but we’ll try to recommend a study schedule that works for everyone.
Here’s how to go about creating an effective OAT study schedule.
Quick Summary
- The recommended OAT study period is 2-4 months, or rather, a total of 200-250 study hours.
- While creating a study schedule, it is recommended that you study for at least 3 hours a day, 6 days a week.
- The best OAT study schedule should ideally account for at least 8 weeks of studying.
- Your choice of study materials will largely dictate how your structure your study schedule.
How Long Should I Study For The OAT
You need to give yourself 2-4 months to prepare for the optometry admission test, and many experts recommend 200-250 hours.
The time you spend each week studying for the OAT depends on your starting study materials, the test date, and critical thinking mastery.
A good way you can break this down is to dedicate three hours per day for five days a week to study for three consecutive months.
Some students choose to study for six days a week, but it’s important to leave at least one day every week to rest. However, you might need more time to study if you can’t spare three hours to study every day.
Other students might require less time to prepare, depending on their goal scores and personal experience.
Whichever plan you choose, ensure you practice enough to boost your confidence and equip you with enough knowledge about the concepts tested in the OAT.
A good sign that you’re ready to take the actual OAT exam is when you have a firm understanding of how you scored in the practice exams.
That’s why reviewing your answers to understand why you got an answer right or wrong is crucial. Lots of practice tests are designed to be harder than the actual exam, so you might score poorly when practicing and easily pass your OAT.
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Choosing Your OAT Study Materials
Some students choose to pay for a self-paced OAT prep course like the OAT Bootcamp, while others invest in an OAT prep book like the OAT destroyer. You can also combine several OAT prep resources, including online videos.
The OAT covers a wide range of concepts, so preparing for it can seem daunting when starting. Choosing the right study materials can help put your studying process under control and get admission to your optometry school of choice.
Here are several OAT prep resources we recommend depending on whether you choose to self-study, online prep courses, or hire a tutor.
1. OAT Prep Courses
If you prefer to study with a tutor but don’t have enough money or time to hire a tutor, the right OAT prep course is all you need to ace the test.
Of course, OAT prep courses offer different study materials and the price differs widely. However, some also offer a small study group where you can discuss hard concepts with other students and tutors.
Some of the best OAT prep courses that we recommend include:
- OAT Bootcamp
OAT Bootcamp is the best self-paced OAT prep course you can get when looking for extensive study material with lots of practice tests and video lessons.
The price starts at about $500, but the 10+ full-length practice tests and 3500+ practice questions with detailed notes are well worth it.
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- Kaplan OAT
Kaplan OAT is the ideal OAT prep course for students looking for the conventional style study classroom with a virtual tutor.
Students can choose the number of hours to pay for lessons, but you can also subscribe to their self-paced course.
2. OAT Prep Books & Review Notes
Besides paying for commercial OAT prep courses, some students choose the self-studying route using books and review notes.
Some students also combine reading OAT prep books with online prep courses for better preparation. Books and review notes especially come in handy when preparing for the quantitative reasoning section.
Some of the best OAT prep books we recommend include the OAT Destroyer, which comes in handy for students struggling with Maths, Physics, and Biology sections. The Kaplan OAT book is also excellent for the general chemistry section and provides detailed explanations of different concepts.
However, students who don’t have enough time to read these books should consider buying their review notes from other students.
3. Best OAT Prep Videos
Chad’s online Videos are your go-to resource if you’re struggling with Physics, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry.
There are also videos for Quantitative Reasoning and lots of practice questions. However, you’ll need more OAT practice problems to pass the real thing.
4. OAT Test Packs & Free Resources
When studying for the OAT on a budget, test packs and free resources come in handy. The online Kaplan OAT has valuable free practice tests, but you’ll need to register first.
You can also buy ADA’s OAT test packs for all subjects at $100 or $20 for an individual subject.
How To Design An OAT Study Schedule
The simplest way to design your study schedule is to break everything into two parts, with each section taking at least a month.
The first part should focus on learning the OAT content and practicing using different tests. In this part, you’ll review the OAT concepts while developing your notes.
During the initial stage, you’ll answer practice tests untimed and ensure you learn from the content review and discover the areas that need more review.
The second part will involve using full-length practice tests as you review the content. This part should feature timed practice tests to build stamina and test-taking skills.
2 Months OAT Study Schedule For 2024
This study guide recommends using the OAT Bootcamp self-paced review course, but students can also use it with other online courses, books, and videos.
MONTH 1 | ||||||
MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY |
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
• Read ADA’s OAT guide & tutorial
| • Re-read Biology Ch.1 & Flashcards
| • Bio Ch.2 • GC Ch.2 Practice Questions
Videos Ch.3
Kinematics Practice Questions • Mike’s GC Videos Ch.1.3-1.6 | • Re-read Bio Ch.2 & Bio Bites
Ch.2 GC Ch.3 Prep Questions
Videos Ch.4
Kinematics Questions | • Read Bio Ch.3
Ch.3
Videos Ch.5
| • Revise Bio Ch.3 & Read Bio Bites
Practice Questions
Ch.6
| • Rest Day |
Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 |
• Read Bio Ch.4
Ch.5
Videos Ch.7
Prep Questions | • Re-read Bio Ch.4 Notes
Videos Ch.8
& Circular Motion Practice Questions | • Read Bio Ch.5 Notes
Ch.7
Videos Ch.9
& Circular Motion Practice Questions | • Re-read Bootcamp Bio Ch.5
Ch.10
| • Chad’s Physics Videos Ch.11 & 12
& Harmonic Motion & Waves Prep Questions
Ch.6
Ch.10
| • Chad’s Physics Videos Ch.11 & 12
Ch.6 & Bio Bites • Bio Ch.6 Practice Questions
11.1-11.6 | • Rest Day |
Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 |
• Read Bio Ch.7 Review Notes
11.7-11.11
Videos Ch.13
Statics Prep Question
| • Start Qualitative Reasoning Prep Tests
Videos Ch.14
Statics Questions
Ch.7 & Bio Bites
Ch.12
| • Read Bio Ch.8 Review Notes
Full-Length Test 1
Ch.15
& Thermodynamics Prep Questions
| • Re-read Bio Ch.8
Videos Ch.16
| • Read Bio Ch.9
Videos Ch.17
Prep Question
Ch.2
| • Re-read Bio Ch.9
Videos Ch.22
Question Bank
| • Rest Day |
Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 | Day 28 |
• Read Bio Ch.10
Videos Ch.23
• OAT GC Test | • Re-read Bio Ch.10
Ch.5
Physics Full-Length Test 1 | • Read Bio Ch.11.1-11.2
Questions
| • Re-read Bio Ch.11.1-11.2
Prep Questions
Ch.7.1-7.5
| • Read Bio Ch.11.3-11.4
Ch.7.6-7.10
Full-Length Test | • Re-read Bio Ch.11.3-11.4
Questions
| • Rest Day |
Day 29 | Day 30 | |||||
• Read Bio Ch.11.5-11.6
Ch.9 & 10
| • Re-read Bio Ch.11.5-11.6
| |||||
MONTH 2 | ||||||
MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY |
Day 31 | Day 32 | Day 33 | Day 34 | Day 35 | ||
• Read Bio Ch.11.7-11.8
Ch.12
| • Re-read Bio Ch.11.7-11.8
Questions
Ch.13
| • Read Bio Ch.11.9-11.10
Ch.14
ADA Test Packs
| • Re-read Bio Ch.11.9-11.10 Bio Ch.11.9-11.10 Questions
OC Practice Test | • Rest Day | ||
Day 36 | Day 37 | Day 38 | Day 39 | Day 40 | Day 41 | Day 42 |
• Read Bio Ch.12
Full-Length Test
Test 1 | • Re-read Bio Ch.12
| • Read Bio Ch.13
Test
| • Re-read Ch.13
| • Read Bio Ch.14 & 15
Physics Test
| • Re-read Bio Ch.14 & 15
| • Rest Day |
Day 43 | Day 44 | Day 45 | Day 46 | Day 47 | Day 48 | Day 49 |
• OAT Biology Test
Test
| • OAT Full-Length Test | • Review | • OAT Full-Length Test | • Review | • OAT Full Length Test
| • Rest Day |
Note: Students who need more time can adjust the schedule for more practice tests and reviewing their areas of weakness. | ||||||
Strategies For Your OAT Study Schedule
After designing a personalized study plan detailing the time allotted to each section and dates, it’s time to start putting everything into action. Here are several study tips and strategies to help you study effectively:
Goal Setting
A goal of increasing your cumulative score might seem reasonable at first, but it’s too abstract and hard to quantify on a small scale. It’s more reasonable to try and memorize all the digestive enzymes within a week.
Breaking down the concepts into specific daily or weekly goals is the best way to get control of your OAT study schedule.
Small goals are less overwhelming, and break your studies into manageable portions. Setting short-term goals also help you to make the most of your OAT study time.
Ensure you jot down all the important ideas, make charts and draw diagrams whether you choose to self-study or hire an expert tutor.
Focus On Your Greatest Opportunity Areas
These are topics that are regularly tested and you’ve yet to master.
If you have a minimal amount of time to study and prepare for the OAT, focus on areas that present the biggest opportunity.
You can check the results of your practice tests to know which areas present the greatest opportunity and review them thoroughly ahead of the test day.
Balance Your Prep Routine
It’s also important to take 10-minute breaks in between the study sessions to avoid fatigue and burnout.
When creating an OAT study schedule, ensure you allocate time to pursue your hobbies and hang out with friends and family.
Practice, Review and Tracking
Ensure you allocate time to review the practice tests and questions while reviewing your study notes.
It’s tempting to try and cover new materials as fast as possible, but failing to allocate enough time to review the content throws away your biggest opportunity to improve your score.
That’s because our brains rarely remember things we’ve only seen or done once.
FAQs About OAT Study Schedule
Should I Self-Study Or Take An OAT Prep Course?
Whether you take an OAT prep course or choose the self-study option depends on your learning style, as there are students who succeed with either option.
The advantage of buying an OAT prep course like OAT Bootcamp or OAT Kaplan is that everything is designed and ready to go. However, some courses can be quite costly, and less-competent companies will reuse materials year after year, giving you outdated content.
On the other hand, self-studying is more affordable, and you can access great OAT prep materials. However, some students struggle designing a good study plan and have trouble staying motivated throughout the prep period.
Nonetheless, you can still ace the real exam with the right study material and take as many practice problems as possible before the exam day.
How To Study For OAT During School Year?
The best way to study for the OAT during school year is to use review notes and solve as many practice problems.
You can use online videos for complex subjects and concepts as you might not enough time to study all the material in a book or a prep course. Using review notes allows you to concentrate on the most important concepts and you
How Many Hours Should You Study For The OAT?
You should study for the OAT for 150-250 hours in total. However, the number of hours you study for the OAT every week depends on your study schedule and the kind of student you are.
