The OAT consists of four timed sections: the Survey of Natural Sciences, Reading Comprehension, Physics, and Quantitative Reasoning. The OAT Survey of Natural Sciences section contains the Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry OAT subtests.

The OAT is designed to predict general academic ability and measure the two skills needed by future optometrists: scientific knowledge and analytical ability. It does this by testing your knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology; your reading comprehension ability; and your quantitative reasoning skills.

The OAT is composed of multiple-choice test questions (items) presented in the English language. It consists of four sections: Survey of the Natural Sciences, Reading Comprehension, Physics, and Quantitative Reasoning.

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The OAT and DAT are roughly equivalent in difficulty and both are much more demanding than the MCAT. There is no calculus or precalculus on the DAT or OAT.

The OAT exam is computerized and examinees are allowed to take the OAT an unlimited number of times, but must wait at least 90 days between testing dates. Applicants who have three or more OAT attempts must apply for permission to test again, and from that point forward may retest only once per twelve-month period.

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Now that we’ve been through the easiest school to join, let’s discover the best optometry schools to join.

1. University of Alabama At Birmingham School of Optometry.
2. University of Houston College of Optometry.
3. Michigan College of Optometry.
4. Oklahoma College of Optometry.
5. Indiana University School of Optometry.

four hours and 50 minutes

Each section yields an individual standard score. The Total Science score is the sum of your standard scores in Survey of the Natural Sciences and Physics….OAT Score Breakdown.

Quantitative Reasoning	340
Reading Comprehension Test	310
Biology	350
General Chemistry	320
Organic Chemistry	300

When will I receive my score report? Unofficial score reports, generated at the test center, are provided for the examinee upon completion of testing. Official score reports are available electronically to the schools requested on your application approximately three to four weeks after the test.

Should it be necessary to repeat the test to improve your scores, you are permitted to retake the OAT at 90 day intervals. For a traditional applicant—one applying between their junior and senior year of undergrad—it is best to take the OAT in the summer between your junior and senior year.

The best time to start studying for the OAT is when you have finished most of your optometry school pre-requisites. The major ones include a variety of biology classes, organic chemistry, general chemistry, and physics. It is much easier to study for the OAT once you have a grounding in these subjects.

OAT Sections
Survey of Natural Sciences	100 Questions, 90 Minutes Test knowledge of biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry
Reading Comprehension	40 Questions, 3 Reading passages, 50 Minutes Tests ability to read, comprehend, and analyze scientific text

“There are no formulas given for any of the subjects on the OATs. You’ll have to memorize them all. A basic periodic table of elements is given as a pop up window during the necessary subjects.

The fee for taking the OAT is $465. The OAT is conducted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) and administered by the American Dental Association (ADA). The OAT is administered year-round at test centers operated by Prometric.

It’s not an especially difficult exam. Study until you’re comfortable with the material. Your score does not matter once you’re accepted into a program. Just study hard, write it once, and don’t stress too hard if your scores aren’t 400.

How Much Does It Cost to Take the OAT? Exam fees for OAT are $490. A limited number of partial fee waivers are available if the exam fee is not affordable to you. The waiver covers 50% of the OAT fee.

Becoming an optometrist takes a lot of hard work, diligence and dedication. It requires 4 years of undergraduate study (with a primary focus in sciences/math) plus 4 years of optometry school.

[ RELATED: What’s a good OAT score? ] A basic on-screen calculator will be available only in this section. It can be opened by clicking the “Calculator” button at the bottom of the screen. The calculator can add, subtract, multiply, and divide as well as take square roots, percentages, and reciprocals.

OAT scores are sent directly from the OAT testing agency to OptomCAS. It takes OptomCAS 3-4 weeks to get your application verified and delivered to the various optometry programs. The first time you take the OAT, it takes roughly 3-4 weeks from the date of your test for the scores to populate in OptomCAS.

Retaking the Test A candidate can apply and retake the test as many times as the candidate wishes. Candidates are required to submit a new application and fee for each re-examination. A candidate must wait at least 90 days before retaking the OAT.

It consists of four sections: Survey of the Natural Sciences, Reading Comprehension, Physics, and Quantitative Reasoning.

2 pieces of ID: Both require signatures, and one. must be photo ID. Food/drink: You cannot bring your food or drink into the center, but you can leave it outside and use it at any time during your exam (just remember that you cannot stop your exam for a break, unless it’s the 15 minute break provided).

There isn’t much biochem on the OAT exam. It’s more Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry. If you haven’t taken Organic Chemistry and you have the chance to take it, I suggest you do that. However, you can still learn without the course.

The MCAT is harder in that it’s passage based. You have to weed through a bunch of info in the passage before you can even begin to answer most questions. On the OAT, it’s basically a question asked, and you either know it (as in most bio/chem questions) or you can figure it out (as in math and physics).

The OAT is administered year round by Prometric test centers in the United States, its territories (including Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) and Canada. The OAT consists of a battery of four tests on the following: Survey of the Natural Sciences, Physics, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning.

Take the Test at Prometric Test Center

Cancellation/Reschedule Period	Cancellation/Rescheduling Fee
30 or more days before test date	$25
5-29 days before scheduled test date	$60 per cancellation/reschedule
1-4 days before scheduled test date	$150 per cancellation/reschedule

You’re allowed to reschedule the test within a year of the 1st test date you’ve chosen for a fee of $25 and you need to give them at least a 48-hour notice (if I remember correctly).