OAT Prep Materials to Fit Any Budget
Beginning the OAT studying process can be daunting and challenging, with many students wondering simply where to even start. The first step in anyone’s OAT preparation is collecting prep materials, but with so many options all with varying price points what is the best option? Students that need more structure in their study routine may opt for OAT Prep courses from a 3rd party company such as Kaplan. These courses do come with their benefits such as 120+ hours of online instruction and practice, personalized study plan, 7 full-length computer-based practice tests, topic-specific quizzes,1500+ OAT practice questions in a customizable Qbank, 39 interactive workshops covering frequently tested topics, and the most up-to-date OAT Lesson book. However, the only problem with these courses is the cost which can exceed $1,000 with some costing even more. For many students, the cost of these classes is simply just not within the budget, but I am here to tell you that these classes are by far no way required to succeed on the OAT. In fact, it's possible to study for the OAT on a budget as low as only $35.
GREAT AND AFFORDABLE PREP CONTENT
Luckily, paying for an OAT prep course is not required and self-studying for two to four months with the use of an OAT prep book, online prep sites, practice exams, and questions can be enough to get you the score you want, with many of these products coming at extremely affordable prices. A good first place to start is getting the Kaplan OAT Prep PLUS which can be found on Amazon for $65. This also comes with access to some of the online resources that Kaplan offers with their $1000 prep course, the big difference is you don’t have access to the online instruction hours. But you do get Two updated full-length online practice exams for test-like practice, study planning guidance, more than 600 practice questions for every subject with detailed answers and explanations, 16-page full-color study sheets for high-yield review on the go, a guide to the current OAT Blueprint so you know exactly what to expect on test day, and a comprehensive review of all of the content covered on the OAT. You really get a lot of bang for your buck with the Kaplan Plus textbook. Another great resource I found is CrackOAT, which for 6 months you can purchase access for $700 or if you catch a frequent sale you can get CrackOAT for $297. This comes with OAT crash course videos (100+ hours of content), 4500 OAT exam questions with videos, study guides, and optometry school interview guides. Lastly, you should really check out the ADA official OAT prep practice materials. Where a full official OAT practice test can be purchased for $100. Giving you access to practice biology, organic chemistry, general chemistry, reading comprehension, quantitative reasoning, and physics sections. This material will most closely resemble exam day materials so it really is money well spent!
MORE CONTENT REVIEW
You may find yourself wanting more resources for content review to go along with your main prep material and luckily there are tons of great options. One great option is Khan Academy which has a free MCAT video course where a lot of the content overlaps with the OAT science portion. Another great place for free-content review is Youtube! Some of my favorite channels for review are Bozeman Science, Crash Course, Professor Dave Explains, Mcgraw Hill animations, and Chad’s Prep. All of these channels have great videos for all of the science subject areas on the OAT and are great supplements to your OAT preparation. Chad’s prep also has a website where you can pay $12 a month or $50 for 6 months to get access to quizzes and course outlines to follow along with his Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry video courses. I personally have used Chad’s chem review and have found it remarkable.
MORE RESOURCES
Studying Advice from an Admissions Director
By: Josh Klein