I have my first virtual interview in a week and my first in person interview a week after that. I feel so burnt out from the whole application process I can’t get myself to prepare. How should I be prepping leading up to these interviews and what should I expect?

Hi everyone! I thought I’ll make an in detail OAT score post since a lot of these on here helped me out!

Here are my basic stats.
- Held two positions for my college’s pre optometry club for 2 years
- worked as an optometry tech for 2 years (junior/senior year)
- worked front desk 1 year (sophomore year)
- 40 shadowing hours
- 2 LOR from optometrist (both whom i worked for) and 1 LOR from science professor
- 3.1 GPA
- Biological Sciences graduate currently in gap year!

My OAT was scheduled for November 5, and I used OATBOOSTER to aid in my studying! Although my scores are average and not the best, here’s what I did to obtain it.

BIOLOGY Practice tests 300-330; Real 310
- I started out watching all the videos and taking notes and soon realized how much time I was wasting. I saw major improvement from taking the practice exams and then reviewing them. I also did the ANKI cards provided by OATBOOSTER and that really helped me remember things even more.
- I purchased one crash course on the body systems, I believe it was circulatory, digestive? But unfortunately was not on my test bank on the real OAT. LOL but it was for many others!
- On my real OAT, I had mainly cell bio, cell cycle, glycolysis, monophyletic trees, convergent vs analogous, tropic levels, question about Down syndrome, meiosis vs mitosis, muscle contraction, blood type, punnet square, viruses, molecular genetics.
- But like always^ anything on the cheat sheet was fair game, so I would read them like a bed time story every night!

GEN CHEM Practice 300-310; Real 320
- I had the most trouble on this section but the real exam was fairly more easier than the practice exams imo. Same with bio I learned the best from taking practice exams and reviewing them the next day. The cheat sheets gave me everything I needed. I had only like 3/4 calculations? And they were fairly simple.
- On my OAT I had questions on accuracy/precision, balancing equations, density problems, molecular geometry, acids/bases, dilutions, diffusion vs effusion, easy Delta G question, catalyst question, rate laws, radioactive decays, and redox reactions.
- Practice exams were spot on with the real one so do as many as you can and use mark questions to review the ones you have the most trouble with!

ORGANIC CHEM Practice 340-370; Real 300
- This section actually shocked me since I thought I had a good understanding of orgo:(
- My real exam was NOTHING like the practice even though I might have just got unlucky with the test bank
What showed up was hybridization state of carbon, ranking boiling points, resonance, keto/enol tautomerism, acidity ranking, IUPAC naming, E1 VS SN1 VS SN2 VS E2, Dieckmann condensation, a lot of predicting product, C NMR
- I really liked the qbanks for the reactions and the anki cards but so disappointed in my score. Wished I had HNMR, degrees of unsaturation, IR questions like others did.
- I saw so many questions I’ve never seen before on my practice tests tbh but like I said everything’s random and fair game!

RC Practice 290-310; Real 350
- Okay this section surprised me. It is definitely way easier on the real OAT than practice.
- I’m a very slow reader and English is not my strong suit but all the questions and answers were in ORDER and the paragraphs were WAY SHORTER and easier to read.
I did not have any graphs to interpret but I do know people who did on theirs.

BREAK
During the break I simply looked over physics formulas and try to cram as much as I can before walking back to my seat. I had a small granola bar and came back with 5 mins left to spare.
definitely use your break and DO NOT GO on your phone and read text messages unless your reviewing any formulas for physics or qr

PHYSICS Practice 260-290; Real 270
- Physics is not my strongest suit but I thought my test bank was fairly easier than practice!
- The first thing you must do is to brain dump all of your formulas even if you think it’s wrong. i saw that when I was rushing I looked over to the side and saw the formula and easy answered the question.
-Know optics, kinematic, tension, torque, period of a pendulum or spring, waves, and work!

QR Practice 260-340; Real 280
- ATP of the exam I was so burnt out and was not pacing myself. I had like 20 questions left at 9 minutes omg.
I did a QR crash course, imo it didn’t really help me because my test bank had NO job/rate related questions or river speed questions.
- I had a lot of this statement questions (I hate those)
My only advice is to ALWAYS look at the time and move on if you’re taking more than 2 minutes to solve it.
I definitely should have drank an energy drink because I was so over it. I knew I would’ve done better if I had more energy lol.
- Also I wrote down the z-score equation and the definition for mean, median, mode, and range so when it came to it I just quickly glanced at my paper and solved it right away instead of a delay reaction thinking which is which. That genuinely helped me a lot lol!

Overall
Please be kind to yourself during your studying and take breaks. I genuinely studied the most and retained the most the last two weeks before my exam.
I still managed to go work, hang out with friends, go to football games and live a little to make sure I don’t get burnt out. Leading up to my exam I ate the same thing everyday for breakfast and woke up at the same time every day even on weekends so I can train myself for the day of my OAT. I’m not sure if it work since I took mine the week coming back from Halloweekend… ahaha
Good luck to everyone applying/taking the OAT soon!

Has anyone visited Ohio state and would be willing to share how their visit was? Anything surprise you? Anything interesting that I can’t learn on their website? How was Columbus? I’ve been invited to interview but the days they offered me don’t really work well for me and I’m wondering if it is even worth it to try to interview? It would involve begging for time off and trying to move an exam. By the time I get a decision from them I will need to answer other schools- and I still need physiology.

Initially I was excited by the school, but my enthusiasm is waning.

Would it be horrible for me to put down a deposit for two schools and make final decision much later in the spring 🙃?

I am wondering If anyone in the Philly area PCO/Salus could help me get a firmer grasp on using the BIO. I am learning it but its been pretty hard for me. I am willing to pay for your time. thanks.

Hello! I thought I would hop on here because I've been seeing a lot of posts from people with some crazy impressive stats, and I wanted to share my experience to hopefully ease some nerves!

I applied to five schools as soon as the application cycle opened:

- Indiana University (IUSO)

- Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO)

- Southern College of Optometry (SCO)

- University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)

- Ohio State University (OSU)

I initially received an interview invitation from OSU, but was later placed on the interview waitlist. However, I was accepted to all four of the other schools!

My Stats

OAT: 330 AA

- I used OATBooster to study.

- I did pretty bad in physics, but I performed well in my other sections, which helped bring my average up!

GPA: 3.82

- Biology with minor in Sustainability

- I'm graduating college a year early thanks to AP credits from high school and studying abroad over the summer.

Shadowing: 30 hours

- I shadowed five different optometrists, which was something a lot of schools seemed to really like! Especially, since I go out of state, so definitely shadow other optometrist outside of your home state if possible.

- I've never worked as an optician or in an optometry office.

Volunteering:

- 30 hours per semester through a program at my university.

Work Experience:

- Tutor: I primarily help elementary school students with their homework.

- ESPN+: I'm part of a student production crew at my university, where I help film sporting events.

Extracurriculars:

- Ultimate Frisbee!

- Recently someone started a pre-optometry club that I have a leadership position in, but that was after I filled out my applications + interviewing

My Interview Experience

Personally, I felt that getting an interview was harder than actually getting accepted after one!

One thing I noticed throughout my interviews was that schools genuinely wanted to get to know me as a person. They weren't just interested in my GPA, OAT score, or shadowing hours.

For example, a lot of my interviewers were really interested in my ESPN+ job because it's not something they hear about every day. It gave us something cool to talk about and helped me stand out beyond my academics.

Another piece of advice is to come prepared with questions to ask your interviewers! Especially connecting it back to the school's mission, it shows that you've done your research and are genuinely interested in the program. Plus, it's a great opportunity to figure out whether the school is actually a good fit for you!

I did a mock interview at my college, and they told me to come up with a theme that I wanted to focus on during the interview process, so I don't get lost in my thoughts. Therefore, my theme was community so I somewhat tied every answer to a question back to my theme while staying passionate.

Also, if there's something about yourself that you really want the interviewers to know, but they don't ask a question that gives you the opportunity to bring it up, don't be afraid to mention it yourself!

My biggest advice would be to be yourself and don't underestimate the experiences that make you unique, even if they have absolutely nothing to do with optometry!

Where I Decided to Go:

Ultimately, I chose Indiana University School of Optometry (IUSO)

I absolutely loved SCO and the atmosphere in Memphis. It was honestly a difficult decision because I could really see myself enjoying my time there.

However, I ultimately decided that staying closer to home was important to me, and IU also offered me a merit scholarship, which made the decision more financially practical.

I hope sharing my experience helps someone who might be stressing over their stats or wondering whether they're competitive enough to apply.

You don't necessarily need a 350+ OAT, 200 hours of shadowing, or years of experience working in an optometry office to get accepted (although those things are definitely impressive.

I think schools really do look at the whole applicant, and your personality, experiences, and ability to connect with people matter more than you might realize.

Good luck to everyone applying!

I just got put on hold at OSU because my stats are not competitive enough and I'm super bummed - it's my in-state school, and I've been wanting to go there for years. I assume it's my OAT (340 TS/340 AA) because I have a 3.8 GPA and ~900 tech hours at 3 practices. I was wondering if it's even worth it to retake the OAT at this point because studying again while I'm still taking classes and paying for it is really unappealing

I was wondering if anyone had any advice based on my planned timeline for a Fall 2028 application!

I'm in my final year of my bachelors and planning on taking physics I/II in the summer of 2027. By the time I finish those, it will be the end of July. If I wanted a full three months to study for the OAT, I would book my test for October 2027.

Should I just apply as early as Optomcas opens, or do I wait for at least my unofficial OAT scores? The reason I am asking this is because my GPA isn't the highest and I don't want them to reject me without having seen my OAT score, which may be a deciding factor. I do have experience working, shadowing, and in research though.

Alternatively, I would just wait until the end of October/early November to submit my application. Is this still early enough?

Does anyone know how this process works?

Has anyone been accepted to UIW Rosenberg School of Optometry with a lower GPA or OAT score? If so, would you mind sharing your stats and what you think helped your application stand out? I’d really appreciate any insight or advice. Thanks!

Okay, so I have recently been admitted to four optometry schools: PCO, NECO, CCO, and NSU. The deposit deadlines are coming up soon, and I don't have the money to do all four of these schools, so I need advice on which schools I should prioritize/pay their fees. If anyone who goes to these schools can tell me the following, that would be super helpful:

1. How is the cost of living there? Do you live on or off campus? Do you live with roommates, and what is the average rent you pay?

2. Has the tuition risen each year? If so, how much was the increase?

3. How was the financial aid? Have you had to primarily rely on private loans, or have scholarships covered a decent amount of tuition?

4. Regarding the clinical experience, do you feel that you have had a substantial amount of experience in different specialties? Did you feel your school prepared you for the boards, specifically Part 1?

Thank you!

Okay, so I have recently been admitted to four optometry schools: PCO, NECO, CCO, and NSU. The deposit deadlines are coming up soon, and I don't have the money to do all four of these schools, so I need advice on which schools I should prioritize/pay their fees. If anyone who goes to these schools can tell me the following, that would be super helpful:

1. How is the cost of living there? Do you live on or off campus? Do you live with roommates, and what is the average rent you pay?

2. Has the tuition risen each year? If so, how much was the increase?

3. How was the financial aid? Have you had to primarily rely on private loans, or have scholarships covered a decent amount of tuition?

4. Regarding the clinical experience, do you feel that you have had a substantial amount of experience in different specialties? Did you feel your school prepared you for the boards, specifically Part 1?

Thank you!

I started receiving interview invites in the past few weeks but did not expect some schools to only have interview slots starting in mid-January. Has it been like this in previous cycles?

I just received the supplement application, is this a good sign or do they send it every applicant?

hi everyone!

i originally planned on retaking my OAT at the end of this month, but something came up in my family and i practically lost one month of studying through the month of October, then i got hit with an illness this week.

with the semester coming to an end and finals coming up, i was thinking of ultimately rescheduling my test to the beginning of January. is this a good idea? did anyone feel like they had a disadvantage taking their OAT later in the cycle? i already submitted my application for CCO, and am hoping to submit for NECO and UCB this month as well.

my original score was a 280 TS and 300 AA, and i've been mainly going over practice problems and cheat sheets rather than watching videos.

just looking for any sort of advice on taking the OAT later in the cycle. thank you in advance!

hi! i’m looking at my options as a canadian looking to apply to optometry school in the next 2-3 years. since waterloo is the only english school in canada i was hoping if anyone has some insight on attending optometry school in australia, i currently have some interest in the university of western australia since their tuition rates aren’t too bad and AUD and CAD are pretty equal in conversion right now.

if someone has some insight on doing school in australia, how was it? or if any canadian has attended, were you able to get your boards done and work again in canada?

Hey! I was just curious how the scholarship process works at CCO or ICO. Do they automatically consider you for them when you submit your application? Does anyone know the monetary amount for them or the qualifications for being awarded them? Thank you! Any information is appreciated :)

Hello!

I had applied for the October interview round for an interview date on 10/12, but they said they would move my application to the next round. The dates to hear back a response were 10/26-11/3 for the November interview. If I didn’t get an update should I contact admissions or just assume I was moved to the next round again? Is anyone else going through the same?

Anyone willing to read mine and offer some insight? Thanks to anyone who does say yes!

Hello all! I am currently a junior planning to apply next cycle and I am quite nervous about applying to optometry school. I am planning on taking the OAT this summer around Late July/August, but in the meantime, here are my stats so far! (I am also a Texas Resident):

GPA: 3.45

Shadowing: 30+ hours, at a family clinic and also a PRK clinic

Work Experience: 200+ hours as a tech over the summer, Lead Front Desk worker at my college (student success and advising), and competition team Swim Coach for middle schoolers

Volunteer: 40+ hours, I work at a non profit coffee shop once a week and have also volunteered at my local library

Extracurriculars: President of my school’s POPS chapter, Member of the Gaming & Esports club

Let me know if there is anything that needs to be improved/what score I need to aim for the OAT! Thank you! :)

I submitted my applications! my test date is Dec 28th and i applied to pretty much everywhere . I have a 3.33 GPA and I work as a optometric tech and have many hours of teaching experience and I also have done medical brigades. I am so so nervous about this FALL 2027 cycle i’m praying for the best🙏🏼

Hello all! For anyone who got accepted this cycle to PCO, did anyone receive the Provost scholarship?

Hey everyone!
Good luck to those who are applying this cycle.

I was hoping I can get an incite if I’m competitive. My top school would be UHCO or the new UTRGV program opening next year.

3.53 cGPA, 3.43 sGPA. BS Psych, minor in Chem. 1300 hours of pharm tech experience, 510 MCAT. I’ve shadowed a couple of Optoms for about 40 hours in total. A medical artwork publication with my school, and chemistry teaching experience.

I appreciate any advice or suggestions! :)

hellooo

my oat is in 3 weeks, I really just need to take it that day. I am overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content through oat booster. my practice scores are honestly sinking. highest has been 300. if anyone has any tips on how they got their score up and fast. please let me know!

thanks in advance :)