my optomcas app has already been verified. just curious to hear how long it takes to hear back from SUNY about an interview, especially if anyone has heard back this cycle
I'm a nontraditional student applying this cycle. I can't emphasize enough how happy and relieved I am to be done. I work full-time 9-5; started studying in early May, took Orgo 1 for 8 weeks from late May to mid-July, and grinded it out the last month before my test today (August 15). On average, I probably studied 20 hours per week exclusively using OATBooster.
Studying while working full-time is definitely not for the weak, as there was a lot of sacrifice with limiting travel, hanging out with friends, etc, as I truly feel like I had no free time. I said "no" to a lot of things and truly focused on studying this summer.
My Strategy:
I started taking section tests at the beginning of my studying, which immediately identified my weakspots. I legit scored 240s on Orgo/Bio - I'm very very impressed with myself at how I improved at those as you'll see below.
I did Booster full-length tests #7-10 and OAT 2006 ADA exam as my very last one. I would do these tests in one sitting every Saturday leading up to my exam, and spent the Sundays going through each problem one-on-one and adding each broader concept into a larger flashcard deck. If I had one piece of advice (besides using Booster), I would definitely say that making a flashcard deck of weaker concepts with WEIRD mnemonics (I can't even share with you bc they were inside jokes that I made relevant to my own life) was the best thing I could've done for myself.
Scores:
QR (practice: 380-390; actual: 400) Booster accurately prepared me for this section. If you're struggling with QR, try not to brute-force memorize the formulas. If I ever got stuck, I would just plug in the answer choices into the problem and work backwards that way. Might not work for some people, but I'm a pretty fast typer and that allowed me to solve problems faster than trying to memorize a formula.
RC (practice - 370-380; actual - 360) This was the only section I performed worse on, to my surprise. All of the passages were shorter than Booster's practice tests. I felt like the first reading passage was super easy, but not sure if I was getting tired but I felt like the second two passages were harder. It felt like a lot of the answers could be found via search-and-destroy, but still, not upset at my score!
GC (practice 290-350; actual 400) Shook that I got a 400 here but this was a lot easier than booster. A good mix of conceptual and easy calculations. I felt like Booster prepped me well for the variety of questions.
BIO (practice - 300-340; actual - 370) I'm surprised at myself for this score. Biology always felt intimidating for me because of the breadth of concepts I had to learn. Toward the beginning of my studying, I literally printed out every single cheat sheet, put them together into a binder, and wrote flashcards for all of the concepts, ending with nearly ~1,000 terms. Bio felt overall easier, but there were a few questions I was stuck on so I wasn't that confident in myself.
ORGO (practice - 240-280; actual - 340) Everyone I talked to said Orgo was easier, and I have to agree with them. I honestly thought this was going to be a major L for me, so I ditched learning the ins-and-out of every Orgo topic and focused a lot on the fundamentals. This really paid off for me, and even though I definitely guessed on at least 1/3 of the section, I ended up knowing the answer for the remaining 2/3.
PHYSICS (practice - 290-300; actual - 310) This was pretty spot-on from my scores via Booster. There were more calculation questions than I thought, and I probably guessed on a good 5-8. I memorized every single formula on the formula sheet and would rewrite them every other day for the last two weeks. Might seem a little overkill but it gave me a lot of context into how to answer (most) of the questions.
TOTAL (360 AA, 350 TS). I was scoring 320-330 on my Booster fl tests but scored 340 on 2006 version. I was very, very surprised to see that I scored much higher in pretty much all the sections.
Yes, I may have some prerequisites left to do before I matriculate, but I feel like a giant weight is lifted off of my shoulders.
Will the OAT provide things like the universal gravitational constant, Coulomb's Constant, gas constant, etc, or do you recommend that I memorize all of these numbers? (Completely separate from the equations)
and if you've already taken the real thing, did you score at or higher than this? like id honestly be fine with a 320 but im scared ill do worse
Make sure your app updates if you don't have it set automatically. OTF posted about it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DbYfre2jB_L/?img_index=1
i'm less than three weeks from my OAT. im happy with every section (340-390 scores) EXCEPT orgo.
my scores just wildly depend on the full-length test on booster. some tests, i'm able to get 16-18 out of 30 questions right to get a ~320, while on most, im only getting 8-10 questions right, estimating a 240.
since im on a time crunch now... if you were me and had to focus hard on orgo for the next three weeks, what high-yield information/hacks should i know?
has anyone taken UCSD Extension online courses for prerequisites? My community college doesn't offer Biochemistry, and I'm also considering Calculus I through UCSD.
most recent decisions about UDM and RMU optometry can be found here: https://theacoe.org/Affiliates/ACOE/Documents/ACOE/Recent_Accreditation_Actions_and_Decisions%20.pdf
It seems like UDM is continuing its preliminary approval status, while RMU will transition to accredited with conditions, which means:
"The classification Accredited with Conditions indicates that the program has major deficiencies or weaknesses with reference to the Standards of accreditation that compromise the educational effectiveness of the program.This classification indicates that the accreditation of the program is in jeopardy. The program is required to report on its progress related to recommendations to meet Standards I, II, III, V, and VIII. The program is required to undergo an interim site visit to assess compliance with all Standards areas in spring of 2030."
Editing to add that IUAPR received this notice:
"Inter American University of Puerto Rico, School of Optometry, Professional Optometric Degree program*. At its June 17-19, 2026, Annual meeting, the ACOE made the decision to withdraw accreditation from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry professional optometric degree program. The program was notified of the decision on July 17, 2026, and the decision becomes final thirty (30) days after notification if no written petition for reconsideration or request for appeal is received. As specified in the “Adverse Actions and Program-Initiated Withdrawals” Policy, the Council may allow the program to remain in an accreditation status until the program has had reasonable time to teach-out the remainder of the program or to fulfill the obligations of any teach-out agreement to assist students in transferring or completing their programs; the Council has determined this period of time will extend no later than July 1, 2030. The reason for the withdrawal of accreditation is as follows - As specified in the ACOE Policy and Procedure, “Adverse Actions and Program-Initiated Withdrawals,” in the event a program holding an accreditation status or Preliminary Approval status does not bring itself into compliance with the applicable ACOE Standard(s) in alignment with the "Timeframe for Compliance with Standards” Policy and Procedure, the Council initiates adverse action against the program. An adverse action is defined as an official Council action resulting in the denial or withdrawal of initial accreditation status, continuing accreditation status, or Preliminary Approval status. The Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry remained out of compliance with 2025 Professional Optometric Degree Program Standard 2.7 as of the deadline for compliance of May 15, 2026. Accordingly, the Council initiated action to withdraw the program’s accreditation. *The decision will become final 30 days after program notification unless the program petitions for reconsideration and/or files an appeal. [This notice posted July 20, 2026.]"
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this latest report
My OAT is scheduled for mid-August, but I started my OptomCAS application as soon as it opened for this cycle. I received an email from someone at SCO Admissions encouraging me to apply even before taking the OAT. (For context, I have a 3.7 undergrad GPA, 4.0 science GPA).
I assume that I wouldn't get any interviews until after my OAT is finished, but I'd love to hear if anyone else is in a similar boat!
everyone says to use the bio cheat sheets, but what is the most effective way you actually use them to retain the information presented?
i know there are 10 included in the base membership so just curious to know if you got through them all before taking your actual test. I'd also be curious to know if you found any of them more difficult than the others.