I thought university exams were difficult, but now I’ve come across something that’s on a whole different level despite graduating already! OATs! The Optometry Admissions Test. It’s almost the same material as the Dental Admissions Test, except the OAT has physics. BLECK.
My books. And this just contains main points & summaries!
I’ve taken 4 sessions of an OAT prep class now, and I’m just not doing so hot. I am lagging behind in studying, and the 12 hours spent in the prep class so far really don’t feel that helpful. I know I’m capable of learning difficult material and acing an exam in college. Get no sleep for a few days to a week before an exam & cram my butt off! It’s crazy but doable with hard work and persistence, lol.
But this isn’t college anymore, and as time goes on, I’m feeling more and more unsure about the OAT. It covers a full year of physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, random biology, math, and reading comprehension (scientific reading). And did I mention it’s all computerized (aka no paper & pencils), no calculator, and no scratch paper (they give you a dinky dry erase board, and if you need another one, you don’t get to keep your old one with all your notes on it!)? GAH!!! It’s basically everything I’ve learned my four years at university. If you’re anything like me, any knowledge even from a class you aced is out of your brain after the exam, lol. Damn it, now my cramming has finally come back to haunt me (I could still get A’s with cramming, but none of that information turned into long-term information I can remember anymore). Am I doomed??? 
My doodle of my pet cockatiel Chubs when I was frustrated with studying…
My prep class instructor said he wasn’t going to B.S. us. He told us straight up that the curve for improvement was going to look like a sad and flat hill. Only after the class where we drill ourselves with practice exams 8 hrs a day for two weeks will we have our performances shoot up. Whattt.
I really don’t want to get myself hung up in my doubts and worries just yet (even though I already am…lol). I want to work my butt off first before I worry about my poor performance. But it’s so freaking hard to do in the summer! Class is early in the morning and I drive home from the class (takes about half an hour) right away in the afternoon to avoid any evening traffic, but once I’m back home I just want to rest! Today I stayed on campus for 4 hours to study, but it’s so inconvenient to drive home during rush hour. Not to mention it’s super lonely on campus during the summer, too. 
If you’ve ever had to study on a regular basis without any immediate pressure, how the heck do you get yourself to do it? I’m thinking maybe I can continue going home early, but once I get home I’ll force myself to stay in the living room for 6 hours to study before going into my room (my lair of procrastination & leisure). This might mean I will need earplugs as well if my dad is at home singing karaoke (which is like 50% of the time lol). We’ll see how it works out. 
Oh my! That sounds like some HEAVY DUTY studying you're going to have to do!
My technique on studying well is to do it at a library, because I know if I go back to the COMFORT of my own house, I know I will be easily distracted by the comfortable bed, TV, internet, and family members bugging me.
Good luck!!!!
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It's trueeee, the best way to do it is at the library, but I just can't take being there for six lonely hours :'(
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Those tests sound horrific. Definitely wishing you the best of luck! Studying for extended periods of time is so difficult for me – I'm a total procrastinator. It goes really help to schedule out exactly what you need to study on a timeline and work through everything exactly as you've planned out for yourself. But I'm sure you know a lot more about studying than I do haha. Good luck with your exams! (:
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Wow this sounds rather stressful, but I believe in you! Don't give up, and I'm sure you'll do very well.
Whenever I'm studying or working on something that needs my full attention, I listen to this on repeat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0gsduLrfSU It's really relaxing and it keeps me focused.
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RAIN! You know, I used to use http://www.rainymood.com/ to fall asleep! Although it never worked for me of course. Haha. Maybe I should try it with studies. Hmm..
That sounds like a really intense test. I'm glad that I will never have to take it. Testing was always one of my weaker points as a student. Unless you count the SATs, I have never had to study for the test on a regular basis before, and I don't think that the SATs should count. But for the SATs, I just did a lot of practice tests. The trick with most of these standardized tests is just knowing the test.
But I think that the material will be easier this time around because you've seen it before. So there is hope!
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Anything that relates to the medical field has some intense testing! Hopefully, you'll catch up to where you're supposed to be for the OAT and I'm sure you'll do well! You're capable of doing anything as long as you put your mind to it and have enough sleep. It sounds like a lot of work to go into the Optometry field! Every hard work should have it's own reward.. Good luck with the OAT's!
Truth be told, I never really studied until the definite last minute in high school :/. I suppose that's why I do bad in the SAT. Otherwise for class tests, I pass them with a miracle :$.
I got 30+ bags of beef jerky because I constantly went back to the booth for more bags of beef jerky at X Fest. At one point, I just took like 10+ bags at once. It was embarrassing, but I pulled it off.
Take care and good luck!
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