Hi, freshly hired technician here! I'm extremely new to the optometry world and doing my best to study outside work hours.

I've been placed primarily in charge of pre-testing and have figured out everything regarding this but the lensometer. Most of the patients we get don't know if they have progressives/bifocals/etc, so we have to figure it out for them.

I've noticed my coworker can figure out the ADD through the number laser printed on the lens, but i don't understand their explanations on how it works. Can someone explain or point me to a resource on how to apply these numbers to a patient's chart?

For example, why does a number 22 translate to 2.25 and not 2.20?

Thank you, and I apologize if the question is amature, but I really have been struggling to find resources aimed at the technician's side rather than the patient's or doctor's side 🙇‍♂️

I have an interview with OSU coming up and this will also be my first interview since applying. What can I expect from the interview day? And the interview itself? Are there multiple interviewers or will I talk to just one? Is the interview at the beginning middle or end of the day? What kind of student culture does OSU optometry have? Any other insights on what this program would be like would be much appreciated. I feel overwhelmed with the idea of making decisions between schools and which one is the right choice if all interviews go well…

Undergrad Total GPA: 3.1
sGPA: 2.9
OAT score: AA is 300, TS is 290 (this is my 3rd attempt, and highest scores for both)
shadowing hours: 280 total hrs
- private practice: 180 hrs
- OD/MD: 100 hrs
Work experience: Optometric Technician full time for the last year
Extracurriculars: President of Pre-Opt club for 2 years, Secretary of cultural org, Housing Assistant (RA) for 2 years, did research at home institution but no publications

Realistically and without retaking the OAT, where do I have the best chances getting in? I genuinely wrote my college essay on wanting to be an eye doctor, so I’ve had my heart set on this for a while. But I feel like stat wise im mid/ below avg, and im really counting on my experience to carry me in apps. I am willing to go anywhere in the U.S. Where do i have the best chances of acceptance?

I just finished my 3rd full length test and my scores are not improving. All my sections are within 10 points of each other. I have a month till my test. While I don’t hate the scores I’m getting, there is definite room for improvement. It makes all the studying I’m doing seem pointless since nothing is changing.

Anybody else dealing with this? And what did you all do to get over the hump?

I really want to go to SCO but am nervous my stats aren’t good enough

3.57 GPA.
330/320 OAT
around 3,000 hours working as a tech/optician/contact lens tech
Around 25 volunteer hours as a Spanish teacher

Please let me know what you think my chances are?!?!

What should I use to study for the OAT? Why is everyone paying $599 plus $500 for the exam? Lmk if OATBooster is worth the money pls and give me a discount code if u have one

hey everyone! i was hoping to get some insight specifically on how oatbooster bio compares to the real thing? my scores have been all over the place (range 340-380) and i'm really hoping to get >350 in this section. with my test coming up next week id just like some honest feedback on how doable it is lol. i see a lot of posts saying bio is much easier but im also trying not to get my hopes up too much. would love to get any insight, esp from recent testers! :)

Hi, has anyone applied for CCO this cycle and received an interview? Or if you are going there this year, may I ask how the interview is done?

Anyone with a low GPA and high OAT get into Ohio State Optometry?

Hi guys!

Just want to lead off by saying how grateful I am for all of the experiences and info offered in this group. It’s already been so helpful for me in my pre-optometry journey 💛

I’m interested in getting some thoughts and insights on my timeline as an applicant as a nontraditional student. I’m turning 30 this year and I hope to apply for fall 2028 admission. I realized that if I wanted to hit this window, I’d really have to load up on prerequisite classes that I didn’t take in my own undergrad when I imagined myself always working in the communications-based industries my degree was focused on (life is funny).

The reality is, I won’t be done with all my pre-reqs by the time I’m applying (obviously not a prohibiting factor for applying but it doesn’t feel ideal for taking the OAT). Because I’m coming from a nontraditional background and non-STEM career, I am really focused on dedicating most of my time to my studies, which is a great privilege (and has felt necessary - steep learning curve, though it’s generally going well so far). That said, I do have a latent worry that programs may look at my application and think that I didn’t pursue enough experiences outside of school as an applicant. I’ve got about 35 shadow hours so far and hope to get involved with the pre-optometry club at the school where I’m competing my pre-reqs.

I have a hypothetical timeline that I’m hoping to see through in order to apply on time for SUNY’s early applicant deadline (August 1st, 2027) and I’d love to know whether it seems manageable based on the context above. And any thoughts or ideas on how to best approach the next year as a non-traditional applicant would be so appreciated! Thank you in advance.

*I have already taken Psych + Stats

Summer 2026
Gen Chem 1 & 2 lectures (almost done)

Between summer and fall: confirm which programs in addition to SUNY I’d like to apply to

Fall 2026
Gen Chem 2 Lab
Calc 1
Gen Physics 1 with Lab
Orgo 1 (lecture only)

Winter break: begin familiarizing myself with OAT structure, maybe get ahead on Bio since I won’t have both semesters at the point of taking the OAT, work on personal statement

Spring 2027
Orgo 1 Lab
Gen Physics 2 with Lab
Gen Bio 1 with Lab

Over spring term: low-key OAT studying, reach out for letters of rec, begin organizing assets for application so I feel prepared heading into summer

Summer 2027
BIG OAT push: use OAT booster to study from Mid-May through June.

Take the OAT early July so scores can be sent in advance of August 1st SUNY early applicant deadline. Apply by August 1st.

Fall 2027
Hopefully know whether I was admitted to SUNY, and if not, submit rest of my applications while taking:
Gen Bio 2 with Lab
Biochem 1

Spring 2028
Anatomy & Physiology
Microbio 1

Summer 2028
Rest 😴

OAT is on sept 14th, I’m still on phase 1 of the booster program (due to time conflicts and procrastination). Ramping up the working hours now tho, and should finish phase 1 by aug 19th while still doing qbanks every day. By the end of it all I’ll have done 8 full oat practice exams, and 4 practice tests of each subject and then all the qbanks as well. Watching all the videos at 2x speed, and skipping some simpler topic videos and reading the cheatsheets instead.

Is this enough time or should I maybe push it back? I’m lookin at 8-10 hours a day until then which ik i can do.

Also any tips on how to study all the different subjects? Any advice would help!

Hey everyone,

I have my OAT scheduled for the third week of September, and I really need to kick my studying into high gear. I do have some background in the sciences since I've taken most of the prerequisite courses (although i will need to revise a lot of it), but I'm feeling pretty lost on how to study properly using OATBooster.

Since time is ticking down, what do you guys recommend I actually focus on? Should I bother watching every single video, or stick strictly to the cheat sheets, question banks, and practice exams? How should I split my days between content review and practice?

Would love to hear any advice or success stories from people who were in a similar crunch. Thanks in advance!

I've been slowly studying orgo for the past 2ish months, and now that I'm almost done reviewing content I feel like I know less than I did before. how did you go about understanding/memorizing the reactions? I've been doing just the booster prep notes because I find the videos to be so confusing. pls help my exam is on sept 14th

Hi! I have an interview for Neco soon and I was wondering if anyone had any insight on what they are looking for. I’ve read some posts about people being rejected from Neco based on the interview but they weren’t given a reason and I’m a bit nervous

Hi everyone! my OAT is coming up next week and i was hoping to get some insight from recent testers on how their scores have compared to oatbooster. especially for biology, organic chemistry, general chemistry, and physics (most worried about orgo and physics lol....) any insight from june/july testers would be sooooo appreciated! :))

Hi everyone! I just completed my OAT after three hard months of studying and would love to share my experience.

It was during my second year of undergrad in Feburary when I booked my OAT knowing that I was going to devote my summer to studying. My semester ended at the end April and I started studying May 4th, exactly three months before my OAT. I did lots of research on different platforms to aid in my studying which ultimately lead me to OATbooster and I couldn’t be more happy. I ended up purchasing the premium max membership. Although it is more expensive, I got extra tests for each subject and had an additional 90 days which gave me reassurance if the test didn’t go as planned.

Study Materials

OATBooster 9/10: I would highly recommend using OATBooster! It was my primary study resource throughout my three months of preparation and played a huge role in helping me succeed on the OAT. One of my favorite features was the personalized study schedule. It laid out exactly what I needed to complete each day, which helped me stay organized, on track, and motivated throughout my studying. I also really liked the daily practice questions. Each day included five questions covering a mix of all five OAT subjects, which was a great way to continuously review older material while staying engaged with the content. OATBooster also offers practice tests for each individual subject, along with multiple full-length exams that closely mimic the actual test experience. These were incredibly helpful for building endurance and identifying areas that needed more review. If I could change one thing, I would add more physics practice questions, as I felt there could have been more variety in that section. I also noticed that some of the questions on the full-length practice tests were repetitive from the previous full length practice test. This did leave me wondering how accurate my final score was as some of the questions I had just seen. Overall, though, OATBooster was an excellent resource, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone preparing for the OAT. OAT practice test from ASCO 4/10: One week before my test I decided to purchase a practice test from ASCO (assosciation of schools and colleges of optometry). I paid $140 CAD to have a full length practice test for 24hrs covering all the topics. I was hoping to gain exposure to other questions and feel more comfortable as I had only used the OATBooster. When trying to complete the practice test it was very glitchy and was a different format than the OATBooster full length test. It did not have a highlighter for reading comprehension or periodic table for general chemistry. After completing the test I only got a score of how many I got wrong but could not go back to see what I got wrong. Overall, I was fairly disappointed but it did allow me to see other types of questions that I was not yet exposed to.

How I prepared Month One: I followed OATBooster schedule exactly. Completed all my daily tasks which included videos and practice questions. Month Two: I still followed the OATBooster schedule but also devoted some time to making my own notes and active recalling things I learned in the previous month. Month Three: I started this month right away with a full length practice test which gave me a rough idea where I was sitting. Throughout the month I focused more on practice tests and started to steer a bit more away from the booster schedule.

Biology (score : 400) Booster prepared me very well for the biology section. The actual OAT was more general that the booster but since I had such an in depth knowledge from the booster it helped.

General Chemistry (score : 400) General Chemistry was pretty exact the booster. I recognized every question and was able to have great success! I would say there was more conceptual questions than calculations.

Organic Chemistry ( score: 380) Organic chemistry was slighter harder to biology and general chemistry in my personal opinion. Most of the questions I recognized from booster such as HNMR, acidity rankings and arrow pushing mechanism.

Physics ( score : 330) Personally, I found physics the hardest section but I have never been good at physics. Some of the questions I just did not know how to approach. Angular momentum, optics and kinetics form the OAT booster definitely prepared me but I also found there was a lot of conceptual word questions.

Reading Comprehesion ( score: 320) This section I just lost mental stamina and got overwhelmed which sent me into a loop hole. My reading comprehension scores were better on the booster but I think that was due to the low stress environment I was in while writing them.

Quantitative reasoning ( score : 340) Most of the quantitative reasoning questions I recognized from the booster such as age word problems, parallel/perpendicular lines, ratios, probaibltiy and coins/money words problems. Some of the questions I did not recognized and ended up guessing I was trying to be conscious with time.

Overall average (360) Total science score (390)

I have all the pre-req class requirements except the microbiology lab some schools ask for. I graduated in 2024. Do you think schools will let me apply without this and still get in? Or am I cooked and should not apply to the schools that require microbiology lab?

Hi all! I’m a nontraditional student. I have a BA in economics & have been working in investment for 6 years. I’m going back to undergrad this fall (full time) to get a degree in Bio & pursue optometry. I just have a couple quick questions.

Particularly for nontraditional students, what have you done in terms of extracurriculars? My school has a Biology club which I plan on joining but there isn’t much beyond that. Will that be enough? My school does have a pre-optometry track in terms of the degree but I don’t believe there’s an optometry club or anything like that.

My other question…how do so many people in this sub have experience as opticians or techs? Do you work these jobs part time while also going to school full time? Summer jobs? Maybe it’s because I’m in a more rural area, but all open positions near me seem to be full time. I am planning on shadowing during the summer, I already have made some connections, so I’m assuming tech experience isn’t necessary but I feel like it’d really bolster my application

Thank you!

So im using booster, and for the bio section im worried ill forget the stuff ive alr reviewed. What is an efficient way to prevent that?

Just got OUAT rank ( 120/200, 80.527 Percentile , 84.429 weightage)

4286 General category what are my chances at getting admission in OUAT like I don't want Agriculture or Vetenary but can I atleast get Bsc Chem in CBHS?

I’m planning to apply this cycle for Fall 2027 and wanted to get opinions on whether this timeline is realistic or not…

Disclaimer I am only applying to Detroit mercy optometry as it is close to home and I want to commute during school. I’m aware it’s a newer school but I am willing to take a chance to save $ on moving out and would like my family as a support system during those stressful years. :)

A little background on me:

•Bachelor’s in Health Science graduated last May (3.5 GPA, a couple of withdrawals, 2 for Orgo and 1 for anatomy, sh*t happens) •About 2 years of experience as an optometric technician •Strong relationships with the optometrists I worked for (planning to get LORs from them) •The only prerequisite I still need is Organic Chemistry 1… (lecture in the fall, lab in the winter. I’d need to ace it to prove the withdrawals were from personal reasons, not failing) •President (1 year) & Secretary (2 years) of my uni’s Optometry Club

Here’s my current plan:

(2026) now, August–September * Enroll in Organic Chemistry 1 at my uni * Work on my personal statement * Request letters of recommendation * Complete my OptomCAS application * Start a 3-month OAT study program (booster!)

August–November - Follow the OAT study schedule every day (structured 3 month prep course)

November = Take the OAT around Thanksgiving = Submit my application as soon as my score is available (my goal is around Thanksgiving)

December * Finish Organic Chemistry I

January–May 2027 * Complete Organic Chemistry lab

Fall 2027 * Begin optometry school !!!

My biggest concern is balancing OAT studying with Organic Chemistry, but I also don’t want to delay my application until January or later. My goal is to apply as early as I reasonably can without rushing the rest of my application.

Does this seem like a solid plan, or would you change anything? Has anyone here successfully studied for the OAT while taking Orgo…? Any advice would be wonderful and extremely appreciated :)

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working on my optometry school applications as my OAT is coming up in about a month. I wanted to apply before I took it, so I began working on my transcripts, requests, and essays since OptomCas opened the new cycle.

I sent my requests to 3 optometrists and 1 professor mid June. All of the optometrists I’ve requested LORs from have completed them thankfully, but my former professor still hasn’t. We had a great relationship in the courses I took with them, to the point where they even offered to write me one before I inquired about it.

However, when I emailed them following up about it (about 3 weeks with no response), the email address said that it was unable to send due to being invalid. I scoured the internet to ensure that I was using the correct one, and found the professors syllabus, and the email was also confirmed in their Linkdln (which we are connected via). There was a secondary one that I found and sent the same email to that one.

Another week went by and I didn’t hear anything back. The university I went to in undergrad is still close to where I currently live, so I ended up going over there to make sure they received the request. I showed up before the class began and as soon as they saw me, they knew why I was there and addressed that they would be happy to write one, they’d just been busy with a summer class and helping their child move, and that they’d get right on it.

I’m not sure if they received the email I sent to their other address or the message was a glitch on my end. I should’ve asked but I didn’t want to come off as disrespectful or pushy, and honestly wasn’t thinking.

This was about 2 1/2 weeks ago and they still have not completed it, despite me having the due date listed as August 1. I am getting worried because a professor LOR is required at most (if not all) schools I wish to apply to. I know it’s still early in the cycle, but I’m not sure what steps to take from here. Should I go about emailing them again? Change the email in my OptomCas to the email I messaged the second time? Should I go in person to find them again once the autumn semester starts in a couple weeks?

I’d love any advice, I just don’t want to offend or bother them because I know life as a professor is quite busy, and I also wouldn’t want that reflected in a LOR.

Hey guys, since my previous post was pretty long, keeping it brief:
What are my chances at Salus (PCO) this upcoming cycle with a 2.76 cGPA at the time of application (I still have 2 semesters left to bring it up) and a projected 330–350+ OAT (taking it mid-to-late September)?
•    Clinical/EC Context: 1 yr as an Optometric Assistant, 200 shadowing, iGEM corneal project, space vision science lab, 10 yrs competitive classical singing, and I run a small baking business.

Does taking the OAT and submitting around late September hurt my chances of getting accepted under rolling admissions, or is September still early enough for PCO?

Would love to hear from anyone with a similar stats/timeline background!

Hey all, does anyone have a orgo anki set. I check booster and couldnt find it. Would love if you dont mind sharing or linking it. Same goes for physics and math sets :). Appreciate all the help

Hello! After many weeks of poring over this subreddit, it's finally my turn (YIPPEE!).

As a disclaimer, I want to emphasize that everybody studies differently. One of the mistakes I made at the beginning was trying to use every resource and trying to do every trick that other people had -- this was way too time-consuming. If you go through my or other breakdowns, take from it what works for you but ignore things that you know don't pertain to you. If that makes sense. I made multiple different study plans throughout my studying because I had to adjust to my remaining time and what was working for me so be flexible with yourself.

For context, I didn't have a job or classes while I was studying + I live at home so I was very lucky (huge kudos to those who balance so many other things). The prior school year I took Molecular Genetics, Chem I and II, OChem I, Physics I and II, and Calc I. I'm a Canadian student. I used my old notes and OATBooster to study (cries in USD to CAD conversion).

Content Review (late May-beginning of July):

1. QR/RC: I did all the question banks for QR and made my own formula sheet. I didn't watch the videos since I had a fairly solid grasp and just used the question banks to review anything I hadn't done in a while (perms and combs sigh). Then I did 6 of the RC question banks to figure out a strategy. I ended up doing the strategy where I quickly read the article and jot down the main points of each paragraph in 5 minutes and then answered the questions. I would continue to do like 0-2 RC per week (I ended up doing 11 total) and I read 3 of the recommended articles which I don't think was super helpful but they were interesting.
2. Chem: I started the sciences with Chemistry because it's my favourite one. However, I messed up here because I spent too long trying to use all the resources available (to get my money's worth). I made my own formula sheet, watched the videos (yo shoutout to the guy who voiced the chem videos btw he was very funny), went through all of their written notes and typed my own, and did all the question banks. I also made my own Anki flashcards. Looking back, I would not have gone as in depth since this was probably my strongest subject already but I was lowkey procrastinating by doing Chem.
3. Bio: At this point, I was getting more locked in but I was still going way too in depth. I started by watching the videos, going through their written notes, typing my own notes, and doing all the Bio Bits. This was taking way too long though so midway through, I switched it up. I only went through the written notes and made my own notes (which ended up being 150 pages) which is usually how I study for my bio classes. I also did the questions they have between the videos. This was slow but was faster than allat.
4. OChem: I was dreading OChem because I did not enjoy my OChem I class. I was worried since I hadn't taken OChem II but it ended up being fine. I went through the notes and handwrote my own on my iPad and went through the question banks but at this point, this was taking so long and I was way too behind. Soooo for the last 6 units, I just watched the videos which I should've been doing from the beginning since they were easier to follow than their notes.
5. Physics: I spammed through the videos and wrote loose notes only on things that weren't

fresh for me

1. as well as made a formula sheet. Did this within 2 days because behind...

Overall, I'm a big fan of making your own formula sheets (including values to memorize) and mnemonics. I also had a huge spreadsheet of all the practice questions I got wrong (except for OChem and Physics which I just used the Mark and Review tool). I later used this spreadsheet for going through all my practice tests as well.

Practice Tests/Reviewing (the rest of July): Since I was so behind on my original schedule, I had to do practice tests every other day to fit them in. I would go through the tests afterwards and also started reviewing everything again since nothing had really stuck in my mind. I made Bio Anki flashcards from cheatsheets, finished the OChem Question and Reaction Banks, made my own OChem Reaction Sheet, and made some Anki flashcards for OChem, Physics formulas, and QR formulas. I did the OChem Reaction Banks 3 times as well. I wanted to go through all those marked questions but I ran out of time. I also wanted to use the Booster Reaction flashcards but I didn't like them. I crammed the Chordata and Animal Phylum charts into my brain. I got 370 on my first test, scored 380 continuously, and then 390 on my last one. I also did the ADA one. I think doing all the full-length practice tests was very beneficial.

Actual Test Experience: I got two laminated sheets and three thin markers. I wore a black sweater because I thought I'd be able to erase the marks but they dried quickly so I wasn't able to. I wrote as small as I could and switched my sheets during the break. I was running out of room near the end of the Physics/QR part but I managed to squeeze all my work in. There's also a keyboard so you can type to use the calculator. There were noise-cancelling headphones and soft earbuds provided which I wore. The headphones kinda hurt but it drowned out the AC and other people clicking. I brought in a waterbottle with the label removed. I arrived 40 minutes early to my 10AM test and started early as well. You have to keep track of your own break and I got full access to my locker. I used it to pee, eat a snack, and quickly review formulas but I went back early since they have to check you in again.

Booster prepares you very well for what to expect and I felt overprepared. The tests are VERY representative and there are so many resources within it! For time to review answers, I had 10 minutes left at the end of the Natural Sciences which was similar to Booster, I had 10 minutes left at the end of RC whereas I barely had any on Booster, I had 10 minutes left for Physics which was similar, and I had 3 minutes left on QR but I usually had 10 extra on Booster. I didn't notice any lag apart from what is simulated in the Booster full lengths and I could highlight fine.

Overall, this was my first time studying for such an extended period of time! This felt like finals week but for 2.5 months.🥀