Guides / OAT Study Plan
Your OAT Study Plan: 8 or 12 Weeks
Two week-by-week schedules that work with any question bank, or with free resources alone. Pick the one that fits the hours you actually have.
Last checked Nov 2, 2026.
Jump to the test date planner, the 12-week plan or the 8-week plan.
The Short Answer
- 12 weeks if you're taking classes or working. Plan on 15–20 hours a week: about 2 hours on weekdays and a longer block on one weekend day.
- 8 weeks if the OAT is your main job, such as over summer or a light semester. Plan on 25–30 hours a week.
- Either way: finish biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics first, take a timed diagnostic on day 1, and take five or six full-length tests before test day.
These hour counts are our suggestion for someone who has finished the prerequisite courses. If it's been a few years since you took a subject, add a week or two of content review for it.
Before Week 1
- Finish your science courses. The OAT tests intro biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics. Studying physics from scratch on top of a study plan rarely works.
- Pick a test date, then count back. Most students aim for spring of the year they apply, so scores are on file when OptomCAS opens in late June. You must wait 60 days between attempts, so testing by May leaves room for one retake. See the OAT, explained for retake rules.
- Choose one main resource. A question bank with full-length tests makes this plan much easier, but you can follow it with the free resources below. Our OAT prep comparison lays out the options and prices.
- Set a target score. Look up the entering-class average at the schools you want on what counts as a good OAT score, and aim 10 points above it.
Test Date Planner
Enter the date you plan to test. The planner counts back to when each plan should start and forward to your earliest retake, using the ADA's 60-day wait and three-to-four-week score reporting.
How the Score Is Built
The OAT reports a score from 200 to 400 for each of six subjects: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning. Your Academic Average is the average of all six, and your Total Science is built from the four sciences. Two things follow for planning:
- Each subject counts the same in your Academic Average, even though biology has 40 questions and organic chemistry has 30. A weak orgo score costs as much as a weak reading score.
- The four sciences count twice, once in each summary number. That's why they get most of the schedule.
| Subject | Questions | Share of study time |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | 40 | About 25% |
| General chemistry | 30 | About 15% |
| Organic chemistry | 30 | About 15% |
| Physics | 40 | About 20% |
| Reading comprehension | 50 | About 10% |
| Quantitative reasoning | 40 | About 15% |
Question counts from the ADA. The time split is our starting point; move hours toward whatever your diagnostic says is weakest.
The 12-Week Plan
About 15–20 hours a week. Weeks 1–8 cover content with practice questions every day. Weeks 9–12 are practice tests and review.
| Week | What to Study | Practice | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Biology: cell and molecular biology. Gen chem: atomic structure, periodic trends, bonding. QR: algebra review. | Full-length diagnostic on day 1, timed. Start an error log. | ☐ |
| Week 2 | Biology: genetics. Gen chem: stoichiometry, gases. Physics: units, vectors, linear kinematics. | A 20-question set for each subject you studied. | ☐ |
| Week 3 | Biology: diversity of life, developmental biology. Orgo: nomenclature, bonding, stereochemistry. Physics: statics, dynamics. | Question sets, plus 2 timed reading passages. | ☐ |
| Week 4 | Biology: anatomy and physiology, part 1. Gen chem: liquids, solids, solutions. Orgo: acid-base, substitution and elimination. | Question sets, 2 reading passages, 1 QR set. | ☐ |
| Week 5 | Biology: anatomy and physiology, part 2. Gen chem: kinetics, equilibrium. Orgo: alkenes and alkynes, curved-arrow mechanisms. Physics: rotation, energy, momentum. | Question sets, 2 reading passages, 1 QR set. | ☐ |
| Week 6 | Biology: evolution, ecology, behavior. Gen chem: acids and bases. Orgo: aromatics, carbonyls, NMR and IR spectroscopy. Physics: harmonic motion, waves, fluids. | Full-length test 2 at the end of the week. | ☐ |
| Week 7 | Gen chem: thermochemistry, redox, nuclear, lab. Orgo: remaining reactions, multi-step synthesis, lab techniques. Physics: thermodynamics, electrostatics. QR: probability and statistics. | Question sets on this week's topics. | ☐ |
| Week 8 | Physics: circuits, optics. Then go back to the two weakest topics from test 2. | Full-length test 3. | ☐ |
| Week 9 | No new content. Mixed, timed section practice and your error log. | Full-length test 4. | ☐ |
| Week 10 | Your two lowest sections on test 4, and orgo reactions and physics equations from memory. | Full-length test 5. | ☐ |
| Week 11 | Review only: error log, reaction sheet, equation sheet. | Official ADA practice test, under real timing. | ☐ |
| Week 12 | Light review early in the week. Stop studying 1–2 days before the test. | One timed half-length early in the week, nothing after. | ☐ |
A Typical Week
- Weekdays, about 2 hours: one content lesson, then a 20-question set on that topic. Log every miss.
- Two weekdays: add one timed reading passage.
- One weekend day, about 5 hours: a full-length test in test weeks, otherwise the week's leftover content and a mixed question set.
- One day off. You'll retain more, and you'll still be studying in week 10.
The 8-Week Plan
About 25–30 hours a week. It's the same material in two-thirds of the time, so content moves faster: weeks 1–5 cover content and weeks 6–8 are practice tests and review.
| Week | What to Study | Practice | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Biology: cell and molecular biology, genetics. Gen chem: atomic structure, periodic trends, bonding, stoichiometry. QR: algebra. | Full-length diagnostic on day 1. Start an error log. | ☐ |
| Week 2 | Biology: diversity of life, developmental biology. Gen chem: gases, liquids, solids, solutions. Orgo: nomenclature, stereochemistry, acid-base. Physics: units through statics. | Question sets daily, 2 timed reading passages. | ☐ |
| Week 3 | Biology: anatomy and physiology. Gen chem: kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases. Orgo: substitution, elimination, alkenes, mechanisms. Physics: dynamics, rotation, energy, momentum. | Full-length test 2 on the weekend. | ☐ |
| Week 4 | Biology: evolution, ecology, behavior. Gen chem: thermochemistry, redox, nuclear, lab. Orgo: aromatics, carbonyls, spectroscopy, lab techniques, synthesis. Physics: harmonic motion, waves, fluids, thermodynamics. QR: data analysis, probability. | Question sets, 2 reading passages, 2 QR sets. | ☐ |
| Week 5 | Physics: electrostatics, circuits, optics. Then the weakest topics from test 2. | Full-length test 3. | ☐ |
| Week 6 | No new content. Mixed, timed section practice and your error log. | Full-length test 4. | ☐ |
| Week 7 | Your two lowest sections, plus reactions and equations from memory. | Full-length test 5 early in the week, official ADA practice test at the end. | ☐ |
| Week 8 | Light review of your error log. Stop studying 1–2 days before the test. | One timed half-length early in the week, nothing after. | ☐ |
A Typical Day
- Morning, 2 hours: content for one science.
- Afternoon, 2 hours: content for a second subject, alternating physics or QR with a chemistry.
- Evening, 1 hour: a question set on the day's topics, review of misses, and one reading passage every other day.
- One day a week: a full-length test in test weeks, or a full day off.
Section by Section
Biology
The broadest section: cell and molecular biology, diversity of life, anatomy and physiology, developmental biology, genetics, and evolution, ecology and behavior. Breadth beats depth here. Review every system once with active recall, such as flashcards or explaining it out loud, rather than rereading notes.
General Chemistry
Mostly calculation: stoichiometry, gases, solutions, kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases, thermochemistry and redox, plus atomic structure, periodic trends, nuclear chemistry and lab technique. There's no calculator in this section, so practice the arithmetic by hand from week 1, including logs for pH.
Organic Chemistry
The ADA's new outline has five areas: mechanisms (curved arrows, reaction coordinate diagrams), chemical synthesis (one-step through multi-step), acid-base chemistry, chemical and physical properties (including NMR and IR spectroscopy and lab techniques such as extraction and distillation) and structural evaluation (nomenclature, stereochemistry, aromaticity and bonding). Older prep materials may skimp on spectroscopy and multi-step synthesis, so check yours against the ADA specification. Build a one-page reaction sheet as you go (reagent, product, mechanism type), and redraw it from memory once a week. Most orgo questions reward recognizing a pattern quickly.
Physics
Units and vectors, kinematics, statics, dynamics, rotation, energy and momentum, harmonic motion, waves, fluids, thermodynamics, electrostatics, circuits and optics. It's the section that sets the OAT apart from the dental and medical exams, and the one most students last saw longest ago. Keep an equation sheet, but practice problems are what move this score: aim for a short set every day once you start physics. Optics is the last topic in both plans; don't skip it.
Reading Comprehension
Three science passages of about 1,000 to 1,500 words each, 50 questions in 60 minutes. You can't cram it, so it runs through the whole plan at two timed passages a week. Read actual science writing between sessions, such as review articles or Scientific American, and practice finding a detail in the passage quickly rather than reading every word twice.
Quantitative Reasoning
Algebra, data analysis and interpretation, quantitative comparison, and probability and statistics. A basic on-screen calculator is available in this section only, but it's slow to use, so estimate and simplify by hand first. Speed is the usual problem: 40 questions in 45 minutes. Do timed QR sets in the second half of either plan.
Practice Targets by Section
Pace is where practice scores are lost. These per-question times come straight from the ADA's section lengths, so a timed set that runs over them is a sign you need speed work, not more content.
| Section | Questions | Time | Pace | Practice target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey of the Natural Sciences | 100 | 90 min | 54 sec each | Biology, gen chem and orgo share one clock, so practice mixed 20-question sets in about 18 minutes. |
| Reading Comprehension | 50 | 60 min | 20 min per passage | Finish a passage and its questions in 20 minutes, twice a week from week 1. |
| Physics | 40 | 50 min | 75 sec each | Solve from your equation sheet with no lookup; a missed unit conversion costs as much as a missed concept. |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 40 | 45 min | 67 sec each | Time 20-question sets in 22 minutes from the second half of either plan. |
Pace is the section time divided by its questions, rounded. Source: ADA 2026 candidate guide.
Score Checkpoints
Every company scales its practice tests differently, so watch the trend and the gaps between your sections more than any single number. As a rule of thumb (ours, not the ADA's), measured against your target Academic Average:
- Diagnostic: no target. It only tells you where to spend hours.
- Midpoint test (test 2 or 3): within about 30 points.
- Last two full-length tests: within about 10 points, with no subject more than 20 below your target. Each subject counts equally in the Academic Average, so one weak section drags the whole score.
Log every test in the OAT score tracker to see the trend against each school's class average.
Practice Tests
- Take them like the real thing: one sitting, timed, with the break in the same place.
- Review takes longer than the test. Go through every miss and every guess, and write down why: didn't know it, misread it, or ran out of time. Each one needs a different fix.
- Save the official ADA practice test for a week or two before test day. It costs $100, was written by the OAT's test constructors, and is shorter than the real test (25 reading questions instead of 50, no break).
- Use your last two scores to decide. If they're 20 or more points under your target with two weeks to go, moving your test date usually beats testing now and retaking in 60 days, since schools see every attempt.
Free and Official Resources
You can follow either plan without buying a course. Start with the ADA's own documents, since they define what's tested.
| Resource | What it gives you | Cost | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADA OAT candidate guide | Section lengths, topic outlines, fees, retake rules and test-day rules. | Free | Oct 2026 |
| ADA OAT user guide | Topic areas for every section, how scores are built and national score statistics. | Free | Oct 2026 |
| ADA organic chemistry specifications | The new five-area organic chemistry outline, with subtopics. | Free | Oct 2026 |
| ADA practice tests | Questions written by the OAT's test constructors, by section or as a full test. | $100 full test, $20 per section | Oct 2026 |
| Prometric OAT page | Test sites and the test-day tutorial. | See the page | Oct 2026 |
| OpenStax | Free, peer-reviewed college science and math textbooks. | Free | Oct 2026 |
| Khan Academy | Video lessons and practice in science and math. | Free | Oct 2026 |
- Your own course materials: old exams and problem sets are good practice for the science sections.
- Reading: science articles, timed at about 20 minutes each.
- Practice tests: the hard part to get free. The ADA's tests are the one purchase we'd make even on a tight budget, but the ADA notes its practice questions don't predict your score.
If you'd rather have a course with a built-in schedule, Kaplan offers one, and our OAT prep comparison sets it beside Chad's Prep, OAT Bootcamp, OAT Booster and private tutoring on the same criteria. Any course's question bank slots straight into the plans above.
Should You Retake?
Schools see every attempt, and you must wait 60 days between them. Use the test date planner to see where a retake would land against OptomCAS opening. Our rule of thumb, comparing your official Academic Average with the entering-class averages on what counts as a good OAT score:
| Where You Land | What to Do |
|---|---|
| At or above the average at most schools on your list | Apply. A retake risks a lower score on your record and a later file. |
| Within about 10–20 points, and your GPA is at or above those schools' averages | Apply broadly. Retake only if you can name a fixable cause, such as one section well below the rest. |
| More than 20 points under at most schools, with a clear cause | Retake, with a changed plan. Aim for a gain of 10–20 points, which is meaningful; landing in the same place adds little. |
| Your third attempt or more | You need the ADA's permission, with proof you applied to optometry school in the past 18 months. Talk to a pre-health advisor first. |
Test Week
- Do one timed half-length early in the week, then switch to light review.
- Stop studying a day or two before. A rested brain scores higher than one more practice set.
- Plan for about 5 hours at the Prometric center, arrive 30 minutes early and bring your ID. You'll see an unofficial score before you leave.
Not confirmed against an ADA page: that the 2026–27 OAT fee is still $520, the exact effective date of the new organic chemistry outline, and the 2027–28 OptomCAS opening date. The hour counts, time split and score checkpoints above are our suggestions, not ADA figures; the question counts, timing, retake rules and organic chemistry outline are from the ADA.
Sources
- ADA, OAT 2026 Candidate Guide
- ADA, OAT User Guide (March 2026): scoring, Academic Average and Total Science
- ADA, New Organic Chemistry Examination Specifications
- ADA, Optometry Admission Test
- ADA, Apply to take the OAT (fees, waivers and practice test)
- OptomCAS application cycle dates
- OpenStax, free college science and math textbooks
- Khan Academy, science and math courses
Requirements and dates change each cycle. Always confirm with each school before you apply.
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