The OAT (Optometry Admission Test) takes 5 hours and 5 minutes from start to finish, including an optional tutorial, a 30-minute break, and a post-test survey. The actual testing time, where you’re answering questions, totals 4 hours and 5 minutes across four separately timed sections.
Full Testing Schedule
The ADA administers the OAT in a fixed order with no option to rearrange sections. Here’s exactly how the appointment breaks down:
- Tutorial (optional): 15 minutes
- Survey of Natural Sciences: 90 minutes, 100 questions
- Reading Comprehension: 60 minutes, 50 questions
- Scheduled break (optional): 30 minutes
- Physics: 50 minutes, 40 questions
- Quantitative Reasoning: 45 minutes, 40 questions
- Post-test survey (optional): 15 minutes
If you skip the optional tutorial, the break, and the survey, you’ll still be at the testing center for about 4 hours of seat time once you factor in check-in procedures.
Time Per Section and Pacing
The Survey of Natural Sciences is the longest and most question-heavy section. It covers three subjects under one 90-minute clock: 40 biology questions, 30 general chemistry questions, and 30 organic chemistry questions. That works out to 54 seconds per question with no separate timers for each subject, so spending too long on biology can eat into your chemistry time.
Reading Comprehension gives you 60 minutes for 50 questions, or about 72 seconds each. Keep in mind that time includes reading the passages themselves, not just answering questions.
Physics allows 50 minutes for 40 questions (75 seconds per question), and Quantitative Reasoning gives 45 minutes for 40 questions (about 67 seconds each). Quantitative Reasoning is the tightest section on a per-question basis, so practicing under time pressure there is especially important.
How the Break Works
The 30-minute break falls between Reading Comprehension and Physics, roughly at the halfway point. It’s optional, meaning the clock starts counting down whether you leave your seat or not. Most test-takers use at least part of it to eat a snack, use the restroom, and reset mentally before the second half. You can end the break early and move on to Physics whenever you’re ready. If you skip it entirely, you’ll shave 30 minutes off your total appointment time.
When You Get Your Scores
You’ll see an unofficial score report on screen at the testing center immediately after finishing. Official scores take three to four weeks to process, at which point the ADA sends them directly to the optometry programs you selected on your application.
Retake Waiting Period
If you need to retake the OAT, you must wait at least 90 days between attempts. You can retake it an unlimited number of times under that rule, but after three or more attempts, you need to apply for permission to test again. From that point on, you’re limited to one attempt per 12-month period.