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United States · Admissions test

OAT study guide: the Candidate Guide and reference texts

The nearest thing to an official OAT study guide is the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) Candidate Guide. It lists what every test covers, how scoring works and the test day rules, and you must confirm you’ve read it when you apply. The OAT Program adds a list of the textbooks its item writers use, but it doesn’t publish a review book or a study plan.

  • 32Pages in the 2026 Candidate Guide
  • 23Textbooks on the reference text list
  • August 6, 2026Latest Candidate Guide update
Download the Candidate Guide

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What’s in the official OAT study guide?

  • The content specifications for Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Reading Comprehension, Physics and Quantitative Reasoning.
  • How scale scores work, score reports and audits.
  • Eligibility, fees, fee waivers and eligibility extensions.
  • The administration schedule and the retest and partial testing rules.
  • Applying, ID, rescheduling, no-shows and emergencies on test day.
  • Testing accommodations and the documents they need.
  • The rules of conduct, misconduct, appeals and the arbitration agreement.

The OAT site carries two files titled 2026 Candidate Guide. The one updated August 6, 2026 adds Prometric’s ProGuardian workstation monitoring and audio recording to the test center rules; use that one. You’re held to the policies in effect on your test date.

The OAT reference text list

OAT items aren’t based on specific textbooks. The OAT Program lists the latest editions of these as some of the references its item writers use:

  • Biology, by Campbell and Reece (Benjamin Cummings).
  • Biology, by Raven, Johnson and others (McGraw Hill).
  • Chemistry: The Central Science, by Brown, LeMay and others (Prentice Hall).
  • Chemistry 2e, by Flowers, Theopold, Langley, Robinson and others (OpenStax).
  • Organic Chemistry, by Klein (Wiley).
  • Organic Chemistry as a Second Language, by Klein (Wiley).
  • Chemistry: Principles and Reactions, by Masterton and Hurley (Brooks Cole).
  • Chemistry, by McMurry and Fay (Prentice Hall).
  • Organic Chemistry, by McMurry (OpenStax).
  • Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change, by Silberberg (McGraw Hill).
  • Organic Chemistry, by Smith (McGraw Hill).
  • Chemistry, by Zumdahl and others (Cengage).
  • College Physics: Explore and Apply, by Etkina, Planinsic and Van Heuvelen (Pearson).
  • Physics, by Giancoli (Pearson).
  • Fundamentals of Physics, by Halliday, Resnick and Walker (Wiley).
  • College Physics: A Strategic Approach, by Knight, Jones and Field (Pearson).
  • College Physics, by Serway and Vuille (Cengage).
  • College Physics, by Urone, Hinrichs and others (OpenStax).
  • College Algebra, by Blitzer (Pearson).
  • Elementary Statistics: A Step By Step Approach, by Bluman (McGraw Hill).
  • Explorations in College Algebra, by Kime, Clark and Michael (Wiley).
  • Precalculus: Functions and Graphs, by Swokowski and Cole (Brooks Cole).
  • College Algebra, by Young (Wiley).

The list was last updated February 8, 2024.

How to study for the OAT, from the OAT Program’s advice

  1. Take the college courses the OAT covers first, especially organic chemistry.
  2. Read the Candidate Guide and study the content specifications in effect on your test date. For organic chemistry, that’s the outline updated in June 2026.
  3. Work through each topic in the specifications with college textbooks such as those on the reference list.
  4. Use the official practice test to see the kinds of questions you’ll meet, but don’t study only from practice questions. The Candidate Guide says they don’t predict your score.
  5. Explore the OAT tutorial on Prometric’s site before test day so the screens are familiar.

There’s no official OAT study schedule. The OAT Program’s advice on timing is about when to test, which is on the test dates page.

The official OAT practice test →When to take the OAT →

OAT sections, one at a time

The overview gives the format and timing of all four tests and what each chemistry and reading part covers. Biology, Physics and Quantitative Reasoning have pages of their own.

OAT Biology →OAT Physics →OAT Quantitative Reasoning →The OAT overview →
Sources: OAT Program and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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