Free Optometry Admission Test Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Optometry Admission Test practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Which organelle converts energy from food into a form usable by a human cell?

   1. A.Golgi apparatus
   2. B.MitochondrionCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Lysosome
   4. D.Ribosome

   Explanation: MedlinePlus states, "Mitochondria are complex organelles that convert energy from food into a form that the cell can use." The other organelles have different primary functions.

   Reference: What is a cell? — MedlinePlus Genetics — Mitochondria

2. 2Routine visits to stream-monitoring stations commonly occur from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oxygen concentrations can vary during the entire day, so readings confined to those hours may fail to show the full pattern. Researchers installed instruments that collected data hourly over several days. What is the principal reason the investigators used monitors that recorded hourly?

   1. A.To observe daily changes missed by daytime visitsCorrect answer: A
   2. B.To measure only the average across sites at one time
   3. C.To compare only the same hour on successive days
   4. D.To isolate seasonal differences between summer and winter

   Explanation: USGS states, "Because visits to surface-water-quality stations typically take place between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., these variations generally are not observed." Repeated measurements across the day address the timing limitation described in the passage.

   Reference: Diurnal Variations in Water Quality at Surface-Water-Quality Stations — Overview

3. 3Among the following physical quantities, which one is a vector rather than a scalar?

   1. A.Mass
   2. B.Temperature
   3. C.VelocityCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Elapsed time

   Explanation: NASA states, "The velocity, force, acceleration, and momentum have both a magnitude and a direction associated with them." A vector has both magnitude and direction.

   Reference: Newton's Second Law of Motion — Newton's Second Law of Motion

4. 4For the linear equation 3x − 5 = 16, what is the value of x?

   1. A.x = 3
   2. B.x = 7Correct answer: B
   3. C.x = 11
   4. D.x = 21

   Explanation: The algebra text states, "to retain equivalent equations, we must perform the same operation on both sides of the equation." Adding 5 gives 3x = 21; dividing by 3 gives x = 7.

   Reference: Solving Linear Equations — Solving Linear Equations

5. 5Which organelle packages molecules processed by the endoplasmic reticulum for transport out of the cell?

   1. A.Ribosome
   2. B.Lysosome
   3. C.Golgi apparatusCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Nucleus

   Explanation: MedlinePlus states, "The Golgi apparatus packages molecules processed by the endoplasmic reticulum to be transported out of the cell." Ribosomes make proteins, whereas mitochondria convert energy and lysosomes recycle materials.

   Reference: What is a cell? — MedlinePlus Genetics — Golgi apparatus

6. 6To investigate unusually high or low dissolved-oxygen saturation, researchers chose 94 stations based on saturation extremes observed during earlier routine visits. The resulting sites were not selected at random from all streams. What limitation follows most directly from the way the 94 stations were selected?

   1. A.Ordinary-oxygen sites may be underrepresented.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Ordinary-oxygen sites must be overrepresented.
   3. C.All oxygen levels are equally represented by design.
   4. D.Sites were selected independently of prior oxygen results.

   Explanation: USGS states, "The stations were selected on the basis of previous occurrences of DO supersaturation (greater than 120 percent of saturation) or undersaturation (less than 60 percent of saturation) during routine station visits." Selection based on earlier extremes limits how confidently the sample represents all sites.

   Reference: Diurnal Variations in Water Quality at Surface-Water-Quality Stations — Overview

7. 7Using the metric conversion between kilometers and meters, how many meters are in 2.4 kilometers?

   1. A.24 m
   2. B.240 m
   3. C.2,400 mCorrect answer: C
   4. D.24,000 m

   Explanation: NIST states, "one kilometer, 1 km, is equal to one thousand meters, 1000 m or 103 m." Multiplying 2.4 by 1,000 gives 2,400 m.

   Reference: NIST Guide to the SI: SI Units and Prefixes — 4.3 Decimal multiples and submultiples of SI units

8. 8Which inequality is equivalent to −2x + 1 > 7?

   1. A.x is greater than negative 3
   2. B.x is less than negative 3Correct answer: B
   3. C.x is greater than positive 3
   4. D.x is less than positive 3

   Explanation: The text states, "The direction of an inequality reverses only when both sides are multiplied or divided by a negative number." Subtract 1 to obtain −2x > 6, then divide by −2 and reverse the sign.

   Reference: Solving Linear Inequalities — Caution: Reversing the Direction

9. 9Which cellular structure processes genetic instructions to make proteins?

   1. A.RibosomeCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Endoplasmic reticulum
   3. C.Golgi apparatus
   4. D.Mitochondrion

   Explanation: MedlinePlus states, "Ribosomes are organelles that process the cell’s genetic instructions to create proteins." The other structures perform different functions in the cell.

   Reference: What is a cell? — MedlinePlus Genetics — Ribosomes

10. 10Sensors in a stream study were left in place for three to six days per station. During those deployments, measurements were collected hourly, and fieldwork was conducted in the warmer months. How long were the continuous monitors generally deployed at each station?

    1. A.One to two days
    2. B.Three to six daysCorrect answer: B
    3. C.Seven to ten days
    4. D.Eleven to fourteen days

    Explanation: USGS states, "The continuous measurements were made by using multi-constituent sensors, or monitors, deployed for 3 to 6 days at U.S. Geological Survey surface-water-quality stations during June, July, August, and September." The deployment lasted several days at a time.

    Reference: Diurnal Variations in Water Quality at Surface-Water-Quality Stations — Overview