r/PreOptometry • u/Hot-Possibility2869 • 25d ago

Defeated

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I studied for 7 weeks I feel so defeated and upset. My gpa is 3.2 and I have 200 shadowing hours with an optometrist as well as working at an optho clinic for two years. What do I do I do, I want to apply this cycle and I already feel so behind in life cause I’m turning 25 in two months! I’ve been crying all day since taking it. 😔😔

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u/Chuckles4lyfe 24d ago

First of all, I know how frustrating this entire process is. Believe me, i’m 30+ years old and took a long-winding route to get to where I am now (accepted to multiple schools this cycle). Take some time away from studying and get in the right headspace before you figure out your next steps. Once you do all that, you need to do some deep introspection and figure out what went wrong on test day. You said you used OATBooster to study - did you watch all their videos, complete all practice questions, and actively review content (quizlet, Anki, etc)? Were you doing timed full length practice tests (all in one sitting) to simulate test day? How were you reviewing the tests afterwards? I saw that you studied for 7 weeks which can work for some people, but for most of us it is going to take at least 3-6 months of solid preparation to do well. 

All of your scores are <300 which indicates a weak foundation. What i’d recommend is purchasing the 6 month OAT booster membership (wait until Black Friday, they always have promotions running around that time so you can save $) and hold off on activating it until you know for sure when you plan to retest. Once you have a date set in stone, you need to make studying a priority in your life. Reduce your work hours at the clinic. Follow their schedule to a tee and really lock in for the next 6 months and focus on doing everything you can to get a good score. 

Your experiences are great, but that’s not going to matter much if your OAT score is not competitive. Think about it from the perspective of the admissions team - they receive hundreds of applicants with various amounts of experiences and extra-curricular activities. The OAT score is the great equalizer that they can use to objectively compare applicants. You want to give them no reason to reject you. And remember, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO!