I can't do this anymore and my test is in 4 days....I need help!

[littleduce]

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I'm burned out, tired, broke, and out of shape! I have taken the DAT before and got 19 AA, 21 TS, 20 PA.

I retake the DAT in 4 days and have been studying but I guess information wont stick in my head anymore. I just can't get passed stupid mistakes that I keep doing and I freaking HATE Gen chem b/c it takes me a long time to do. my family is hoping i become a dentist my relationship with my girl is on hold until we find out if i get in, I have been applying for 4 years and I am honestly at rock bottom!

this is my dream but I'm starting to think its just not meant to be. I really cant go on much longer with this.

Some of you will read this and think "dude your weak so you probably cant survive in dental school anyways so just give up"

I keep pushing myself day and night but I'm honestly at the point of break down.

if you have any advice please tell me b/c I dont know what else to do

 

[belleMD]

So, it's four days away. There are basically two perspectives -
"whatever will be, will be." if you don't know the information by now, then... you aren't going to, and you need to just do the absolute best that you can, and apply and hope your application shows your genuine desire and tenacity.

the second approach (and the one I'd be taking) is to make flashcards, post calculations and formulas on your walls and bathroom mirror, to talk out loud to yourself, to read websites about chemistry, and to basically immerse yourself. I think most people prefer to relax before a test, but me personally I prefer to think, sleep, breathe, live the material.

Good luck dude!!!!!

 

[littleduce]

I have already immersed myself with sticky notes all over my room and I have made really good notes. I'm just at the point of rock bottom. I guess I'm the only person in this situation

 

[dentalpath]

You need to take a break from studying. Go out to a public place --preferably a mall and just walk around. Listen to music and watch a movie. STOP thinking about the DAT. You are clearly burned out. Then after you have freed your mind from the DAT for a few hours, gotten some sleep and had some food. Sit down and focus on your mistakes and try it again. You still have time and its not like your first DAT is bad. You are clearly not stupid if you got a 21 TS last time. Just breathe and calm down. Try to lower your stress (Go to the gym and work out for an hour) Thats what I would do. Then sit down and buckle-up...you have to do this for yourself. Good Luck.

 

[molar3]

I understand how youre feeling. Now i know u mentioned youve applied before so i imagine youre feeling quite a bit of pressure and carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. I GET THAT. trust me, i think many of us have felt this way before. You will get through it.
The days leading up to my test, i started FREAKING OUT. i Swore i knew nothing, i stayed up till like 3am everyday the week before my test studying material i thought i didnt know (even though i had reviewed it before....), i obsessivly went through destroyer gen chem and ochem front and back twice within 2 days and did every single problem AGAIN (this was like 3 days before my DAT). went through 100's of flashcards. I was a freak of nature. I couldnt NOT study bc i felt like thats me giving up and not trying. However, the day before my test, i just stopped studying. I couldnt do it. I was full to the brim and i guess i went into the test with whatevers suppose to happen will happen mentality.
I suggest you calm down immediatley, stop feeling like youre at rock bottom. I imagine you feel pressure from your gf and your family, but you need to just worry about yourself. Remember, arent you doing this dental profession for YOURSELF? so dont try to please others and just work on pleasing yourself. You need to pick yourself up NOW. just try your best. You seem extremly stressed out, as was i. You really need to do something to get your mind off it. Meditate? Go out. hang out with people. pray. go for a walk. What i did was, the day before my DAT i went to get a massage at the spa (im a girl, but whatever.....guys can do this too...err) and then i went on a nice bike ride around my neighborhood, rode to the park, and the whole time i listened to the Rocky soundtrack on repeat on my ipod......it pumped me up and made me think i CAN DO IT !!! ive come to far not to do it. It all seems so over dramatic and people probably think were crazy but this test, if you take it seriously, is alot of pressure.
So i suggest you relax, asap.
In the end, i was freakishly calm before and during my actual DAT. normally when im nervous my palms start to sweat and my heart starts pounding but NONE of this happened during my dat. I was SO calm, i was actually surprised. I was so focused. This is how youll do well, if you just RELAX.
You got this !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[triple seven]

I was in same boat.. But forget about DAT for one day and do what you like. For me?? I told my parents that Im going to library and went straight to beach and fishing for the entire day. When I got home, my parents found out that I didn't go to library, because they saw the burn mark..lol. Anyway, it was nice break from DAT and the next day I went fishing again..hahahaha At the end, I got TS24 AA23 PAT26.
After 3 cycle, I finally got into 4 schools. So Good Luck bro..!!

 

[Kahr]

I've got nothing to add to what's already been said about the test itself. Honestly though, if this is your 4th time applying and you don't get in, it doesn't mean you're a failure, it just might mean you should consider other opportunities out there.

Think of some other fields/careers that you might find interesting. There are plenty out there that are rewarding in many ways, dentistry shouldn't be a do-or-die for anyone.

Best of luck, I hope you get in, but most of all I hope you steer yourself towards happiness.

 

[littleduce]

guys i really appreciate all of your comments! I'm going to play soccer tonight so I hope it really works. I know I'm not the only one in this situation but its really killer when the whole world (your world) is waiting for you to get in.

Molar3 you mentioned you did all of the destroyer problems. I think thats whats stressing my out. I dont get many right so it causes me to stress. I 'm doing the Kaplan course (online) as well and I seem to do better on Kaplan. I hope the DAT is not like the destroyer b/c it will literally destroy my life!

Thanks you guys for all of your comments. I really appreciate it all

 

[321931]

guys i really appreciate all of your comments! I'm going to play soccer tonight so I hope it really works. I know I'm not the only one in this situation but its really killer when the whole world (your world) is waiting for you to get in.

Molar3 you mentioned you did all of the destroyer problems. I think thats whats stressing my out. I dont get many right so it causes me to stress. I 'm doing the Kaplan course (online) as well and I seem to do better on Kaplan. I hope the DAT is not like the destroyer b/c it will literally destroy my life!

Thanks you guys for all of your comments. I really appreciate it all

I would take the test when you feel ready for it. You are not in a dire situation where its Late July/Early August, and everyday prolonging does count. Why not postpone 1-2 weeks and just take it when you feel confident? Going in with this kind of ramble... just seems like you are asking for a breakdown midway during the test.

I dunno, I advocate you prolong it 1-2 weeks, heck maybe a month, and perhaps that may work out better.

Fyi: I prolonged a month after taking my Kaplan Final: 18AA, 19TS. I reviewed hardcore, settled down, and did every practice test imaginable. Got a 22AA 22TS in the end. I'm convinced feeling "ready" helped me more so than "getting it over with while being nervous."

 

[sbdento]

and the whole time i listened to the Rocky soundtrack on repeat on my ipod......!!!!!!!!!!!!

👍

Op, take some time off, do something fun. Possibly postpone it too if you think the extra time will help you out.

 

[glo1984]

You really do need to stress less. Achieving a 21 TS the first time was a great score, so know that you definitely have what it takes. I recommend some tea called Yogi Stress Tea. You can usually find this at any whole foods, health store and even fred meyers.

Also, the DAT Destroyer is much different then the actual test. The general chemistry is significantly harder than the real thing. With that being said, you'll want to grasp why you do certain problems wrong. If it's any constellation, I was regularly scoring 20 & 19 on the GC for Kaplan Online but I ended up with a 22 in GC which was my worse subject.

Did you buy into topscore? I felt those were most akin to the real thing! They only cost ~60 and can be downloaded immediately.

 

[molar3]

i agree, push the test back if you dont feel ready. I forgot about this option

 

[Avery07]

I'm burned out, tired, broke, and out of shape! I have taken the DAT before and got 19 AA, 21 TS, 20 PA.

I retake the DAT in 4 days and have been studying but I guess information wont stick in my head anymore. I just can't get passed stupid mistakes that I keep doing and I freaking HATE Gen chem b/c it takes me a long time to do. my family is hoping i become a dentist my relationship with my girl is on hold until we find out if i get in, I have been applying for 4 years and I am honestly at rock bottom!

this is my dream but I'm starting to think its just not meant to be. I really cant go on much longer with this.

Some of you will read this and think "dude your weak so you probably cant survive in dental school anyways so just give up"

I keep pushing myself day and night but I'm honestly at the point of break down.

if you have any advice please tell me b/c I dont know what else to do

I felt the same way going into my test.. and thought I was failing it the whole time through. To my surprise I ended up with a 19.. idk how. I had spent 6 months studying and couldn't think about studying one more day so I decided to go through with my DAT as to have the excuse to stop studying after I failed and wait a year. I really was hoping for a 15..

The point I'm trying to make from this is that sometimes your mind might be fooling you or psyching you out. If you studied hard than you know the information, just as I did. Don't try to fool yourself. I was getting 12-14's on my Topscores the day before.. I was really at rock bottom. Everything came together in the end and I pulled through though.

Maybe I just got lucky but I think that I was being hard on myself, just as you may be. Just go through with it and if it doesn't turn out like you hoped than take a little break and step up again later. Sooner or later you'll come out a winner. Hopefully sooner. Good luck. 👍

 

[lusity]

The best advice I can give you is to push your DAT back 2 weeks. I originally scheduled my DAT for late July, but I was nowhere near ready and I knew it would be too late 3 months later for a retake, so I rescheduled it. I ended up rescheduling my exam THREE times. Why? I never felt ready. Confidence for this exam is crucial to your performance. If you don't feel ready, in the back of your mind during that exam you'll keep wishing you would have pushed the exam back a few more weeks.

Not exactly like your situation, but I have family members and a bf rushing me to take my exam too. Every time I told them I was pushing my DAT date back, I felt this glimmer of disappointment in their eyes and tone, and they just told me to get it over with already. It was very stressful, but in the end, I did the right thing by pushing it back until I was ready enough for the exam. Keep in mind though, the DAT is one of those exams where I never felt like I was entirely ready. I was just as ready as I could be at the time, if that makes sense.

Good luck.

 

[littleduce]

guys I can not express the amount of appreciation that I have for all of your comments.

I did go play soccer yesterday which I believe it helped.

I originally had my DAT scheduled for Dec 17 but I rescheduled due to finals.

I have been studying 14 hrs a day and I think I know the info but i keep doing stupid mistakes. I'm immersing my self in material right now and will continue until my test day. I really do hope that I do well and hope that all of you do well also!

once again I greatly appreciate all of your comments and I want you guys to know that SDN has helped me a lot. I am thankful for having such great people understand and advise me during these hard times.

I will let you know how it goes and wish everyone of you best of luck and hope you reach all of your goals and dreams!

God bless you all and your families!