Pre- Dental school rant. I need advice.

[Deeznukinfuts]

Hey guys, so a year ago I took my DAT and didn’t do so great. (18AA, 19TS). I’m normally a really good student, and school was never really hard for me.. I majored in micro, immunology, and molecular genetics from UCLA and graduated this year with a 3.78..Ever since I walked out of that test center I had a phobia of taking tests. I was in utter shock. I remeber the ride back home my parents had to pull over so I could throw up.. I was so confused. I had never pereformed so poorly.. I had a 3.9 and got almost straight As in undergrad and that phobia continued with me through my senior year.. which is why I graduated with a little lower of a gpa. Up to that point school had been a breeze for me but i literally lost myself after that day The thought of the DAT makes me soo nervous for some reason... anyways, I applied this cycle with those weak numbers and MIRACULOUSLY got into a decent school.. now, I know this may sound weird, but I’m planning on retaking my DAT. I’ve already graduated and have like 8 months to kill.. I tutor and make good money @ nights so I really want to retake my DAT TO PROVE TO MYSELF I CAN. I know for most of u this sounds ridiculous and completely useless . But for me it’s a big deal. I have to overcome this funk. I have to convince myself it’s just a stupid test and I can kill it. Lol it sounds comical but really, I’ve been so affected by this test it’s something my gut tells me I neeed to do.

Now that that’s out the system, here’s my question. God forbid I take the DAT and do really bad, will the school I got in get notified of this? I don’t plan on taking it till literally a week or so before dental school starts. If I don’t choose any schools when scheduling for my DAT, will they get it?

Thanks , I appreciate it.

Edit:3.78

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[sobertiger]

They won't get it if you opt not to notify schools and it won't matter even if they do. You've already been accepted.

 

[schmoob]

You don't have anything better to spend $500 and your sanity on?!?!

Forget about it dude. You will have SO MANY EXAMS to stress over during dental school. SO MANY. You'll drive yourself crazy if you do this.
Once you're accepted, no one cares about that exam. Seriously, no one talks about the DAT in dental school.

 

[dentalschool123]

You are crazy my dude, I never want to think about that test again. Props to you

 

[ProspectivePostPreDent]

Please tell me that you're not another socal kid who is willing to lose a year of income just so that you can stay in state for four years (and then stick around the area to make 50 cents on the dollar for your career). Please tell me you deposited and are attending whatever school you got into.

 

[Kouneko]

I think OP wants to tackle his testing anxiety before he starts dental school. If so, I think you can try taking GRE instead. It's cheaper, shorter, and might be useful if you want to pursue orthodontics in the future.

 

[itsyaboi]

I think it would be fine for you to retake the DAT to prove to yourself that you can do better. But I think there's a bigger issue at play here, which is anxiety. Your problem really isn't your test-taking abilities, which must be more than adequate if you got that high of a GPA in college. The fact that your anxiety about tests caused your performance to drop in scenarios where you were previously comfortable mean that you need to address the anxiety problem. I'd recommend looking into formal therapy, or at least looking at some cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) stuff online. Anxiety isn't beaten with grand gestures like retaking a huge test, it's beaten with small, practical steps that change the way you feel and act in a triggering situation.

 

[oralcare123]

It would be a lot wiser to stop self remedy and search professional help for your problem, whatever the diagnosis will be
We are all weak somewhere and you don’t have to be this heroic muscle crunching beast or prove anything to anyone

 

[JLT223]

That's absurd. You got into a dental school. Go enjoy life lol

 

[ChewyDrop]

The DAT is an important exam that dictated what you were going to do with your life, you were nervous. It happens to the best of us. DS will just be like college but with alot more volume. You got it man. Don't waste $500 on another exam. Use it on food, cause food is good. Tacos are good.