hi yall! i'm getting super vulnerable here but im honestly at a loss for words and just would like any advice on how to move on.

i took my OAT today and my score absolutely crushed me. i got a 280 TS/300 AA. my subscores were bio 290, chem 340, ochem 290, physics 250, qr 270, rc 360. im so upset because my booster scores were so much higher compared to my test. it almost felt unlucky.

i was scoring 320-360 on my FLs in booster, and the questions seemed so doable compared to my actual test.

i'm obviously planning to retake but im stuck on how to proceed. do i submit my application with these scores now and retake, or should i wait until my retake to submit my app? i'm lucky enough that its still early in the cycle to retake, but i have been so distraught since my exam that i really don't know how to go on from here.

i'm not asking for pity at all, just some genuine advice because i feel like my goals are becoming unattainable.

my current cGPA ~ 3.5 and my sGPA ~ 3.4. my ECs are strong and i feel that overall my application shows that im a well rounded individual.

thanks in advance

So I already have 3 good sources for letters of rec. I have one from a previous employer and two from ODs. All three are strong sources. I didn't make that many relationships with professors during college, so I struggled to find a source from a professor. One professor agreed to write me one, but she said it wasn't going to be a strong letter. The schools I want to go to are all in CA, and I met the letter requirements for all of them. However, I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket, the OOS schools I'm applying to require a letter from a professor. Am I going to be shooting myself in the foot by getting a fourth letter from a prof, but it being very weak/basic? The prof told me she would basically just recount that I got an A in the class (and she recounted in the email that so did 20% of the class, so I'm not sure if she'll include that part), and she'll touch on my final project.

I’m scheduled to take my oat in late September and have already bought my oat and have my pin and all. I didn’t note any accommodations needed for my test, but was unaware that generalized anxiety disorder would qualify me for accommodations.

I’m hoping to get more time as my anxiety definitely makes it more difficult to generally focus on studying, doing practice exams, etc and I anticipate it will make taking my OAT more difficult (tests in college were difficult). Am I able to apply for accommodations before scheduling my OAT if I already paid for it? I bought it a couple months ago, so I don’t recall the questions I had to answer to purchase. The instructions on ADA are a little confusing so just wanted to see if anyone had any experiences with this!

Would getting a note from my therapist be enough? I’ve been seeing them for well over a year. I previously have seen a psychiatrist, with the last time being this last winter-ish but ended my medication. Would i need to get a note from the psychiatrist even though they haven’t seen me recently and can’t attest as well to how my anxiety is?

I've come across questions on booster prep where a virtual image is located "behind" a diverging lens, and on another question it would say a real image is formed "behind" a converging lens. Don't these answers contradict eachother location wise? Unless I'm missing something.

I've got all the concepts and formulas down for the optics section, but the wording always makes me mess up the practice tests.

Hello! I plan to have 3 LOR (one will be from an optometrist, one from a research advisor, and the third is a science professor). The science professor told me they could have it done about two weeks after I was planning on applying. Am I able to apply and have my application verified with the other 2 LOR, or do I have to wait for the last one. I know I can apply without it, but I’m wondering if optometry schools would put my application on hold until that is submitted?

How hard is it to score a 400 on the OAT? Is it possible to get into top schools like SUNY, OSU, & Berkeley with a 3.5 GPA? Since I'm applying in 2029, will it be much harder due to more applicants?

Hi! I take my oat in a week and I’m scared for the bio section I’m using OAT bootcamp and apparently people say booster is more representative. If anyone took their OAT and used bootcamp, can you let me know how similar the bio section was please?

My OAT is scheduled in September. When should I start asking for letters of recommendations and transcript?