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+--- Thread: Done with the exam.. my experience - drtwix (/showthread.php?tid=187265)
Done with the exam.. my experience - drtwix - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
hi everyone..
as most of u would be knowing, i had my exam today.. i cudnt sleep last night.. i dont know why.. slept maybe just 2 hours and during those whole two hours, i had very vivid dreams about the exam... so when i woke up in the morning i was quite drained.. anyway..
i was quite calm when i started the first block and i think it went pretty ok.. took a 2 minute break after that sitting there and then started block two.. then came the nightmare.. not because it was particularly hard, but because i got a very severe, near syncopal attack.. i was only on my 2nd or 3rd Q when i felt it coming on.. i am 7 months pregnant and less sleep or anxiety has brought on these attacks previously in my pregnancy.. but i didnot expect it to strike it at this time.. anyway, when i thought i would just plop, i got up, the timer running and the block open, left my computer and got out of the exam room.. after a few seconds, i went back in again and continued where i had left.. thank God i was still able to finish the block with a few minutes to spare.. and thank God this did not happen again
it was a veryyy tiring exam and towards the end i was finding it very difficult to concentrate.. i took longer time reading questions and therefore had less time to spare for the marked questions...
the exam is doable as most people have put it.. it has a mix of some very simple questions, some which require application of ur concepts such a physio and pharma.. and some which u cannot make any sense out of.. but the important thing is to keep going and realize that everyone sitting for this test goes through the same thing..
i took as break after every block and got out of the room for a change of environment.. i would recommend doing that because even staring at the computer for so long gvs u a headache..
i think the kaplan Q bank helped me a lot.. because doing it i would also open up kaplan and check or read the associated text which helped me memorize kaplans well and which helped a great deal.. but i think any Q bank done well would make a huge difference.. i had done only 1 nbme but i do think it was quite close to it.. i did get maybe a couple of questions similar to the USMLE CD so dont think u will get all hard questions..
i dont know what more to write.. i would welcome any specific questions if u guys hv.. im sure i hv made many mistakes.. i hv recalled a few already.. but i know with the time that i had, this was probably the best i could do.. my mind was getting blocked every now and then and i was taking longer to read questions as the exam lengthened.. so i had less time to think over conceptual interpretations of graphs and data.. i could hv done better of i had more time or my brain was working equally well throughout 7 hours.. anyway, im glad its over now.. plz pray for me..
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
i wish u the best Doc
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
thanks rumrum..
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
thanks for sharing your exam experience,
Relax now,concentrate on your health now,
GL for great score
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
I can relate to the vivid dreams...i get them all the time!!
It takes a lot of guts to work yr way thru step 1 with a prenancy to top it all off....good job u got it over with before the baby!
Will pray for both the exam results and an neventful next 2 mos....good luck and god bless!
about qs:
how was biochem/immuno/molecular/genetics covered...is it doable?
those ae my worst areas and i dont know how to improve them...any suggestions??
is goljan enuf for path?
thx again!!
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
congrats drtwix for getting over with it. inshallah u'll get ur dream score.i had a q that ,were there many molecular bio qs?were they difficult?how about micro and pharm.
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
hey multivit.. i will write to u in greater detail what u should do in the last month.. or the last days specifically.. but for now i would say do know the biochem enzymes, major neuroanat concepts and the graphs of pharma and physio.. i did these a few adys before the exam and helped a lot..
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
thanx for sharing your experience.good luck
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
to dolly: thank u for ur wishes..
biochem was ok if u remember the major enzymes, what affects them, whats goes in and comes out of each pathway.. not too detailed but believe me u tend to hv such a short memory for biochem that its wise to revise the main things a day or two before the exam..immunology was easy.. or maybe i didnt get too much of it.. got quite a bit of molecular and genetics.. genetics is easy, but molecular bio requires understanding of data presented there and then.. so its better to save up time for these questions when doing the block.. questions presented on this forum for genetics are sometimes too hard.. and the stuff that was asked in the exam was not that hard..Goljan must be really good but i did BRS.. but anyway, patho is well covered by all Qbanks and its not asked in extreme details either.. conceptual application of facts can maybe make the questions tricky.. but its not hard either
to amarah: thanx amarah.. i answered the molecular bio bit in the above reply.. about pharma, know the first 2 chapters of kaplan well with graphs.. micro, not too hard to extremely detailed like the qbanks
0 - ArchivalUser - 05-17-2007
thanx jashn.. the exam really is stressful like u mentioned.. and i did take the multiple breaks u recommended!