CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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Visited the this site 5-6 times... actually got a Pharm question on the exam from this site (someone's exam experience - she got 2 Qs of it... hint...hint!). Won't go into details due to fear of irregularities (if I actually do pass). Gone over answers, 16 Qs stuck in my mind and already 12 Qs were wrong (and many more that I didn't remember). Freaking out. Hope this might be useful:
1. First choice is usually correct. Try not to change it. I switched from right to wrong for so many of them.
2. Microbiology: The stains... won't specify... got one question wrong because the exam used an extremely uncommon name for a stain that didn't register at the time. Told a case. Figured out the organism. Didn't recognize the stains. Got the Q wrong. As for reading material, either Kaplan's or Jawetz's is fine. Take your pick.
3. BRS Pathology.... Used it as primary source because it was easy to understand. Took the exam and found out that "Kaplan's Pathology" was better for the exam. That was because 4 Qs (2Qs that I got wrong) asked some details that was explained in Kaplan's but was not described in BRS. (Still, I prefer BRS as a reading material, but for the exam.... I have to say Kaplan).
4. Behavioral Science: Guess everyone knows about rights and confidentiality. Don't overlook breaking bad news. Stats just know the formulas and please don't forget "bias" (I missed 2Qs on bias).
5. Pharmacology: Don't ignore chemotherapeutics. You cannot answer them by guessing. Kaplan's Pharm is very adequate in all chapters except this one. Please read Katsung's for this particular chapter.
6. Biochemistry: Kaplan's biochemistry is very adequate. Genetics have equal value to metabolism. Also, I recommend that you should read the chapter "Amino Acids" in Lippincot's Illustrated Review in addition to Kaplan's. If you have more time, read the chapter on Lab Methods for Genetics in this book.
7. Anatomy. A toss up. No advice on this one. Nothing is actually enough, but the subject is so vast it is not worth reading more than 2 books. Just pick 1-2 books that you like. I think (Kaplan's and FA) or
(High Yield and FA) is a good combination. The subject is broad and low yied. You either know it or you don't. Don't worry about it too much.
8. Now... the most fun... not.... Physiology. Many might disagree but I think it is the highest yield subject comparable to pathology. That is because half of Path questions are in reality a Path/Phys question, and for an IMG who has graduated for 4 Yr diseases are more easily recognized than the specific molecular mechanism. For Physiology the idea is the grasp of concept, not specific details. I think you should read Kaplan's note for the "emphasis" of the exam --- then go read the Costanzo's Physiology Review (the middle-sized one, not the smallest or biggest). I regretted thinking the book was too long and didn't read it as well as I would have liked. The book consumes a lot of your time, and if the exam is in 3 weeks, I don't recommend starting it. But if you have 4-5 weeks before the exam, you should. It would take approximately 7-12 days.
9. Allocate your time. Questions that take the most time for me are genetics. You should practice the nucleotide sequence interpretation until you can do them very quickly.
10. Don't used too many books, I used too many books.
11. Read the materials more than practice exams. Try some practice exam but you have to study doing Q's. As for Q's that you should do... you should be practicing Patho/Phys and Phys questions to familiarize yourself with the graphs and diagrams in the questions. Doing the Q without studying won't help, but I took too much time trying to figure out each graph during the exam.
12. Don't ignore First Aid. Read it. I scorned the book thinking it was too thin and there were answers to the questions on the exam that I was not able to find anywhere else except FA. My bad. READ IT.
Took the exam Sep 9, when should I be expecting the result? Approximately when should I be able to do the oasis trick? All in all I absolutely didn't know how I did. It was like getting lost in the woods. The questions that I answered I absolutely didn't know whether I got it right or wrong---except the 12 that I know I got wrong.
Wish everybody the best of luck.
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| nsh_00
Forum Junior
Topics: 2
Posts: 48
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the 9th was i think a thurs. they release scores on Wed. so the next Wed. after the 9th is the 15th, now add 3 weeks to that, so probably will release on Oct. 5 or so. Taking it on Wed. would have saved you almost a week of waiting. So if oasis is updated on the 5th you may get the mail on the 8 or 9th.
Regardless of this, start up the trick in 3 weeks from the test day
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| boston34
Forum Junior
Topics: 9
Posts: 44
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You'll do good. Be positive. And thanks so much for you study tips. 
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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Oh... Forgot. Know EVERYTHING the review book says about the HIV virus. I talked to 4 other people and all five of us had HIV on our exams, all questions varied. I had a more than a few on mine. My friends got around 2-4Q/350Q. I regretted not memorizing EVERY detail. If you know it, it's given away point because all of them were straight forward but detailed.
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| MLF
Forum Elite
Topics: 36
Posts: 386
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thanx for the info, wish you all the best. My question is, did you do nbme and qbank, and what were you receiving in them. Do you think nbme is a good comparison with the actual step. Thanx.
___________________
"Support bacteria, its the only culture some people got."
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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Missed so many questions I should have answered correctly. :cry: I shouldn't have changed the answers!! As for Q on the exam there is the NMBE official site with sample questions in PDF. Numerous clinical correlated questions on my exam had identical wording (differing in details) compare to the exam ... like the question is written exactly the same way but they change the description of the organism or asking for a different answer (I checked the site out after the exam). If you're looking for sample of clinical correlated questions "as it appear" on the exam, this would be the best bet. I have to warn you though, the questions are very similar and if you don't read the actual exam Q carefully and thought it was the same Q as in NMBE, you may miss it.
But the exam also has another set of problems describing experiments which were different. I did the Kaplan Q-Book and Diagnostic exam and I think they are "kind of similar" .... Most of my exam Qs consist of "This thing goes up, that thing goes down that thing stays the same" (bunch of arrows pointing up and down, you know --- those hormonal/CVS stuff). I doubt practicing these Qs would help because you have to understand the material. They could use a question ten times and change it a bit each time and the answers would be all different. What you would get the most from practice Qs I would say the graphs and diagrams. You should familiarize yourself with them because, for me, I took too much time trying to figure them out. About 2/3 - 3/4 of the graphs/diagrams on the exam were present in the Q-Book. For Genetic Experiment Qs, Qs in Kaplan were not as representative as Path/Phy section --- but there are fewer Qs too.
Also know your agars, fermenter/nonfermenter and color in colonies for Micro. I did not have a viral taxonomy Q on mine but I heard it is a recurring theme (1-2 Q max though).
Why did I change the answers!!! PLEASE DON'T CHANGE THE ANSWERS.
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| krishie
Forum Senior
Topics: 17
Posts: 128
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Thank u for your detailed exam experience.U will definitely score well.Best of luck!
___________________
krish
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| Perhaps
Forum Elite
Topics: 61
Posts: 162
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Thank you so much for sharing! Good luck for the score and following steps!
I have a question about books for Pharmacology, do you think The Lippincott Pharmacology would be enough? I am trying to decide if I should also get Kutzang's beside it. Thanks!
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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Actually, I have to admit it after taking the exam, Kaplan's Pharmacology is enough. If additional reading is wanted... If you are NOT using Kaplan's Lippincott is a very good book, no doubt about it and the book works very well if you are also using Lippincott's Biochem because they complement each other. But if you are already using Kaplan, I would recommend using Katzung because of Anthony Trevor who co-wrote the Kaplan's Pharm is the same guy who co-wrote Katzung's. Therefore both books have the same "flow" and would be very easy too read. Katzung has great questions at the end of the chapters. Still Katzung has too many details, so what I gained the most from the book is
1.) End of Chapter Q showing what I overlooked
2.) First Chapter on Principle of Pharm (it shows up a lot on the exam)
3.) +/- Chemotherapeutics... Kaplan's has the answer to all Chemo Q on my exam but I just can't understand this chapter due to the way the book is written. But the Qs on this subject is the most straight forward Pharm on the exam. I had 4Q all are you either know it or you don't type of Q.
All in all Kaplan's Pharm is almost enough. Based on my exam I don't recommend using too many books. I only had one Pharm Q that was not in Kaplan's... but it was not in Katzung's/Lipp either... I guess I might have to check Goodman, but since I lost all my books & notes (and my car) 5 Yr ago in a flood and also already freaking out because of finding many wrong answers I'm going to skip it.
Oh, and my Kaplan Step 1 Pharm has a typo... At the end of ANS Drug chapter, the drug summary listed succinylcholine as a nondepolarizing NMJ blocker. It is clearly wrong. Anyone has this typo? May it be that my edition is older than the one you are using in the States.
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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When I say "first chapter" actually I meant the entire "First Section". Sorry.
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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Oh, and a mistake.... Lippincot's Phys + Pharm. Not Lippincot's Biochem + Pharm. Sorry (again).
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| drrabines
Forum Elite
Topics: 90
Posts: 184
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Hi CL, so you saw your OASIS update, did you do the trick, works???
I'm still waiting for OASIS
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| abarusmle
Forum Junior
Topics: 17
Posts: 59
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CL,
Thanks for taking your time and explaning your exam experience in detail but precisely.
Would you please walk me through the NMBE thing.
Are you talking about the practice tests (for S1 and S2) that you subscribe and take. There is a sample test (10 Qs only) and 2 PDF files. Did you mean those 150 Qs each for S1 and S2 that Kaplan has answers as released item.
Anything else?
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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My Oasis trick worked. It wouldn't let my reapply saying I already passed and could not take it again unless in special conditions. Still havn't got the score.
Concerning NMBE I got the PDF file in a CD. It is divided into subjects each containing about 5-7Qs. I tried to google it up for you but couldn't find it this time (I found it once before like a year ago). Thought about posting them for you guys but already given it away along with all my books. So sorry, but I asked the guy and he got it from "www.usmile.us" (I'm not advertising, BTW). I think the CD is I*L*L*E*G*A*L ...... It contains lots of goodies that it "borrowed" from a lot of sources.
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| sanz
Forum Elite
Topics: 14
Posts: 154
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CL,
First of all, thanks for sharing your exam experience!
Just wanted to know how many slides, radiology films (Xray, CT, MRI) did you get in your exams and what topics were they?
Good luck with your results - all my fingers are crossed for ya!
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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I find the exam to be lobsided. My pathology section was 80% Renal + Female Reproductive. I am saying that you have pay equal emphasis on every subject. More than half of my Pharm were antimicrobials and chemotherapeutics. I had a friend who studied with the mentality that she was not going care about virology (yikes!) because she knew her bacteriology and immunology extremely well. What a mistake it turned out to be.... She came out crying and said that there were 15-20 virology Qs on her exam. Between subjects, the subjects are "usually" divided equally. But the content of the subject often are not. Please don't repeat that mistake. Cover every ground. You never know what was going to be on the exam (I am just repeating what somebody told me before).
I can only remeber few Qs offhand. They showed me a gross specimen of a disease and asked what kind of genetic inheritance it is. Showed me 2 glomeruli, one asking what disease it is directly, and the other one asked the predicted UA. A chromosome analysis was shown with asking what would be the presentation (Know the mutation .... then the disease ..... then the clinical. See? Three steps.) Two micro slides for me, one was mycology and the other was bacteriology. Another Q showed me an agar asking what organism it is. A CT scan of the brain showing lesion and asked the clinical. Another shows a cut silver stain of the brain asking the where the tract that runs through it will end. A cerebral angiogram was shown asking the artery that was identified come from what art. A Q show a Fx and ask the involved artery. I guess the total is approx 15 slides for me.
All in all I think most radiology slides are found in neurology section. Good luck. If you need more info just tell me.
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| MLF
Forum Elite
Topics: 36
Posts: 386
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CL thanx for your continued help and thanx for your great replies also. I with you all the best with an awesome score. About pharm what do u think of First aid, do you think its not enuf?? I personally found kaplan to be hard to read and katzung was too detailed, but i did most of the questions from kaplan's pharm and also from qbook for pharm. What would you suggest??? Thanx.
___________________
"Support bacteria, its the only culture some people got."
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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You have to know the entire FA (I regretted not paying enough emphasis on it), but FA missed some very important details.
For example:
1. Detailed description of drug absorption, bioavailability, first pass effect (basic Pharm stuff).
2. Example of Pro-drugs.
3. Cyt. P450 Inducers and Inhibitors.
4. The graph for affinity, potency and efficacy is not very good.
5. Drug development: Does not say that Chemotherapeutics can skip Phase I Clinical Testing.
6. Cephalosporins: Does not tell that Cefoperazone and Ceftriazone undergo hepatic metabolism. Ceftriazone is the drug in the group that does NOT have a disulfiram reaction. Cefoperazone and Cefixime does not cross BBB. It's these little quirks that show up in choices and mess you up.
7. No mention of Oxazolidinones and Streptogramin: These drugs are used to Rx Vancomycin R G+ Cocci. USMLE loves new stuff.
8. Meropenem does not require Cilastin.
9. Macrolide usable in Pregnancy: Azithromycin.
10. No mention of Aminoglycoside "Post antibiotic effect".
11. In Tetracyclins no mention of Democyclin for Rx in SIADH.
12. No list of drugs contraindicated in pregnancy.
13. No mention of Flucytosine.
14. In Amantadine no mention of Livedo Reticularis.
15. ANS drug: Does not mention Vesamichol (Prevent ACh vesicular formation). No mention of Methyl-p-tyrosine inhibiting Tyrosine uptake.
16. No mention of Metacholine use in Dx Bronchial Hypersensitivity.
17. No mention that Tacrine and Donezepril are used in Alzheimer's Ds.
18. Scopolamine is hallucogenic. This is important.
19. No mention of Zolpidem/Zalephon - Not a BZ but activate BZ1 therefore no cognitive loss. Reversible by Flumazenil.
20. Drug of choice in ADHD: d-Amphetamine and Methyphenidate.
..... The list goes on for eternity.
All I'm saying is FA is very high yield, but the exam will have choices that will throw you off balance. Personally, it is the little tidbits that show up in the choices that mess me up. You have to read Kaplan, for you can see that what I have listed above are simple, easy knowledge but you cannot guessed them like Physiology. You either know it or you don't. It is not going ask what is the MAC/Bl G Ratio of Isoflurane, that is insane. They would require you to know that NO has the highest MAC or give a Blood G Ratio of drugs and ask which drug would have quicker induction and recovery. Almost all questions are very fair, what I miss are my own failings.
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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The NMBE exam I was talking about is right under my nose!! It is in this website. Go to download... Click Step 1 .... Choose NMBE (retired question) and download. It even says it is from umsmile.us !! :lol:
Still no mail.. :roll:
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| MLF
Forum Elite
Topics: 36
Posts: 386
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thanx for the response CL, again wish you all the best with your score.
___________________
"Support bacteria, its the only culture some people got."
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| monica76
Forum Senior
Topics: 13
Posts: 151
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ALL TEH BEST WITH UR SCORE... u'll do good..
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| sanz
Forum Elite
Topics: 14
Posts: 154
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Hey CL,
Thanks for your reply to my qu. Good luck 
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| CL
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 42
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Got my result yesterday. 96 - Quite satisfied.
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CONGRATULATIONS CL!!!!! :icon_bounce: awesome score.... :lol: :lol:
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| VM
Forum Junior
Topics: 4
Posts: 65
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Excellent score. COngratulations and thanks for all the advice and help to all ofus.
VM
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