chemamr
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Hi SilatK, how are you doing with your step 1, i´ve seen some messages by you in the forum of step 1.
Yes, there is a book made by the UdG about it. It´s very complete, but I don´t have it  , well, I could get it if I want to 
See you later guys
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| Lorena
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I studied in the Universidad Veracruzana.
I bough first aid for CS and will start UW tomorrow. Good luck in your exams guys and if i can help in anyway just ask.
Lor
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| chemamr
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Hi Lorena, it´s nice (as always) to "see" you. Study hard !!
That´s a really nice winged little cat. 
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| chemamr
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How are you doing Lorena?, what about that letter? are things going fast?
Have you started to study for 2CS?, when is the date?
See you
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| Medusin
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Q onda! Me da mucho gusto oir q si hay gente de Mexico preparandose para los STEPS y sobre todo de la Universidad de Guadalajara.
My name is Amado Jimenez Ruiz and I am starting 3rd semester at U de G. I have some questions on the whole process, and would like to get in touch with chemamr. First of alla, I was under the impression you had to take step 1 before you started your third year of med school. But I have read that many are already graduated physicians preparing for Step 1. Should I wait until I graduate or take it in my 2 first years? Also, I have found too may USMLE books, how do I know which ones to buy? Thanks a lot for all the help!
Amado
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| Medusin
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Q onda! Me da mucho gusto oir q si hay gente de Mexico preparandose para los STEPS y sobre todo de la Universidad de Guadalajara.
My name is Amado Jimenez Ruiz and I am starting 3rd semester at U de G. I have some questions on the whole process, and would like to get in touch with chemamr. First of alla, I was under the impression you had to take step 1 before you started your third year of med school. But I have read that many are already graduated physicians preparing for Step 1. Should I wait until I graduate or take it in my 2 first years? Also, I have found too may USMLE books, how do I know which ones to buy? Thanks a lot for all the help!
Amado
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| chemamr
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Hey Amado, you joined us. Well done! . Did you know drgaxmac is from UdG, too.
Which is your plan, are you gonna do all your residency in USA, directly ? or do you wanna study here in Mexico and later to do a fellowship or what?? which speciality are you interested in?
According to your doubts.
1) "In addition to being currently enrolled as described above, to be eligible for Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS, you must have completed at least two years of medical school. This eligibility requirement means that you must have completed the basic medical science component of the medical school curriculum by the beginning of your eligibility period." So, yes it´s true, if you are starting 3rd sem. you can´t apply for any test, yet. You have to complete at least 2 years of medical school.
2) About the books. In the last pages of the First Aid for the USMLE STEP 1 (you are preparing for step 1, right?) there is a review of the most recommended books. You can take those books. And buy them in Sandi bookstore (in Tepeyac Avenue).
Congratulations for your decision to do the steps.
You can check these websites for more information, these are the official ones.
www.usmle.org
www.ecfmg.org
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| Medusin
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Hey Chema (right?)
Thanks for your response. I didnt know drgxmac is from U de G too. (q chido!!) My plan is to finish general medicine here and do a residency (especialidad) in general surgery maybe, internal medicine or infectology. I really dont know yet, but Im prety sure I want to go to the US. Regading step 1, I understand I have to pass the basic sciences but my question is if I should take it directly after my second year or wait till I graduate to take it. I have First Aid I and Constanzos BRS Physiology, which I bought in Sandis. Another thing, does my GPA (mi promedio) matter when i am applying for the Match, or just my USMLE scores and letters of recommendation?
Por cierto, solo por curiosidad, cuanto sacaste en el STEP 1 y con que estudiaste? Por donde vives en Guadalajara? Yo estoy aqui en Zapopan, cerca de la Basilica, y el Hospital Valentin Gomez Farias, si ubicas??
Well Chema I hope you can answer back and keep in touch. The best of luck in your Step 2.
Saludos,
Amado
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| chemamr
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1) If I were you I would take step 1 immediately after your second year of the medical school because it will be more more difficult later (believe me, i did it), and if you do it in this way you´ll have "fresh" the knowledge.
2) Your average or grades in the medical school does matter but it´s more more important your USMLE scores. How are you doing in the school, which is your position in your generation, which average do you have????
3) About my step 1, i didn´t get the score i was expecting, but anyway, it´s past and now i have to think in the next step. I got 206/84. I studied:
-Biochemistry by Lippincott,
-First Aid for the USMLE Step 1,
-pharmacology by Lippincott,
-High Yield Gross Anatomy by Lippincott Williams &Wilkins,
-Physiology by BRS,
-Cracking the boards by Princeton Review,
-NMS review for USMLE step 1
-some of Rypin´s Basic Sciences Review.
-and Kaplan QBank for 3 months
4) Of course I know where is the ISSSTE and the "basilica" of Zapopan. I live in Chapalita Colony, near to the Holiday Inn Hotel, "Gran Plaza" is very close from my apartment.
I think these are all the questions you did.
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| Medusin
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Hey Chema,
Thanks for your response. I am currently in place about 30 in my generation. I have a 95.5 average. But I truly believe that your average (specially in U de G) does not reflect your true potential. However we all know this world runs on numbers, so we have to excel.
About your step 1, I think 84 is a very good score, congratulations! I know you will probably do a lot better in step 2 since I have heard all over step 1 is the hardest.
Thanks for th list of books, do you have any other tips form me on my step 1? Is it important to review EKG´s, x rays, CAT scans, etc?
Well thanks again, and if i can help you in any way dont hesitate to ask.
Amado
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| chemamr
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Yes, it´s important to review EKGs, XR, CT scans, slides (of histopathology), etc. About my score in step 1, it´s in the mean and i´ll probably make it much better in step 2. Step 1 is definitively the hardest step. There is a webpage of pathology, you can find it in the last pages of first aid for step 1, i reviewed it, too, it´s good (includes CTs, a lot of slides).
See you
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| noxar311
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My name is Mario and i went to UACH (univ auton chih), im 26 now.. did my social service in research in mexico city,aug2003-jul2004. didnt make it through the national the first time..so I started to work and did some stuff that doesnt really matter to this post...... i studied for the step 1 for like 4 months and finally did it on july21st.....im still waiting on my results....i plan to do the oasis trick soon....I was gonna post all the stuff I read for the step 1 and share my step 1 experience but im going todo so just after my score is reported....so it is worth anythin�.
I just wanted to let u know that im here if I can be of use for any of you.. i got some study material for both step1 and step2 ck that i would gladly share...
I do have a question though...... from the post I have read I understand that I can register for the Match 2006 right now only having passed the step 1....is that right??? I mean can I get an interview only having passes the step 1 and then go to the interviews let�s say in november and AFTER that pass the strep2 ck an cs???...can I still make it to the 2006 match???
ok...saludos a todos:chema,gaxiola,lorena & Silat
Edited by noxar311 on 02/19/07 - 01:57 AM
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| noxar311
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and medusin too....y not?
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| chemamr
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not sure about your question, I know you can apply with only step 1, that´s true but i don´t know if your possiblities would be lower than if you apply with an ECFMG certification (thinking we are IMGs) and i don´t know if it´s too late.
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| SilatK
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Well you must be certified by ECFMG and for this you must present all the Steps by February. If you got a great score in Step 1 you might get an interview. If you are doing Step 2 Ck I would apply.
chemamr, What was your average score on the NMS before you took the exam. I am not doing great on those test.
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| chemamr
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Yes, I did it, not all the questions but most of them. I don´t remember which was my score (almost 1 year ago when i did it) but i remember that it was difficult, much more than kaplan qbank. Sorry  , i really don´t remember. But you have your kaplan QB %, you can do an approx correlation with it. I think you´re gonna do it great SilatK, i´ve seen your answers in the forum for step 1 and you are in very good shape.
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| drgaxmac
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Hey guys how are you all doing, i ve been away from this forum for some time, but i am so glad to see it's not only 2 or 3 of us from Mexico.
I ve been studying hard I got my scheduling permit for the september period for step 1, so i got to keep studying hard if i want to make it, it's not easy there's a lot of competition from people around the world.
But we Mexicans are preety cool  and i know we will make. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
By the way i am still missing the tortas ahogadas dudes. And the tacos al pastor. 
Take care all of you, keep up the hard work, let's keep it touch.
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| chemamr
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AAAh, tacos of la minerva, for example, they are very good, though some expensive now, but anyway.
Hey drgaxmac, PLEASE, WRITE SOME ADVICES FOR PREPARATION FOR STEP 1 for Medusin. He is just starting his preparation. i mean about books and qbanks, for example.
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| chemamr
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By the way, do you know Mexico is the 3rd country with more IMGs in USA.
1st) India 19.5%
2nd)Philippines 9.2%
3rd) Mexico 5.7%
4th) Pakistan 4.6%
Of course it´s possible Dr.Gaxiola. We are gonna do it !! and if you like surgery, let´s do surgery. I shall apply for general surgery definitively, i can be surgeon only, forever.
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| SilatK
Forum Guru
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Medusin,
Review F.A. at least twice. learn this book well!!!!!!!!!!!
Do a schedule and stick to it. Plan a two month or three month study schedule. Do a lot of Kaplan questions!!!!It will get your brain into that thinking mode. Very important to answer the questions correctly.
good Luck to all!!!! Next week I will be having a Torta Ahogada, uhm!!!!!! And Birria from Jalisco. Also Tequila!!!! It will be great if in 5 years we all get together, somewhere and drink Tequila or Mezcal and of course some Mexican food. The food from Veracruz is delicious too!!!!!! UHM!!!
Good day to all!!!!!!!
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| chemamr
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yes, that would be really great, in 5 years to join us and talk about our lifes in that moment. I like the idea.I think i would be PGY3 of general surgery.
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| drgaxmac
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Ok, well my advice is to medusin is.
First of all, take the test a soon as you become elegible, dont leave it for later.
Now the Books:
First aid for the usmle definetly (know it cold) it can get you a lot of questions right in the exam.
Goljan's pathology
For the rest I think kaplan is good.
That's what i am using. Hope it helps
good Luck.
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| chemamr
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Nice to see you drgaxmac. Yes, Goljan´s pathology is good, unfortunately i didn´t read it for my step 1, but now it´s past, it doesn´t matter. But you can read it Medusin .
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| noxar311
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this is just great!!!......i saw on my oasis account that my score had been reported to the ECFMG so after a couple of tens of minutes i decided to go for the oasis trick....and found out that I passed!!..this is so great....huuuuuge weight off me....
I started on may..i read FA in about 5 days..then moved.with anatomy...used UCV,HY
that took me about 2 or 3 days...then moved to patho..used Schwartz(BRS) and did all 37h Goljan audio...patho took like a week or so....(goljan audio kicks a**..u gotta get it from coolgoose.com)
then biochem..did HY (not a very good book for my taste)pharm i just overread the lippincot�s...to many charts..im not a chartguy....so....so far im really concerned about biochem and pharm but i remain cool...move to physio...read Costanzo�s (also BRS)..good book and then read micro...used MMRS..the best book ever!!...that�s pretty much all u need for micro on step 1...what a book!.. a month has passed now and now i move to the kaplan lectures (no beh sci so far)....i got like 150 hours of step 1 kaplan lectures and did like 6 hours a day for a month....those lectures are really worthy...very high yield....make u see the "meat" of the exam...... 4 weeks are before my scheduled day so i move to questions...about 300 questions (and explanations and reviewng in texts and all the show) daily for 3 weeks...u do the math..there�s more than 6000....i got like 1600 from the qbook...another 1500 from qbank and the rest from scattered files i�ve been picking up on the net...(i got em all...ill gladly share/trade for step2ck q�s) the q�s saved my life...the best thing you can do in the last phase of studying.. u just make sure u dont get automatized, think thru the question as you WILL get those questions in the test..just upside down.....finally I saw the lectures on Beh Sci and read the HY...i reccomend leaving BS to the last, since I find it very relaxing and even fun, plus thre are these "rules"u gotta have handy virtually in all BS q�s on the test..... i then stopped studying 2 days b4 the test
i took the test july 21st in el paso TX.. the first 2 blocks were very easy..lot of patho and simple physio i remember 3 q�s on meckels and other 2q on acid base. the third and 4th block all "tasted" like biochem..i got really nervous cos i know my weak side is biochem and pharm and those 2 blocks were filled with enzymes and "GGAATttAACGCGCG" stuff..but i guess i managed thru... about 2 beh sci questions per block...really easy questions noone should have a problen with bs....the pharm questions were no that hard..jus the usual side effects, no tricks...basi interactions and contraindications more than indications..do not go to the step one without knowing limb nerve injuries!!..u are most certainly to get at least 5 q�s on that and they are quite easy if u know the basics......i wish i could explain myself better or remember useful stuff.....all i can tell u is this....u study, u pass.. just make a commitment and learn to see what high yield is and what to dump..the FA gives u a pretty clear idea of what is HY and what is not..im so glad i found this page..here u guys told me what to do, what not to read, what to read...u were extremely helpful and now i hope i can be of help to any of you....
so..quick review on what worked for me (kaplan lectures for all subjects!!)
anatomy....... HY & UCV
patho........... BRS,Goljan audio
micro........... MMRS
pharm......... just the kaplan lectures (couldnt find a good book for me)
physio........ BRS
BS............. HY
biochem..... UCV
i did 48-58% on qbook
70% qbank
62% random "downloadable" files
68% usmle sample test (150q�s)
Edited by noxar311 on 02/19/07 - 01:58 AM
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Yarbles, great bolshy yarblokos to you. What you done you had no right. I'll meet you with chain or nozh or britva any time, not having you aiming reasonless tolchocks, it stands to reasonless, I wont have it...
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