maylea
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This is my first post. Discovered this site with 2 weeks left of my Step 1 prep and even in that short period of time was a great help. It will be 3 weeks tomorrow since I took step 1, and maybe my OASIS will be updated tomorrow. Still don't know if I passed, hoping to God I did. To be on the optimistic side, decided to start prep for Step 2 CK. Still deciding on what materials to use...people seem to be using Kaplan materials. Tried ebay..there are heaps of materials for sale but still too scared to part with my money to some unknown seller. I suppose ebay screen their sellers with checks in place? Will see...will browse through this site again tomorrow...my eyes are hurting now.
Unlike most people in this forum, I am studying for the USMLE in order to get medical registration in New Zealand. I still can't understand why the New Zealand Medical Council cannot make their own MCQs (just like the Aussies do). Instead we have to go through these monstrous exams without an iota of support...no review centres, no networks of people in the same boat. Thank goodness for forums like this...helps keep me sane knowing there are others going through the same thing and succeeding with flying colours. These exams are a special challenge to me cause I am an older IMG, graduated from med school in 1990 and have been out of touch with medicine for 6 years to start a family. Anyway...have excellent support from my husband and family so I can't complain. Just go on doing my best. That's all we could do really.
Have to go...kids needing their mummy now. Cheers everyone.
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| an
Forum Guru
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welcome maylea, i am also just about beginning with CK preparation..hope to see around more
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I don't believe in miracles...I rely on them. And sometimes, I create my own.
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Thank you for the welcome an. I have read your posts in USMLE step 1 forum - very inspiring. CONGRATULATIONS on an excellent score in step 1. Hope to see you aroun in step 2 forum too.
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| KEROCHI
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Topics: 60
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Have a good start maylea. I'm also waitingfor my s1 result.
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Thanks Kerochi. Goodluck with your score. Had a good score in NBME 2 & 3 but am still a bit scared because am not sure how I did on the actual exam. I prefer to remain positive though.
Negotiating with someone for Kaplan lecture videos and lecture notes and making a wish list on amazon.com. Hopefully I will have figured out this whole study material stuff by the time by my OASIS gets updated. Just downloaded a portion of Dr. Goljan's Step 2 lectures and listening to him right now. I listened to his lectures for step 1. He's really good at integrating stuff and has a wonderful sense of humor which is so refreshing. 
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Posts: 86
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It's the third Wednesday since my step 1 exam which was a Tuesday. We are however 18 hours ahead of US time so there will be few more hours of waiting! This is really driving me crazy, heart's going 100 miles an hour, sweaty palms, etc, etc....Breathe, breathe. Hope OASIS gets updated this week.
Have clearer idea about the materials needed for step 2. It has been a treat having time to read through the different forums..especially others' experiences/exam preps. So much help. There are a lot of entries which are a real joy to read.
Hope everyone is having fun despite the need to work hard.
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| maylea
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Posts: 86
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Dear Diary....
OASIS got updated tonight, 9 pm New Zealand time, 10th November, 3 AM US Eastern time 9th November. Did Oasis trick and got the red screen that says ' our records indicate that you have already passed this step'! Hurray! Now I can go full steam ahead with my step 2 CK prep. Ah, the feeling was so unbelievable when you see that red screen. My hubby was so amused to see me do a 'rain dance'...actually a dance of joy and gratitude. Praise God, and thanks to all those who supported in my step 1 journey...hubby, parents, in laws, friends, etc. I shall write my experience soon, dedicated to all but especially to older graduates and mothers in this forum. I don't know if I will sleep tonight...so pumped up.
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| an
Forum Guru
Topics: 19
Posts: 437
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way to go maylea...congratulations!!!!!
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I don't believe in miracles...I rely on them. And sometimes, I create my own.
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| kingsofke
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Congratulations!!!
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| LisaM
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Hi Maylea, Congratulations! I hope you get a great score in step one. Belated welcome to step two prep!
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lisa
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Thank an, Kingsofke and LisaM. Hope to be more active in this forum. Wish you the best in your prep for step 2 CK.
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Posts: 86
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Dear Diary,
It's been almost 2 weeks since my last entry. Today marks the 1st day of my 'official step 2 CK prep'. I have been getting my books together, ordered them through amazon.com. First shipment won't probably get here till first week of December.
Have decided to push my exam date forward a month, from May 06 to April 06. I am hoping that I can meet the deadline to submit my application for the NZREX in June. Hope the results (God willing a positive one) of this exam will be released in as timely a manner as step 1.
Well, I have two weeks before my reviewers get here but I do have some materials to work with. I am planning to do 'diagnostic exams' using NMS and USMLE CD (did 1st block today - got 65% -not bad to start with). Then I will read through FA and listen to Dr Goljan's lecture. These should keep me occupied until then and hopefully Dr Goljan's lecture will give me a preliminary view of the big picture.
Originally wanted to get hold of Kaplan lecture notes but quite expensive, although in the end I am probably spending the same amount on different review books. But I did this for step 1 and succeeded so I might as well stick to something that's already worked for me.
Have been fighting this URTI bug for several days now...very annoying. Hope this resolves within the next day or so.
It has been a pleasure being a fulltime Mum again even just for a week. Liam and Sean definitely enjoyed having Mummy around and of course my hubby enjoyed having his wife back. Liam knows I have to study again and he has been very understanding, although I know I will hear knocks on the study/office door during the day. I think it helps that they know Mummy is just arournd. I will spend lunch time with them too. I dread the day though when I need to put them in creche fulltime. But that won't be until the last 4 weeks of my prep and it will only be temporary. Such are the sacrifices we all need to make to get these darn exams out of the way! In the meantime, they enjoy being taken care of by Grandad Mon till Wednesday.
Till next time Diary
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Posts: 86
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Hello again Diary,
It's been AGES since my last entry...in fact, before my prep for step 2. Well, I did try to do some studying before the Christmas break but there were just too many distractions, even up to the first two weeks of January. Had a hard time focusing on my studies again after the holidays...just managed to do a wee bit focused work for about two weeks now. Finished a very fast read of everything...and took NBME 1 just to see where I am. Way off the mark at the moment. Bummed out for a while, but realized that step 2 questions are much different from step 1. So I will take that as a challenge and will aim for a better score in 4 weeks time. Starting UW this week. Signed up for 3 months...will dissect each q and concentrate on concepts and make algorithyms/notes, etc (purchased 1 notebook for each subject). There are 2090 qs in uw which equate to 47 blocks of 46 qs...I reckon I can do 1 block each day...that will give me time to really read the explanations well, take notes and finish the first round within a month. The second month, will go through everything again....Will see how all this goes. If it works then I will stick with it...if not, then will think of something else.
Ok then...back to work. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!
Hope everyone in the same boat are doing well.
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Hi Diary,
Did my first block of uw qs yesterday (46qs) timed, mixed. Got 54%..not bad. But the important thing is to grasp the concepts from the qs Jotted down salient points which I thought I might forget. I plan to read the notes I've made at the end of each week for reinforcement. Just realized step 2 qs are different from step 1. Basic difference is that step 1 qs are classroom qs whilst step 2 qs are hospital qs.
Will do another block today. Interested to see what new things I will learn. Till next time then.
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Have done 8 46-q blocks now, averaging 58%. Happy with that at this stage but my aim is bring it up to at least 60%, but 65% or above would be better. Hope I can do it. Finding I am specially weak in surgery, preventive med and cardio. Have to do something about that.
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| maylea
Forum Elite
Topics: 4
Posts: 86
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Hi Diary,
Did NBME 2 two days ago, got 510. Per feedback my weak areas are surgery, cardio, and pulmo. Surprisingly enough I did better than expected in Preventive med. So I'm going to revise those three areas for a week and then go back to doing UW (have 400 more unused qs left), then will go through marked qs after that. Plan to do NBME 3 two weeks before the exam and read B & W and USMLE 2 Secrets during the last week. Hope I will be ready by April 10th.
Hope everyone is doing well. Keep paddling.
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| maylea
Forum Elite
Topics: 4
Posts: 86
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Hi Diary,
Finished first pass of all UW qs today...mostly blocks of 46qs, mixed, unused, timed with 1 or 2 blocks in tutor mode. Final score 61% - happy with that. At least I reached my goal of 60% at the minimum. Weaknesses in 3 areas: surgery, biostastistics (what's new) and ID.
Will do UW all over again, but will not pay attention to the score anymore. Have made quite a bit of notes too, for revision later. So for the upcoming week, I will do the USMLE CD with the explanations, read B & W and Secrets, and then review UW the week after that. That should bring me to the time I have scheduled to take the NBME 3. And we will take it from there...
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| amygdalaa
Forum Guru
Topics: 24
Posts: 399
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Hi Maylea
Glad to see you are doing so well. Keep it up. I am planngin for the end of april. I am in the middle of UW. Hope to do one revision before finishing uw by mid april. Do one more revision and go for it!
happy studying.
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"If at any point you feel you cant..... then you MUST"
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Hi amygdalaa,
Thanks so much. Am doing 2nd revision of UW now, subjectwise and getting higher scores probably secondary to recall. However, there are still a goodly number of qs that I feel I have seen for the first time. Still taking down notes too.
My plan of reading Secrets and B & W before going for the second round of UW did not pan out...I simply get too bored and sleepy just reading, so I end up wasting my time! Will definitely read those books and my UW notes 2 weeks before my exam. Hopefully my scheduling permit will arrive this week so I can firm up my date, either 10th or 18th April.
How are your studies going? Have you taken one of the NBMEs yet? Here's wishing you another excellent result, maybe a 99 this time eh?
Good wishes everyone.
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| amygdalaa
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Topics: 24
Posts: 399
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Hi Maylea,
Thanks for your wishes and hope your golden words come true .
I finished one revision of kaplan(with videos) and started uw. I am half way there, but my avg score is not going aboev 59. Now i am trying another revision f kaplan before attempting the rest. I was disheartened a bit after the uw(1000qs). But I guess I have made a ton of notes from these qs and so it wasn't all for a loss anyway. I am also intermittently doing qbook qs. They seem easier than uw.
You must be going full gear now. How r the kids? Hope you do great in your step 2 and remember your friend's message? That is what I wish for you.
GL.
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"If at any point you feel you cant..... then you MUST"
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| amygdalaa
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Topics: 24
Posts: 399
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Hi Maylea,
You are probably done with your exam. How did it go? I am sure you did great, coz you got a good NBME score.
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"If at any point you feel you cant..... then you MUST"
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| maylea
Forum Elite
Topics: 4
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Hi Amygdalaa,
Thanks for checking up on me. I sent you a PM. Please check your inbox. Cheers.
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| maylea
Forum Elite
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Dear Diary...big day tomorrow. Here we go!!
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| doctor81
Forum Elite
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Posts: 240
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best of luck
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| brokenhearted
Forum Senior
Topics: 5
Posts: 68
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Hey maylea...I read your post & it was very helpful & encouraging....can u plz tell me where can I find Gul jan video lectures & download them?
how did ur exam go & if you can recall some of the Q from ur exam that would be of great help for everybody else...
tc & GL.
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