amygdalaa
Forum Guru
Topics: 24
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Hi! Got back from the vacation and had a ton of stuff to do. Now I finally get to do this.
I am a full-time mom of 2 kids, 2 and 6. I am an old grad with a Masters in basic sciences (micro and genetics). I prepared for 6 months, including 3 months of centerprep, during which I had help with my kids. The other 3 months, I tried to put in between 8-10 hours. I used Kaplan material, except for pathology I used Goljan review and listened to him once (and thoroughly enjoyed it and wished I could do it again) and Katzung’s for pharmacology (more as a reference) and BRS for behavioural sciences. I can say that I went through the Kaplan material atleast 4 times because for me repetition reinforces. It is all about your concepts. If you are clear in your basics, you can work out most of the answers. For me math and statistics are easier to deal with than behavioural qs. I think they are more straightforward where you plug in the values and get the answer. Physio endocrinology is high-yield. Know it well. So are MOAs of drugs and side effects. I had a surprisingly low number of questions in biochemistry and molecular genetics, subjects that I am good at.
What I liked most of Kaplan was the way they always integrated the subjects. Their little points relating to topics in the margins were features I loved. That is the way I study, try to relate any word/topic to other fields that I’ve seen the word in or other contexts. Another thing I always did was I never took a test for a subject I just read. I always did a test in an entirely different subject to truly test my recall. This I thought would better prepare for the actual exam because I have good short time memory and I know I will do very well in a test as soon I study those topics. I always took short breaks in between my studies. I tried to put in 2-3 hours before lunch time, put in 2 hours during the afternoon when my little one naps. Then it would be family time from 4-9. I would then study between 9- 12(or 1). During my last month I did 2 hours of questions everyday and revised all subjects once, did 2 full day simulated exams and the usmle cd. The full length exams help give you an idea of the amount of stamina you need to deal with the real thing.
I could only do this because of my family’s support and good fortune and blessings. I also want to thank everyone in this forum for I learnt a lot here.
If you have questions feel free to ask.
Edited by prep4usmle on 01/31/06 - 08:43 PM
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| Doc2378
Forum Guru
Topics: 46
Posts: 688
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Thanks for sharing your experience Amygdalaa!!
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Courage does not always ROAR. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow" - Mary Anne Radmacher
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| amygdalaa
Forum Guru
Topics: 24
Posts: 399
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thanks Doc2378! Good luck!
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| mavis
Forum Senior
Topics: 0
Posts: 84
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Hi there
Did you do the NBME???
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| amygdalaa
Forum Guru
Topics: 24
Posts: 399
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No mavis. I did not.
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| cyra
Moderator
Topics: 29
Posts: 844
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Congratulations!!Great score!
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| amygdalaa
Forum Guru
Topics: 24
Posts: 399
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Thanks cyra. Congratulations and good luck on your score to you too!
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| norwalk
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 8
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just initiated my prep.i too have household work to look after.i plan to give exam in may.do you think its doable in span of 5 months?need to score high.is it sufficient time?
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| smt
Forum Newbie
Topics: 8
Posts: 19
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Amygdala, In which year did you graduate?
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| hardwork21
Forum Newbie
Topics: 8
Posts: 39
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Hi Amygdala
Congratulations on your success.thanks for posting .
When you say you did Kaplan 4 times ,did you go through the whole 7 books all over page to page.
I really am in very difficult situation ,I didn't clear the exam so i would really appreciate your input.
Did you do bss questions ?Is BRS a better option than Kaplan?
Thanks.
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| amygdalaa
Forum Guru
Topics: 24
Posts: 399
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rx_tox,
Good luck. I dont know if there is one fixed plan that will work for everyone. You just have to work out something that fits you well and works for you.
norwalk,
It depends how many hours you are able to put in and how many readings you are able to put in. Also maybe you can try the assessment tests to see where you stand before the exam. Good luck.
smt , I gratuated in 1998.
hardwork21, I am sorry about your exam. Yes, I did read most of the stuff. You know after the first and second reads we can figure out what is important. And I stressed more on what I thought was high-yield. I did not go through the BRS series. Only for beh. sci. I did the questions from BRS. I liked the way kaplan books integrate the info, so I did not try reading any other books except for pathology. I also thought the beh sci qs from kaplan were quite difficult. Good luck!
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