carmen77
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 91
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Hello friends,
I didn't post before, one of the silent ones. I went to the exam. The day before I tried to read like I always do, but this time I tried something different. Went out, I've seen Ice Age 2, I made it to laugh a bit, had a good meal in the evening, a walk before sleep. I manage to have 6 hours of sleep and that was more then enough. Preparation was on and of for about 8 months. Studied after kaplan notes and Dvd. Conrad Fisher is so much fun and educative..I was content with gyneco and obst. dvds.. those were my favorites.. and usmle world took it 3 months self paced.
Exam is not scarry. You can really figure it out. Of course they had their crazy questions where you just couldn't understand what they want, had a answer in mind, but couldn't find it in the answers. But those were few. Probably the experimental ones. Were q with 20 options but again..not many. Is very hard to make a corect estimations of procents. Pretty much psychiatry, but guess for those is better to practice q then to read more the theory...know good your duration..how much does it take to diagnose a disease..from all the long words this is all that matters..for picking the right answer.
I have finished all blocks. First one I had it 10 minutes before. My stupid mistake was that I thought that those minutes are added to the break. But they are not. I read about the breaks but don't know what was in my head. So after first block I had 15 minutes break..So funny, then looking at the computer screen hour, I understood that I made a mistake. I took break after each block, I'm a smoker, had to suply my nicotine. Last 2 blocks I had no time left for the break..had to take it in the row..As the time passed, I finished the second block maybe 7 minutes before..Last 4 blocks finished just in time, I was always watching the watch, 30 minutes, 23 questions.
Questions werent' long..Perhaps 5-10 lines..most..let's say 65- 70 % were 5-10 lines. My management was to read the q first line, last line, scan the answers and then go trought all q. At the short ones, I just started from the beggining. The long ones I can say they had kind of trigger word. or so...our favorite Conneticut..you know what I mean. Biostat was like 7-10 q, but beside 2 they were really basic, easier 10 times then step 1..basic basic...As usually the q look like nothing else but I would say they go more to the usmle world format and dificulty..mean the dificulty of those you get right.
About my performance..usmle world was 50% and nmbe 1, 5 months before exam 360, and 1 month before nmbe 2 was 430. ..I wanted to see how much is usmle world raising my score so I took the first one before usmle world..Didn't take the nmbe 3, because I just felt good of the thought of passing, the summer is coming I just wanted not to delay and to go with confidence.
Don't know what else to say now. I can not make any estimation about how much I think I make right, cos I really had to move fast to be in time, but I can say that overall feeling was that I was in control not in panic or untrusting.. I know that after step 1 I felt horible and I was so glad cos everyone who took it felt like this and was kind of hoping to take it...Now I'm not feeling horible and that worries me a bit..but not much..I was intending to write the experience after a positive result but..my message is to focus to rest well, I know this part is the hardest..I have drank apple tea before bed..I don't know if it was the apple or the suggestion cos someone said that apple tea just put you a sleep in a minute..but it worked!!  )))))))) and really concentrate while you are there, all your work is fulfilled in that day..I remember last hour I was so tired..I just wrote on my note block FOCUS this is the last block ))
The exam was pretty well equilibrated, I guess I had from everything a bit, no vaccines, I mean one but the simplest thing. I was so glad cos I hate vaccins, and no crazy coagulation or hemato weird stuff.. The exam is really about basic, you find all that information in kaplan and as people before me said,uw is really a must. Thank you to the people who posted their exam experiences, especially the positive and confident ones..cos really helped me reduce my emotions..Hope to take it ..
Guys I wish you good luck, you all deserve to take it after this hard work which only people who do that can trully understand..Talk to you in 3 weeks about result...Be confident and you'll make it..(me too )))
With our words we make the world!
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| drk1980
Forum Guru
Topics: 147
Posts: 1,038
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Good experience, by the sound of it! Congrats! and best of luck for the results...it'll be good news, so enjoy ur summer:o)
BTW, I think you were right before...that if you end your block early, and walk away from the computer... those minutes do get added to your break time...?
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| carmen77
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 91
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The minutes if you finish your block early do not add to your break time. If you finish the block early and you don't want to review your questions and you are tired, the best thing is to stay in front of the computer, take a break this way until the time of the block finishes up. But you have to finish the block and enter break time if you want to leave the room..Good luck drk 1980 ! 10x )
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| busy_mom
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 100
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Good post, Carmen ! Enjoy your summer, and good luck for your score !
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| catmd04
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 384
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Hi Carmen,
Thanks for sharing with us. Reading your post, i know for sure that you did very well. I'll take my CK in a few months and hope it wont be too terrible!
Wish you a 99.
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| infliximab
Forum Guru
Topics: 22
Posts: 320
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HI CARMEN,
GOOD POST, U JUST GAVE ME THE MOTIVATION TO KEEP READING.
WISHING U A GREAT SCORE
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| carmen77
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 91
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Thank you Busy_mom, good luck to you too!! I have read your experience before going to exam, it was very helpful. The oasis trick is stil working in 3 weeks, on Wensday?
Catmd04, thank you for the positive words..I will see pretty soon what the score will be. Black on white. The exam is much better then step 1, don't let other people scare you. They really ask common things, and basically from the books you read, they can't ask extraterestrial medicine..Keep cool and good luck, you'll do fine, you'll see!!
Infliximab, thank you!! I'm sure you'll do great. If you'll take a nmbe with over 400, guess you can go with confidence. I didn't heard anyone saying that the nmbe and exam did not corelate..Good luck!!!!!!
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| carmen77
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 91
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I got the envelope today, I have passed. Is not 99, but..is a first take and that is good enough for me. Anyway, I'm sure God has a plan for each of us, so I don't worry too much about the future. Good luck to you, all!
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| JH
Forum Senior
Topics: 19
Posts: 76
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Carmen, 98 is good enough!
THanks!
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| carmen77
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 91
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JH is not 98 even, is just a nice decent score around 80. Whatever, I know my exam experience sounds very confident and so, but that is really how I felt and I wanted to post then, otherwise I don't know If I would've posted after the envelope came. What can I say is that in deed nmbe is a very good predictor, I don't know how they do that..but came out true. I wish they would've had a nmbe for cs, but for obvious reasons that's not possible. Well, I hope there would be a place for me even with these scores and hope to catch the match this year..Can't be only the scores that count. I'm a bit dissapointed cos I have invested a lot of time and work and I expected more, but thinking of the alternative that I could very well fail, my dissapoitment dissapears..As is said: doesn't matter on what door you enter, matters most on what door you exit. Wish you all good luck. See you in cs forum.
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| JH
Forum Senior
Topics: 19
Posts: 76
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Carmen, of course 80+ is good enough!
Also good luck for your CS. JH
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