dipti
Forum Elite
Topics: 32
Posts: 237
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i was so tensed since yesterday and having palpitaions,till i tried oasis trick,it was telling me in orange letters that i cannot take test again because i already passed it!!i still cant believe that i did it!!
guys who joined this forum,i ll tell you this first best thing you have done after deciding to give usmle.this is the blessing to people like me,who always needed moivation,hands to come out from tension and depression...........
i dint have great preparation for step 1.because i am studying on and off studying for steps since last september.till the i was doing mistakes and learning from them.so right now at least i can tell you what to do to beat this exam.
1)plan before you decide to take the date.plan for duration of your study,plan which books you gonna use,
plan ,plan how much reading you gonna do,plan time to solve questions.
PLAN,PLAN,PLAN.
very important friends!because the country in which you are going to make your future has first important word in its dictionary.
AND STICK TO THE PLAN AT EACH AND EVERY COST!
that was thing i dint do in start,biggest mistake.
2)TRY TO MAKE REALISE THE SYSTEM.
people who are not from usa,i mean IMGs.this is another important part because we are used to give exams in different way.so just dont start to study............before taking books in hands,try to understand the pattern of question.because this the thing is gonna tell what should be your method to study.
i did this mistake,untill i realised two month before.
from wht i recollect i had much lengthy questions,all had clinical pattern,they started from age,sex,bla,bla.just like step2 pattern.
they covered every high yield topic from every subject.yes AS USUAL ALL PATHOPHYSIOLOGY,IHD,MI,MURMURS,EVERY TOPIC OF CVS,
LOTS OF CT,SPECIMEN FROM NEUROLOGY,LOT OF ENDOCRINE
CANCER,ULCERS FROM GIT,also reproductive,muskuloskeletal
GENERAL PATHO,PNEUMONIAS FROM MICRO.TOXINS OF BACTERIA
LOTS OF PHARMAC QUESTIONS,TWO TO THRESS STAGES QUESTIONS.
doctor patient relationship questions,LOT OF EMBRY FROM NUEROLOGY
clinical anatomy,many nerve injuries.histology.
ALL ENZYME DEFICIENCIES FROM FAT METABOLISM,INHERITANCE QUESTIONS,LOTS OF THEM
i guess this is easy AND THEN COME WEIRD PART.which i always hated during study,i had at least three to four question with GRAPHS.FROM PHARMAC,MICRO,PHYSIO......some of them i never seen!wierd genetics was there.this was the part which worried about result.
for first two blocks i really needed to struggle with quesions,to finish them....is was scary,so started reading question first and then info.it was helpful,because sometimes they give diagnosis in last sentence also,and if you read question first you know wht to pick up from info.
but do read full info,just dont rely on last question for choosing answer.
for this here come my next suggestion.........
3)PRACTICE QUESTIONS.
they always ask you basics but yes in a ticky way,but if you cant strike that in a minute,you are gone because clock is ticking with its own speed,then if cant make it own time you jumble,and get panicked.
avoid this by practicing lots and lots of questions.i will say try to read question oriented,tha means,read a topic,make a clinical case out of it.and now ask yourself questions,try to corelate with other subject also.because they gonna see how you can corelate,every subject in each disease.it sounds crazy,bu believe me,you are making your brain ready for that 8 hours specially people like me who are slow in reading.
i tried this in my last month,it helped me a lot.
Qbank is great,robbins review of pathology is very helpful
please do nbme to see your progress,its must.you can encounter some of them in exam also,like i did twice.so its necessary.
4)STUDY LIKE YOU NEVER DID BEFORE.
specially last month ,its much crucial.being a married person,i couldnt dedicate my whole time to studies.but last month it was do or die situation for me.i wish i could have done study like in my college days.
so people who has time just for themselves,use it with full concentration.and people has other responsibilites,whatever time you have make them golden hours!go prep journals of this forum,there are these amazing moms and dads,also working guys, walking on a thin string trying to balance everything to make a bright future will give you motivation.hats off to them!!
Kaplan notes are more than enough,high yield molecular biology
anaomy,histology,behavioral science are very good books.
i read usmle road map for nueroanatomy but kaplan is sufficient for exam.
fpr patho i dint use kaplan as i studied 2001 edition,but i used BRS pathology,i found it very good for systemic.
BRS physiology is good for studying graphs.
and here come our angel book.......First aid for usmle.i ll suggest you read first pages on steps before you start preparation.......
and read the topics from 2nd reading,add kaplan into it,even points from qbank.so you dont need to wrestle through the pages in last minute.first is very very helpful in last month,so make use of it from start,and get used to it for end.
please make keep solving at least few quaestions till the last day,so you can keep your mind in that flow till the day of exam.it was helpful for me.
and on the last day try to think all beautiful things exept study.you will need this sleep to make a hold on your nerve,make your mind and body fresh.SO SLEEP ADQUETELY.
I was in bed at 10'o clock,but at least managed to sleep for 5 hours.otherwise it could have been horrible for me.
DECIDE TO DIVIDE YOUR BRAKE IN LAST WEEK,MAKE LIST OF THINS YOU GONNA TAKE.
i divided blocks 2-3-long brake-2-1.in brakes i used to close my eyes,drink some RED BULL,milkshakes,eat dryfruits.red bull is amazing drink.i used it during short brakes.but not too much!so try to take short brakes,and especially for last blocks,when you are on the verge of collapsing.i helped me.
this what i learnt from my experience from step 1.everybody has different abilities and mehods.but some things all of us need is DEDICATION,CONCENTRATION,HARDWORK.
i am an avarage student,so if i can do it,anybody can definately beat this exam as its doable.
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| star1
Forum Guru
Topics: 93
Posts: 827
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CONGRAT ON YOUR SUCCESS.
INSHALLAH YOU WILL GET GOOD SCORE
I need some help. I am preparing for quite a long time ...
because of some reason I did not took my test and Now I am on my way to take it in next month.
its seem to be sometime that everything is going out from my mind... what ever I have read and so I need more and more reading . do you have the same situation?
sometime ppl much scared us that test is getting tough and tough ,,, is it true?
what extra advise you would give US?
thanks for sharing your experience
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| unique1
InGodITrust
Topics: 19
Posts: 1,421
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Congrats dipti and thanx for sharing your experience!!!
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| drbin
Forum Guru
Topics: 27
Posts: 535
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congrats friend, i kept on wondering what happened to u. after that NBME of urs u were gone missing....anyway happy that u did it and passed too.....good luck for a nice score.
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| robin082006
Forum Hero
Topics: 471
Posts: 5,125
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congratulations, good luck for your score.
Recently I received lots of good news from step 1 takers: They PASSED
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The Key to Succeed is Patience.
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| drpkaur
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 808
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Thanx dipti for sharing your experience with us and wish you good luck with gr8 score..
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| gtd068a
Forum Elite
Topics: 14
Posts: 77
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Congratulations dipti!
Hey Star 1, Hang in there. I started feeling the same way about forgetting material. I realized that I may have spent too much time reading. So for STEP 2 I will do complete, thorough two readings but then I will do the 3rd reading much more quickly so the time span does not get too long. The other issue to keep in mind is to benchmark your self and confidence. Do Kaplan simulated to get a feeling for where you stand, definetly do at least one NBME exam. These will give you good indication of where you stand so you can prepare accordingaly. Then you will not have to worry about if the exams have gotten tougher or not (which I don't think they have).
Best wishes.
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| vanshita
Forum Guru
Topics: 25
Posts: 857
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Congratulation Dipti
Good luck for your score
thanks for sharing with us
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| star1
Forum Guru
Topics: 93
Posts: 827
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THANKS gtd068a
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| dipti
Forum Elite
Topics: 32
Posts: 237
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thanks,STAR1........yes i had such situation many time.but whenever you feel go back to books right away read that,try to memorise.it doesnt harm.,MEMORISE ,MAKE PNUEMONICS.whenever you are away from books try to memorise recent topics you have read,while doing other things also.i used to do that in last month.these subjecs are volatile,you cant fill up everything in your brain at a time so even if you need to revise it many time times ,just do it.
another effective way is to practice questions,they will tell you what are your weaknesses.try to do comparative study while doing questions.i mean compare all answer option to one another,difference between them.even while reading also you can compare the diseases in same system.because it will help you to sort out correct diagnosis which will help you to choose the answer regarding to that topic.
are you solving NBME tests?they will be very useful to find out your weaknesses.for me i learnt a lot from all tests as i was doing bad on them,so it really woke me up in last two months.i even postponed my test for 20 days.i think now it was no a bad decision.
i really dont know if exam is getting tougher or not bu it is much clinical now.i solved usmle CD for step2 ck and it was the same pattern i got for most of pathophysiological question,but in exam last question was of course was step 1 subjects.
but no exam is tough if you work really hard on it.keep confidence in yourself.you will definately do good.i have confidence in you STAR1 because i have came across your posts many times.and average student like me can do this believe me you can definately do this.good luck to you.
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| dipti
Forum Elite
Topics: 32
Posts: 237
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thanks unique1,robbins082006,drpkaur,gtd068a,vanshita.
thanks drbin,my friend the truth is NBME test relly shook me off and i fel ashamed among you wonderful guys that i dont have capability to do good and then i have no right to write in this forum.but now feeling much better.
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| tolito
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 119
Posts: 2,174
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congratulations dipti. we missed you on the forum but am glad all turned out well. let us pray for that excellent score that you deserve.
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It has been a looooong hard journey but I am inches away from my destination...
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| zzzz
Forum Elite
Topics: 9
Posts: 167
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congratulations
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