wey2002
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 123
|
Test Day June.2
Got my score today, welcome to questions.
Special thanks to wombat
Thanks to nan, tolito, dipti, hodgkins,4mymd,fruit,26malik,
USMLEGladiator,zzzz,seems,goodgod,vallia,alr,
and all people who watched and helped me.
Edited by wey2002 on 07/15/06 - 10:11 PM
|
| Nan
Forum Senior
Topics: 12
Posts: 159
|
hi Way,
let me be the first to congratulate you all the best  Well done!
You help me to understand that achieving anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. All things are possible for those who believe.
Good luck with your step 2 studying
Will do good!!!!!
|
| robin082006
Forum Hero
Topics: 471
Posts: 5,123
|
congratulations.
___________________
The Key to Succeed is Patience.
|
| wey2002
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 123
|
Thanks nan, robin,
I hope I can be of help to future step 1 takers.
Please feel free to ask questions.
|
| raves
Forum Elite
Topics: 23
Posts: 245
|
congrats wey n all the best for step 2.
my question is how is kaplan qbank as compared to the real exam??n is the qbook mor difficult or easier than the real exam??i talked to smbody today n he told me that it is easier than the real exam n m baffled cos to me it was tough n i m not being able to concentrate on my studying  my exams in two weeks.
___________________
"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?"
|
| missedtackle
Forum Senior
Topics: 1
Posts: 21
|
qbank likes to focus on nitpicky details (seriously, who cares about the different species of rickettsia). So, I'd say it's harder, but only because it involves detail that you really don't need for the real exam.
|
| Nan
Forum Senior
Topics: 12
Posts: 159
|
Hi way, I need your guidance. I started my study in February 2006. I couldn’t concentrate for the first 2 months for many reasons. I am an old graduate (in 1993), and learned medicine in another language. I forgot a lot of basic knowledge, and language problem doesn't help either. The study has been very slow, and it feels like to learn everything from very beginning. I am frustrated that I haven’t finished my first reading yet. I haven’t done Pharma, Patho, Behavioral science, or Neuroanatomy. I work part time, 3 days a week. I understand that you weren't at a better position when you started than I am now. Reading your journal has given me confidence and encouragement.
Do you think that I have enough time to meet my deadline in December? When do you think I should buy Kaplan Qbank? Many thanks. 
Edited by Nan on 07/16/06 - 12:43 AM
|
| tolito
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 119
Posts: 2,174
|
CONGRATULATIONS WEY. I am so happy for you. you have done good!!! wish you all the best at the next steps.
___________________
It has been a looooong hard journey but I am inches away from my destination...
|
| vallia
Forum Guru
Topics: 98
Posts: 889
|
I am very happy for you Wey. Good job! Good luck on step 2.
___________________
fight possessed
|
| vanshita
Forum Guru
Topics: 31
Posts: 933
|
Congratulation
You did great Job
Great score
GOOD LUCK for your next step
|
| zzzz
Forum Elite
Topics: 9
Posts: 167
|
congratulations wey you did great..
|
| wey2002
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 123
|
To raves:
my question is how is kaplan qbank as compared to the real exam??
Well, Qbank is longer and tougher than the real exam, also more picky and minding more details.
But my real exam is more basic. The style is difficult.
You might not believe that majority of my Qs are 2-3 lines.
is the qbook mor difficult or easier than the real exam??i talked to smbody today n he told me that it is easier than the real exam.
I did Qbook long ago, my feelings can be wrong, I feel it is the same level to real exam, not that tough.
The most close thing is NBME, you can tell my kaplan qbank score is in no way related to my Step 1 score, people say you need at least 70% to get over 90, but mine in the end was 63%.
So the key is to use NBME to access yourself. Don't fuss with Qbank& Qbook percentage, do your NBME, remember First Aid Cold!.
|
| missedtackle
Forum Senior
Topics: 1
Posts: 21
|
Actually, I think when people say you need at least 70% on QBank to get over 90, I think it's really only accurate to look at your most recent scores instead of cumulative. For example, my final cumulative was 66%, but in the last week I was getting 70s. Of course, I still agree that QBank scores are not necessarily indicative of what you'll get on the real exam. However, while the NBME questions may reflect the actual test questions, I don't believe the score they give is very indicative either.
|
| wey2002
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 123
|
To Nan
I am an old graduate (in 1993), and learned medicine in another language.
Same, same, don't worry, I learned medicine the same way.
I work part time, 3 days a week. I understand that you weren't at a better position when you started than I am now. Reading your journal has given me confidence and encouragement.
Seriously, you have more time than I do.
Do you think that I have enough time to meet my deadline in December? When do you think I should buy Kaplan Qbank? Many thanks
To be honest, you are not, you have to finish as least 3 rounds of reading. You have to speed it up. But never lose courage, just work harder.
Starting doing Qbook, Finish 1st round of reading.
Starting 2nd one, do Qbank alongwise.
Starting 3rd reading, try to remember Kaplan notes
See if you can get Kaplan live lecture DVD.
You could start thinking this as a training for a race. You have to build muscle
and running skills. Muscle is what you remember from Kaplan notes, skills you build through doing Qs. So those are something you have to work on everyday. If you are not running properly, you have to train harder. Also you can not build one thing without another, so doing Qs after you study is crucial. As long as you trained enough, you will run good in the race, it doesn't matter how you feel, but how you prepare.
|
| wey2002
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 123
|
My prep journal:
http://www.prep4usmle.com/forum/thread/30693
|
| zzzz
Forum Elite
Topics: 9
Posts: 167
|
dear wey i have only six weeks in my exam i have few qs #1 is 2001 kaplan notes are enough for immunology b/c i read those do u think is this right to see new eddition right now i mean this close to exam? #2 what do you think about rapid review qs b/c i started them after seeing you to do that how will you correlate them to real exam i am scoring in them above 70 randomly while my q bank score is not that good anyway iam doing usmle tx qs b/c my kaplan subscription has been expired now but my score is same in there as in kqbank so i think they are similar in difficulty eventhough usmletx qs are not as picky as k qbank but some how they ask qs in such a way that you may get wrong just like qbank so again tell me about rapidreview?#3 how pharma was tested is that covered by FA?
thanks alot & again congratulations & good luck for step 2.
|
| Nan
Forum Senior
Topics: 12
Posts: 159
|
I thank you so much for the inspiration and advice you've provided. I really like the analogy of training for a race. I will follow your recommendation, revise my study style and give it a hard try.
Good luck in what there is to come! With this practice I hope everything will be better and easier for you from now on. I am very grateful to have you that I can look up to. Thanks again
|
| wey2002
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 123
|
dear wey i have only six weeks in my exam i have few qs #1 is 2001 kaplan notes are enough for immunology b/c i read those do u think is this right to see new eddition right now i mean this close to exam?
Well, I used 2001 version, I don't think I got any Qs beyond that range. To get a new version is good. But I think most impt thing is to REMEMBER what you read from kaplan.
If you are totally familar with 2001 version, I don't see any reason to switch. If not, it doesn't matter whether it is 2001 or 2005 cause you did not retain any of them.
If that is the case, get 2005 version, remember them,
But again, I don't think 2001 notes hurt me that much.
But for guys starting prep, I suggest you get 2005 or latest version. Kaplan people change the notes with a reason.
Plus, you can see that Step 1 is updating its question pool from its website, so it is better to get upto date materials.
For example. BSS was once good, but not helpful for Step 1 now anymore.
#2 what do you think about rapid review qs
Good qs, better correlated to test than Kaplan Q bank actually. it doesn't hurt to do them.
So again tell me about rapidreview?
I didn't use USMLE tx, but rapid review is done by goljan team. if you can notice, you can tell from his lectures that Goljan is good at getting real Qs and interpret the knowledge points behind them. IN that sense, Rapid review is really close to the test itself, also it is written in a language that is closer to real Qs in step1.
Plus, you learn from doing Qs. I did not see anything wrong in doing those rapid Qs if you have time.
One trick worked for me. I did Kalplan 350 sim test once, I reviewed all wrong Qs in one day, it was like doing a comprehensive review all together cause you get Qs from every topic, which gives me a good vision of the whole picture.
I would suggest you get the Qbank and review your wrong Qs in a random manner, 100-200 per day at least if you did not do so yet. There is no point in simplying doing Qs without learning from them, Q bank in my view is a learning tool, not a self assessment device, So instead of doing Q bank again, review wrong Qs, do rapid Qs, and do NBME, as you can tell, NBME is really accurate about my test performance.
#3 how pharma was tested is that covered by FA?
Really easy, remember the NE, E figures well, get the calculation right. It is totally covered by KAPLAN for sure, FA has most of the stuff but not complete, but FA is definitely good for recall before test.
Best
|
| zzzz
Forum Elite
Topics: 9
Posts: 167
|
thank you so much for your detiled input it will really gonna help me.
|
| Nan
Forum Senior
Topics: 12
Posts: 159
|
Hi Wey, I consider to speed up. I think I put too much time on too much detail for the first round review. For example, I read the Kaplan notes for gross anatomy before I watched the video, then do questions and read the notes again. It took me about a month for the gross anatomy. Is that too long? How long do you think it should take for the first reading? the time for the second reading? Thanks
|
|
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
