Dragonfly
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 334
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Oh God,
i got my score today, and i still don`t believe it. i am still in SHOCK...
245/99 !!!
I would like to thank God (Allah) for His grace and mercy on me and for giving me this great gift.
I also want to thank all of you guys for your help and support and this forum and the prep4usmle site for providing such a great environment for us to share.
Without God`s help and you guys, i would not be here.
i took my exam on 22, June and OASIS updated on 12,July and i got my result after almost 6 weeks (1,Aug).
i posted my exam experience here :
http://www.prep4usmle.com/forum/thread/36122
and now about the prep:
I warn you that it is going to be long. So don`t curse at me 
i studied for almost 8 months on and off since i was busy. on average 4-6 hours/day.
sources :
- Pathology – BRS + Goljan audio lectures.
BRS is the best book i have read in path. i used Robbins back in the med school for path. but believe it or not, there are many things in this smaller book (BRS) that are not found in the Robbins! it is right to the point and clearly written. at first i was thinking of Kaplan but didn`t even touch it for 2 reasons : 1- it seems too thin for path (supposedly the most important part for boards?) 2- everybody said it is a useless book
and last but never the least Dr. Goljan`s audio lectures. guys, he is good at what he does and that is teaching his audios were really helpful, i could answer 10-15 Q.s in the exam based on what he said alone! i could hear him during the exam answering my Q.s  i listened to him about 5-6 times. but i think if you don`t have much time twice or even Once would be a great help. i was planning to study his Rapid-review and 100page High-yield but didn`t get the time. the last time i listened to him which was couple of weeks before the exam, i wrote down whatever i felt i wasn`t comfortable with. i didn`t even get the time to read the notes i took. but somehow i guess the act of writing itself kept the material in my head
bottom line is that BRS+Goljan audio are the best combo for path.
i did not have the time to see pictures from Webpath or anywhere else and honestly it didn`t effect my exams b/c most Q.s you could just simply answer from the stem without even looking at the pics.
- Pharmacology - i studied this one from "Katzung Examination & Borad review" + some parts from Kaplan LN
Katzung is a terrible book. it is so mixed-up and condense that i had a hard time studying it but since i studied from this for my regular course, i prefered not to start something brand new.
it basically is very good if you are strong in Pharm and want to go over things you already know but i am sure that it almost covers everything and is more than enough.
i studied Pharmacodynamics & Pharmacokinetics as well as Autonomic from Kaplan since i felt they were important and high yield on the exam and it turned out that i was right and Kaplan does an excellent job explaining these topics. together with all the end-of-the-chapter calculations and graphs, it covers these topics wonderfully. if you understand all the graphs in these areas and see the concept behind them, you won`t have any problems. i have no idea about the rest of Kaplan pharm. since i didn`t study it. but if it is as good as these chapter it must be great.
i studied Antibiotics from "microbiology made Redic. simple" the AB chapters. guys, i studied ABs left and right from Katzung many many times before and still if you asked me a simple spectrum Q. or SE or DOC i would be cluless but MMRS works magic!! i mean i really grasped the concept from this book and hopefully i am never going to forget it as long as i just remember the images in this book
Micro - Jawetz + Microbiology made Redic. simple
this took a major part of my time b/c i wanted to learn this subject real good but if you don`t have a luxury of time as i did, i suggest you don`t do this and probably go for Kaplan.
Jawetz is a good book but is also too-detailed for boards yet MMRS even though an excellent book, lacks some grounds, so i think they are complement each other.
i studied the Basics micro and micro genetics and Fungi from Kaplan which i felt was great. guys make sure you know the Fungi and their geography from kaplan. it is deadly important.
also the charts and clinical cases are good to look at. it integrates what you know in a very quick manner and also the "Comparative micro" i think is a must. b/c it helps you not to mix similar features of bugs.
· Immunology – Kaplan
Very good part and I should say I never understood this one in med school and I learned it for the first time from the kaplan. More than enough as long as you read it and memorize it well. Only problem is the Complement chapter that lacks enough explanation. I studied that from Jawetz.
· Behavioral - BRS + Kaplan .
a good combination. Since I had BRS edit.2000 it wasn`t so up-to-date but In terms of teaching the concept, it is very nice. specially for me with a European style that Psychology is not emphasized that much, this one was a big challenge.
i also studied from Kaplan which is also a good book but too condensed but had more recent info (I had 2002 ed.). It is good to review but not as good to learn from for the first time. I got the Audio Kaplan webprep for this one from a friend. I didn`t listen to any other webpreps. but this one was very good. He really gives good examples and explains things cleverly. My advice is if you have time, listen to him, esp. the Ethics part.
In the exam there were many D-P Q.s and ethics also statistics and epidemiology.
· Physiology – Kaplan
Very well-written and more than enough if you understand everything and not just memorize it.
Also the Q.s at the end of the chapters are really good.
· Biochem & Biology - Kaplan
In my opinion the BEST of the Kaplan series. It tought me much more biochem than my course in med school. It is very clear and more than enough. both genetics parts and metabolic pathways.
For biology also Kaplan is fine but I just felt better checking the High-yield Cell Biology which wasn`t that important.
· Anatomy – Kaplan + High-yield Neuroanatomy
Neuro part of the Kaplan again is great. Everything is there. I just double-checked stuff from High-yield NA. I think Kaplan is enough for neuro. Also for Gross & Embryo and Histo. It is just enough. I studied 2-3 chapters of High-yield Embryo but b/c of time issue I quit and studied from Kaplan. It turned out ok. I had many Q.s from embryo and I think I knew all of them from Kaplan.
· MCQ source : only and only Qbook !!
I was planning to do Qbank but in the end I was so nervous that I decided to repeat what I had studied rather than doing MCQ. Something I do not recommend to anyone. It was plainly WRONG!!
but it proved a fact also. Although MCQ is an essential part of preparation, In-depth studying and really understanding what you read is so much more important, that you may even do without MCQ. But again, I do not recommend this method at all. b/c tests are not only a good way to give you a sense of what exam is like, but also it trains you to build up endurance as I told before. 8 hours is a long time and if you are not used to reading and thinking for that long, you might burn out midway.
Besides, I did do the Qbook and I went through all the explanations, so in a way I did practice MCQ, yet not enough. I also did USMLE CD but it took about 1 hour. b/c the Q.s are soooo easy.
What about NBME? I preferred not to take them. One thing is for sure, they do not teach anything and just make you more anxious and if close to the exam you score low, they crush your self confidence. That would be the last thing I needed before the exam. I don`t care how similar those Q.s are to the exam. I think the time spent finding the right answers and explanations would be better off spent on studying your own material. But then again this is just my personal opinion. Many people reported that it was useful for them. I guess it is ok to take them 2-3 months before the exam while you still have enough time to strengthen your weak areas but e.g. 2 weeks before the exam? I wouldn`t. it would be like a double-edged sword (both edges pointing towards you ), if you score too high, you get too cocky and you relax during the most crucial time of your life! If you score too low, you get crushed and you feel like you have read so much yet you don`t know anything.
But wait a minute!! What about the God`s gift to USMLE takers, the Golden book, the One and Only First Aid??
I did buy the book and I actually did read the Physiology part and some pathology and that was it. I saw almost everything in there, you already find it in Kaplan so why waste time on the same thing. Instead I preferred to repeat Kaplans. And you see I wasn`t that much off. Of course, again this is my personal opinion, but I think FA in Over-advertised. You can do quite well without it as long as you understand everything in Kaplans and repeat them till you master them and do MCQs.
Of course, I would imagine if someone is under time pressure and wants to take STEP 1 in a very short per iod, he could give it a shot but if you have read the Kaplans and you know them well and you are doing fine on MCQs, why on earth would you waste your time on FA? Just b/c everybody says so? Then again, this is my view. Many might disagree. However, the first section of the book was very useful , in terms of giving you an introductory view about the exam.
I think that was it. I repeat this like thousands of others, this exam is certainly "Doable" and the key is to have confidence and persistence and STUDY, STUDY and STUDY.
nothing comes from the planet mars. everything is from the stuff i mentioned and probably Kaplans could substitute them all (except for Path).
the correlation b/w your score and your studies is +1. the more you study, the higher your score could be. as simple as that. nothing out of the blue, nothing unexpected except some few weird experimental Q.s which i think not many would get them right which makes everybody even which is good and let`s not forget somewhere b/w 20-30% of Q.s are experimental and do not count towards the final result.
Never give up, never lose hope and trust God and pray to Him and He will respond. My exam was a Miracle. God sure helped me with it. no accidents, panics, backouts . i was very comfortable and at times, it would seem as if God was guiding me to the right answers and I owe all that to the Lord. (don`t believe me? See it for yourself)
Along the way, you might from time to time feel insufficient and feel like you don`t know anything but trust me, we have all been there. It feels the same for everyone. Not too long ago, I was studying in the hope of a good grade and now I am over the hetch. If I can do it, so can you and so will you.
Sorry it took so long. I just wanted to cover everything.
I will be more than happy to help or answer Q.s if I can.
I wish the best for all those who still are stuying for the exam and i`ll pray for all of you guys. and please pray for me too
May God Bless you all!
Edited by Dragonfly on 08/01/06 - 07:48 PM
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| mitty
Forum Guru
Topics: 52
Posts: 376
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congragulation!!!
And thank you for the valuable advice.
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He will make it happen.
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| laura81
Forum Elite
Topics: 32
Posts: 176
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congratulations!!!!GREAT JOB!!!
How many times did u read the books?
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| vanshita
Forum Guru
Topics: 25
Posts: 857
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copngratulation great score
GOOD LUCK for other exam
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| drpkaur
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 808
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Congatulations !!!!!! excellent scores......good luck.
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| dartikaz
Forum Newbie
Topics: 2
Posts: 39
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Congratulations and thanks for your advice!! Hope we all will get through with God's grace!!
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| ing
Forum Guru
Topics: 45
Posts: 435
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Excellent score! Thank you. Your post is very helpfull.
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Never give up!!
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| Lim
Forum Elite
Topics: 62
Posts: 210
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Congratulations..
thanks for sharing your prep tips.
GL to next step.
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The secret is never give up
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| Dragonfly
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 334
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mitty , laura81 , vanshita , drpkaur, dartikaz , ing and Lim thank you all for your kind remarks.
Laura81 : i read the books around 2-3 times . i think if you understand the concepts that is more than enough.
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| star1
Forum Guru
Topics: 93
Posts: 827
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WOW CONGRAT ON SUCH A GOOD SCORE....
GL
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| oldkidontheblock
Forum Guru
Topics: 59
Posts: 919
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Hi Congrats
I really appreciate your post and wish you all the best. May Allah give you success in future too. I pray to Him to give me strength and courage to beat this exam like you have done. I have failed 3 times earlier last one was in 1997 and then got depressed and left it but by twist of fate I am back and I hope this time to avenge it. Pray for me!!!
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Malcolm Forbes: Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat
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| Dragonfly
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 334
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star1 and oldkidontheblock thanks alot and Good luck to you too.
oldkidontheblock : i am happy it was useful and i am glad that you have decided to come back. sometimes the path is a bit twisted but if you believe in success and pray for that to God, eventually victory shows its face. i will pray for and wish you the best in everything.
and guys, i forgot to mention about my prep. that i never was studying one subject at a time as i thought i would be bored. e.g. i would study 1-2 chapter of behavioral or 1bacteria+1virus or later 1 chapter of pharm along with the subject of the day and actually i covered Behavioral + Micro (the bacteria+virus part) just like that the first time. and it was very useful to absorb things like micro or pharm more gradually, rather than all at once. ofcourse, i put everything together when i revised that but it was much easier when i came back to it for revision. i suggest you to try it if you have time and see if it works for you also.
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| smarty
Forum Senior
Topics: 2
Posts: 271
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hi Dragonfly
congratulations.....insha allahyou will be blessed with more success in ur coming steps..just have faith in the ALL Mightyas u have always had!
hope i can give you the same news some day  . take care and congrats once again. i am really happy for you!!
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"This one step of choosing a goal & sticking to it ,changes everything & Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
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| safazain
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
Posts: 1
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Hi Dragonfly,
Congratulations for finishing step1 and may Allah grant you the score you wish for. Your explanation was very helpful. Please, post as much information that you think those are preparing for step1 may benefit with. Do you mind that I get your email address in case I have some questions for you.
Thanks,
safazain
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| HILFIGER
Forum Senior
Topics: 22
Posts: 195
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I also read Katzung Examination & Borad review. Agree that it is not very organized but otherwise I think it's the best in pharma. Do you think kaplan is sufficient?
Thanks and good luck!
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| Luckyall
Forum Guru
Topics: 11
Posts: 593
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Hearty congrats ! I found your post extremelly helpfull & realistic ! Yes, it is all abt perseverence !
Many many congrats !
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| Dragonfly
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 334
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smarty : Thanks alot. i hope you get a great 99+ score
safazain: thank you. sure if i remember any more comments. i`ll post it right away. my email is : dambo7@gmail.com. feel free to send any Q.s
hilfiger: as i said i just read the PK, PD and Autonomic from kaplan. i have no idea about the rest of the book. but these chapters i know are more than enough.
luckyall: thanks and i wish you the best
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| Dragonfly
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 334
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another thing that just came to my mind :
during last 2-3 weeks i was almost studying 10hours/day. even the day before the exam. it turned out to be the most precious time period. i remember someone was suggesting to relax couple of last days and not to touch the books. i don`t know about the others but if i didn`t get that last minute study at that period, i doubt i could even pass the exam. it was essential for me to go over everything once more then and refresh my memory. it felt like what i had studied was stored in my Long-tem memory and that 2 last weeks i managed to bring them out to my short-tem, at-hand memory which served me well.
so again it is up each person`s anatomy and style but it sure worked for me.
for the record, i am a type of person that has to study till the exam starts!! crazy ha?
but the night before the exam was different. at 11PM i forced myself to get some sleep and i managed to sleep for 4 hours which is strange for me. i never dare to sleep the night before my course exams but if i didn`t sleep for that 4 hours, i would mess up for sure. it is a long day and you need energy. so DO SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE !!
i changed my sleep hours around 2 weeks before the exam to match the D-day. i would go to bed at 10PM and get up at 6AM and no day naps.
Edited by Dragonfly on 08/02/06 - 08:22 PM
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| pprincess
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Congratulations Dragonfly, mashallah!
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| jole
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CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Dragonfly!!MAASHALLAH!!!!am so happy for u.All the best of luck in the rest of the steps.
i just want to know how to get the Goljan audios?i started using BRS but when i got the goljan review it was like BRS+more.so now am using both of them to consolidate each other but to me Goljan is really good.I would be grateful if you could help with this.
thank you.
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| Dragonfly
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 334
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pprincess and Jole thank you.
Jole: i got Goljan`s audio on a CD from a friend but they are too big for my connection to upload them. i am sure you can find them in the internet. google them and search forums.
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| Diego Casali
Forum Elite
Topics: 7
Posts: 234
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Congratulations for your amazing score.
Good luck for your Step 2 CK preparation.
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| mytime
Go Marching in!
Topics: 39
Posts: 3,174
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I don't think I have ever read such a long mail which made so much sense...U did better than gr8 friend.i think the biggest truth is the one of staying strong and consistent...that brings the confidence...and some how thats what I have lost long the way.
But i intend to imbibe ur advice and get to it.U know now that u have done this don't waste too much time celebrating....get down to step 2 before things start fading away.am sure u'll get the same score if not higher there too. ..Gr8 show buddy.!!
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| londoner
Forum Newbie
Topics: 3
Posts: 6
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Wow!!!!!!!!!!! what a score masha'Allah.Congratulations!!!!!!!!! for your gr8 success.
I just want to ask that do we need to do Physiology from BRS as well.
And what practice material u need besides Q Bank n Q Book.
What about Pretest, BSS Series and NMS.
Thanks in advance and goodluck for your future endeavours.
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| Dragonfly
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 334
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Diego Casali, mytime, londoner thank you guys.
mytime: i really want to do STEP 2CK soon but life is not always as flexible as we want it to be. after my exam now i have a pile of Final exams and rotations to take care of b/c i am in the last year of my med school which has paralized me. but God willing i`ll take it right after. thanks for the advice though.
londoner: i guess Kaplan for Physio is more than enough. but physio is tricky, you can not get away with just memorizing, you have to understand it. if you know all the concepts in Kaplan and can utilize them during MCQ.s you are good with physio. but if some concepts are not that clear, refer for those parts to other books. but once again, physio is vast and you can even study it for years and there is still material to cover. but you don`t want to take boards in physio, this is medicine and they test you on the concepts that are clinically worthy. that`s why if you understand Kaplan, don`t waste time. instead of another source, repeat Kaplan and do MCQ.s
by the way i can not comment on BRS. b/c i haven`t seen.
neither have i seen BBS and NMS. but i can tell you this, try to master Qbook and Qbank first and once you have exhusted them, get to other MCQ.s
initially i bought Pretests b/c a friend recomended. but i found them too outdated and not really in the format of current boards. i have 2002 ed.s some Q.s are too easy and some are obsecure. in short, in my view non-standard.
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