tg250
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thanks tech 99 and pinoyako on your advice.
welcome apricot!
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| kali
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trishamckane, I don't think anyone can tell you whether to take the exam or re-schedule. Although the Kaplan Qbank may be a good indicator of your knowledge, I don't think it is (or any one factor for that matter) the sole gauge of how you will do in the exam. You have to be the one to answer if you're ready since you know yourself and your study habits the best. You also have to take into consideration when you need to get the results and when you need to take the other exams for ECFMG certification. This being said, I wish you good luck! 
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| ustmd2006
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apricot...UST '06? you're my batchmate! drop me a pm...and let me know who you are! if you have any questions that i may be of assistance with, just let me know!
hec, the anxiety is horrible! although to be honest, i've been keeping myself busy doing this and that and haven't really thought about the match. however, my fears manifested themselves in the form of a terrible nightmare on the night of the rol submission deadline! i didn't match...and for some reason, none of my documents were ready for the scramble...AAAHHH!!! well, they do say that what happens in your nightmares are the opposite of what will happen in real life...i hope they're right!
how's eveyrone else doing with the wait?
good luck to those who are in the process of getting post-grad training here in the u.s.!
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| hecmd23
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kali, yep that's what i thought so too. Im just surprised it didn't creat any kind of buzz - i mean, it came and it went without being on the headlines...hahaha probably overshadowed by all the other "news" going on back there in our dear old country.
ustmd, funny you mentioned it, I also had a nightmare that I didn't match, and I had this the day after ROL submission deadline. Geez, I never felt so relieved waking up in the morning and realizing that it was just a dream. As for killing time, hahaha, I just bought this crossword puzzle book..keeps me occupied for half a day at least. hehehe. Start the countdown, 16 days to go until Match day!
Good luck everyone!
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"I'm still the best there is at what i do best" -James Howlett
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| kali
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hecmd23 and ustmd2006, and everyone else in the match, I just want to say - AAAAAAARRRGGHHH!!!!
The wait is killing me. I live in fear of not matching, and when I'm not doing that, I obsess about visa issues, and when I'm not doing that, I scare myself silly with imagined NRMP computer glitches... you get the point. I have full-blown cabin fever and have worn the carpet bare in my room, pacing back and forth.
So, that's been my state of mind since the 6 days, 37 minutes and 23 seconds that have passed from the ROL deadline. Someone please knock me out and wake me up on March 20. 
That being said, good luck, you guys!
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| hecmd23
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yep counting the hours also. But hey, DST resumes this week, so at least we'll be an hour closer to the 20th. Actually just finding out if we matched on the 17th will be such a relief, I don't need to wait for a few more days to find out where coz I'd be glad to work in any of the programs in my ROL. So thats a few more days off from waiting.
I'm just soooo glad LOST is keeping me entertained until match week.
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"I'm still the best there is at what i do best" -James Howlett
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| ustmd2006
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LOST huh? i have american idol! i know i know...but i can't help it. esp since we have ramielle this year...and she can actually win this thing! phenomenal voice...and the people seem to love her...i was told she gets one of the top number of votes each week!
kali, i was like that after interviews and before rol deadline...best advice: occupy your time with something else. i'm lucky my brother came over from vegas and brought his kids. those two are enough to keep me busy! they are so cute! other than that, there's tv...hehe!
god bless!
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| trishamckane
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thanks tg250 and kali for your replies.
I'll take the NBME after 2 weeks and if it's still bad, I will re-schedule. I have more than 6 weeks to go before my exam...I'll decide before then.
Thanks and good luck to everyone for the Match! Hope to join you soon!
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| hecmd23
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yeah, american idol is also quite entertaining...but i've been hooked to lost for so long- that being said, for every episode I watch, it's so nice formulating my own theories, hahahaha. Keeps my mind off the match for a couple of hours just by reading stuff in LOSTpedia.
G'luck everyone, exactly 2 weeks to go before match day!
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"I'm still the best there is at what i do best" -James Howlett
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| apricot
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hi everyone!
God bless for those who are waiting for the results of the Matching just keep on praying
i would like to ask what are the best reviewers for CK. currently im doing the kaplan videos, i have FA step 2 ck, and i also have Lange outline of step 2. im still finding crush step 2. do u guys know where i can buy? and are kaplan videos helpful for step2? im also planning to enrol in usmleworld. is it worth it? or are there new qbanks that are better? thanks a lot
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| kali
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Hi apricot
For the Step 2CK I studied the Kaplan notes, First Aid and did the UW qbank. I think the Kaplan videos are similar to the notes, but I do much better with written study materials so I opted for the notes. I think doing UW is an absolute must since it most closely resembles the testing interface. I suggest you do timed exams so you can get used to answering questions fast. I haven't tried the Kaplan qbank but a lot of people find it inferior to UW. What's great about UW is that their questions are much harder than the actual test, plus they explain answers in detail after each question so you actually learn a lot just from doing their practice tests. As for Crush, you can order it on Amazon, but I think Crush is best for Step 3.
As you said in a previous post, your Step 1 score isn't that hot, so I think you should go and rock Step 2. Doing this will significantly improve the number of interview invites you get later on, as PDs filter a lot based on scores, especially as we're IMGs. I think Step 2CK is the easiest of all the steps, especially if you've just done Step 1, so no worries. Best of luck to you!
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| xthine
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^^What other books can you recommend for step 3?
I have Crush and Strong Medicine as well as FA, Kaplan Lecture notes. *LOL* Haven't gotten around to reading the first two yet. Still doing Kaplan cases from their notes. Based on my diagnotic test yesterday, the kaplan adviser felt i wasn't ready yet for my step 3 this coming May. Good thing I was able to see what my weak points were, surprised the daylights out of me. Arrgh! I am still hoping though that I could finish my prep in 2 months.
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| kali
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Hi xthine
I don't recommend anyone following my review sched when I studied for Step 3 as I did all my studying while on the interview trail, which means I studied a lot on planes, trains and hotel rooms, haha I studied for a month and a half, read only First Aid and Crush (2nd ed) cover to cover. What helped me a lot though was UW, both the MCQs and CCSs. I did timed exams and studied the explanations of all items I got wrong. I also studied all the case sims and played around a lot with the Primum CCS software in the USMLE CD. I've never enrolled in a review program like Kaplan so I would have no idea if it would help.
I think what I can definitely say is stick to only one or two comprehensive review books which have formats that you're comfortable with and learn the concepts well. UW is an absolute must, which I keep saying in most of my posts - that's how much it helped me. Good luck on your test!
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| hecmd23
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yeah, I would concur with what has been said: stick to just 1 to 2 review books, so FA and crush will probably work. Though a month of studying will suffice (based on my experience... but hey I had a strict routine of reading for almost 5-6 hours a day and answering 5 blocks from UW as I have mentioned in my previous posts), you should follow the schedule that works for you.
In the end, like what I always say, its all about confidence. If you feel you're ready for the exam, then go ahead. Step 3 is more of a judgment type of exam, it asks what you need to do NEXT. Sure, we can't possibly know everything about protocols, but if you know the basic pattern of a disease, then I guess you got one area of the exam covered. I myself enjoyed taking the step 3, don't get me wrong, it's still one of the most gruelling exams I've taken.
And lastly, like what I have mentioned before, UW is very good for practice. But thats just what it serves to do. For practice. you may get scores of 40-50% and still, you may feel you're ready for the exam. UW is just a test prep that will give you a feel on how the day (especially day 1) goes for the exam. Its like treating 46 patients in the ER/ward/outpatient in an hour. Once you have a strategy on how you're going to deal with those 46 patients, then UW served its purpose already. You can't predict what questions you'll get, and I find UW very trivial compared to the actual exam. Let's just say, UW is just like the local boards, with questions that make you ask: what the hell, do i need to know that? Unlike the actual step 3 exam, its more justifiable why this question was asked. Well, you'll find out what I mean in a couple month's time...good luck!
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| xthine
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Step 3 review on planes, trains, and automobiles huh Kali?
Thank you Kali and Hecmd23 for the insightful tips. I will try not to overwhelm myself with the different review books that I have then and just concentrate on 2. The feedback from the diagnostic test just got me all worried there for a bit. Yesterday I started using Kaplan's online Qbank, so far I feel that their questions were not as challenging as UW. Moving on, goodluck to those waiting for the match next week 
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| kali
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Yeah, my dad and I love that movie!
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| maricar_chua
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it's been a while since i last posted,
xthine,
thanks for the info.
i am still in RP, flyin in april 2nd week
have a month to practice and prepare
getting nervous though
btw, how long did you wait for the cs result?
ABOUT the length of stay:
really hoping that the officer at my port of entry
grant me at least 5 months stay for USCE
Re: USCE, i might try fmgportal if all fails
have you heard about it?
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| ustmd2006
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hello to my fellow pinoys!
good luck to those in the middle of the process (various steps and preparing for 2009)!
for those of us waiting for 2008, good luck! one week until we find out where we'll be for residency! i hope we all get our first choice! of course we have to get through monday first---hopefully we all get the good news that we matched! *fingers crossed*
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| kali
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Amen!
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| joeymd
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Hi everyone. I'm so happy I found this thread. I discovered it yesterday and read through all the pages. It's nice to see people helping each other out .
Good luck to everyone. Hope everyone matches. You guys are in my prayers.
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| kali
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Thanks and welcome Are you in the match too?
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| xthine
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Hi there Maricar, how are you?
You can check the schedule for reporting CS scores here:
http://www.usmle.org/Examinations/step2/step2cs_r...
About the length of stay, the maximum they could give you, as far as I know , is 6 months for a B visa.
Do you have a multiple entry visa? If that's the case you could just take the CS and then come back for the interviews and USCE.
Yes I have heard of FMGportal. The adviser from Kaplan recommended Americlerkships for USCE. I think they charge 2,000 a month. Too pricey for me.hehe
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| kali
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A few more hours to go - all the best, everyone!
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| hecmd23
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MATCHED! good luck on thrusday, may we all macth to our number 1 choice!
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"I'm still the best there is at what i do best" -James Howlett
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| kali
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I matched too. Congratulations hec.
Three more days...
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