ManuNastai
Transilvanian..
Topics: 55
Posts: 838
| | 11/18/06 - 04:27 AM
1 of 1 forum leaders found this post helpful
| #1 |
I’ve been waiting for a long time to write in this section of the forum, a forum that helped me a lot and I’d like to participate at it’s continuity.
I’ll start with my presentation: I’m Manu Nastai, a 4th year medical student from Romania (Cluj). For this 1st Step prepared 4 and a half months. I started reading during my 3rd year of Medical School from the books for step (which seemed to be a good idea), but seriously I started reading in July ’06. I took my exam on the 16th of November.
The prep:
Regarding the books, I used the - the most important of all, Goljan’s Pathology, the one in 2 volumes, with spiral, scanned. Great book!!!
- HighYield Series for Anatomy, Neuroanatomy and Embryology and I recommend them, for they are the best.
- Kaplan Series for Microbiology & Immunology, Behavioral Science, Cell Biology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology (just a few chapters in this one)
- LANGE for Microbiology and Immunology (great book, but I abandoned it because it’s way too big; I still recommend if you have time to read the Immuno section) and Pharmacology (probably the best book for Pharma, but I abandoned it too after reading most of it, because was way too big and difficult to review in a short time.; from my exam experience I’d say FA is enough for Pharma)
- Board Review Series for Behavioral Science.. was my first behavioural book and I recommend it to be done together with the Kaplan book because it’s a difficult exam object especially for international students and IMGs.
- First Aid 2006, the greatest book of all! I recommend it after 1 or 2 readings and especially the week before the test. I think if you know it and understand it, it answers to almost 80% of the questions. Also, Goljan’s and Kaplan audio lectures (especially the Behavioral Science ones)
Regarding Questions:
- Qbank 2006
- Qbook 2006
- Robbins’ Review of Pathology (Klatt and Kumar), referred by p53 and I’d like to thank him for that, because a lot of pathology I got from those questions which I did twice.
- I tried BSS, but abandoned it after I did the General Principles because was way too difficult and it just lowered my morale. I attached my day-to-day schedule and my question banks scores here (july, august, september, october, november)
Advices for the prep:
- I recommend making a tight learning schedule, not to get interrupted by different events and not to get your prep too long (too many months). The amount of material is enormous and you forget different things very easy, so the delaying of the exam in trying to get more info is a wrong decision, in my opinion.
- there is no such thing as high yield and low yield, because everything can be tested, so you gotta read all those stuff.
- I recommend a “learning hygiene”, a good plan which must be respected, a plan adapted to your ways of study and which should include questions as soon as possible, best concomitant with your second reading.
- the questions should be used as learning tools, I mean they shouldn’t be used “to see where I stand”, ‘cause in this way you’ll become in a short while depressed (I guarantee you won’t excel) and you’ll end up with a state of mind which will bring you more bad things than good. You gotta hold on to your answer sheets from the Qs you made, to review the Qs where you answered wrong before the exam. Also, keep some notes where to write all those things that you’ll get wrong in Qs and all those things you’ll easily forget (like different genes, translocations etc)
- maybe the most important thing is to keep a high level of your morale during the prep and in the exam.
the Exam
-surely the most important, most difficult and the best in evaluating knowledge among all I’ve passed until now.
-overall was decent. Maybe I got lucky, noy getting one of those impossible exams that I read on other people’s experiences. I don’t really know where I stand with my exam and I hope I won’t speak stupid things but in my oppinion the guys that got 99s aren’t necessarily geniuses, but they worked very hard. If you got less than that, it’s not because you’re stupid, you didn’t got cursed… it means you didn’t study as hard or as efficient and if you’d have done that you’d have equalled their score.
-don’t get any idea that it’s something unreal; it’s exactly like the CD sent to you only that there are 7 blocks in stead of 3 and you gotta pace yourself here.
-it’s an tiring exam.
-I got an average 3-4 liner Qs.
-the time is enough (I finished my first 3 blocks 13-15 minutes before and used the time for review of break and the rest I finished just in time). Also the 1 hour break is enough (I didn’t use about 15-20 mins out of it)
-everything got tested. I got about 10 anatomy Qs, some other neuroanatomy Qs, some easy behavioural Qs (not many), not many pharma and microbiology (thanks to the Lord). Most of them were Path..
-3 pictures were IDENTICAL to the ones in some NBME forms that I’ve done on this forum. Also it helped me a lot the Qbank and Robbins’ Review Qs
Advices for the exam:
-take enough food, water, juice
-if you drink coffee take some to the exam, not to experience the withdrawal headache
-take some NSAIDs with you (I used 2 diclofenacs)
-if you usually have problems with your bowel transit when you are nervous, take a prophylactic loperamid in the morning
-get your seat in the back of the room not to get disturbed by the people taking braks
-take the seat near the window (I got the seat where I was facing away from it and the light reflected in my monitor and annoyed me)
-use the ear-plugs or head phones provided.
-get a good night sleep before
That’s it! Thank you for your support guys and I wish you only the best in your prep. I am here to respond to your Qs if you have any and if I can. Remember this is my experience… yours may and will be a lot different.
Edited by ManuNastai on 12/11/06 - 03:10 AM
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"Love is the only inflamation of the heart that drains in the vagina" (translation after Dr Petre Florescu, Professor of Pathology, UMF "Iuliu Hatieganu", Cluj Napoca
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| oldkidontheblock
Forum Guru
Topics: 53
Posts: 884
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Hi
Thanks for posting your experience. How many hours did you study per day for four and half months? How many reads did you do for Kaplan? Did you do videos for all of them?
Thanks.
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Malcolm Forbes: Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat
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| unique1
InGodITrust
Topics: 19
Posts: 1,407
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Hi Manu Nastai , Thanks for writing your exam experience and advices about prep. Wish you good luck with your score and next steps. 
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| Nan
Forum Senior
Topics: 12
Posts: 159
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Thank you for sharing your experience and advice! Good luck with your score and further steps!
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| vallia
Forum Guru
Topics: 98
Posts: 889
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thanks Manu, I wish you a great score, good job buddy
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| jamdoc
Forum Elite
Topics: 30
Posts: 244
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thanks manu,wish u good luck.hope for the best
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| Luckyall
Forum Guru
Topics: 11
Posts: 592
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Many congrats ! Wishing you a great score! Work hard on your st 2 CK along with your clinical Med School years, it should be a big big time help !
I regret alot, not doing it !
Best of luck, buddy!
Im sure you'll be one of the good romanian DRs practicing in US soon !
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| drpkaur
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 808
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thanx manu for your experience.good luck..
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| fox
Forum Guru
Topics: 70
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Thanks for the gr8 inputs. Wish u all the best 4 ur score! Please check ur PM.
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Aim High
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| ManuNastai
Transilvanian..
Topics: 55
Posts: 838
|
Hi! Thank you for your congratulations and for wishing me luck with my score report. I am anxious to finding my score too, so it's going to be some agitated 6 weeks.
@oldkidontheblock: I studied all summer about 7-8 and sometimes 9 hours a day; in october and november it was about 9 hrs and the last week about 12. I didn't do the kaplan videos because I didn't have them. I had some mp3 files (audio lectures) that I did. I didn't have time for all of them. I listened to the Behavioral Science lectures (all of them, very very helpfull) and I listened to some anatomy (don't recomend 'cause there's a guy that speaks very very boring and doesn't say helpfull things). Also I listened 2 times Goljan's lectures. I heard that the pharmacology (Trevor) and Biochemistry (Hansen I think) lectures are good, so do listen to them if you have time.
@Luckyall: thanks a lot for everything.. now I got another 2,5 years 'till the CK and I'm planning to try to get some rotations... I hope I'll succeed. I wish you also good luck to all your steps and may God watch your path to fulfilling your dreams.
Good luck to everybody and find the strength to study hard because in this exam your knowledge is all that matters. Here doesn't matter if you're the son of the President, of some big-shot profesor, here the bribe doesn't count and probably most important, ass-kissing isn't helpfull. When I felt down I read some encouraging experiences on this forum and that gave me the strength to read another hour or more. (also, a Carlsberg and a cigarette will bring you another hour of concentration if you're exhausted. All the best. I'm here to give some more info about my prep and not only.
Edited by ManuNastai on 11/19/06 - 04:05 AM
___________________
"Love is the only inflamation of the heart that drains in the vagina" (translation after Dr Petre Florescu, Professor of Pathology, UMF "Iuliu Hatieganu", Cluj Napoca
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| MRMAVERICK
Forum Guru
Topics: 40
Posts: 719
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best of luck
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| vanshita
Forum Guru
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GOOD LUCK
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| ManuNastai
Transilvanian..
Topics: 55
Posts: 838
|
Thanks friends! I wish you to have the power to pass this important checkpoint in your way to becoming great US doctors!
Have faith in the All Mighty God and your wish will come true!
also, I posted my experience in romanian here, mine is the last post.
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"Love is the only inflamation of the heart that drains in the vagina" (translation after Dr Petre Florescu, Professor of Pathology, UMF "Iuliu Hatieganu", Cluj Napoca
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| klimt
Forum Guru
Topics: 27
Posts: 605
|
Congratulations Manu, you did it! Hope you'll get the great score you aim for!
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| drfax
Forum Elite
Topics: 21
Posts: 233
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Hi, how was ur score ?
thnx
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| ManuNastai
Transilvanian..
Topics: 55
Posts: 838
|
It's coming, my friend... soon!
___________________
"Love is the only inflamation of the heart that drains in the vagina" (translation after Dr Petre Florescu, Professor of Pathology, UMF "Iuliu Hatieganu", Cluj Napoca
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| inkspot
Forum Guru
Topics: 26
Posts: 555
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all the best
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| confusedoc
Forum Newbie
Topics: 4
Posts: 17
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congrats and good luck 4 ur scores. could u plz tell me which book u r referring to in microbiology; the Lange board review or text book?
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| ManuNastai
Transilvanian..
Topics: 55
Posts: 838
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http://www.amazon.com/Medical-Microbiology-Immuno...
but I used the 8th edition... too much for Step 1
Good luck!
___________________
"Love is the only inflamation of the heart that drains in the vagina" (translation after Dr Petre Florescu, Professor of Pathology, UMF "Iuliu Hatieganu", Cluj Napoca
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| ManuNastai
Transilvanian..
Topics: 55
Posts: 838
|
the bloody red screen has appeared on Oasis.
Theres not much time left!!!!
maybe on Monday I'll find out
___________________
"Love is the only inflamation of the heart that drains in the vagina" (translation after Dr Petre Florescu, Professor of Pathology, UMF "Iuliu Hatieganu", Cluj Napoca
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| Luckyall
Forum Guru
Topics: 11
Posts: 592
|
Great , hope know you feel like " yelling it out " dont you , hmm? 
Big time congrats and i truelly hope to hear a great score buddy !
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| oldoc
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 10
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Hellow Manu Nastai,
it was great to here a wonderful advice from you and it is stimulating. I also am an FMG, graduated in 1997. trying to take the exam in 07. I hope you will get a good score despite of the red screen in OASIS. Please let us know how things were there.
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| RayBerg
Forum Senior
Topics: 32
Posts: 150
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Anxiously awaiting to see how you did Manu..
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| Nan
Forum Senior
Topics: 12
Posts: 159
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WHOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!! It is your turn now.
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| smal
Forum Guru
Topics: 140
Posts: 727
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hey congrats!
good luck buddy
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remedy for weakness is not brooding over it ,but thinking of strength.
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