didl27io
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 9
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Hi Guys!
I´m an IMG from Austria, graduated in 2001 and did residency since then back home (GS).
Used Kaplan to study for step one (center prep). started preparation in august reading only first aid and did some of my "old books" (considered taking the exam in 1998, but didn´t do it for financial issues back then), which were all from brs (but didn´t help a lot). On Oct 10th I started studying at kaplan´s, used UW as well. Studied daily for 9-11 hrs, weekend 7-8 hrs, every two weeks one day off. Exam was on Dec 7th, got results yesterday!
Just for correlations:
UW (90% done): cum 70% (all timed, unused)
NBME 3 1 wk b4 exam: 670 (predicted score very well!)
kaplan test: 75%
q-book: did some blocks but didn´t evaluate.
UW rules! I knew the very first question on the exam from UW, so got a good start, it helped a lot on the tricky ones!
Overall the exam was more difficult than I had expected, felt really bad afterwards, but hey, who doesn´t? Freaked out during block two, couldn´t do a simple calculation any more! Paused for 1 minute then completed block, was fresh again for next block after sufficient break. First two-three blocks were hardest, guess they had many exp. q´s in it.
There are apparently plenty of experimental questions, which you never encounter on any prep test, so you are not really familiar with that feeling not to know so many questions.
So, for the miserable sensation after the test: Ignore that feeling, use suppression and just WAIT. The best thing to do is to relax afterwards and do anything but to think about the exam.
So, be strong guys, it´s just an exam! Wish you all the best!
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| MRMAVERICK
Forum Guru
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Posts: 790
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congrats
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245/264/CS pass All on first attempt/2006 Grad/Need VISA
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| inkspot
Forum Guru
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Posts: 640
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hey great work ! all the best for step2 ~!
many 99s showing up these days ! looks like a good season to write step1
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89/92/CS/Step3 awaiting result/H1-J1/2005 grad/1 mo USCE/ 2 publication in home country/ 1 Research/volunteer work/
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| klimt
Forum Guru
Topics: 27
Posts: 605
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Congratulations on your perfect score!
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Traveler, there are no roads. Roads are made by walking.
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| Palaniappan
Forum Senior
Topics: 30
Posts: 148
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congrats
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| doc.jay
Forum Senior
Topics: 18
Posts: 81
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didl27io~
many congratulations ! good luck,
jay
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| ankurkalra
Forum Senior
Topics: 6
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Dearest didl27io
Many congratulations on your feat! As inkspot rightly said, its raining 99s! Heartiest congratulations! Regards!
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89/219. 99/246 (second attempt). Pass. No USCE. No US LORs. One year residency experience at home (ongoing). 2 papers accepted for oral presentation.
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| Turbo
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 20
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WOW!!!
Congratulations and all the best for your future!
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| mona1976
Forum Senior
Topics: 14
Posts: 119
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didl27io many many congratulations .
U realy did great.99 is greatest score and the time period u mention its shows that if someone want to get something he can do it.
well done.
My exam is on feb 28 ,2007 any advise?
thanks.
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| didl27io
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 9
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hi mona1976!
You still got plenty of time, if you have finished reading FA for the first time, start doing questions. 50 a day is enough. increase this number until you only do questions and just look up things in your books towards the end of your studies. Of course, reading the books remains important until about 1-2 weeks before the exam. I think you should not acquire a lot of new knowledge in the days before the exam, just try to interconnect things that are already in your brain and try to remember things you already had forgotten (micro is a good example).
Try to study in a relaxed fashion. I sometimes caught myself freaking out because I was studying this topic for days and I was still stuck on page 120 of 500. Try to calculate, how many pages you need to do per day to finish a topic lets say within 10 days, this helps you to get the feeling of having accomplished something when you close the books in the evening. You know where you are standing and this is really important in a lenghty preparation like this.
I wish you all the best
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| Nephrotic
Forum Junior
Topics: 14
Posts: 49
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Congratulations for the great score , good luck in the next steps ,
but i have a question my exam was in 19/12 and till now my OASIS didn't update ??? and when exactly in wed the oasis update .
thanks in advance
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| didl27io
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 9
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My OASIS updated on Jan 3. It is said, that update should be available 5pm east coast time, but mine wasn´t available then. Checked a few hours later - and there it was! So I guess you have less than 24 hours to worry about !
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| arlete
Attending in 2012!!!!!
Topics: 43
Posts: 3,052
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Nephrotic:
My exam was on Dec 11 and it's not there yet. I think yours is going to be next week, check it on Thursday morning, OK?
Good luck!
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Que sera sera, whatever will be will be.
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| mona1976
Forum Senior
Topics: 14
Posts: 119
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thanks didl27io . i m just started my fA.
i am trying to focus and concentrate.
good luck for step 2.
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| Nephrotic
Forum Junior
Topics: 14
Posts: 49
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thanks all for help and support , and please don't forget me in your prayers .
good luck for u all
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| shwe
Forum Elite
Topics: 10
Posts: 418
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Congratulation.
Since use the kap, centre prep, how many read , how many times video have to watch. Do any USMLE Cd,official ,Kap st 1 simulated CD, simulated center one, kap diagnosis 150 Q , kap Q book, kap Q bank, kap Q review, kap QB physio & any kap centre st 1 Qs?
Thanks.
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| 26malik
Forum Guru
Topics: 39
Posts: 429
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Congrats
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There is always hope
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| didl27io
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 9
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Hi!
Yes, the videos take up a great amount of time, but they are VERY useful. I first read the corresponding chapters in the syllabus, then instantly watched the videos. Since the videos are approx. 180 hours, I scheduled 3 1/2 hours/day. Took me 40 days for the videos, but watched them only once. Did increasing number of questions on the side (Kaplan books, UW) and also read the books once, except of difficult chapters (difficult for me: virology, hematology/lymphoma, glycogenoses etc, cns drugs, certain things in behavioral), which I read up to five times!
did the kaplan diagnostic tests for each topic, and the simulated exam at the end (75%). Did usmle cd, but did not evaluate. So was q-book, only a couple of blocks, did not evaluate.
hope that helps
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| drdido
Forum Junior
Topics: 6
Posts: 56
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Hi didl27io. Congradulations on an awesome score. May I ask .. did u attend the live Kaplan lectures? With my financial situation..I don't know if I will be able to. i was thinkng of reading the kaplan lectures, watching the videos and doing lots of questions afterwards. So do you think that attending live lectures is a must to get a decent score? I was even told that the profs that are teaching the lect are different from the ones in the videos and that the ones in the videos are better.
thx
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Get me the hell out of this!
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| drdido
Forum Junior
Topics: 6
Posts: 56
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Hi didl27io. Congradulations on an awesome score. May I ask .. did u attend the live Kaplan lectures? With my financial situation..I don't know if I will be able to. i was thinkng of reading the kaplan lectures, watching the videos and doing lots of questions afterwards. So do you think that attending live lectures is a must to get a decent score? I was even told that the profs that are teaching the lect are different from the ones in the videos and that the ones in the videos are better.
thx
___________________
Get me the hell out of this!
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| shwe
Forum Elite
Topics: 10
Posts: 418
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Thanks didl27io.
You make me clearer re; how & what to focus ,study. I kind of study bunch with rushig the video speed with no reading & Q at all at the beginning to finish the tapes on time to save the money for course extension.
Now for next round will slow down, balance with video, after kap notes reading then kap topics Q, in kap books & center old Q [Is that means center CVS, etc system wise, old 1998 or olde Q?] all side by side.
A bit not clear, FA, repeat kap books read also side by side with above 3 mention to do or, should be before any Q as mention above & other Q you said in your all posts, eg. QB,UW, & kap topics diagnostic, kap simulat, USMLE CD.
Also which order should be 1st in term of all Q to do. NBME form 3 is last ,is that right?
Thank you for your kindness & guide.
With best wishes for your st 2, CS & St 3 too.
Hope you can also guide,share the rests of the exams study & experinces.
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| didl27io
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 9
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drdido:
didn´t attend live lectures, and think it is not necessary if you are used to studying on your own. very rarely some facts are unclear in the videos but you can look them up. it happened only once or twice that something remained obscure after this procedure, in fact this won´t affect your outcome on the exam !
I followed exactly the strategy you described, except that I already started doing question while I was still studying kaplan. you need to do some 2 or 3.000 q´s in order to cover everything (not a prerequisite, but it worked for me).
shwe:
your posting was a little bit confusion for me, so I hope I didn´t misunderstand you on some topics 
a balanced (not rushed) approach is definitely the wiser choice. don´t do too many old q´s, since they change over time and the q´s in my old brs books from ´98 are in some instance not comparable to the actual exam q´s. as you said, do chapter by chapter and try to go to the next one, only if you´re really familiar with the previous.
If I got your 2nd paragraph right, it´s about when to do q´s?!?
In my opinion you could start on the first day of your studies, but this won´t help. you should have a concept of most things in mind where you can put new things you "learn" while doing q´s. you wouldn´t be able to benefit from the sophisticated UW stuff if you simply try to memorize it.
doing these simulated exams (kaplan, NBME, CD) is only for your personal rating, to see where you are standing at the moment. First of all, there are no explanations on NBME and CD, so you can find out everything you don´t know by yourself, which takes too long to be useful. and when i did kaplan sim, it tried to set it up like a real exam situation (8 hours, use the breaks wisely...), so funnily I was quite upset and nervous and didn´t benefit very much from it (of course I learned something, but it was not a good day of studying).
In the end, you should use FA only to keep your concepts together, for "fast-track" review to bring things to your mind that you already forgot.
thanks for your blessings, I also hope that your prep and exams run well!
regards
d
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| shwe
Forum Elite
Topics: 10
Posts: 418
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Thanks didl27io.
Thank you for answering all my Q in detail & your kind wishes.
Happy & success studying to you too.
With best Wishes,
S.
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| keepitsimple
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 7
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hi didl27io, congrats with the perfect score and thanks a lot.What you wrote and have been suggesting has worked for many,inspired a lot more and is sure to help many who choose to take usmle.thanks and may god bless you.good luck with all.
i went through what you wrote and suggested.i have my exam scheduled for the 16th of feb'07,followed by cs scheduled for 30th feb. i need ur advice regarding how to go about my prep from now on. i have taken the exam once and couldnt pass it.been reading for some time.i know some of my stuff but am really weak with path and pharm.no matter how much i read,over time i forget.cant correlate stuff.took kaplan live lectures,but its so volatile,i simply need to go back to books so very often.pls suggest.even a month before my exam i feel a need to go back to the text rather than doing questions.the problem is i cant postpone no more and have to make it to the 2008 match,and am yet to give step 2 ck as well..please suggest...asap..thanks and once again,thanks for making a difference to so many of us.good luck,and may you have a wonderful and successful year ahead.
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| didl27io
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 9
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dear keepitsimple (I like that name)!
i think what you describe is a very familiar feeling for all of us who study (-ied) for these exams. It´s so much information, there´s no way to permanently store everything in your brain! So, I hope I don´t repeat myself too often, but everyone needs a concept (for everything).
for instance take lymphoma (a horrible chapter I think): I just could not remember these different types, nor could I recognize the correct ones from the vignettes. So I started to connect some facts with each other: follicular (the most common), t14-18, bcl-2, b-cell thats it. hairy cell - TRAP; DLCL reminded me of one patient in whom I did a diagnostic lymph node biopsy - stomach, cns, aggressive, and so on. not more than one to three facts. that was sufficient to answer most of the q´s on that topic and the one I couldn´t answer: didn´t make a difference. nobody expects you to know everything, but to know at least something on one topic already helps.
have to stop right now, will continue later...
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