rezaaa
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 181
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Well i have been a silent member of this forum and somehow i did wait till the day would come that i like so many others before me would be posting an exam experience. I hope i am also able to post a result of high score in about 4 weeks. anyway i have some advice to give you ppl about the exam. as a lot of ppl say yes the exam is DOABLE. some ppl say dont take stress but i says dont over stress but do take some stress as it makes u work hard towards ure objective. this exam cant be done with a happy go lucky attitude.
i used many diff books but i say use kaplan only except for patho use goljan or brs, both are good enough. for dvds only watch physio, biochem (plus mol bio and genetics) and behavioural science (mainly biostatistics). the rest are not needed they mostly read the books. although opinion about dvds is divided. two of my friends did well on exam and didnt watch dvd.
about the exam setup its difficulty is the same for everyone but it will depend on your preparation how difficult u think it was. if u prepared well enough like most ppl u will all come out of the exam room with almost the same experience. There are many questions on the exam which u will do well with ure preparation...that is u can do them from your knowledge of the books. then there are some questions in which u can use your knowledge indirectly and arrive at the answer. then there are some which u have never heard of and probably can answer if u brainstorm at that moment. then there are some which are out of this world and u can never answer them, just guess and move on. overall the estimate distribution per block is:
25-30 easy and doable
5-10 - doable after some thinking
5-10 - doable after super brainstorming
5-10 - impossible
the distribution vary as u will get at least two blocks which will be very difficult and one or two which will be relatively easy, the rest the difficulty is the same.
For those people who have not given a sever hour exam before, remember that the exam is stressful physically and mentally but DOABLE. just be prepared. do practice blocks, practice whole 7 hours exam not just 1 hour blocks. There is usually only 1-5 minutes time left when u finish each block and u dont have enough time to go through all your marked questions so dont mark too many. If u unsure about any questions make ure best guess, mark it and move on thinking that u will devote time later if available. Remeber about 50 qs on the exam will not count! they are experimental questions! but u dont know which ones so make sure u do not spend too much time on one questions as u will lose time for the easier ones!
The easy questions on exam are easy and the difficult ones are unique and u will not find any questions like those in any bank or book. The purpose of doing the qbanks is that u at least do not get the easy questions wrong which u have studied. for that i recommend only three questions sources:
Qbook (with first read), USMLE WORLD (after second read), robbins review of pathology (after second read)
in the third read integrate all the points from your above books or make a note book of all points when u are doing the above question banks.
The distribution of questions on the exam seems different for everyone. i certainly dont remember many patho questions but i think it is due to the fact that my patho was strong and i found the questions easy and dont remember them now. Remember at the end of the day u only remember the questions u got wrong. so prepare each subject well dont give preference to anyone.
in the end i want to say that this exam is a test of ure determination and ure endurance right from the day u registered for the exam and sat down to study. dont lose hope keep ure spirits high and give ureself a break whenever u feel burnt out (i burnt out after every 7-10 days and took a day off then). its normal everyone gets frustrated. But u have to keep holding on. its doable but it requires a bit of dedication. I wish you all the best of luck
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| sany
Forum Senior
Topics: 7
Posts: 119
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Hi rezaaa
Congradulatioans for having these good feelings after the exam.Your report is like what I learnt from girlinterrupted .Thank you again.I wish you the best.
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sany
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| new_n_lost
Forum Hero
Topics: 724
Posts: 6,341
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"never argue with a fool, they'll bring you down to their level and beat you with experience" FORUM RULES-- Those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. I get enough exercise just by pushing my luck --P4U World.." The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."
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| inkspot
Forum Guru
Topics: 40
Posts: 736
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hey rezaaa ! this is billy!
nice to see ya here!
all the best for your score!
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go away interviews 
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| Feyza
Forum Guru
Topics: 49
Posts: 1,432
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very good points ...thanx and best luck 
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FOUND HER NEVERLAND IN MASSACHUSETTS ! Ready to help anyone here anytime, anyhow !!!!
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| ralph1234
Forum Newbie
Topics: 3
Posts: 4
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Rezaaa,
Thanks for the excellent exam experience.
I'm writing the exam in 4 weeks. I did the exam 10 yrs ago and passed, now i need to re-do it for licensing because it's expired. I need only to PASS, not high score. What's ur advice for 4 weeks study?
Thanks
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| rock
Forum Elite
Topics: 23
Posts: 305
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thanks rezaa for the nice tips which usually always come handy and one only realises them after the exam so i really appreciate yu guys who post their post exam experiences. all the best for a wonderful score
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| Luckyall
Forum Guru
Topics: 11
Posts: 592
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Best of luck for your score !
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| mytime
Go Marching in!
Topics: 40
Posts: 3,169
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| hedieh
Forum Guru
Topics: 47
Posts: 435
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Tahnks for sharing your experiece. Hope u get a high score!
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Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.
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| tee40
Forum Senior
Topics: 5
Posts: 116
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I took it on yesterday and what you have said it true and we used the same study method and equipment/materials. It is definitely doable and the description of the questions is right. My 1st block was my nightmare............
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| MRMAVERICK
Forum Guru
Topics: 45
Posts: 914
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wishing u best of luck for ur scores rezaa
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245/264/CS pass All on first attempt/2006 Grad/Need VISA
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| rezaaa
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 181
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thanks you all for ure support and best of luck
billy hiya :P
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| meddoc2000
Forum Newbie
Topics: 2
Posts: 50
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good luck rezaa....thanks for sharing you experience......m sure u wil score good.
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| bangles81
Forum Newbie
Topics: 6
Posts: 21
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mister rezaa?? got your score yet?
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If you yourself are at piece... then there is atleast some peace in the world...!!
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| vwilldoit
Forum Senior
Topics: 16
Posts: 175
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thanks for your post, it is encouraging and realistic. could you please tell for how long you prepared for step 1. Good Luck for your scores !
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just do it .....
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| rezaaa
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 181
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nope not yet.... i studied for around 6-7 months
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| inkspot
Forum Guru
Topics: 40
Posts: 736
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all the best ! fingers croseed! 
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go away interviews
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| rezaaa
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 181
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6 weeks about to be completed still no mail! should i email ecfmg or should i contact nbme...getting desperate
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| inkspot
Forum Guru
Topics: 40
Posts: 736
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just wondering how long does it take for ppl in pakistan to get thier results in general?
do they send it via DHL? or super slow snail mail
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