clark_kent
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 21
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hi guys and gals!
i just took my exam yesterday. and boy was i so drained. reading the experiences of others , saying it was doable and kind'a easy, they are either so bright or darned prepared. and those who got scores above 90s, they are either genuis or lucky. coz after my experience yesterday, i don't even know how i will be able to pass it. i can't even remember the questions, all i know is that i felt crying every block i finished. and at the end of the day, i really did cry.
well for those who are about to take the exams, mine covered most biochems. there are some direct east questions. and i thank God for that coz if werent for those, i would have run out of time. i had a lot of questions marked, but i wasnt able to go back and review them. the questions were also kind'a long, with tons of labs given so feyza was right was she mentioned that it would help you if you already know the normal values. coz it will eat your time looking if it was high or low.
lastly, i would like to thank you guys, this forum helped me go on and take the exam.. coz i was about to let go of it and not take the exam anymore, but after reading your experiences, i told myself why don't i give it a chance. right now, ill be even surprise if ill pass it. but im hoping and praying that ill make it. again thanks guys.. and gals...
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| dncosta
Licensed, finally
Topics: 19
Posts: 603
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Don't worry clark_kent, that is a normal feeling following the exam... Most of us humans felt the same way.
Good luck!
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| usmlefever
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 127
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hi clark that is the reason i didn't post my exam experiance b/c i didn't want to freak people out i think everybody gets the different exam they have two versions of test one is more easy qs & less tough qs & one is more tough & less easy qs i think we got the sec. version b/c mine was also very difficult almost every other qs was long & tricky very similar to uw qs i was totally shocked after first block that what was that i just faced & hoped that may be this is the only block as people says you got 1 or 2 diff. block like uw but then what one after one almost all blocks had the similar level of difficulty here & there once in a while any simple qs striked to me after test i realized if i would study even the whole decade for this type of test i won't be able to fully prepare
any way the most imp. thing i feel happened lucky to me that i slept very well the night before test almost 8 hrs that kept me alive to tackle this kind of test the othr thing i would appreciate i uw guys forget about this test without doing uw qs my exam was ditto uw.same level of difficulty & plz master the concept on cellular level my test was big on histopathology on cellular/receptor level i t was like i was taking pathology board
even pharma & biochem was on cellular level i plz i don't want to scare you but thats what i got in my exam read everything comparitive.i don't know how i did but i tried my level best.
i no body get test like this but thats the truth & thats the reason i didn't write my experiance b/c my be people will think i a m exagerating but you can take it like this may be iwas not that prepare anyway it was my luck i would say hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
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| sam27
Forum Senior
Topics: 3
Posts: 118
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HI clark well first of all congratulation for finishing the test. and everybody who comes out of the test feels the same way... just pray and have faith u will be victorious .I wanted to ask u ,u mentioned that ur exam was mostly biochem do u mean that 3-4 block like 100- 150 questions of biochem . man thats crazy pls do reply if thats what u meaned
thanks
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| clark_kent
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 21
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its like what usmlefever said, the questions were like based on your knowledge on biochem. you know the diagnosis, but it asked you something that has to do with biochem. usmlefever and i had the same sets of questions. after my first block, i took my break, went to the rest room, and almost cried. it was so difficult. i went back inside hoping that it wil be easy, but no, each block is getting harder and harder. i would get the most 5easy questions, but thats it. there are times also that i could'ne figure out what they were asking, i tried to look at the choices, see if i could get an idea what they were asking, but the more i got confused.
im not scaring you guys,im sorry if thats how i sound, but it is what happend to me. for me, usmleworld and kaplan q bank are easier than what i had yesterday. so for those who still has the chance to study, study even harder than what you are doing right now. it will be a goodthing if you will be given an easier sets of questions, but it you will be faced like what i had yesterday, you will also be prepared.
most of my questions evolve on biochem, they are scattered all through out my exam, but it is the bulk. ill post those questions that i will remember so you guys will have an diea what i am talking about. and for those you guys, thanks for the encouragement, i really do need it.
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| P4a99
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 43
Posts: 2,422
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dncosta wrote:
Don't worry clark_kent, that is a normal feeling following the exam... Most of us humans felt the same way.
Good luck!
how dd the non humans feel after their exams 
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| P4a99
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 43
Posts: 2,422
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clark_kent, usmlefever ... first of all good luck on your scores, i wish both of you pass and go on to the next step ... thanx for sharing your experiences ... it is very useful for avarage guys like me ... you know not all the guys out here are geniuses nor ex-surgens! ... its good to hear every bodies experience so we can really have a sense on whats going on ... if you keep on reading 99ers experiences all the time you'll either think its easy or we'll hate our selves for ever when we end up crying for anything above 75 ... again, thanx 4 sharing
Im waiting to hear about your great scores
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| P4a99
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 43
Posts: 2,422
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Sorry, i felt like adding something ... can you tell us a little about your materials and schedual ... i mean, was it like the ones we read over and over in the 99 experiences or you had your unique aproche ... cuz i wanna know if anybody follows the same @#%^ plan would he end up getting very high scores or as you said the guy really has to be something else intellectualy not like us regular guys.
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| hedieh
Forum Guru
Topics: 47
Posts: 435
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I will pray for you, Klark Kent ( I like your ID, it remembers me the handsome actor), and plz just not b sure that you failed, becoz its happened sometimes for me( in university) and I had the feeling that I will fail but I passed, actually one time I had a very good grade.
Plz don't forget to tell us when you passed, and if you r sure that you that you pass but u r worry about your score, u must know that there r a lot of other factors that they r important in your interview.
So that's my sugesstion.Do something just for fun these days, and try not to think about USMLE. This could be a vacation in your life from USMLEs ( this is like a huge job 4 all of us). I hope to see your happy post soon.
And also thanks about information.
Edited by hedieh on 06/29/07 - 12:49 AM
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| Feyza
Forum Guru
Topics: 49
Posts: 1,435
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hi c-k hi UF finally we did it !! no worries now...lets wait and see...
well I did not cry bc I was prepared to this storm still...can you tell all friends here that are already freaking out now... nothing was out of the books but real good prep was necessary bc you will have no time to interprete and bring info in your deep memory to shallow places...you gotta see and shoot OR were there things you never saw  mine was like everything was there but tricky and long ... so doable with REAL good prep ...also lets keep in mind that there are 50 experimental Qs 
I feel horrible about passing too ( so this is sort of speaking out loud to myself )bc I was not done with my prep but still ...I at least experienced it and will be very confident if I have to retake it ... so lets all calm down bc if we pass were gonna be studying step 2 ...if we fail were gonna restudying all...in any case we will need damn lots of energy ...so lets have fun and fill our energy and positivity stores
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O my Lord! Open my chest for me ( grant me self-confidence ) and ease my task for me.Ta-Ha 25-26.
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| anuba
Forum Elite
Topics: 6
Posts: 449
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Good luck with your results & Thanks for sharing. We will study hard... harder....
Prayers are helpful if you need a miracle.
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| clark_kent
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 21
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im very sorry guys if my post experience freaked you out, worse, scared you. its just that i got the surprise of my life after taking the exam. i mean i've been quite a follower of this forum, and i would read experiences from those who took the exam that its a bit doable, you will definitely get two, the most three blocks wherein you will not really know what was the questions were all about, but the rest was definitely something you could answer. in my case every block gets harder and harder as the hours went by.
i studied already before i migrated here in the states, finished the whole kaplan books and qbook, i cant remember my exact score but all i know is that it was okay. i did that 2005. i migrated here last year, took a couple of months off, coz you know, had to adjust to a new environment, plus the season, specially during winter times. i would study the most four hours a day. decided not to take it anymore , got cold feet dec last year, but i was already finish with first aid and another round for kaplan. this time i took notes, put them in a different notebok. i got three notebooks for my notes on the whole kaplan books(7subjects all in all). then a friend of mine told me ( she's now an incoming first year pedia in new jrsey)to give it a try first before backing out. she did convinced me, so i applied last january for a june exam. again read the books, goljan notesm usmle world and kapaln q bank. i noticed that the questions in those two on line reviews, the answer can be found already in first aid, and i would also see the explanations on my notes.
i would say im prepared for the exam, maybe it was just my luck on that day that i got a very tough questions. i just did some eliminations in order to come up with an answer.
i guess, based on this experienced of mine, there are really some of us who will be given a very tough sets of questions, like me and usmle fever. but majority, its a doable thing like what the rest of us had. just study and review, i did my part, i took the exam. its all up to "HIM" to pass me. im trying to remember the questions, all i could remember are the easy ones like what is the MOA of tetracycline what's XO stands for(Turner syndrome) .
again im very sorry, for upsetting you bout my exam. there's really no winning formula i guess, just study and study and study. read as much as you can.
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| njcjzy
Forum Guru
Topics: 24
Posts: 769
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Please don't feel sorry for sharing your experience with us. I guess a lot of people will appreciate it cz we need to know different situations so we can be well prepared, not only with knowledge, but with a strong positive attitude.
Thanks. And best luck with your score. You will pass it, for sure.
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| ShweHope99.9998
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 12
Posts: 2,700
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Did you also study the kap dvd too , along with kap LN old or new ??
or just study the kap LN , without any kap dvd ?
Which q bank you study for ??
Thanks.
GL
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| clark_kent
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 21
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i got tons of cds, from my friends who were finished with the exams. kapalan qbank, the one month thing, the one in general subjects.i also have goljan audio, but was not able to go back at it. i did UW last april, i felt bad coz i was scoring poorly. then i realized my mistake, i wasn't really reading the questions. after that i was able to improve my score. same thing with kaplan. that's the time i notice that the questions in both UW and kaplan, can be found in first aid already, well not the whole explanation but if you will really readm and understand FA, you would definitely be able to answer it.
the bottom line i guess is that preparation is a must. study and study as much as you can. and in the day of the exam, you will have confidence to answer the questions. now if you are faced with a type of questions like what i had, that's another story. its out of your hands. now, that is where your faith comes in. in my case, i did my part, i prepared for it. if i make it, then i am really destined to pursue it. it will be my rock, i'll look back at it every time i will be having difficult times, not only in my other exams, but also during residency. if i was able to overcome it, then i know i will also overcome any future hardships.
guys, lets do our best. what ever the outcome of our exams, we know we did our best. its something we could be proud of in the end.
and for those taking the exams, don't be scared. what i had is just,what, a little percent of the majority. most of us told you guys that the exam is doable, so believe in them.
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| vwilldoit
Forum Senior
Topics: 16
Posts: 177
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Hey clark, thank you for sharing ur experience. we should hope for the best but also be prepared for worst. The fight shall go on! Your post will help many students to prepare even better. Thank you, wish you the very best.
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| Feyza
Forum Guru
Topics: 49
Posts: 1,435
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clark ...hun...if the exam was tough ...then all ppl having the exam that day will score low so your SD will still make a pass score ...no worries Im sure your studies will pay off
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O my Lord! Open my chest for me ( grant me self-confidence ) and ease my task for me.Ta-Ha 25-26.
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