doc.pom
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hi,there...as the cliche goes i have been secretly observing the posts here....withoout having contributed till now...because i wanted to get my score first n then share the experience....now that i got the score n pretty decent one at that....i feel obliged to give back some of the things i have taken from the community....
exam taken 30th july .
score reported 22nd august. 239\99
my experience.
well i am doing my pg in pulmonary medicine in india and i studied with the bits n pieces time i had.
1st reading wid tapes. (4 hrs/day). 3mths..didnt touch the books 3mths after that...as i was busy with my rthesis.
2nd reading. 1mth(8hrs\day)
3rd reading..system wise(wid questions 4m u-world)...2 weeks
final revision..read all exam posts on prep 4 usmle...n noted some of my weak topics(1 day)...med essentials( 4 days)
u can see mine was not a typical preparation as i operated under various constraints...i have to admit that exam was frighteningly close to u-world...n i regret having done less of them..though i am a theory type person...i could not do all marked n weak topics on u-world..n i got at least 10 questions wrong on exam because of that.
advice in hindsight. 1st read wid kaplan tapes( goljan for path..i didnt do it because of lack of time..but they are damn good..)...(2-3 mths)
2nd read with u-world questions....mark the questions u got wrong...(1.5 mths)
3rd read. (3weeks00 wid focus on ur weak areas n topics.(nything less familiar in book on ur3rd read is ur weak link)
final revision(1 week). med-essentials..must..beautiful book.!(along wid questions u got wrong or had to think over in u-world)
MY EXPERIENCE:
anatomy: well it was pretty clinical,lots of ct images,eg: they showed up spleen in ct n asked its embryological origin, lots of brain sections on bord..for example they described a person with kluver bucy like symptoms n asked to recognise the site of lesion.on section. the famous visual fields were there..n i got superior quandratopia wrong...!!!..which lobe lesion causes it?....
advice: study HY gross anat wid kaplan . do neuroanat sections well. brace urself to read ct.prepare urself for nerve lesions. embryo will be simple.just learn arches n derivatives well..don research on it.
biochem: carbohydrate metab questions n purine metab dominated. few of questions stat from u-world. n i got them wrong due to lack of revision. questions on sorbitol metabplism n reducing sugar.fructosuria et al.
advice: kaplan material is the best. lionel rayman is the best teacher around. (after goljan ). u-world questions r excellent. THIS IS THE SUBJECT FOLKS. YOU CAN SECURE ALMOST 100% MARKS IN IT. JUST STUDY IT LAST SO THAT U DONT 4GET PATHWAYS, M MORE THAN SURE U CAN GET IT ALMOST 100% right.
genetics. i dunno what to say bout the subject. u cant anticipate its questions. lots of pedigree charts.,western blots, ..edward syndrome expressed in its genetic notation(i got it wrong). operon question as well.
advice: just study kaplan. solve lot of questions..u world n kaplan q bank.... biochem n genetics pre-test is good resource
pathology. respi n cvs dominated..thankfully being a pulmonologist i aced them....skin..do it well...quite a few stroke questions.neuroanat mark the tracks.
my advice: do a systemic revision after 1st read. eg. cardiovascular physio..cardio pharma..then cardio path...
physio. endocrine n feedback loops dominated. along wid lots of respi n cardio. 2 questions of note. effect on physiological parameters of 2nd lung if one lung is removed. effect on physiological parameters of 2nd kidney if one kidney is removed.
my advice. do physio kap. notes followed b the questions at end of chapter. make it a habit to do the questions. even in 2nd n 3rd read as they reinforce ur concepts
micro n immuno. study bacteria wid an emphasis on toxins. (4-6 questions on diarrheogenic bugs)got bombarded wid positive n negative sense rna viruses n their mechanism of actions. immuno though hard were solved as basics from kaplan( canal syndrome n mhc 2 deficiency) typical ones.
advice. kaplan micro is the best kaplan book. read bacteria wid emphasis on pathogenesis only. read viruses n classification n mech. of action of positive n negative sense well. always do questions at back of each chap (specially in viro n immuno)even in 2nd n third read. immuno will be tough but the extensive immuno coverage n questions at back of chapters will help u ace it. use last 3 chapters 4 revision of baceriolg.
pharma: this will hit u folks from all places. prepare urself. i had quite a few graphical questions on pharmacokin n dynamics n alot of mechanism questions on antivirals n immunopharmacol.
my advice: do katjung n trvor review questions ain ur weak area topics. always study a chapter wid mechanism of drugs , drug of choice in diseased states n side effects in mind.
behaviour. i have not been able to figure out what hit me there. i got a lot of confusing questions on doctor-patient relationships n defenses. despite listening to daugherty tapes n these specific topics thrice n solving u-world questions. ( n some questions 4m kap. q bank)..i could solve only 50% of them confidently. rest were wild guesses in the wind. n lookin at my borderline performance in the subjects it was well the last straw..!
advice: ask better people.
biostats. well i m bond at it in fact my pupils start twinkling when i see numbers..i would say it wid a sense of immodesty...as i hv a did lots of stats 4 my thesis..i scored a90% in u-world. n the exam was a fair game..got a few questions on determination of power of studies n prevalence n ppv stuff..jus waltzed them through.
advice: kaplan text..lots of questions from wherever u get them.
in the end..i will say only one thing. fortify ur weak areas. study ur strong areas normally...emphasise on pharma... if u cant improve all ur weak areas..at least splint some of them wid extra effort so that u can score well. overall in mean..( for example in second read on doin u-wrld questions i found dat i was terribly weak in behav. science n endo n repro as well as skin..)..i put an extra effort..i ended up getting a just above borderline score in behav. a decent score in endo n repro n i did pretty well in skin. i aced in cvs,respi,renal(all fundey waale subjects..at which i was naturally good at.)
n in the end... do u-world,system wise revision, 9 wid an emphasis on ur weak systems) and med-essentials..i can assure u it will be a richly rewarding experience.
i love the forum. u can pose ur doubts. i will be more than happy to give back what i received from here.
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| angel^Doctor
Forum Guru
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congratulations .. great score and experience..
than u 4 sharing with us
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| doc.pom
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thanks....it is a pleaure sharing it here..the moment of elation finds a grand meaning here...
it is in giving ....u receive...
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| P4a99
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Congratulations ... and thanks for the helpful experience.
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2008 Step 1 Study Plan Discussion ..... I am a moderator not a source for download links. Please do not ask me for any.
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| yoga
usmlelogy professor
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congrat
great score
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| MALIK003
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congratsssssssssss
plz do guide me regarding pharma and micro,im being terrified by these subjects.wat shd my stratergy regarding PHARMA i,e shd i concentrate upon major drugs of a class or sysytem or shd i study each nd every major and minor ones?wat abt drugs doses,absorption,routes?????IS KAPLAN MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR MICRO ND IMMUNO?congrats again
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| hedieh
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Congrates Lungman  ( doctor pulmonologist), Thank you for detailed experience. Wish you get the residency position that you like!
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| anuba
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Congratulations!
My q's abt. Biochem...
What did you say about Biochem? Did you revise UW? How many times? How about the Kaplan notes for Biochem? Pretest? Whc one is worth spending more time?
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| yoga
usmlelogy professor
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thanx 4 the details
so u didnt do FA??
i like kme but it is quite dense final revision
i am happy that u find uw similar 2 real test
u made me worry on behsci=>i thought dr.daugherty will do the job
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| doc.pom
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pharma.
dont focus on dose,pharmacokinetics,
focus on mechanism of action,side effects,interactions.
dont go 4 damn new drugs.
see the high yield drug chart in trevor review.
do tervor(questions) only at end of the chapters after reading from kaplan. no need to study dense books.
biochem.
study wid tapes from mr. rayman
do questions from u-world.
4 mol-bio n genetics do questions from u-world followed by kap q-bank followed by pre test.
med essentials.
med-essential is the best reinforcer for step 1 kaplan material. its dense but it is worth it. as the saying goes..its not a question of u hit or miss..but how hard u hit it...
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| yoga
usmlelogy professor
Topics: 73
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doc.pom wrote:
pharma.
. no need to study dense books.
that was relief
so i read KLN & do trevor mcq OK
thanx 4 advise
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| MALIK003
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thxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx alot
u did nt reply 2 my qs regarding micro, IS KAPLAN MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR MICRO?
congrtssssssss again nd best luck 4 next
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| doc.pom
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yup moreeeeee.. than enufffff...
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| MALIK003
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thxxxxxxx alottttttttttttttt
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| doc.pom
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this thread is in response to multiple queries i received in response to my exam experience posted at this blog. many of the people posing the question were in their fsecond n third professionals also...comes at a surprise too me..as well as same time underlines their motivation.....keep the fire burning folks.
now here is a brief review of the books or resources i used or now realise that i should have used in hindsight.
i am sure that using these resources exclusively will lead to maximum output in minimum time.
FIRST READ(3.5 MONTHS)
ANATOMY: kaplan notes(wid video in 1st read).....plus gross anatomy high yield.(see clinical correlations).
NEUROANATOMY: kaplan notes(wid video)in 1st read...plus neuroanat sections in initial few pages of hy neuroanat.
physio: kaplan notes( wid or widout video in 1st read)
path:goljan rapid review path or goljan 500 (WID AUDIO)....rapid review is easy for revision....last 2 video lectures of kaplan 4 revision of slides.
micro n immuno: kaplan notes( wid or widout video in 1st read)
pharma: kaplan notes (wid video in 1st read)..wid questions from katzung n trevor review at end of the chapter.
.behav. kaplan notes(wid video in 1st read)
biochem:kaplan notes(wid videoin 1st read)...additional mol. bio ngenetics questions from pre test
SECOND READ( 1 MONTH)
do revision system wise. (wid kaplan notes)..eg. cvs anat..cvs physio..cvs pharma...cvs path....follow the precise pattern followed in index of kaplan med essentials...do 50-100 questions each from u-wrld daily. corresponding to topics u did in the day. take extra notes
THIRD READ ( 3 WEEKS)
again systemic revision (wid kaplan notes)..plus u-world questions u marked wrong in first time.
final read....( 1 week)
kaplan med essentials.( wid a review of marked u-wrld questions )
now 4 the ug guys...
advice no. 1...dont even think of givin ur step 1 in ug years...get maximum clinical exposure n then consider givin it in internship.
resources.
anat. ur routine text books+ high yields.
biochem. lippincott biochem. +pre-test
physio. kaplan physio +pre-test
path. goljan rapid review path+ goljan audio+ pre-test robbins
behav. kaplan behav.(wid audio)
micro. kaplan micro+ immuno
pharma. katzung n trevor review of pharma.
sites of these resources.
search from links in this forum..u will get plenty of them...infact to most of them.
i downloaded them the same way..
best of luck.
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