SOS
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Topics: 17
Posts: 529
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"life is like a tiger.
you can either lie down
& let it lay its paw on your head
or you can sit on its back and RIDE IT
finally i'm ready......... to fight the last of my fears and this tiger i just mentioned.
its been a long time since i thought of writing my prep journal but i couldn't muster the courage.......... i say so because i wasn't able to do anything productive which i could write down here,but i think i have to make a start.the first step is always the most difficult for me.
in this post i will try to be very honest with myself and more than anything else its going to be my own mirror......... where i can look at myself and see truth.
its been almost two weeks that i got my step2 score and i should have started studying for step1 soon afterwards but for some reason i didn't and now i think i've lost more than enough time..... so that's it.
though i have made a start now but ........... in all these days of being lazy and doing nothing,i've totally spoiled my sleeping habits......... i keep awake till 2-3 at night and sleep till 12-1am,and thereafter spend most of the time feeling bad about it.so first thing i need to do is to discipline myself again.
today i got up at 12.since its my second attempt at step1........... i've taken up a strategy that's a bit different,i've made a start with solving questions........... have started the kaplan online test.did 50 questions in micro yesterday...... i had a feeling as if i was doing infections from IM,with some more details on the bugs.....i got 58% correct.as for today........ i am going to start my day now and will write at the end of day what i've done.
any one who happens to read this,please spare a moment and drop a line or two.
Edited by SOS on 12/18/07 - 12:11 AM
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| antidepressant
Forum Guru
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Posts: 564
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58%, is a good start, Goodluck to you SOS.
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Step 1 can not defeat me!!!!!!!!
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| cutekity
Forum Senior
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hey SOS, i have read ur story and i know u will ace the exam this time !! believe in urself and god !! GL
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where there is will, there is always a way !!
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| SOS
Forum Guru
Topics: 17
Posts: 529
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thanks a lot antidepressant and cutekitty.
i started my day with a set of micro questions on kap test but it was too detailed about the bugs............ and it would have been a waste so i suspended it and took up 50 BEh Sci questions instead in timed mode........ psychiatry was still fresh so got 70% on that.
after this i started virology............ going slow at it,shall be able to finish it tomorrow morning(only if i wake up in the morning ..... :nod
i must be the laziest person on earth........
anyways i'l get back to viruses and will try to sleep in time too.
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| supra
Forum Elite
Topics: 16
Posts: 358
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Hey SOS,when r u planning to give ur exam?We will study hard 2 get our dream scores,nothings gonna shake us now we gonnu do perfect study.
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| SOS
Forum Guru
Topics: 17
Posts: 529
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supra wrote:
Hey SOS,when r u planning to give ur exam?We will study hard 2 get our dream scores,nothings gonna shake us now we gonnu do perfect study.
hi supra, i'm thinking of taking it in march.... but this time i'm not gonna take any chances,i'l go for it only when i feel upto it.are you too yet to take step1?you said it right we are gonna get our dream scores.i'm with you.when have you planned it?
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| abc1234567
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
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hey sos Glad to know your prep is going well .. i will be finishing kidney today with all kidney questions from qbank .. i should be done with all tht by 6 :30 in the evening after that iam going to read fgt and mgt from goljen .. thts all for today ! ..
btw ru doing micro with random qbank ? ..wATS your timetable like ?
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| abc1234567
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iam done with the questions !! .. seems like i dont remember any renal phys formulas !! so i guess i will be revising the formulas too tonite ...
btw i did the remaining 50 questions in renal phys and patho and i got a 62 ..
i first need to do a final review of renal tonite and read fgt and mgt if i am too sleepy to read it i will prolly just lissen t golejn tonite and read it from goljen tom . morning ...
tom. i first need to finish fgt and mgt as i just mentioned and then do general patho plus questions ..tom is sunday it will be difficult to complete everything ...
i will prolly come here and get some motivation from u 
good luck to u sos !! and good luck to the rest of u who r trying to get in the flow just like us !!
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| SOS
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good going abc1234567.... i think you are doing great.i'm so glad to see you here........ but what took you so long?one things i've learnt from these exams that it is practtically impossible to know EVERYTHING.......... but to make your position stronger with what all you know and can know,remember to do your formulas well.i mean they are the only questions where you stand a chance of doing it right and also being 100% sure about it............ just do them well.i myself don't feel comfortable with formulas and calculations and i've always felt the need to improve me on that.......... and i will do it this time.
and whatever you do,don't compromise your sleep.......... i mean take adequate sleep and forcing yourself to study when you feel like dozing off is not going to help.......... its not my opinion,Dr Daugherty says that,so don't miss out your REM sleep friends.
as for my time table i have none as yet and i think it will go on like this for a few days until i figure out my schedule.so right now i'm going to attack those viruses and then i'l will think what to do next........
my real aim this time is to do it all so well that i can answer any questions anytime once i've read the topic........ as you know its not my first time,i've read it all twice for my last time perp.so effectively it is my third read............. after a gap of 7 months,but i'm going to make the most of it in the first read itself.
earlier i thought of doing the dvds once again but its not a good idead.i've done them already and i can't afford to waste time on those again,might do a few if i don't feel like reading.am downloading goljan audio through torrent and its taking agea,once i have those i'l start pathology........
even though i don't have a time table ,i'l try to finish all the subjects once before 7th jan 
that's for now.will be back later.
"its a funny thing about life
if you refuse to accept anything but the best
you very often get it"
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| deja_vu
Forum Senior
Topics: 4
Posts: 213
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hey SOS, keep studying STAT and not SOS.. GL
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| SOS
Forum Guru
Topics: 17
Posts: 529
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thanks deja vu.....
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| abc1234567
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
Posts: 47
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i dint do fgt and mgt last nite .. actually dint do anythign after writing the post .. my first read will be by 10th of jan caz i have kind of lost one day for two reasons ..one obviously not completing in time and second i forgot to include fgt and mgt in my timetable in the first place ..!!
no iam not compromising on sleep atall .. have never done that .. i usually sleep by 11 or 1:30 and wake up by 7 :40 ... i know rem is soooooooo important for memory .. thanks for the concern
i wont be doing nay dvds excpet phys(of i get stuck anf ofcourse goljen audio .. thats it ,, y dont u just buy the goljen boook(i dont mean the orginal ) u will get the dvd for free with it
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| abc1234567
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i really need to get in the swing sooon caz i have to take the exam bt 20th of fe (latest) ... i just hope i stay focused .. God help me ..
btw sos i thought i shud share this with u ..
whenevr u do make your enetire first read tmetable ..just get a calender which has blocks for everyday .. and write in thta block wat u need to cover tht day and at the end of the u can cross it out .. trust me putting a cross on it is quite a feeling .. so before i do tht on the calnder let me write it here .. today i have to do kidney fomulae , do mgt fgt .. review kidney one last time and do atleast 45 questions from fgt and mgt (qbank has 90 and i dont think thats possible !).. and thank God goljen audio is only 60 minutes ..!! i was suppose to do general patho aswell according to the timable.. lets c how it goes .. doesnt seem liek iam gonna get a chnace to do that
btw just in case if u wondering y iam not doing fa as i had told i wud be doing fa too ..honestly i dint know i wud be doing the free qbank questions but now that i ahve the questions iam gonna pick up first aid after the qbank expires .. i am not going to do all the questions as u can c it doesnt fit in my timetable ..
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| abc1234567
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whenevr u make a detailed timtable SOS let me know .. and wat is your qbank plan ?.. i suggest that u do all the genetics , all teh molecular ,all the physiopathi and all the physio and all the behavioral ..(these r things where the more questions u do the better it is not like its not like that for everythign but caz it will expire soon all iam saying is do those topics most definitly .. the rest u can in bits in pieces )..
whne we take usmle world after the first read it will be really helpful and will cover everything so dont worry about not completing the enitre qbank .. again its just wat iam gonna do and i thought i shud share it as iam confident tht it wud make a differnce ..i rem from last time how those topic questions in perticualr helped ... waiting for your input !! chao !
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| abc1234567
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add pharm calulations to those topics (sorry i forgot to wirte that )
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| papio
Forum Elite
Topics: 7
Posts: 250
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U are right about your comment on getting enough sleep:I find myself struggling to study up to midnight, I wake up at about 6:00 AM and find myself sleepy at 3-4 PM.
I know it is not good for me...I wish I could change my habits...
Gl with ur prep
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If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. Thomas Edison.
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| supra
Forum Elite
Topics: 16
Posts: 358
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Hi SOS,sorry 4 the delayed reply,planning to take my exam in april last week or may 1st week,just started studyin,its takin a long time 4 the first readin.any tips 4 faster study?
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| SOS
Forum Guru
Topics: 17
Posts: 529
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abc1234567 wrote:
whenevr u make a detailed timtable SOS let me know .. and wat is your qbank plan ?.. i suggest that u do all the genetics , all teh molecular ,all the physiopathi and all the physio and all the behavioral ..(these r things where the more questions u do the better it is not like its not like that for everythign but caz it will expire soon all iam saying is do those topics most definitly .. the rest u can in bits in pieces )..
whne we take usmle world after the first read it will be really helpful and will cover everything so dont worry about not completing the enitre qbank .. again its just wat iam gonna do and i thought i shud share it as iam confident tht it wud make a differnce ..i rem from last time how those topic questions in perticualr helped ... waiting for your input !! chao !
here is my version of the time table:
December:10-21: patho,physio,with neuro anat and also microbiology;bacteria,fungi,and parasites(already finished virology today)
will also listen to goljan audio BTW my download just completed.
22,23: immunology and bacterial genetics
24-29: pharma
30-Jan1:anat
Jan 2,3,4:mol bio and genetics
5,6,7:metabolism
8,9:beh science
once i get into the full swing i'l star FA along side too.
and not to forget the questions........... after doing some of the questions i've pretty much lost the enthusiasm to finish the bank.. iwas expecting it to be something like UW and wanted to learn from it but its more of an assessment tool for the kaplan material itself and hasn't got a lot to offer as additional learning material... so i'l also do it only in bits and pieces.your idea of doing those selective topics is good coz they are big on exam and also demand a lot of practice.
further plan woulb be,like once i finish all the syllabut once i'm going to take UW and then do it with a touch up of kaplan notes before taking topicwise tests.... i want to finish off UW once and then have enough time to take some repeat tests also.
once done with that we only need to revise and revise and revise ...... until the time permits.
ah and yes.... the NBME..... i will take it,but when .... i am not sure.i will try to take it at least two to three weeks before my scheduled date so that i have enough time for improvements after NBME.
ok,now that i have a plan all i need now is to get down to it ...... right now my only aim is to stick to my schedule as well as read everything so thoroughly.and all this is just a beginning to my ultimate goal ............. my step1 score report with a 99
Edited by SOS on 12/17/07 - 12:44 PM
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| SOS
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Topics: 17
Posts: 529
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papio wrote:
U are right about your comment on getting enough sleep:I find myself struggling to study up to midnight, I wake up at about 6:00 AM and find myself sleepy at 3-4 PM.
I know it is not good for me...I wish I could change my habits...
Gl with ur prep
hi papio
you better change your habits..... and it is also important for being oriented on the exam day and to stay awake and alert with a working brain on the exam.so you have (me too) to get into a healthy sleeping routine......... have a good nights sleep and wake up in the morning fresh AND most important stay fresh for eight hours at a stretch.the most difficult thing on the exam is to sustain it through all these hours and it is something you should start working on before it gets too late.
thanks and good luck to you too.
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| SOS
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Topics: 17
Posts: 529
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supra wrote:
Hi SOS,sorry 4 the delayed reply,planning to take my exam in april last week or may 1st week,just started studyin,its takin a long time 4 the first readin.any tips 4 faster study?
hi supra.... i don't know what you mean by going slow.you have to assess yourself not solely on how fast you do it,but also on how well you do it.so even if yo go slow,do it well,understand the things rather than memorizing or just reading them.
when i read i don't sit for long hours..... coz i'm not able to concentrate that well for a long time,so i read until i feel i'm able to concentrate and am fresh enough to retain it.... the moment i feel its not happening anymore,i shut the books and take a break..... and i start again only when i'm ready to concentrate and grasp whatever i read..... i end up taking a break every one to one and half hours.....
when you read try to make the stuff as interesting as possible.......... it keeps you entertained and also paces you up.and one thing that helps me is..... changing lanes ,what i mean is when one thing becomes a little too much for me to sustain i pick up something different,that itself gives me a break... and i come back to the earlier thing when i really start to miss it.its like changing channels on tv............ my message is simple do whatever it take you to make it interesting ......... that way you'l learn faster and better too.
i do a lot of hocus pocus to keep me sound.... sometimes i read quietly,sometimes i read out loud,some times i take notes as i read and then review those hand written notes for revision,sometimes i pretend as if i'm teaching someone.....(one teacher of mine used to say,the best method to learn is to read and vomit..... sounds gross but he says it and it works too)and when i don't feel like doing anythnig i do questions..... they get my mind working and bring me back to my senses.....
 i hope you find your way soon
SOS
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| abc1234567
Forum Newbie
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10-21: patho,physio,with neuro anat and also microbiology;bacteria,fungi,and parasites(already finished virology today)
abc: hmm thats IMPRESSIVE sos .. thts alot to cover in such less time .. ru doing patho from goljen ?
doing those selective topics is good coz they are big on exam and also demand a lot of practice.
abc : actually practciing those topic's questions def. makes a diffenrce .. unlike things which r just memorization
hopefully we can take usmle world and do it nicely and along side revise as much as we can ...
and then revise and revise may be do it system wise in the end in ten days .. usmle world with revison wud take around 30 days ( i will try to finsih it in 20 days and then repeaet in the last ten ) ..
everythign is done now we just need to focus and study ,study and study ... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD LUCK
NBME WILL be the decider .. dont worry if i dont get goofnbme score i will give myself atleast 10 to 12 days ... tooo much gap isnt good as u tend to forget thingsssssssss ..and again i wud say this exam is not about studyign for years its about that optimum time of study .. and u got to make the most of it
We WILL DO IT ... 99 IT IS MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US !
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| abc1234567
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Topics: 0
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10-21: patho,physio,with neuro anat and also microbiology;bacteria,fungi,and parasites(already finished virology today)
I GUESS thts also caz uu just took step2 ..patho shudnt be such a big deal for u .
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| SOS
Forum Guru
Topics: 17
Posts: 529
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and then revise and revise may be do it system wise in the end in ten days .. usmle world with revison wud take around 30 days ( i will try to finsih it in 20 days and then repeaet in the last ten ) ..
you read my mind dear abc...... i had been thinking on similar lines...
how's it going? this is my first day of the planned schedule and here is what i intend to do...
micro:general,and gram positive cocci.(kaplan)
patho:cell injury,inflammation and repair(goljan)
physio:membrane transport,body compartments &i onic equilibrium(kaplan... have recently bought BRS Linda Constanzo.... will see how it is)
okay..... i'm all set to go.
yes my friend having prepared for medicine recently does put me at a little ease for patho and micro to some extent..... but let's see how i do in reality.i've been lazing around ,doing nothing for more than one and half months.............
but its okay..... i will make it up to all that time soon........ i'm just waiting to get back into my work hard come what may personality....... once i'm there nothing is impossible.its not far now.....
good luck to everyone who wants to see their dreams coming into reality. may the force be with us.
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| milee99
Forum Guru
Topics: 39
Posts: 824
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hi
how r u doing?
just make sure you stick to that plan you made
like your life depended on it
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Do not pray for easy lives,Pray to be stronger men; Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, Pray for powers equal to your tasks; Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.
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| miss_deja_vu
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SOS wrote:thanks a lot antidepressant and cutekitty. i started my day with a set of micro questions on kap test but it was too detailed about the bugs............ and it would have been a waste so i suspended it and took up 50 BEh Sci questions instead in timed mode........ psychiatry was still fresh so got 70% on that. after this i started virology............ going slow at it,shall be able to finish it tomorrow morning(only if i wake up in the morning ..... :nod i must be the laziest person on earth........ anyways i'l get back to viruses and will try to sleep in time too.
Hi SOS, may I join your bus??
I did 50 Qs of micro from kap and i too felt the Qs were tough..got 56% only.. But I will not take defeat. I will fight and finish all 269 before I start anything else.
70 in beh is really good. You surely will have some adv of step2 in your step1 prep.
Dont think you're the only Lazy person around. we are all in same boat. Let's sail together pushing each other.
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Preparing step-1(Mar-Apr-May),CS in June '08.CK after CS. Target couple match-2009 (Ped. & IM) Loooong way to go..
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