antidepressant
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Goodluck chileno! all the best to your exam! machine mood? thats good! thats the way to success!!
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| match2010
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hey chileno ..good luck for ur exams dear.
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| Kalyann
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All the very best chileno..... go for it.. U have studied hard... Luck will be on your side.....
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| GoodGirl
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That is one determined daddy here, you will make your kids and wife very proud.
All the best.
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| SOS
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all the best.
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| chileno
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No, not a typo. I changed the date to April 26th which is a Saturday. I didn't really change it due to concern over preparation, but really due to my wife needing the car during the week and taking the exam on a weekday would have been a bit more complicated. Plus, a lot less traffic on Saturday morning for me to drive the 20 minutes to the testing center. It is very important to eliminate all extraneous stresses leading up to exam day and ESPECIALLY ON EXAM DAY.
So...the big date with destiny is now APRIL 26th at 8:00am !!
I got to bed last night by 11:40pm and took a little while longer to get to sleep but the eyes were closed and the brain was resting on the pillow.
Woke up this morning and knocked out 100 Qbank questions with a 64% average. These Qs are always 50 / UNUSED / RANDOM. I am happy with this as I am being very consistent and my scores are INCREASING every day. The idea is to not have wild swings in scores and my mind is really picking up on their use of distractors and clever techniques.
I have decided to avoid talking to my wife about scores on Qbank or NBME (she usually asks) because she is limited in knowing how to interpret them. She was shocked when I told her that I am now getting consistent low 60s and improving every day...she thought that I would be getting 90%!! It is a bit hard to explain how doing 100s of questions, taking time to read the answers and then going back to study over and over again can sometimes be draining. So, rather than getting stressed over her reaction to my scores, I will stick to my plan and make sure that I am consistent all the way to the exam day.
As James Brown sings, "I feel good!!"...
THANKS TO EVERYONE SENDING ME THEIR BEST WISHES!!!!...it really helps to read positive reinforcement from the world beyond my motel room.
Back to flashcards, First Aid and notes...
Will do another 50 questions this afternoon
Hasta luego,
--chileno
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| milee99
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hey chileno
looks like we are taking the exam same time
i am also trying for 26 .. but dates are booked
so will have to stick to 24th
all da best
we will rock!!
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| chileno
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milee99: Yes, we will confront the exam and get our HIGH PASS SCORES that we have been working and sacrificing for so long.
We work so hard to fill the brain and then on exam day we hope to have a very clear mind so that the information just pours out in the right order. Looking forward to clarity of mind on exam day!!
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Today I did more Qbank questions and went over Pharmacology and Immunology flashcards. Things are going well and the information seems to "sticking" and building on itself.
I had some relatives call me in the motel room and asked if I wanted to join them for dinner, just the three of us. I hesitated for a second, but then figured that it would be a nice change to see other walls and other people for a while. Vietnamese food was fresh and delicious, which I absolutely love. Early in the dinner conversation I was asked, "Are you ready for the exam?" I answered, "Well I don't think that I can know everything that could possibly be asked on the exam, but I do think that I will be as prepared as I can be by exam day."
It is so hard to explain to someone who is not a physician or who has not had to prepare for this exam what it means to study and how much material must be covered. Some NON-USMLErs think that I should just "take it and get it over with", like it is a haircut that I am trying to avoid getting.
Anyway, back in the room and back on to flashcards and Goljan Rapid Review Pathology notes.
Tomorrow early morning I will knock out another 100 questions, go for a 1 hour mountain bike ride, shower, and then review the answers. Begin pounding out more flashcards, do another 50 questions in the late afternoon and finish with more flashcards.
I hope to do another NBME on Tuesday morning (April 15th) to get an idea of what needs to be tightened up.
USMLE, here I come, ready to "punch you in the spleen" make you give up a high score!! 
--chileno
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| hottie99
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i hear ya guy, those ppl that say 'just take it and get it over with' they will never understand.. and mine came from my ex who was a doctor, but didnt go abroad for med school like myself.. it was a mistake as i took it and failed, so u gotta listen to ur inside voice and be content with when ur going to take it and do best on it!! these tests no one understands (esp if ur an img) and no one can relate.. u gotta talk only with those that can relate with u, i found that most helpful..
i also have mine on 24th (for now, i dont want to change it but i have to snap into full study mode like urself!!) have 10 days and have a full schedule made but having hard time to focus on it... anyways i sohuld sleep it's late and need to be up early for exam study hard and perhaps i check in tomorrow to get some motivation! best o luc!!
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| milee99
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hey i'll be taking nbme 3 tomorrow ..., too
not getiing 26th
anyways will stick to 24th
and just do 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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| chileno
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hottie99: Thanks for sending in your experience! Yes, your last 10 days will be key to repetition, repetition, repetition. Keep up the hard work and sweep away all extraneous things out of your day. Keep the television off, play more music during your breaks, and get some exercise to tire the body. Your brain will be exhausted, but you need to convince the body to get its rest at the same time. Keep it up!!!
milee99: Hit the NBME hard!! Try not to extend the 4 blocks by too much more than 4.5 hours (including breaks) and make sure to not check any answers during the questions or else the exam will not serve to give an impression of how you stack up at this time. Stay strong and stay positive!!
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I decided to just focus on flashcards and repetition this morning and afternoon.
After lunch I will continue with flashcards and then go for a bike ride for an hour, then return to do 100 or 150 questions. Will review those questions, have dinner, then return to flashcards for the rest of the evening.
Have to keep pushing the material into the brain and hope that it stay in and comes out in an orderly fashion. I'll check back in tonight to give an idea of how the day went.
--chileno
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| chileno
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I am just about to go to bed. I am fairly tired after getting through a bunch of different topics on flashcards. My recall has to be sharp so that the concepts come quickly and the recognition is fast while reading the questions during the exam.
Although I had a set schedule set up for today, my wife came by the motel room to bring me some food and said that she "didn't feel attached" due to my forced isolation. Certainly not fun to hear, but it is how she feels and I would certainly feel the same. I assured her that it would be just for a short while longer and that we would be together again like we should be. She left in a distant mood and I returned to review more topics. No arguing, just matter of fact. Have to keep my focus...
Four hours later she called to say that since we would not be getting any "family time" this weekend, that maybe we should have a quick dinner in the room with the kids so that they could be around me and share a meal before "total isolation". I hesitated, but it did seem excessive telling her no family for the next 11 days, so I told her no problem and we had a very nice meal of pizza and salad in the room. The kids were delighted and kept on giving me hugs and serving me more salad and pizza.
In the end, it certainly took away from my "scheduled" study plan, but it was wonderful to be with my kids and to remind me of how they too will be affected by my dedication to studying and preparing for this exam.
So...no questions were done at all today, but I did cover a lot of topics using flashcards. I am now in total isolation, my family understands this, and I will do everything possible to really maintain the focus during these last days of studying and prepare as well as possible.
Early morning I plan on doing an NBME and then a bike ride to "detox"--
Buenas noches,
--chileno
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| chileno
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Whew!!
Just got done with NBME #1 with a 440 (204) with 10 days to go before the real deal. It felt good to get an improved score after spending time going over pharmacology, biochemistry and some micro. Need to spend more time hitting micro over the next few days and just keep hitting the flashcards and Qbank questions.
It would be great to be hitting 600's on the NBMEs, but I know that it just hasn't been a realistic goal, given my time constraints and "real life" familial constraints. I will be happy to improve my score on the real exam to be hitting anything scoring 220 or above. Hopefully I can continue to keep the focus on and really make the best use out of the remaining days.
Thanks to the well wishers who have sent their positive words.
'No hay tiempo pa' estar hueveando, solo pa' estar estudiando. Mejor terminar cada dia contento con la disciplina, esfuerzo y el pino que le pongo.' (No time to be screwing around, only time to be studying. Better to finish each day content with the discipline, effort and "elbow grease" that I put in.
Going to have a bite to eat, go over more flashcards, and complete more Qbank questions.
--chileno
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| hottie99
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hey now, that's a great score, i did worse on my nbme 1, and my exam was more like form 2, so be sure to take form 2 before u exam (like in 5 days).. form 1 i felt was so much very detailed and i am so resistant to memorizing things, and form 2 is alot more conceptual.. so dont fret buddy!! ur doing great, a 440 is still a great score and u will do even better, just believe and u will succeed!! (i should listen to my advice, but u notice it's easier to tell others than do it ourselves, hehehee )
just review those small details subj right before exam as they will be on the exam so leave u pharm/micro/back of FA for last few days, they will help immensly!!!
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| chileno
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hottie99: thank you for the good advice. Actually, I need to correct myself, it WAS exam #2 NBME that I took yesterday, not #1. You are right, I did find it very conceptual. There were a few drugs that I got right (remembering afterward and looking up) but was based more on the process of elimination, rather than even recognizing the drugs.
So anyways, I don't know if I really want to take another NBME before the exam, since it did show that I am very consistent across the board. There was even an asterisk to the Higher Performance for Musculoskeletal/skin!
The assessment exam did tell me that although I was consistent, I was slightly lower on the previously mentioned subjects, so I will concentrate on those with my "homemade" flashcards, keep doing questions and keep the attitude positive.
Just got back from a late evening bike ride and it was nice to clear the mind and fight the headwind instead.
Thanks to all the nice encouragement and good advice. Keep it coming as it is much appreciated from inside my motel room.
Off to bed...
--chileno
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| chileno
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Today was a fairly straightforward day with me going back and forth between boxes of flashcards from MICRO, PHARM, BIOCHEM and IMMUNO. I have homemade charts and diagrams stuck on all the empty wall space in the room with biochemical reactions and algorithms for G+/G-, RNA/DNA viruses, that I consult and refresh myself on. Someone walking into the room might think that this is some type of Unabomber stuff like what was found in the log cabin in the woods...but no, just a medical graduate studying hard for the board exams!
I had dinner with a friend who is a Family Practice doc, about 10 years out of residency, and he and I talked about the shocking changes that have taken place for him since he graduated from medical school in the USA. Interesting and eye opening.
Tomorrow will be more of the rotations between flashcards and I will try and finish 200 questions from Qbank with 10 minute breaks between blocks. So far, things are clicking well and I hope that they really gel together in the next 7 days of studying.
Step 1, here I come!!!
--chileno
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| match2010
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hey chileno...you seem to be doing pretty good .....good luck !!
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| chileno
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match 2010: Thanks for the positive vibes!!
Well, I only left the room once today and that turned out to involve a conversation with the front desk staff, where the young woman confided to me that her grandfather (63 years old and black) had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. We talked a while and she mentioned that he had cancelled his last appointment with his physician for fear of a terrible prognosis. We all know the epi statistics regarding prostate cancer, and black men have the unfortunate lead in incidence due to a culture of fear, distrust of the medical system, and the insistence that "no man is going to stick his finger up my butt". The irony also is that he has worked as a janitor for 30 years in one of the best and largest hospitals in the city!! Also, he has never missed a day of work, according to his granddaughter. You can imagine that he knows every urologist, oncologist, and internist that has passed through the halls and yet he didn't get help. Very sad, but a very real pattern that we shall be confronted with during our patient care.
Anyways, it was flashcards and more flashcards with addition of neuro sections and random Qbank questions. Doing well and will keep the focus tight for the next 6 days of studying!!
Off I go to sleep and integrate the material...
--chileno
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| chileno
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Today was a solid work day. Did 150 Qs in Qbank and scoring consistently well. Went over Micro, Pharm and other random flashcards. The flashcards are mostly from FA 2007.
Tomorrow I will start with 100 Qs at 8:00am to begin simulating the time for questions and I will do another 50-100 Qs after dinner. All of the time in between will be spent going over flashcards and incorporating BIOCHEM and IMMUNO into the stacks for those key items being fresh by Saturday.
The big day is approaching and I am feeling good about my reaction time with questions and my integrative recall.
Off to bed and up early again...CARPE DIEM!!
--chileno
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| chileno
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Well, there are just 3 full days of review before the big day and the big exam. Today was spent doing questions and really looking at my logical progression and recall in answering the questions. I am happy with the major improvement that has taken place in the last 3 weeks. I have improved steadily in Qbank questions to the point where I have moved from 56-58% to a regular 70-72% on unused/50/random questions.
The recall has been more focused and my flashcards have come in handy for reinforcing information in bite size pieces, which for me tends to be easier to pull together. I think that I have a solid basis for my "big picture" concepts for physio and pathology, so now I fill in the details so that the spaces can be filled.
----------------
For the next three days:
1) Start a 50 question block (random/unused) right at 8:00am and go over answers afterwards. My exam starts at 8:00 so I need to simulate brain function.
2) Do flashcards with IMMUNO, MICRO, PHARM, BIOCHEM and then random cards from various topics.
3) Do another 50 question block before dinner (random/unused), reviewing answers.
4) PATHOLOGY flashcards until 10:00pm
5) Asleep by 10:30pm and awake by 6:00
Things are going well and my Q scores show consistency. Must keep this determined pace until the day of the exam!!
Here comes Saturday and I expect to be ready and confident,
--chileno
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| hottie99
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great job there buddy, ur gonna do so well!!! ur being consistent, i would just stop questions right before, but i guess to each their own i gave myself some break before the test, esp on ques, bc it' snormal ppl score drops and then they panic, but u seem to be doing great, so i guess thats not needed...
just keep on repeat, repeat, REPEAT reviewing from FA!!! let me know how it goes, i got mine in a week, ugghh!!
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| chileno
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hottie99: Thank you for the recommendation. I think that I will only do questions tomorrow morning (no more today) and then stop with the questions until Saturday's REAL DEAL.
You are right in your observation. I had considered just saving the energy and focus for multiple questions until the actual exam. It is comparable to saving the legs before a big bike ride. I remember preparing for a big bicycle ride (110 miles) and decided to jog the night before to stay loose. It totally had my legs tired the next morning and used different muscles that proved to feel sore on race day.
So...I will lay off the questions until Saturday and really hit the flashcards over and over again.
Thanks for the objective advice
Now, back to reviewing...
--chileno
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| chileno
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Had a good day hitting the flashcards. Developed a beautiful algorithm for RNA VIRUSES after struggling with a some of the families on flashcards. So now I have a big flow chart on the wall in the motel room with mnemonics and things that have helped the details to stick. It is visually and informationally 100% efficient--hope to have flashbacks to this chart during the exam!!!
Tomorrow, I will go over IMMUNO and MICRO flashcards in the morning, then switch over to the PATHOLOGY flashcards until dinner, then refresh the memory by repeating "all the stations" of all the BIOCHEM reactions and flow charts on the walls before calling it a day.
I have restructured my sleep cycle to get me ASLEEP BY 11:00pm and AWAKE by 6:00am. So far the cycle has worked...no pills, just very tired, keep the same routine, drink some Sleepy Time tea, and no TV or surfing after dinner time.
Here I come, ready to prove myself on the USMLE!!
Buenas noches y nos vemos en unas pocas horas (Good night and we'll see each other in a few hours.)
--chileno
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| hottie99
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bienvenidos amigo!!!!
u dont need luc, ur the man and u know u stuff!!! ur gonna do so well, pls make sure u send me a nice pm after u exam to calm me down when im panicking next week, hehehee..
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| chileno
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hottie99: Thank you for the encouragement!! I will definitely send you some good messages and vibes for your exam. Keep up the hard work and make yourself proud of your consistency and effort.
The last day and a half is counting down.
I went for an evening walk around the motel area in a nice quite neighborhood and I was able to clear my mind of USMLE for about 45 minutes...did me a world of good!
I am really missing my family
I miss my wife and kids and being able to interact with them about little things, doing bath time with them, reading to them in Spanish and making up extra things in the books, and just being there on a daily basis. My little girl knows how many days are left before I leave the motel and return to be with her, and she just beams when I confirm to her that it is just a few days away.
I look around at the stacks of flashcards and charts that I have covered over and over again and I worry that I will not remember even half of it, but I hope that my thinking process and my repetition of concepts and details will come to me at the right time during the exam, so that I can be get a HIGH PASS and move on to Step 2.
Today was a good day and I expect to really make the last walk-through of various flashcards and charts, have a nice dinner in my room, go for another walk, listen to some music and be asleep by 10:30.
Off to sleep and give the brain its much needed rest...
--chileno
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