dyk33
Forum Newbie
Topics: 7
Posts: 29
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i took my exam yesterday. here are my few cents....
difficulty
i thought that exam was harder than i thought. i would say they were about the same level of difficulty as nbme self assessment tests (although i didn't see any repeat questions). there were a few questions very similar to kaplan but these were very straightforward questions that i didn't need any previews. i had a lot of hard core biochem (amino acids, pathways, etc), physiology, microbiology. much less pharm than i expected and hoped for. more anatomy and embryology than i expected. a lot of path. some behavioral science stuff, somewhat less hard than i expected (but there were some difficult questions).
i think there were some questions about things i never heard of before, and i wouldn't hear even if i spent another three months of studying. the rest was on the things that i have heard of before and that i thought i knew but i wasn't sure of the answers because i didn't know Everything about them. you really have to study a lot and know everything about them because they ask detailed questions.
time management
finishing the test on time was not an issue although i wish i had a couple of more minutes to think through questions.
things i wish i had done differently
i used variety of sources kaplan lecture notes, first aid, robbins, BRS path, phyz, pharm cards, robbins review of path, goljan lecture audio, qbank. i must say that you must KNOW your first aid. i mean must know it, front to back to front to back. i studied but i didn't KNOW everything in it so i wish i studied that more thoroughly. also, i wish i had done more questions. i did qbank and half of NMS but i wish i had done more questions (like BSS or finish NMS). and nothing is TOO picky. if you encounter anything that you don't know, study it and know it because you may see it AGAIN.
overall impression
it is certainly a doable test. in my opinion, i didn't think it was that hard to pass but certainly it takes a lot of effort and studying to do well.
good luck!
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| asmi
Forum Hero
Topics: 1043
Posts: 4,609
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Thanks dyk33 , wish you all the best for result !
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| usmleasr
Forum Guru
Topics: 105
Posts: 970
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hi dyk33,
congrats u have done with it..u sound confident..i am sure u will post ur good score soon..what r the topics u mentioned different? how about neuroanat?...keep motivating us till our exam 
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| dyk33
Forum Newbie
Topics: 7
Posts: 29
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i think i had several neuroanatomy question, some straightforward, some not so straightforward but two step kind of question. again, i missed a lot because i kinda knew but not really.
some of the topics covered myasthenia gravis, parkinson's, reflexes, pupillary reactions, RCC, memory, hippocampus, hearing, etc.. this is meaningless because they can ask anything. guys, really, the topics covered are really broad (and vary from tests to tests as you can see in the forum) and the questions asked are sometimes picky and detailed. sometimes, so straightforward that you don't even have to go to med school to answer. some require some thinking to answer. some require (at least i think) knowledge accumulated outside of med school to answer. but there are very few (3) that i never heard of (and these i had to guess blindedly). the difficult questions are those that i have heard of before but details that they usually don't mention (i'm meaning MECHANISM) in review books or sometimes skip over, or i once knew at some point and forgot, or i skipped over.
so my adivce to you all who are starting out now or have a couple of months before exam study hard, do your questions, know your mechanisms of actions, don't skip over details but don't get lost in the woods and first aid is your best friend.
and of course, this is just my opinion.
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| juicyfresh
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
Posts: 3
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How helpful was the Goljan audio for your USMLE preparation? I'm taking the exam in two weeks and even though I've been through the 40 hours, it was almost 1-2 months ago and I was thinking of listening to him all over again! Thanks for any advice, and congrats on finishing!!!
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| dyk33
Forum Newbie
Topics: 7
Posts: 29
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after excruciating 4 weeks of waiting, finally got my score back--256/99. very pleasant surprise! i really thought i didn't do that well as i made a lot of silly mistakes and banging my head afterwards. nonetheless, i'm quite happy and wish best luck to all about to take the exam.
here's how i did on qbank etc
qbank (74% before repeating), NBME 490, released items (43, 45, 46), getting about 80% on NMS practice questions. i had kaplan sim test but didn't do it. studied for 3 months. one thing i didn't mention on my previous post was Robbins review of pathology (it is a question book) which clarified a lot of concepts and i recommend that book. and of course, all the old posts on this website. i sort of joined late but i must say this site was very helpful. thanks and good luck to you all.
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| doctorjha
Forum Senior
Topics: 13
Posts: 100
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Congrats!,
I was eagerly waiting for your post about your score. And, you brought a lot of enthusiasm back. My test is just 2 weeks from now. I am doing peculiar in kaplans qbank. Its ranging from 60 to 90%. On an average, its above 70% that i get in blocks. Please give me some last minute advices for the exam.
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| dyk33
Forum Newbie
Topics: 7
Posts: 29
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dear doctorjha,
i would make sure that i know my first aid--everything that is on there. also, do a lot of questions, as they help you see what area you need to know more and shed light on things you overlooked and you thought you knew. if you have finished your qbank, go over them, read explanations, and make sure you know them. i remember there were some questions very similar to what i saw on qbank. i did nbme but i thought it was time consuming because i had to look up all the questions--something i think i should've done a month before and not a week before. but i must say the difficulty and type of questions on nbme self assessment are very similar to the real thing (i didn't see any repeat questions, though). i know what you are going through....but you will be ok and i wish you good luck.
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