Hy 2419 To answer a recent question of why so many students falter…

[tommyk]

Hy 2419 To answer a recent question of why so many students falter…

For a recent string of emails, I conclude that the reason so many smart med students fail the Step 1 is because mainly their study "technique" is ineffective and wrong. Most students HAVE the right ingredients: Brains, Effort, Materials, etc. However, many are studying incorrectly. So many have, Dr. Goljan's Notes, Kaplan, First Aid, etc., but they are reading the material like a magazine or a mystery novel. NO! You MUST ATTACK each concept. Many just report that they "memorize questions". That may have worked wonders in high school and college and even medical school since many teachers REPEATED QUESTIONS almost word for word on tests. But the NBME is very powerful. They charge literally an ARM and a LEG for the test so they have so MUCH MONEY to ask people (professors and doctors) to write an "ENDLESS STREAM" of questions so students do not have any "short cuts".

You cannot just read these Hy Concepts like a newspaper like the New York Times. You must attack them and dissect them…make up flash cards, make certain guesses BEFORE looking at the answer, quiz friends with them, make up a “board game” with them, etc.

But that is why this message board is SO KEY. We can ask each other for their exam experiences, and then make up legal questions/concepts to help others.

However, know that you need that key ingredient of TIME and MONEY to give yourself adequate preparation. You NEED a SOLID window of studytime to pass.

If you do not have it, ask for it and beg your family and friends for it. Live with a friend/family in their basement to save money and buy time to study UNINTERRUPTED w/ TOTAL CONCENTRATION.

If you cannot find time and money to study, it may be a waste of time and cost you your mental health. Please ask others to pray for you. However, know that you are not alone and many of the students I knew who finally reported passing did so even after more than TEN ATTEMPTS at the USMLE Step 1. Seriously, I called the NBME to verify it! OVER 10 ATTEMPTS! If they could have the dedication and finally passed, they achieved a dream even if they don't even go on to practice medicine! Abandon your dreams of doctoring only after ALL LIFE SUPPORT measures are taken.

I think of it if I am caring for an ICU baby. I won't give up my efforts at saving his or her life until there is no heartbeat for an hour or more!

Sincerely,

Tommyk

[farrahsamrinsiddiqui]

hi can u send me step1 questions on FARRAHSAMRINSIDDIQUI@YAHOO.COM

[shania]

encouraging post... thank you.... this is exactly what i think is needed to score

[jigs]

thanx.. needed this encouragement.. specailly at this time when i have 55 days to go for my step 1..

[md90]

Thank you tommyk for your positive and encouraging words, and wisdom...

[tommyk]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You all "rule"! :) It is I who is thankful that I can help. This is part of my calling in my life. So many students emailed/PM'd me in the past couple of years telling me that my posts helped them pass. Each message like that is worth a year's salary as a doctor to me. It is really encouraging for me personally.

Really reach out to others on this message board. It IS like "family". If you pass, let others know. If you did NOT pass, share with others and ask for their advice. Share your strategies and coping skills.

And I forgot to mention how important it is to find a close MENTOR if you are having a lot of trouble passing or improving your score. If you are in trouble, it is VERY hard to really SEE yourself and understand where you are going wrong. You need someone fresh from the outside to come in and gracefully and honestly tell you what is going on.

It should be someone who is familiar with the Step 1 and how you are picking up the material and how learning works. They should be able to sit with you periodically and see if you are really understanding the mechanisms and how the boards likes to ask questions. The NBME loves to string together different subjects like pathology and biochemistry and pharm and then ask a question based on it.

Do not pay someone outrageous sums of money to help you. In fact, try to find a kind soul without paying them. In truth, they will do the most sincere work. In many of my own studies in college and medical school and now in residency, all of my own mentors helped me for free. That is when you KNOW you have quality and a good mentor. A person willing to help without payment truly DOES have your interests in mind. A person asking for a lot of money...well that person has your money in mind. A good mentor should live close by you so you can meet with him/her at least once a week.

I would love to mentor more, but I am quite busy with my own students too, plus doing the concepts for this board. But I did do a LOT more mentoring in the past. You CAN find someone. Look first in your medical school at professors. A PERFECT person would be someone like Dr. Goljan who IS your current professor AND who teaches Step 1 AND is really a nice guy.

Again, seek out a mentor who can look over your shoulder and can ANALYZE how you are PROCESSING the information and recalling it. Someone in medical school did that for me too! In a few subjects, my friend had made a computer program that would ask me questions like a Q-Bank, and figure which areas and concepts I was slower to grasp and the speed at processing and remembering the information. Then my friend would suggest reasons as to WHY I was having trouble. It was sometimes motivation related (I was not a big fan of Histology). Or other times it was just hard for me to grasp (Cardiology). So I had to adjust my studies. He was, I am almost sure, ranked like 3rd in our ENTIRE medical school class. He was a perfect mentor for me.

Oh, if you are forced to guess on a tough question on the Step 1, let broad principles guide you to a "best guess". Eliminate the most obvious traps (things that seem too easy). Be suspicious of answer choices that seem like something that a completely uneducated person would be drawn to. Recall that distractors are distractors for a good REASON. If they do not distract and trick someone, then it would NOT be among the answer choices. And other broad principles are to pick the LEAST invasive and the LEAST side effects medicines or tests and the LEAST expensive and the most easy for the patient to follow. For instance, you would pick Amoxicillin before Vancomycin for a gram positive bug due to the side effects and lower cost. Second, you would pick "reduce salt and water & reduce weight" before using Lasix/Furosemide for treating HYPERTENSION, etc. Another broad principle that you will find is true when you analyze the NBME's released items and past retired questions is that they generally prefer the more common disease among the answer choices given a non specific question/chief complaint. And so on. There are other such broad principles to guide you, but you will either pick them up more as you go along, or you will need a mentor to guide you.

Again, to answer more student questions, stopping your pursuit for medicine IS ok, if it is for the right reasons. If you have the HOPE, time, money, motivation, life circumstance, love for medicine, then you should continue your quest. Life IS a journey, not just a passing of one test. If your heart is in medicine, it makes no sense to drop out if you are going to continue to regret it all the days of your life. However, if you are "at the end of your rope" and are going to go nuts and lose your hope, joy for life, etc. then you should pray about it and maybe take time off from studying or maybe seek another path altogether. If you run out of money and time or if you have to take care of your sick mother, then you SHOULD stop running for Step 1. But that is SUCH a tough decision. I think that would be another question for a mentor that would take ENORMOUS soul searching.

I am reminded of that U2 song, 'Stuck in a Moment.' Even if this time of trial seems so hard and never ending, "this too shall pass"...

And I also recall in the Old Testament regarding Job. Even though he suffered immeasurably, in the next stage of his life, God Blessed him more than ever with endless grace.


God Bless you all,


Much love, Tommyk

[voon]

Hi there,
thanks. Can you sent me USMLE step1 question to vpliaw@excite.com

Thanks again

[dr2bee]

I am about to take this exam in just 3 weeks... I am very nervous, sometimes I have great days and others I just feel as if all the information I have studied for 12-14 hours a day for 3 months has made no difference and my scores on the q-bank are very low. I seem to feel so nervous about this exam, I totally agree with everything you have mentioned regarding the startegies for learning and attacking these questions! Can you please be so kind to email me these questions if its at all possible? Thank you so very much for your help and your amazing advice!
vikisgr8@yahoo.com

[IMG SURVIVOR]

you can get it here in tommy concepts (http://www.valuemd.com/tommy.php)

[tommyk]

*** LACK OF CONCENTRATION ***

Another reason called to my attention is that suffering students often have LACK OF CONCENTRATION. The Step 1 is about understanding yes, but more importantly... can you memorize??!!! You need "total concentration" (like Bruce Lee said in the movie, "Enter the Dragon") to memorize effectively. If you are distractable, you can not memorize the ROTE information like what disease is on which chromosome, etc.

Again, I knew many students who completely BOMBED the MCAT, which is MORE a test of comprehension and understanding than the USMLE Step 1. Then, then went on to SAIL past the Step 1!! When I tested a few of them, I noted that they HAD SUPERIOR MEMORIES. I would test them with picture recall, story detail recall, numbers+letters recall, etc. They were superior. But, some of them could NOT write a poem or compose a serious argument on paper!

I see the Step 1 as mainly a test of recall. If a person can function effectively in society, then I believe it is a matter of needing time AND CONCENTRATION to absorb all the MASSIVE MOUNTAIN of information.

Intelligence alone cannot do it. As I wrote so many times, I knew of even Ivy League level students from University of Chicago, Harvard, Brown, Yale, etc. that had SERIOUS numbers of failures in the Step 1. It is a closely guarded secret that medical schools love to protect. But there are failures all around. If you doubt it, just really ask around...

Make sure you have a strategy for memory with concentration. We often recall if we are in an altered state of excitation. For example, in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven", the actor Orlando Bloom was slapped in the face after a quote by actor Liam Neeson and was told, "This is so you will remember it..." That IS true. Look back on things you remember. You can often note that there was some level of distress, anxiety, or pleasure... basically a HEIGHTENED sense of awareness during that time. You may remember the name of the first boy or girl you kissed, the time you were so anxious due to an embarrassing moment, and so on.

Use that strategy in your studies. You could SHOUT OUT YOUR ANSWERS so that you can "pair a loud" angry noise to help RECALL. Or you could DRAW PICTURES... which I read helps A LOT. You could explain each concept to another whom you are studying with to SOLIDIFY. You could pair a concept with a MUSICAL PIECE which I read helps. You of course "could" pinch yourself or hurt yourself after trying to memorize a difficult concept (BUT I WOULD RATHER CHOOSE ANOTHER WAY)... it would leave ugly marks on your skin. There are MANY other strategies. But after you study for a day, you must ask yourself not just "How many hours did I study?", but rather, "Did I study EFFECTIVELY during that time?"

By all means though... Rid yourself of ALL distractions! I get constant feedback on this board about the distractions that destroy "CONCENTRATION". Movies... TV... The telephone... Googlesearch ... YouTube ... Novels ... Girlfriends ... Boyfriends ... Unrelated work at a job ... Email...

BLACKOUT ALL THE BACKGROUND NOISE. Stick to your schedule. Make sure you are NOT TIRED while studying. Those times you are nodding off will yield absolutely NOTHING. If you have to, drink lots of coffee or tea.

Go and CONQUER!

Sincerely,

Your friend, Tommyk

[tommyk]

I am uncomfortable bringing things up like this, but some struggling students may have a learning disorder or a personality disorder that needs medication or therapy to clear up. Seriously. If you are spending a long time studying but NOT ABSORBING, it is like a cup with a hole in the bottom. You are trying to fill the cup, but the "hole" is spilling out the information.

To retain the information, you may need medication. I say this to the students who cannot seem to gain traction and who cannot figure out their difficulty. I cannot say who would need medication or who would not, but it is worth looking at.

One such person was a lady who wrote that she was really really tired and having narcolepsy while studying. Another had ADHD, a learning disorder. For them, methylphenidate would be required. The student with the ADHD I heard went on to pass Step 1. Another had a serious ANXIETY disorder. Another had Major Depressive Disorder. Having such a problem WILL prevent a passing score.

Again, I am not trying to advocate drugs. But for some, it may be something worth looking at, under the strict guidance of your physician. Who knows, after you pass the Step 1 and practice, you may go on to treat others struggling with the Step 1 with your disorder and help THEM BECOME GREAT DOCTORS!

Cheers! :D

You can do it!

Tommyk

[tommyk]

"Seeing the BIG picture"

Another suggestion brought to my attention is the lack of seeing the "BIG picture". NBME questions just LOVE to integrate broad based concepts. One of the best integrating mechanisms is to listen to a GOOD LECTURE SERIES like Dr. Goljan's Audio for Step 1. He is a very entertaining and good gentleman. His audio notes are available in many places on the Internet. You can buy them, but I have heard that there is very little trouble to get them for free. Your other medical students probably have them too.

Draw large mental pictures for subjects like Biochemistry to grab the grand concepts. The Glycolysis and TCA cycle is the "Superhighway". Everything, all the reactions, attempt to feed into this "Superhighway" to make ATP. If you can draw the "Superhighway", then you can draw all the other reactions like the Pentose Phosphate Shunt, Fatty acid degradation, etc. and where it all feeds in. It really helps to form these mind maps. In fact, there are many good Biochemistry diagrams in a few textbooks that link all the reactions together. Find one and print it out! Actually, there are many computer programs that allow you to draw mental mind maps and connect concepts. It will end up being like a spider web to intertwine and capture and HOLD many more concepts. When you draw out the concepts, it REALLY WORKS in that it "sticks" to your brain! :D

See ya,


Tommyk

[tommyk]

It may be that you cannot retain well enough and thus need more strategies. One common one brought to my attention that WORKS WONDERS is VERY ACTIVE note taking. Do not suppose that you will recall a concept just because you read it and think you understand it. You will be often surprised at how fast the information leaves. Some WRITE OUT every concept or fact in the margins of the book, on a notebook, etc. It is a much slower process, but if the information is going to STICK, it is MUCH MORE EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE. What use is it to read a "mile a minute" and study for "one whole year" if very little is recalled and sticks in your memory. Your brain MUST have some kind of "glue" in it. Find out what materials "activate" this glue!

Cheers to you!


Tommyk

[DrDOmeNR]

great points and words of wisdom. i'm new here at the forum, i heard people mention Tommy's HY...where can i take a look at that? thanks.

[udaya]

hi!
its so nice of u.hey i am taking my exam in 2 mon plzzzzzzz send me the step 1 qs.

THANK UUUUUUUUU

[AmitPatel]

Dear Udaya,

You can get the Tommy Concepts which are asked in Q-Bank style via the link at the top of the page. There is another set in the free download section. I heard that both are not yet updated so there are a bunch of questions/answers on the standard valuemd pages. Still, I heard that there are many who passed USMLE 1 by reading only the Tommy Concepts along w/ some reference books and mastering them entirely.

Kaplan may be better since the format is timed, and you can do random questions by subject, and they record % correct and so forth. But, The Tommy Concepts are free, and it is tried and tested. Study very hard. I am sure that if you put your heart and soul in, you should pass.

[or2dox]

Hello Tommyk,

I'm an IMG planning to take usmle step 1 for the first time, before reading all the threads in this forum and get confused later on by the numerous inputs which I do believe are very pertinent and important, I've decided to compile my review materials before starting my review. May I ask your expert opinion and suggestions as to what other review materials I need to get hold of for the different subjects? Thank you so much! Good Luck to all!

Here are my review materials:

-2007 ed. First Aid
-Road Map Immuno & Neurosci.
-Rapid Review for Patho.
-Kaplan Med. Ethics
-Kaplan step 1 Qbook
-First Aid Q&A
-Step-Up to usmle step 1 3rd ed.

Your suggestions are highly appreciated! Thanks a million!

[tommyk]

To my beloved Family of future doctors, ;)

In response to readers, I write to please tailor your study habits to your personal strengths. :cool: Mainly, everyone should get the main popular books like First Aid and Kaplan Notes. As long as you do not have a dementia-type illness or another brain lesion, you should be able to "recall". The principle is similar to knowing the names of your uncles, aunts, cousins, sisters, brothers, etc. The difference is that some people do indeed memorize faster than others. The difference is barely noticeable in everyday life because you have only small things to commit to memory like a phone number, street address, etc. But on the Step 1, there are SOOOOOO many things to memorize. Therefore, any "slight" differences in memory will be VERY MARKED and MEASURED.:confused:

After I took the Step 1, I pulled out the main resource books like Kaplan, First Aid, BRS, BSS, etc. when I got home. I remembered then a number of questions from the real exam. I could not believe all the small points that I forgot and thus answered incorrectly!:cry:

Therefore, you should be able to (rather you MUST) basically MEMORIZE a book like First Aid or Crush the Boards entirely. When I ask, "What is the mech. of action of Drug A?", you should be able to tell me in one second. You can do it. If I ask your birthday, couldn't you tell me in a flash??? Do so likewise with the drugs, bugs, etc. :)

Think about it. If you had to memorize the 50 state capitals of the United States, the test would be relatively easy. If I ask, "Capital of Alaska?", you should jump and say "Juneau" right away. If I ask for New Jersey, you should yell "Trenton" in an eye blink! Virginia=Richmond! etc.:D

If you are not retaining, do not just tell yourself you need many more months to study! While that may be part of the problem, you must examine why you are not retaining. Tape or staple a chart and graph the number/percent of answers you got correct from NOTECARDS you are making or from any number of Q-Banks available. Do so in individual sessions weekly or more often.

Chart how you are progressing! Of the information, are you getting 35% correct the first week, then 37% the second, then 42% the third, then 48% the fourth, and then 55% the fifth, etc.??;)

If so, you ARE improving, and it is just a matter of time before you get that magical "pass" on your score report! :cool:

But if the Chart is flatlining or even worse, creeping down, then there is a problem. Doing this exercise will help diagnose the problem. Imagine YOU ARE THE PATIENT, and the "% Correct on the line graph" is the continuing line that shows your progression to HEALTH (passing grade).

It is like if you are hypokalemic. OK, so your potassium is at 2.9. Then you start the drip, and then you are charting the level on a piece of graph paper and the reading is 3.2 after a while. Good... Then later it is 3.5. Great... And so forth. You will then KNOW you are going to get there.

You MUST FIND OUT HOW YOUR BRAIN REMEMBERS and INTEGRATES information! :bored: ;) :cool:

You need a system of rewards also to buttress your progress. For example, if you recall all the Glycogen Storage Diseases and Immunological Diseases (both VERY VERY HIGH YIELD), then you could reward yourself once you met those objectives. Or you could punish yourself if you miss key questions (However, I like the positive reinforcement method better. BUT, if someone did something extreme like slap you in the face after a wrong answer, you will remember better).:cry:

Again, accept that there IS a difference between the speed that people memorize. Just accept that fact of life. It is like height or strength. But know that you can overcome it. You CAN do something about it.

This Step 1 is very much like a 26.4 mile marathon run vs. a short 100-200 meter sprint. The short sprint is like everyday life. Even if you are running against an Olympic champion, you will be some meters behind at the finish line. The difference is just a couple of seconds.

BUT, in a marathon run (which the Step 1 is), the differences between an Olympic champion runner and yourself will show MUCH MORE OBVIOUS differences. The seasoned Olympian will cross the finish line maybe HOURS before you do. If you are not lucky, you may collapse well before the finish line on mile 7 or so from exhaustion.

Ultimately, the point I want to emphasize is that I think a determined medical student can eventually pass the Step 1. :cool: Don't make the mistake of comparing yourself to the top USMLE scorer in the class! SERIOUSLY, honestly, I tell you that my own mentor, who was in the top THREE of my entire medical school class failed in his intern year and has to repeat it this year!!! (It had to do with his skill at quickly formulating a differential. He knows way too much and kept on stating TOO MANY "zebras", and not "getting to the point". This angered the senior residents.) Different people have different strengths.

Know which books work best for you (but stick to the highest rated books). Know how long you personally need to study overall and how many hours per day. Know if you have a handicap. Know (most important) which study method works best for you.;)

For example, I myself study much better in groups. I studied with a group of people and asked questions to others in the group. I was a VERY "ORAL" learner. I would even read aloud when alone. Just reading the chapters over and over alone in silence did NOT help me much.:bored:

It was the same with ME PERSONALLY with the MCAT. When I took my first diagnostic test, I really really did horrible. Then I found a method that worked for me. I formed the study group I spoke of, then we all took turns explaining things to each other. It really helped me personally. Subjects/concepts that I "thought" I knew... I found that I really did NOT know them cold because I had trouble explaining it to others. :p Once I learned it enough to explain to others, not only did I understand the concept better, the concepts STUCK LIKE SUPER GLUE in my brain. :) In the final MCAT diagnostics, I found I was missing only a few questions out of 77. I confess in the first diagnostic I missed almost HALF OF ALL THE QUESTIONS!!! The experience with the USMLE Step 1 was VERY similar. I went on to score over 95% percentile on the MCAT. I found the method that worked for me, and I ran with it. (However, you may be better studying alone. Or maybe you study well in a coffee shop. Only YOU can find this out). Keep POSITIVE.

Please please follow your dreams, as this life is a JOURNEY, not a DESTINATION. We are all climbing Mt. Everest together. Once you all personally reach the summit, please appreciate it, love mankind, and lend a rope down to others trying to get there.

All the best in this New Year 2007, :cool:
And Merry Christmas, :p
Love,

Tommyk :D

[tommyk]

Family members, :p

To address another question, I personally believe that the NBME was wrong to raise the pass level. I think it was just fine where it was at. I do not understand why they would increase the bar just because more people were studying harder. Long ago, people studied MUCH LESS for Step 1, 2, and 3. One older doctor I asked said there was a 2, 2, 2 rule (Triple 2's Rul): You study 2 weeks for Step 1, you study 2 days for Step 2, and you bring 2 Number-two lead pencils for Step 3.

Anyone studying that little nowadays and passing is either God Himself or the Director of Research at the NBME who peruses the questions.

Just because people are studying so much more and thus doing better on Step 1 should not make the NBME raise the score level. It sort of penalizes medical students in general.:cry: If they are so worried about patient safety, I think they should just ask more questions about deleterious side effects of certain drugs and incorrect clincial judgments. I do NOT THINK that any patients would be more at risk if they left the pass level alone at 182. Rather, I think it will just end up frustrating many soon-to-be-doctors.

Anyhow, that is how I feel.

Much love in Christ,


Tommyk

[tommyk]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Since I have been getting many questions about difficulty of progress, I must address yet another uncomfortable reason...

"The student may have lost motivation or is doing it (studying for Step 1) for the wrong reasons."

I have communicated with many who are studying just because their parents want them to be doctors. That is a sure fire recipe for disaster. How on earth could you memorize this encyclopedia of information if you really deep in your heart wish NOT to become a doctor?

For illustration, when my guy friends and I went to frat parties in college, we would meet lots of people. However, my friends and I ALWAYS HAD A KEEN memory of the prettiest girls. During conversation, we would know and MEMORIZE her phone number, favorite poet, pet peeves, last good movie they saw, etc. But of the guys... well, it was just a blur of blue jeans. The difference was that in one case we CARED and in the other case we did NOT CARE.

It makes all the difference in the world. For many, not all, but for many, they should ask themselves hard if they really truly want to become doctors for life (You all KNOW it is a very hard job). If they have hidden doubts, poor motivations, wrong reasons to be, then the answer to their failure of progression on Step 1 becomes manifest.

Know thyself.

Yours truly,

Tommyk

[felicia]

nice post.just seen this.bought neurozan yesterday to improve brain function and performance...contains all the essential vitamins including vitamin b6,b12,l-arginine,folic acid,CoQ10 and phosphatidylserine.taking one capsule a day for next 30days.after which I will switch to GINGKO BILOBA...SOME CHINESE STUFF TO HELP MEMORY!NO ALCOHOL,ONLY NON ALCOHOLIC GRAPE JUICE.

[workerbee]

Goodness,If only i knew u in person and if u were to be my mentor,success would be waiting for me.I thank you for all the time you spend on mentoring,advicing and motivationg students with their exams.I postpones my exam once and i feel horrible about it,but ive set a date again in april and i intend to take it this time and give it my best.Thank u again for ur time and energy-very valuable sources people rarely spend for other..... .

[docsergio2003]

Hello there !
Can anyone please give me a hand and explain me how could I download a file from this site e.g. Goljan's High Yield ???
Thanks and sorry for the trouble !

[tommyk]

Dear Family,

Recall again to embrace BROAD concepts. If you are given a path question about a malignancy, you WILL be asked a question like "The Mech of Action of the disease is" or "The mech of the disease is most close to what OTHER mech of disease?" followed by BROAD questions like:

--hyperplasia
--metaplasia
--mutation
--etc....

The answer choices will generally be SHORT. The answer choices will NOT usually be long, like full sentences.

The above is a useful formula. I am SURE you will end up agreeing after you sit for your own test. For instance, if asked about "What type of immuno cell is responsible for such and such", the answer choices will be:

--T0
--T1
--T2
--NK cells
--etc.

That is why people have a hard time picking between say two answer choices!

Remember that you WILL see questions coming out of nowwhere. You may even see questions from old exams in NME books, etc.

Diagrams are heavy on Step 1. Make sure you can visualize most concepts. Most question banks do not have the ability to put up a lot of pictures.

Good luck again,

Love, Tommy

[drdeepa_80]

thts really true
i hav scores 530 (226) on nbme can u tell me my approximate percentile in step 1
thanks in advance

[mxd]

WOWWW!!! your tips are so motivational in all ways! thanks brother, you're doing well.

much luv in christ

[mxd]

WOWWW!!! your tips are so motivational in all ways! thanks brother, you're doing well.

much luv in christ

[hamelol]

please send step 1 to hamelolteeb@hotmail.com

[francesph146]

Thank you for all your advise. Could anyone please send the Step 1 Questions to me: francesph146@yahoo.com.cn
Thanks a lot!

[platypelloid]

Hi TommyK

Thanks for all of your good advice for the steps and the studying skills. But what if you have to study for the step1 during clerkship? What do you recommend? Especially since I must retake the exam?

[abhs]

hai thank u for such a good advice or advices i should say i have ur hy concept but not much on other material ca someone tell me where can i get all the material for free and easy.my e-mail i.d. is abhs_p@rediffmail.com

[drborges]

thank for your advice
drshborges@hotmail.com

[sly2009]

A person can write or say only what he truly is.

You are a wonderful person.

Please send USMLE STEP 1 to sly_doc_2009.co.in (sly_doc_2009@yahoo.co.in)

Thanks & God bless.

[stateofequilibrium]

You can find all of Tommyk's questions and answers here on ValueMD.

http://www.valuemd.com/tommy.php (http://www.valuemd.com/../tommy.php)

[sly2009]

thank you :)

[hirena142000]

hi could pls usmle queu send me it on hirena142000@yahoo.co.in

[pinkee]

i failed step 1 with 170/68 .....plz help me ..i need your advice badly ...i think my mistake was i was reading only..plz plz plz people DONT READ the subject....LEARN IT...am i right tommyk...plz tell this loud to all of our family members
i used kaplan,fa,goljan and uw for step 1.. my other mistake was i started qs too early...i believe that was wrong too...when shud i now start doing qs tommy and shud i read the same stuff..i DONT WANNA GIVE UP...but i need sincere advice from u...also i have a son..do u think i can do it?how many hours shud i put in...what are my chances of getting residency in int medicine..plz reply asap...thanks alot

[alex05]

can you send questions to azmd05@yahoo.com

Thanks so much for your kind words!

[I_m_Legend]

I failed step1 179/72
It has come as a shocker to me as im not a student who would even think of failing...i never expected it
i had done kaplan videos,kaplan q banks (scored really good),usmle world (scored around 60-70%),goljan audio and pathology,kapln lecture notes.
i was so good at all the material i still remember most of the concepts and other material... there were few of my friends who score like 94 and around and even they thought i was as good as them...
now im down in dumps as i dun know how to improve... although i know i need to work on pathology/renal system/micro/respiratory
so can you recommend how should i go about it and time period i shud take to make another attempt.

[shahram1]

Thank you so much for all of these usefull information and your HY notes.I'm an old graduate(15years)and I try to study(because I have to work also)for my step 1.
I don't have enough time.Will your HY notes+first aid notes be enough just to pass the exam?because I don't need a high score.
God bless you

[usmlevincent]

Thank you very much Tommyk. You are so wonderful and down to earth in your advice and wise counselling. Thanks for your words of encouragement. We need people like you. I will get in touch with you soon, cos I will be needing you for my step 1.
God bless

[platypelloid]

I'm studying for step 1 and I do a set of questions after studying a particular subject. But I can't seem to get a high enough score on the questions. I'm beginning to wonder if my technique is all wrong or if I'm not memorizing enough, I don't know:(... Can somebody please share there studying techniques with me? Thanks.

[ajkim102]

Helpful thread. We can do this! Just have to concentrate. Should I turn my phone off? I think reading this thread helped me realize, its about being focused which is easier than staying focused at about the 10th hour.

[anthony.zizza@gmail.com]

Hi Tommy

I am sending this to you and to the punisher. I have taken two practice exams this week (NBME form1 - 430/201), (Uworld 430/201). Exactly the same!! My exam is now on sept 9th. i have gone through goljan audio, first aid, but only about 500 uworld questions. I start clerkship monday and have a 1 hour drive each way and would really like audio to listen to to study while i am driving. Can you please let me know what you suggest so i can download or buy it.

Also, Can you suggest any other strategies for these next three weeks?

If there is anything i can do to pass on your generosity to others, i will....
thanks
anthony

[bcmstud99]

wow...i love your posts...theyre encouraging and answer a lot of my questions, my main problem is being distracted, and all those things u listed, phone..google search..youtube..email..movies...tv...they all exist in my life...go figure...good post for realization!

[RussianJoo]

This post is over 2 years old. It's on top because it's a sticky. And it's stickied because it has valuable info in it. but the OP will not reply to your posts because he's probably not on valuemd anymore. So if you want your questions answered find someone more recent posts like with in the last week or so.

[tommyk]

q- I, Tommyk, have been regrettably absent from the board for many many months now and I am catching up on email. Now, one question that comes over and over is "When should I give up?" Many ask this after they get discouraged after multiple failures. But I recently read about ValueMDers that wrote me and that I consulted that finally passed after 5,6,7 and even 12 times!!! Again, after getting that failure letter they passed! And some have passed step 1 after studying in medical school for 8 or more years! That may seem absurd, but how long is a person's career? maybe 50 years or more? If you study 4 more years to pass the boards than someone else, it is all just a drop in the bucket.

a- I think that the answer is a VERY VERY tough one that must be made INDIVIDUALLY and with LOTS and LOTS of prayer and counsel.

Each case is different, and I think this loving website has so many wonderful people to ask this tough question. PM everyone you shared posts and replies with...

There can be never be one answer.

It seems to depend a LOT one a person's individual motivation and his level of "calling". If someone is dead set, then one should keep trying because if you give up you may just end up feeling worse by pursuing a career that you really don't like! Esp. if you are moving between say an office job or treating other people...

Also, can you do another job instead of being a doctor if you just want to "help others"?

If so, teaching, nursing, P.A. school, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Assistant, Dentistry, etc. etc. are among a billion choices. Social work anyone?

But if it MUST BE MEDICINE, I think a person should keep on following their dreams IF life permits. As I said before, if you are the sole financial support for your family and your kids are hungry, then maybe God is telling you that you must hold off on your dreams. But if you are on your own with no dependents, then "Keep That Fire Burning!"

I have even read of stories that people giving up on practicing in the U.S. go on to be a doctor outside the U.S. because they are so so determined to follow their dreams.

[tommyk]

Again, when doing questions, you have to be ACTIVE. If you merely "read" the questions and then the answer, it WILL NEVER STICK in you mind. NEVER EVER. Just reading the information passively is an incredibly slow way to memorize. So slow. If you don't attack the question and answer, you are merely MEMORIZING QUESTIONS that will never again come up on your version of the exam. You are simply wasting your time. :roll:

You need to guess, then "look up the right answer" based on the answer choices given if you are not sure. Then look at the answer. :mad:

Then write down on your notes why the other answer choices are WRONG. Only then will the information stick in your brain!!! :shock:




Take that USMLE!!! :faint:

[Olgababiy]

ITS A JOKE!!! ALL QUESTIONS so HARD and I never seem them before, Answer choices not clear, so bad, I think I WILL NEVER PASS THOSE TEST!:mad:
do u have any idea, who make those qwestions? sounds like INDIAN people.... They not professional, this why so many people fail, because qwestions made BY IDIOTS!