Failed again.. So frustrated and tired!!!

[meddocpr]

This is my second time taking STEP 1 and I have failed... again.... I only went up 15 points. The first time I took it I studied for 5 months. The second time I studied for 2 months includding questions. I only have a third try and have to pass or I won't be able to start rotations. I am so tired I keep thinking, "what's the use...." "Why try again?". I've already been out of school for a year and a half ..... what should I do now? Please help me.
Should I take it again or should I do something else with my life?

[trying_again]

You CANNOT give up. A 15 point increase is a very big accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. Some people study for months and then their score actually drops for whatever reason. It sounds like we are in a similar situation...having to take a lot of time off before starting rotations, frustration, etc. I understand your pain ;-) Think about how much you wanted to just be accepted to med school, the application process, the first two years....many people are dying to be given the chance that you have right now. Take some time to recoup and collect your thoughts. This is supposed to be the worst Step of them all, so you will be home free in no time. Hang in there.

[SantoB72]

does anyone know graduates of university of Health Sciences Antigua School of Medicine? I am a Certified Physicain Assistant currently enrolled in their 3 year program and looking for input of what to expect.

[miasma]

santob72, actually, i just recently searched on the web, and lo and behold, i found a few graduates from the school currently in residency. so yes, graduates do exist.

[yendor]

For meddocpr... try again... if you are meant to be a doctor... you'll be a doctor! try and try again until you succeed... ;)

[meddocpr]

Thank you Trying_ again & Yendor. You are both very encouraging. Everybody else, includding my parents, think I should give up. Thank you for your words.
God bless you both.

[nehad]

sorry to hear the news, but believe me when I say that there are others out there in the same position. Just keep trying, but evaluate where you are going wrong. Look at your weak subjects and what can be done. I would really consider taking a review course, to be in that environment full of energy. good luck

[yendor]

by the way... don't forget to pray.. always ask for His guidance and blessings... Have Faith!!:D

[bmw]

You got it! dont give up! What school are you from?

[AUCMD2006]

take a month off and try not to think about it then decide if trying again and becoming a doc is really what you want. once you make that choice the path is obvious, a 15 point increase is good but you should try and figure out why you are getting stuck. i have always read that these standardized tests are very culturally based so maybe if english is your second languague it os more comprehension that knowing the material...some of the questions are tricky to understand, specially in psych, ethics, and biostats...maybe take an english class such as creative writing and public speaking? suggestions:
-look at the performance part of your score and focus heavily on weak areas
-do a new set of question bank...if you did q bank then to usmle world and vice versa
-narrow down your review books. many people get a bunch of different books and try and study out of all of them. pick one out like first aid, crush the boards, whatever but stick to it. none will be complete so learn what is in it well enough to recite page numbers
-if you are a visual person like i am, all this reading is difficult to memorize so try and put the page as a whole in your memory. when i do a question say about abx, i think about what the page looks like and where on it is the answer i am looking for. even if i don't know the answer i can recall some of the other abx on that page and eliminate a few of the choices



as far as IUHS being a PA, make sure they don;t give you any advance standing and that you are on campus for the program or you will have a useless degree and in many states even if you don't practice medicine you can;t advertise as an MD.

[Unregistered]

DON'T GIVE UP!!! YOU ARE CLOSER THAN BEFORE. and statistically speaking, if you look at the table in First Aid introduction, they say that you have 70 - 80 % chance of passing with a score that's in the 170's. you can do it!!!!!!!! PLEASE, don't listen to people who are telling you to give up. YOU HAVE COME TOOOOOO FAR AND YOU ARE SOOOOOOO CLOSE. take a breather, take a break for a week or so and gather up your energy to start again. remember, you're not starting from level zero, you are starting with much more knowledge than before. God bless you. And when everyone else is discouraging... like Job in the bible, look to God as Job did.

[pradoc]

sorry for the news. even i failed step1. i am going to take it again. don't give up ur hope. when i was frustated my dad told something, which i would like to share with u," there are many doctors outside usa practicing medicine and many have not taken usmle......still they prove to be good
doctors. suppose if u don't take usmle, u will be practicing somewhere."
so don't count urself as not being good doctor. its simply luck didn't favour.hopefully next time u will make it. best of luck on advance.

[vinny]

If you go to a university that has a online program, GO WITH the campus program. You can prove your campus with the Passport stamps and your telephone records.

Campus is always the best bet.

Don't do online.

[navinchik]

Hey, i had to sit for the exam twice before i finally Passed. There's a reason you'Re allowed to sit fot the exam three times. Reflect, Regroup and Renew. Give it one last effort and i believe you'll succeed.

Be honest, work hard and you will pass. And study smart.

best wishes.

navinchik

[meddocpr]

sorry to hear the news, but believe me when I say that there are others out there in the same position. Just keep trying, but evaluate where you are going wrong. Look at your weak subjects and what can be done. I would really consider taking a review course, to be in that environment full of energy. good luck

Hi,

Thank you for the advice. I did try to get strong on my weak subjects this time.The first time I took it, I took a review course which was not that bad but wasn't good enough and it was really expensive. This time I can't afford another review course. I can't even afford a third test, but I'm working on it.
I will try again to review better my weak subjects and hope that if I do decide to take it again I do better. Thanxs again for your advice. May God bless you.

[meddocpr]

Thank You All Who Have Replied!!!! I Really Appreciate All Your Good Wishes, Advices And Prayers. I Will Be Praying For All Of You. God Bless You Abundantly.

[wam_256]

meddocpr...don't lose hope....the sky is the limit!!!

[sophiaa]

Hi,
try again, you know you can do it............you will be surprized how many other students have failed. Don't you ever give up, study and study and take NBME sample test first before taking the actual exam.
Good luck
sophiaa

[kokoarif]

dont get frustrated.Remember one thing who takes exam either pass or fail .If failed one day he or she will pass .I am sufferer like you I failed thrice & i am going to do my fourth attemp very soon with the believe that this time Allah(God) will betow me bec: thats His promise who work hard always get reward.Some people get early some get late but we always get reward .I failed last times 6 points but I learned my mistakes now .Do lots of questions evaluate yourself with honest heart.Learn your mistakes & do each & every subject in your fingertips with honestly.Remeber one more thing what my mother told me when I failed she told me that diamond shines more when it refines so you will defintely shine one day I believe in you & on myself.

[meddocpr]

I passed. I thank those who wrote to boost me up. Thanx...

All those who are Fajardo complueblanos ......... write.

[Mayor]

Congratulations! That's great that you passed. Can you tell me what you did this time around to finally pass this exam? I am taking my exam in 3 weeks and am really scared. This will be #5 for me. I am using First Aid, Goljan notes and Audio, and qbank. I would love to know what you finally did to pass. Thanks.

[desai29]

it would be nice to know what books did you use to study?

[ERNEST714]

Never Give Up, Never Give Up, Never Ever Give Up....

The Words Of Winston Churchill During England's Darkest Hours Of World War Ii.

And My Advice To You If You Really Want To Be A Physician.

What About Commercial Review Courses? Kaplan, Falcon?

[wam_256]

I passed. I thank those who wrote to boost me up. Thanx...

All those who are Fajardo complueblanos ......... write.

I'm really happy that you passed!!! Best of luck my friend!!!
...by the way I'm not from Fajardo, I'm from San German! hahaha...small world!!!..........felicidades!!!!!:)

[miasma]

huge congrats meddocpr. nice job.

[Mr. Rolon]

Cariduros en la casa! te felicito! wish me luck since i will be going for step 1 next month!:cool:

[wam_256]

best of luck Mr. Rolon!!!

[meddocpr]

Hi,

Thank you so much!!... I am sorry to hear about your test. I really know how you feel. Don't let depression get to you. It is really easy to fall in to it. And don't listen to anyone 'cause they will try to put you down. Trust me. Don't compare yourself to others and don't think about the what if's.

Now that I have covered what not to do I will tell you that after studying for months over and over again with no result, I decided to drop all the books and focus only on three sources: Kaplan, First Aid and Tommy Notes. The Tommy notes are very helpful. They allow you to integrate all you have studied and reason things out. First Aid is great for very extremely important little details that if missed will cost you the test (believe me!!!!!) and Kaplan is good especially for Biochem,pharm and pathology.

Last but most important: DO QUESTIONS!!!!! Practice most of the time. The more questions you do the more prepared you are. Do them and review them without cheating. I recommend Kaplan Q bank, the NBME test and the USMLE practice questions available online and on the CD they send you.
Also do not waist any time, Do not leave subjects for the last minute. Focus on path, physio, pharm and microbiology but do not neglect the rest of the subjects. And always study up to the last minute and even during your breaks at the testing center.

Hope I helped.
Best of luck to you Mr. Rolon and to all who are about to take the test!!!!!

[wam_256]

meddocpr
Thanks for your tips on how to study for step 1.